Capuchin friars bring food and supplies to Harvard Square’s homeless.

by Lydialyle Gibson

On Thursday afternoon at exactly 3 o’clock, a small white van emerged from the swirl of traffic in Harvard Square and pulled over next to the Cambridge kiosk. Five people climbed out—three wearing winter coats over their long brown robes—and began setting up a temporary coffee and hot-chocolate stand at the back of the vehicle, with sweeteners, stirrers, and napkins neatly laid out next to tall containers of cream. On a small blackboard behind them, the day’s menu of sandwiches was printed: ham and cheese, turkey and cheese, baloney and cheese, peanut butter and jelly. The Capuchin Mobile Ministries had arrived.

Three times a week—on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays—a group of Capuchin friars based in Jamaica Plain bring food and supplies to the homeless, making stops at seven spots in Cambridge and Boston. “It’s an opportunity to build relationships,” says Amanda Grant-Rose, Ed.M. ’10, director of stewardship and engagement for the Mobile Ministries, who rides along with the van once or twice a month. “It’s a chance to be with people”—and, importantly, she adds, “We come to them.”

Besides sandwiches and hot drinks, the group (which usually consists of two or three friar chaplains and two or three lay volunteers) hands out street necessities such as hats, gloves, socks, hand warmers, and Mylar blankets. They also can help connect people to other outreach agencies and social services. The coffee they offer is made to order. That’s an important detail, Grant-Rose says: “Just the dignity in giving someone not just a cup of coffee, but a cup of coffee made the way they like it.”

That kind of care and attention guides the whole effort, says Brother Paul Fesefeldt, who started the Mobile Ministries in August 2020. “This is a ministry of accompaniment,” he says, “a ministry of presence.” A central part of the mission is spiritual care, but in the broadest possible sense. “Some people just want to be heard,” he says. “We have a guy who, every time we see him, he tells us a story for 20 minutes. And then sometimes with other people, it’s like, ‘Just pray for me, Brother.’” One of the regulars the group sees often, recently asked the friars to pray for his father, who had a stroke. “There’s a cliché that is attributed to St. Francis that says, ‘Preach the gospel always, and if necessary, use words,’” Fesefeldt says. “How you are is how you preach. We’re not a proselytizing ministry; we’re not here to try to get people to go back to church. We’re here to meet them where they’re at, kind of like what Pope Francis said about the Church when he first became pope: a spiritual field hospital.”

Grant-Rose joined the organization in August, after more than a decade of service work in the United States and East Africa. The daughter of a Presbyterian minister and a social worker, she studied special education at the University of Arizona and taught school in Tucson for two years before earning a master’s degree in social work from the University of Pennsylvania and moving from there to the Usambara Mountains in Tanzania, where she helped create a university program to train special-education teachers. After returning to study international education and policy at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, she worked as a program director for a small nonprofit called Lift Up Africa, splitting her time between the United States and East Africa. She first met Fesefeldt several years ago when they both worked at Common Cathedral, an ecumenical outdoor church in Boston with worship services and outreach programs for homeless people. She was his supervisor, and the two used to dream, Grant-Rose says, about starting something like the Mobile Ministries. “Brother Paul would say, wouldn’t it be great if we could do what we do, but go to people and find them in their living rooms, instead of them having to come find us? That would really change the dynamic, change the relationships we can have with people.”

On Thursday in Harvard Square, a half-dozen people ventured over to the van for food or supplies. The group stays at each stop for 20 minutes, and often one of the brothers will scout the area on foot after they arrive, to alert people to their presence, and to bring them supplies if they don’t want to come to the van. “It’s important to walk around, because people see us, even if we don’t see them,” Fesefeldt says. Soon after the group set up, a youngish man made his way over and, after perusing the menu, asked for a ham and cheese sandwich. A few minutes later, a woman pushing a wheeled utility cart filled with two heavy bags approached hesitantly. She accepted a sandwich but said that what she really needed was socks and gloves—did they have any? Another man came over smiling, and after receiving a cup of coffee, stayed and chatted for 15 minutes, talking and laughing, half in Spanish, half English.

Harvard Square is often one of the quieter stops, Fesefeld says—in Central Square that day, the group saw 20 people—but the van never leaves early, even if there’s a lull. Every stop lasts for 20 minutes, every time. “People count on us being here,” he says. “And sometimes people don’t want to come up right away. They want to wait until the very end.” Just before the group packed up to leave, a man with a backpack and a thin scarf drifted over and asked for a turkey sandwich and what Fesefeldt calls a “Capuchin mocha”: half-coffee, half-hot chocolate. The air was getting colder. The man talked quietly with a volunteer and ate the sandwich as he waited for his drink. When one of the brothers handed him the steaming cup, he smiled. “Thank you,” he said and turned to walk back the same way he’d come.

BOSTON – Boston’s Bridge Over Troubled Waters is tackling the challenges homeless youth face by bringing the help they need right to them.

Offering help to homeless youth

A large white van sits near the Park Street Station at Boston Common. It’s a shelter on wheels for homeless teens and children sleeping in or passing through Boston Common.

“We pick places where a lot of young people are known to hang out,” said Peter Ducharme, who runs Bridge Over Troubled Water’s mobile medical van.

The van parks in the Common and Harvard Square every weekday evening, meeting homeless youth where they are and inviting them in for a warm drink and a sandwich.

“They’re able to see other young people are here, so that makes it a little more comfortable,” Ducharme said.

Twenty to 30 youths sit and eat in the van every night. Half of them take advantage of the van’s clinic as well. Volunteer doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners and physician assistants treat common illnesses or administer first aid. But what they’re really doing is building rapport and trust with Boston’s homeless youth.

“Often, they’re really disenchanted with services, so this is an opportunity to have a different experience.”

Providing services to homeless youth

From there, people like Ducharme encourage homeless teens to take it a step further, encouraging them to visit the Bridge shelter and take advantage of its educational and career programs. 

“It’s always intimidating and uncomfortable to be an 18/19-year-old in a service setting here there’s also 50/60-year-olds, so to have a place just for young people is really important,” Ducharme said.

About half of all the people the Bridge Over Troubled Waters staff members meet in the van do eventually visit the shelter. Sometimes, it just takes one encounter; other times, it takes many, so Ducharme and his team have no plans of stopping anytime soon. 

“Young people have really fantastic goals but are often just struggling to think about how get over the barriers to achieve them,” Ducharme said.

Once people do transition from the van to the shelter, they have access to a multitude of different services. They can work to get their GED or get connected with jobs. The main goal, of course, is to find permanent housing. 

Home | Business + Money

Lou’s is announced for Harvard Square space, bringing bands and food from Flatbread crew

By Chloe Jad

Friday, November 22, 2024

The former Beat Brew Hall, seen Friday, is the future site of Lou’s in Cambridge’s Harvard Square. (Photo: Marc Levy)

The storied and serial-tenanted 13 Brattle St. in Harvard Square is expected to welcome Lou’s, a 10,000-square-foot lounge space for cocktails, flatbread and live music, in 2025.

John DiGiovanni, president of Trinity Property Management in Cambridge, announced the lounge’s opening in a press release Wednesday, saying he “aims to create a bar and gathering space that feels familiar and timeless in the square – a neighborhood that he and his family have considered a second home for almost 50 years.”

Formerly home to jazz bar Beat Brasserie (originally known as the Beat Hotel) until September 2018, then reinvented as Beat Brew Hall that month – until the pandemic shuttered and reshuttered the Hall’s doors following an attempted reopening in May 2022 —13 Brattle St. has seen businesses come and go, and even indulged a theater stint with “The Gaaga” phantasmagoria production last summer. The building has been in limbo since Beat Brew Hall closed. Lou’s is next up to make the space work.

The live music could help reinvigorate nightlife in the square. Church Street has The Sinclair performance space and the folk haven Club Passim, and Regattabar brings in jazz acts a few blocks away, but the area is no longer known for live entertainment. (The Comedy Studio recently reopened on John F. Kennedy Street with nightly or twice-nightly bills of comics.) The previous jazzy iterations of 13 Brattle St. by the teams behind The Beehive, Cósmica & Spy Bar in Boston’s South End could seat between 330 and 360 people.

