Business

“Bar Rescue” Star’s Restaurant Hiring at Watertown Location

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Taffer’s Tavern is opening at Watertown’s Arsenal Yards in 2022. Bar Rescue’s Jon Taffer will be opening a restaurant in Watertown, and the restaurant is now hiring. Taffer’s Tavern aims to open in the fall of 2022, according to RestaurantNews.com. Taffer, the star of the Paramount Network show, stopped by the space in Arsenal Yards in May. The description on the Arsenal Yards website says: “Taffer’s is the quintessential pub, a place to meet old friends while making new ones.

Frank Pepe Pizzeria

Pepe Pizza Celebrating 97th Anniversary with Big Deal, Donations Accepted for Local Food Pantry

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Frank Pepe Pizzeria NapoletanaFrank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana will offer 97 cent small pizzas during its 97th anniversary celebration. The following information was provided by Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana:

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana (“Pepe’s Pizza”), an iconic New Haven-based eatery known for its signature coal-fired pies, will kick off summer with an exclusive promotion at its Watertown location at 24 Eldridge Avenue. 

To celebrate the brand’s 97-year legacy, from Friday, June 24 through Sunday, June 26, Frank Pepe’s of Watertown will offer customers one small, single topping pizza for 97-cents from 11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. (in-store only). During these days, the Watertown Food Pantry will have a donation table set up at the restaurant with a check presentation on Friday, June 24. Jennifer Kelly, granddaughter of the late Frank Pepe, will be in town for the summer kick-off and available for interviews on Tuesday, June 21, and Wednesday, June 22. She can offer first-hand accounts of the brand’s history and share stories about growing up in the New Haven restaurant. She can also provide behind the scenes insight to Pepe’s unique cooking method, the “choreography” of how the “Pie men” work the “peels” and other signature elements of the Pepe’s experience.

Around Town

Shares Available for Charles River Co-op, Group Looking to Create New Food Buying Alternative

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Since the closing of Russo’s market in September 2021, a group of people has been working to create a new option for grocery and food shoppers in the Watertown area. On June 15, the Charles River Food Co-op formally kicks off the sale of shares in the planned store. The co-op had a soft opening in early June, and has already sold more than 70 shares, said Nick Quaranto, interim board president of the Charles River Food Co-op. The money raised by the shares, which cost $200 each, will go toward planning and building a store in one of the communities on which the co-op is focusing: Watertown, Waltham, and Newton. Shareholders will also be able to participate in co-op elections and will receive discounts after the store opens.

Around Town

New Food Co-op Looks to Fill Void of Russo’s Closing, Offering Shares

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The following information was provided by the Charles River Co-op:

The Charles River Food Co-op is announcing that we will soon be accepting members! As a reminder, the impetus to create the Charles River Food Co-op was the closing of Russo’s in Watertown. We are excited about our mission and vision for this new store, which includes replicating Russo’s fresh produce and food diversity, in addition to a focus on sustainability and community. While we don’t have a store for you to shop in yet, buying a member-owner share now allows us to build the financial foundation we need to fuel the next stage of our growth and fund the eventual store opening. You are investing in the future of the Charles River Co-op and enabling us to take the next step to reach our vision. 

Our share price will be $200 – which can be paid up-front or over 8 months in increments of $25.

Around Town

Watertown Farmers Market Returning in June With Several New Vendors

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Anaïs MarkwoodThe Watertown Farmers Market returns to Saltonstall Park on June 15. The Watertown Farmers Market will return on June 15 with four produce booths, and several new vendors including some familiar local names. The Farmers Market takes place Wednesdays from 2:30-6:30 p.m., rain or shine, at Saltonstall Park (next to City Hall, 149 Main St.). It runs from June 15 to Oct. 19, 2022.

Business

Mighty Squirrel Brewing Opening Beer Garden in Watertown

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Mighty SquirrelMighty Squirrel Brewing will be serving its creations at the new biergarten at Arsenal Yards. Beer lovers will enjoy the latest addition to Arsenal Yards: a biergarten. Local craft brewer Mighty Squirrel Brewing will be running the beer garden, that will be located in the center of Arsenal Yards. Arsenal Yards provided the following information:

Just in time for warm weather and patio drinking season, Arsenal Yards, the thriving new neighborhood located along the Charles River in Watertown, announces the addition of a brand–new Mighty Squirrel Biergarten opening this Saturday, April 30th at 11 a.m.! Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co.A view of Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co.’s biergarten located at its Waltham brewery.

Business

Watertown Restaurant Combines Caribbean & Mediterranean Cuisine, With a Healthy Flair

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Meghan CroninSome of the dishes served at Nzuko in Watertown, which offers Mediterranean and Caribbean inspired food. Located a couple blocks off Main Street, one of Watertown’s newest restaurants offers a unique combination of Caribbean and Mediterranean food, with an emphasis on healthy preparations. Nzuko opened in November, and offers a wide range of dishes inspired by multiple cuisines, said chef Laurette Ndukwe. “I’m from the Caribbean and the manager is from Jordan, and then we have my son, who is an African-American from here, and we have Brazilians in the kitchen, so we have a multicultural flair in the restaurant,” Ndukwe said. Nzuko’s first location was in Framingham, but many diners lived west of Boston (or in the city), so they asked if Ndukwe could open another restaurant closer to Boston.