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Big, satisfying sandwiches, named for locations around town, are still on the menu

Where to Roust Cafe on Mt. Auburn Street in Harvard Square.

Why To see what was going on in the former Darwin’s Ltd., a fixture since 1993.

The backstory Late last year, Darwin’s Ltd. owners Steven and Isabel Darwin closed their four Cambridge coffee and sandwich shops as workers voted to unionize. (There is an initiative by some former staffers to open a worker-owned cafe; they operate as the Circus Cooperative Cafe Crew on GoFundMe.) In February, the original Harvard Square location became Roust, owned by Valentin Hefco, who also owns Tokava in Jamaica Plain (drinks only). Roust’s manager is Mike Spires, who was the general manager when the space was Darwin’s. Where the old spot always seemed a little jammed and harried, Roust is more laid-back. Hefco and Spires are rolling it out slowly. The right-hand side of the storefront has 19 seats; as the weather warms, there will be more out front. The other has groceries, prepared foods, and eventually wine and beer when the license is transferred. Roust is “an invented name,” says Hefco. “I wanted to have a name of my own. I imagine that this name is to invite everyone in the morning for a cup of coffee and a bagel and a sandwich. Roust you out of bed with a cup of coffee.”

What to eat Pick a sandwich, all named for geographic locations in the area, and you’ll be delighted. Breads come from Iggy’s and Nashoba Brook. On the breakfast list, the Harvard Yard starts with toasted sourdough, and holds two eggs, bacon, cheddar, and avocado. Honestly, it’s enough for two, as are most of the choices. The Inman is built on seven-grain bread with eggs, red peppers, cheddar, and tomato. Lunch sandwiches include Darwin’s Mt. Auburn, the only combination exactly as it was before: turkey, Swiss, avocado, tomato, lettuce, mayo, and vinaigrette on sourdough. A delicious messy affair. The Highland stacks ham with pear, pickled onions, and arugula on toasted grainy bread. Hefco is smart to keep the menu short. Everything is nicely made, very satisfying.

From 1959 to 2020, people went to 12 Bow St. in Harvard Square for a sense of community. The reason why was the Spanish-styled Café Pamplona, a favorite haunt for students, artists, writers, and other locals. So, when Faro Café opened last December on nearby Arrow Street, those who knew Café Pamplona expected a revival. And it is in a sense.

Faro’s owner, Henry Hoffstot, 32, shares the same goal of establishing a community environment, but his methods are new. “We’re lighting our own torch,” he says.

A warm, cozy space filled with light, Faro offers skillfully crafted frothy coffees made with beans from local roasters, such as Broadsheet in Somerville and Tiny Arms in Lowell. Croissants, pastries, and other breads come from La Saison, a well-regarded Cambridge bakery. It is common to see the indoor tables filled with students and remote workers hunched over laptops (there’s outdoor seating, too).

Hoffstot plans to hold talks, art exhibits, events, music — perhaps even chess nights in the future. And time with “no laptops so people can get off the keyboard and converse,” he says.

Hoffstot lived and worked in finance in Buenos Aires for four years. He was inspired by the city’s vibrant coffee scene, where people used cafés to relax with a cup of coffee rather than work. He opened his shop after returning to the United States, naming it after the Spanish word for lighthouse. Lighthouses are of course meant to shine a light and guide.

5 Arrow St., Cambridge. Open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Flavor Flav was recently a guest lecturer at Harvard University. During his guest tenure at the Ivy League, Flav lectured on hip-hop culture and history. Before stepping off campus, he donated one of his famous clocks to the university.

Flavor Flav was a guest lecturer at Harvard University on April 4. He also visited the school on April 5, completing a two-day visit and lectures on hip-hop.

“How many of y’all had Flavor Flav going to HARVARD on ya bingo cards,” he shared in a Twitter post. “YEAH BOOYYYEEEE”

CAMBRIDGE, MA – 

Flavor Flav has donated his iconic clock chain to Harvard University after the Public Enemy rapper spent the day meeting with students.

Flav visited the Ivy League institution on Tuesday (April 4), and at one point even led a table read of Emily Dickinson’s 1896 poem “A Clock Stopped,” before thematically tying the poem into some of his lyrics.

Flav concluded the reading by handing off his legendary jewelry piece to Professors Henry Louis Gates and Tommie 

https://www.tmz.com/videos/2023-04-04-040423-flavor-flav-poetry-1592305-285/

https://www.tmz.com/videos/2023-04-04-040423-flavor-flav-1592297-319/

Dee-1, DJ Stretch Armstrong and Khaliah Ali, the former wife of late boxing legend Muhammad Ali, also stopped by Harvard, as well as Lupe Fiasco, who previously taught at the esteemed university before he was appointed an MLK Visiting Professor at MIT.

Lupe was most recently named a Saybrook Fellow at Yale University, marking the lauded lyricist’s latest honor in the world of higher education.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CqoZVFevhku/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=c14fa590-6561-435e-b4c5-8ea2c2e2a79a

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Supermodel Tyra Banks was spotted recently at a popular local ice cream shop: J.P. Licks in Harvard Square.

A well-known international model who has also enjoyed success on the shows, “America’s Next Top Model” and “The Tyra Banks Show,” Banks also has a local tie to Cambridge.

According to The Harvard Crimson, Banks received a certificate from Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management Program, a nine-week program featuring an application which asks prospective participants for their annual compensations but does not inquire about GPAs or test scores.

And, the popular supermodel-turned-entrepreneur has a love for ice cream.

Banks has launched SMiZE & Dream ice cream, “an inspirational, theatrical, dream-fulfilling company where entertainment and ice cream collide on a global scale,” according to the company’s website.

“Founded by Tyra Banks, SMiZE & Dream’s ice cream has a hidden truffle surprise in every cup, called the SMiZE PRiZE. Strategically located at the bottom of every luxurious serving, the SMiZE PRiZE is a tasty reward after some serious digging – a fun & delicious discovery that appeals to the kid in all of us,” the company said.

The SMiZE PRiZE also “symbolizes what our company stands for: empowering our worldwide community to dig deep and help each other reach for their dreams via our SMiZE & Dreams mentorship programs,” the company said.

Vico Style, a vintage fashion startup that opened last month, aims to help customers “be sustainably bougie on a budget,” according to its founder.

Located on the corner of 73 Mount Auburn St., the Harvard Square location is currently the only permanent Vico Style storefront, but another is set to open in Boston later this month, according to founder Cecilia Hermawan.

Hermawan said the idea for the store emerged from her own “pain point,” as she often purchased secondhand goods to save money while completing her MBA as a single parent.

“I learned that I had to be better with my money because I had to pay for my own tuition. So as a result, I started consuming secondhand goods,” Hermawan said.

Hermawan, who worked for nearly a decade in fashion in the Boston area prior to launching Vico Style, said she decided to start her own business after falling in love with a vintage Irish tweed cape.

“I caught the startup bug,” Hermawan said. “I am not going to wake up when I’m 50 and regret I’m not doing something that I’m passionate about.”

According to Hermawan, the collection of clothing will be rotated every three weeks given the store’s size restrictions. The location has just 200 square feet for selling space, Hermawan said, adding that each set will have its own “vibe.”

“Right now, we have grandparents-core, which is kind of like your grandpa’s blazer type of vibe and your grandmother’s florals and pearls,” Hermawan said. The next collection will feature bright, “dopamine dressing” clothing, with colors like fuschia and aqua.

“Curation is a big part of what we do,” Hermawan added.

Vico Style also offers a subscription service, Hermawan said. Each quarter, the business ships boxes to subscribers containing pieces catered to “life stage.”

“What are you looking for? Are you graduating or you’re about to have internships or whatever it may be? Do you hate animal prints? Do you like textured stuff or mostly solid?” Hermawan said. “We tailor that specifically to you.”

Hermawan said the startup gathers information on customers’ buying habits, with plans to train a machine learning algorithm with the data to “curate really personalized selections that could scale.”

Customers said they were drawn to the Harvard Square storefront by its unique selection and affordability.

“It looks like all the clothing pieces are special and unique,” said customer Emma C. O’Malley ’26. “Someone else you see on the street wouldn’t have the same clothes.”

“I’ve been really into sustainable fashion, vintage stuff these days. And I noticed that they opened and the clothes looked really cute.” Haesung Jee ’23-’24 said, adding that the shop was “welcoming” and “affordable.”

“I feel like a lot of vintage shops in Cambridge, sometimes they really mark up their prices,” Nayleth E. Lopez-Lopez ’23 said.

“You don’t want to try something on, love it, and then not be able to buy it,” Lopez-Lopez added.

Jasdeep K. Gurm ’26, who went to the store on its opening day, wrote in a message that the “vibes” at Vico Style are “immaculate.”

“All of the items were great quality and really reasonably priced! I loved their selection of vintage purses and jewelry,” Gurm wrote.

A new book ponders why we fall in love with commercial centers — and why we ache so much when they change.

My father took me to Harvard Square quite a bit when I was a kid.

We’d browse at Wordsworth, flip through the CDs at Newbury Comics, and sit at a high top at 33 Dunster Street, where I’d order a Shirley Temple and a cheeseburger with fries.

I was too young to understand the square’s mystique but not too young to feel it: the Ivy League heft and, a couple of decades after Joan Baez debuted at Club 47, the tendrils of bohemia.

My dad was in his element there. I liked that.

Over the lunch, he’d tell me about the Richard Thompson album he’d just picked up. And we’d talk Red Sox and school and summer camp.

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Then we’d make our way back to whatever beater he was driving at the moment and head home, a little happier than we’d arrived.

My dad died years ago. And as an adult, I haven’t spent as much time in Harvard Square. But a couple of weeks ago, I took my 14-year-old daughter and her friend across the Charles in search of some of the feeling I’d had as a kid.

Will the iconic venue ever return to its rock roots as has been rumored?

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When I first discovered the Harvard Square Theatre on a lunch break from work, it felt like I had realized its potential all on my own. Although boarded up and broken down, the venue’s unassuming exterior sparked my curiosity.

I was working as an event host on Palmer Street for the 2022 pop-up exhibition, the Art of Banksy. I was in the rare and somewhat disturbing mood of believing that I can do anything. And at the time, what I really wanted to do was open a nightclub.

I was keen on finding the perfect location for this imaginary destination. As I rounded the corner and a building cast a shadow on an otherwise sunny Church Street, I looked up and realized I was standing underneath a weathered marquee. Just below it was a painted sign that read “Harvard Square Theatre,” along with some bolted up, graffitied entrances.

This was it. The perfect location. I thought, How could it be closed? 

At the time, I didn’t know anything about the building at 10 Church St.