Lou’s will operate in partnership with the team behind Vermont-founded American Flatbread, which boasts locations across New England – including a restaurant paired with Sacco’s candlepin bowling in Somerville’s Davis Square.

The “subterranean space” in Harvard Square is expected to get a makeover by Elder & Ash, an interior design firm in Amesbury, according to the release.

“Experience collectors” Rob Blood and Megan Kennedy, Elder & Ash’s husband-and-wife hotelier designer team, approach design by looking “at the history of the building, the past identities, the current use. We feel that connection to neighborhood, to history and to people; the grit and the beauty, is what fuels a memorable experience,” the firm’s website states.

Cambridge Day reached out to DiGiovanni’s media contact, Mary DiLeo, for information about Lou’s opening.

“We’re not ready to share additional details about Lou’s just yet,” DiLeo wrote in an email.

Information will be announced in the coming months, she said.

With room for some bar pizza and salt and vinegar chips in between.

By Kara Baskin Globe Correspondent,Updated November 5, 2024, 10:00 a.m.

Sean Lizotte, 45, has spent the past almost 20 years at Henrietta’s Table and the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square, but his love for food got started eating at Kelly’s Roast Beef before family trips to Cape Cod and watching Julia Child on his parents’ rabbit-eared TV set. His tastes remain humble: When he’s not working, he’s enjoying bar pizza at Venus or O’Toole’s not far from his house in Whitman.

Tell me about your job.

I’m the executive chef at The Charles Hotel and Henrietta’s Table. I’ve worked there for almost 19 years. I started out as a low-level sous chef and came up through the ranks. I took over for Peter Davis about 2½ years ago, when he retired. I oversee Noir’s food; banquets; room service; Henrietta’s Table; the cafeteria, of course, for our wonderful employees, which are very important to the hotel. Without them, we wouldn’t be who we are. We also have a little small sandwich shop called Pronto. I oversee the menu there also.

I cook breakfast. I cook lunch. I’m not afraid to work a station, even though I’m in charge. I’ve washed dishes when somebody’s called out — I love my team. I want them to be able to fully understand what I put into it so that, hopefully, I get the same in return.

Let’s talk about your beginnings as a chef. How’d you get started?

I moved around a lot, but all within Massachusetts. I grew up in Winthrop and Revere. We always summered on the Cape. We were lucky enough that before my dad got married and had children, he bought land, dirt cheap, and he built a house when I was about 3 years old. We would spend weekends, school vacations, and summers on the Cape, which was awesome. We’d go to Kelly’s Roast Beef on Friday nights, and we’d get either fish and chips or sandwiches, and then we’d drive to the Cape.

My first job was at Bayberry’s. Now I think it’s Lambert’s — a small mom-and-pop restaurant where they did everything from scratch. We cooked turkeys in-house to slice for sandwiches. We made our own soups, which was pretty unheard of for these little, tiny restaurants. They did breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They used to do like 800 to 900 covers for breakfast.

My father’s father, my grandfather, was an amazing cook. Unfortunately, died in his 60s. But all I remember when I was a kid is: I was the first male grandchild on that side — the whole nine. I would show up at his house, I want to say 3 years old, and he’d have me in the kitchen on top of a stool stirring pots while he was making gravy. We were always at his house. I just remember my parents freaking out that I was going to fall into a pot at one point.

He was French-Canadian, and everything was classic French-style all the way through, from heavy butter in mashed potatoes and a little bit of cream to help it out, and then just turkey being stuffed with stuffing, the old-school way.

My mom used to sit me in front of the television. We had a simple color TV with rabbit ears. I’d watch Julia Child, and I think that was my driving force behind a lot of the cooking. I used to watch that daily, and I can always remember my mom coming in and being like, “I think Julia may have had a little bit too much today!” She’d pull me away from the TV at that point.

What’s your favorite meal of all time?

My dad made a French meat pie, and unfortunately, I probably haven’t had it in 12 years. It was ground pork, cooked slowly for 12 to 16 hours, just simmered down with either chicken stock or he’d sometimes just do water, just salt and pepper, super slow, and then he would bake it inside of a fresh shell. There are variations where people add potato, too, but we never did potato. That was his big selling point. Potato was cheating. If you cook the meat right, it should bind correctly.

What about food that you can’t stand?

Oh, man, that’s a tough one. You know, you go to certain restaurants and they have something that definitely makes no sense to have on their menu. I live on the South Shore, and there are some restaurants that say they’re a steakhouse, but they have sushi. It just doesn’t make sense to me. I’m not going to order sushi at a steakhouse. But I try to have a pretty open mind.

What do you wish could improve about the Boston or Cambridge dining scene?

My thing right now is that I think there are sometimes too many restaurants that do the same thing. I’m a big fan of tapas. My wife and I traveled to Spain years ago. I like the opportunity to try a lot of different items. I think there’s a lack of those restaurants.

Where do you eat when you’re not working?

I live in Whitman, which is south of Boston. It’s next to Brockton, Bridgewater, Abington, and Hanson. It’s funny: We ordered pizza last night on the way home. Otto Portland just opened up in Weymouth; it’s a small chain. I love bar pizza too. In Whitman, there’s Venus that does bar pizza. There’s O’Toole that does bar pizza. Phenomenal. At Otto, though, my daughter really likes the mashed potato, bacon, and scallion pizza.

In Plymouth, my wife and I like Cork and Table. I’m really bad. I spent a lot of time in the city. My wife and I lived there for a little while before we bought a house and had children. But we don’t tend to drive to the city too much anymore, unfortunately, just because of the fact it’s an hour drive each way, minimum.

You have two teenagers. How do you balance family life with working life?

It’s not always easy. I won’t lie about it, but I’m very lucky. My wife currently works overnights, and I work mornings, so I usually go in between 4:30 and 5 in the morning, and I’m usually out between 4 and 6 p.m. depending on what’s going on. Sometimes it’s later, but not usually.

I’m usually off Monday and Tuesday, or Tuesday and Wednesday, or Monday and Wednesday. I try to always be off on Tuesday because my son has hockey that night, so at least I get to go to the practice with him, and my daughter has soccer usually, too. So I’ll try my best to drive her and her friends one way or something like that. I always look forward to them having night games, which is awesome, because 90 percent of the night games, I can make.

Would you ever encourage either of your kids to go into the culinary field?

My daughter loves being involved in cooking. Something we don’t do at the restaurant is homemade pasta, because there’s an Italian restaurant in the hotel, Enza. But I’ll make gnocchi, homemade pasta, at home with my daughter, whenever I can. Sometimes her cousin will come over, her friends will come over, we’ll make pasta for dinner. I’ll go through the whole process with them. They enjoy rolling it out and being involved in that way.

She loves the pastry chef at the hotel. His name is Dan Angelopolus. He’s phenomenal. He makes everything from scratch. He works incredibly hard. I always look up to him, because it seems like he always has the right answer for any problem — he’s the person you can just go to.

He’s making homemade Pop Tarts right now for Sunday brunch. So I brought home a brown-sugar-glazed one, and she was like: “This is the best thing ever!” Also, she swears by his chocolate croissant. I’m afraid that this is what she’s going to want to do for a living.

What makes you afraid?

The worst part about doing this and having children is missing so much. I mean, they really respect and love coming to the hotel. They love coming to the restaurant. And they really enjoy my days off. I mean, my wife is a wonderful home cook; I’ll never take anything away from her. But they always look forward because they know that’s what I do for a living. A lot of their friends like to come over and stuff like that, so I do my best. This morning was a little hectic, but I usually ask them what they want for dinner, and I’ll try to do it for them.

Which celebrities have you served?

Tommy Lee Jones was in the other day. He’s in a lot. John Lithgow has been there recently. What’s his name? Not Matt Damon; not Ben Affleck. Casey Affleck — he’s been here recently. There’s always somebody coming in: Ben Affleck and J. Lo stayed [at the Charles] not too long ago, before they divorced.

Lastly: What’s your favorite snack?

I do like salt and vinegar chips. That would be my guilty downfall, probably. If my son goes to the store, he’s going to tell me to buy Lay’s. I’m not a fan. I like Cape Cod. I grew up on Cape Cod. It reminds me of the beach during the summer.

According to a recent feature by Love Food, Harvest, located in the heart of Harvard Square, has been recognized as the most charming restaurant in Massachusetts. Nestled along a cobbled path, this elegant eatery offers a delightful dining experience that showcases the best of New England cuisine.

Chefs at Harvest collaborate closely with local farmers to create seasonal menus that highlight fresh, regional ingredients. The restaurant’s interiors are adorned with dark woods and neutral tones, providing a sophisticated ambiance, while the beautiful patio offers a lovely option for al fresco dining. For those seeking a quaint and memorable culinary experience, Harvest stands out as a must-visit destination in Cambridge.

Source: Google Street View

In a city where culture and community are as rich and variegated as the storied streets themselves, the historic Harvard Square Kiosk is gearing up for an auspicious transformation. According to an announcement from the City of Cambridge, in collaboration with CultureHouse and the Cambridge Office for Tourism, the iconic kiosk will be repurposed into the Cambridge Kiosk, a bustling community space, and visitor information center, with doors set to swing open in early 2025.

The revamp process is community-driven, with a two-year plan inviting local input to reflect a broad spectrum of needs and dreams. Beginning now, applications for the City’s new Cambridge Kiosk Advisory Committee are open to the public. Furthermore, CultureHouse is seeking propositions via an interest form from artists, nonprofits, and businesses, for future events and programming that will happen at the kiosk. Cambridge City Manager Yi-An Huang expressed that at the heart of this initiative is a mission to “provide greater opportunities for creativity, connection, and collaboration in the center of Harvard Square.”

Managing and programming the Kiosk will be CultureHouse’s wheelhouse. This organization, known for rejuvenating dormant spaces into cultural hotspots, will spearhead a series of multilingual surveys and interactive sessions for public input on desirable activities and functions in the renewed space. Executive Director Aaron Greiner told the City of Cambridge, “Programming at the Cambridge Kiosk will continuously evolve to meet the needs of the community and turn the space into a dynamic hub where people from all places and backgrounds can come together to experience culture and to build relationships.”

The Cambridge Kiosk’s refurbishment not only extends an invitation to embrace the contemporary but also honors the rich tapestry of its past. Kathy Watkins, Commissioner of Cambridge Public Works, shared a snapshot of the meticulous preservation efforts underway, advising visitors to “take a moment to look up at the details of the roof, the interior wood ceiling, and the brick columns that have been painstakingly restored,” celebrating both its storied history and envisioned future.

In the interim, visitor services formerly housed in the kiosk have been temporarily relocated to Cambridge Savings Bank’s ground floor. Robyn Culbertson, Executive Director of the Cambridge Office for Tourism, reassures that the dedicated staff will continue to aid visitors with “navigating the city and discovering its vibrant cultural scene.” With the anticipated opening of the Cambridge Kiosk, the promise of a nuanced and colorful future is as tangible as the bricks laid down nearly a century ago. For those eager to play a role or just stay in the loop, opportunities beckon at cambridgekiosk.org.

Author Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter

November 1st 1:58 PM

Darren McCollester/Getty Images

The historic Harvard Square Kiosk is going to reopen in early 2025 as a community space.

The City of Cambridge announced this news in a press release sharing that the space will be named the Cambridge Kiosk which will also act as a “vibrant cultural incubator” and a “visitor information center.” The city announced the space will be be run by the new Cambridge Kiosk Advisory Committee. Those interested in serving on that committee can apply here.

Cambridge City Manager Yi-An Huang said in a statement, “The activation of the Cambridge Kiosk represents a significant milestone for our community. By transforming this historic landmark into a dynamic public space, we will provide greater opportunities for creativity, connection, and collaboration in the center of Harvard Square.”

The kiosk has existed since 1927. Notably, it featured the Out of Town Newsstand from 1983 until the kiosk closed in 2019.

Commissioner of Cambridge Public Works Kathy Watkins said in a statement, “The Kiosk has adapted over its nearly 100 years to meet the needs of the community and it is exciting to see it transform yet again. The current renovations have been led by a dedicated team of architects, engineers and historians and will support this treasured building becoming a modern amenity, while honoring and celebrating the historic details that make it special.”