Around Town

Shoppers, Vendors Happy to Be Back at Opening Day of Watertown Farmers Market

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Anaïs MarkwoodShoppers returned to the Watertown Farmers Market at Saltonstall Park on June 16. The Watertown Farmers Market opened on Wednesday, June 16, with the white peaks of vendors’ tents once again lining Saltonstall Park. After having restrictions last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the market is now fully open once again, and has introduced a handful of new vendors for the 2021 season. 

Shoppers streamed back and forth around the outdoor market and queues even formed in front of some of the more popular vendors, including the stalls for Clear Flour Bread and Boston Smoked Fish Co. Everyone seemed excited to have the market fully open again, whether they be vendors, shoppers, volunteers, or the market manager, Stephanie Venizelos. 

While Venizelos described the 2020 season as “an exceptional year,” saying that the market actually saw an uptick in business as shoppers worked from home and tried to avoid supermarkets, she is hopeful for another successful year. “We love the park, we love the vendors, so we’re confident that the market will do well again this year,” Venizelos said.

Business

Celebrity Chef Opening Restaurant at Watertown’s Arsenal Yards in July

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Buttermilk & BourbonCelebrity Chef Jason Santos will open his second location of Buttermilk & Bourbon at Arsenal Yards. The menu includes buttermilk fried chicken. The following announcement was provided by Arsenal Yards:

Boylston Properties and Wilder proudly announced that they’ve leased 3,000 square feet at Watertown’s Arsenal Yards to local celebrity chef and restaurateur, Jason Santos. Following the success of Buttermilk & Bourbon in Boston’s Back Bay, the nationally-recognized chef will open his second location of the popular restaurant in the new neighborhood in mid-July 2021, bringing a taste of Southern hospitality to Watertown. The New Orleans’ inspired restaurant will be an exciting addition to the eclectic mix of offerings at Arsenal Yards, which will offer a true neighborhood experience with its more than one million square feet of retail shops, residential apartments, life science space, and a 146-room hotel when construction is completed later this year.

Entertainment

Watertown Greek Church Hosting Gyro Fest, Pre-Order Open for Pick-up Only Event

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Watertown’s Taxiarchae Greek Church will host Gyro Fest on Saturday, May 15 from noon to 7 p.m.

The menu includes Greek favorites such as gyros, pastitsio, spanakopita, loukoumades and baklava. The event is pick-up only. You can pre-order, prepay and set up a time to pick up your order. See the menu, and how to order by clicking here. Taxiarchae Greek Church is located at 25 Bigelow Ave.

Arsenal Yards

Roche Bros. Packs Many Offerings in a Smaller Grocery Space at Arsenal Yards

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Roche Bros. opened in Watertown’s Arsenal Yards on April 9. Watertown’s newest grocery option has opened at Arsenal Yards, and packs a wide variety of produce, prepared food and made-to-order items into a smaller space than a typical supermarket. Roche Bros. officially opened April 9, and features a deli, bakery, a cheese shop, butcher, floral section, cafe and more, said Arther Ackles, Vice President of Merchandising for Roche Bros.

Entertainment

April at Gore Place: Plant Sale, Spring Photo Session, Virtual Sheepshearing Festival

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The following information was provided by Gore Place:

What’s a Living Salad Bowl? Now available from the Farm at Gore Place! A living salad bowl is a container of growing salad greens. We’re offering these special living salad bowl arrangements created by Farmer Scott at Gore Place. He’ll use a variety of greens including red and green leaf lettuce, chard, and spicy microgreens (all “cut-and-come-again” varieties).

Business

Watertown Company Teams Food Trucks, Schools to Put on Fundraisers

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Watertown-based Food Truck Ventures teams up food trucks and schools for fundraisers. Here a food truck visits Wellington School in Belmont as part of the StrEATS for Schools program. The pandemic has made fundraising for schools and PTOs more challenging, but a Watertown-based company has provided a way for schools to bring in money and also provide a tasty meal. This school year, Food Truck Ventures started offering StrEATS for Schools, where food trucks can come to the school or neighborhood and provide food and bring in some funds. Several schools in the area, including Lowell Elementary School in Watertown, have taken advantage.

Around Town

Watertown Farmers Market Planning for 2021, Provides Access to Fruits & Veggies to Everyone

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The opening of the Watertown Farmers Market is still a few months away, but the 2021 season will feature more produce vendors, modified COVID-19 restrictions and has special programs for people who qualify for the SNAP program. The Farmers Market opens on June 16 and runs through Oct. 20 in Saltonstall Park (next to Town Hall). The hours will be 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Watertown’s Community Wellness/Market Manager Stephanie Venizelos continues to confirm which vendors will be at the Watertown Farmers Market in 2021, but she said there will be three large produce vendors, all of which will have at-market sales, and also preorder and/or CSA (community supported agriculture) where subscribers get a box of vegetables each month. The Watertown Farmers Market newsletter announced information about the CSA programs:

“We’re looking forward to having many of our fabulous vendors back in the park, in addition to welcoming back Farmer Tim’s and welcoming in Stillman’s Farm!

Business

Town Taking Application for Additional Outdoor Seating at Restaurants

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Deluxe Town Diner was one of several Watertown restaurants approved to have outdoor seating in 2020. Restaurants can apply again in 2021. Diners may have more outdoor dining opportunities in 2021 as the Town of Watertown is allowing restaurants to apply for additional outdoor space for temporary seating. Last year, the Town allowed some restaurants to have seating on the sidewalk in front of their business, or other places on their property, and 15 did so. The temporary permits were given to allow for increased capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic.