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Arts & Entertainment |
New neighbors bring fresh tastes to North CambridgeBy Necee Regis, Globe Correspondent | July 4, 2007 CAMBRIDGE -- Massachusetts Avenue north of Porter Square may not look much different than in years gone by. Two - and three - story buildings house mom-and-pop restaurants, shops, and convenience stores, and more often than not you can find a parking spot while running daytime errands. Unlike the facelift of formerly-funky Harvard Square or the industrial-chic lofts in a gentrified South End, North Cambridge is changing in subtle ways. Still, new condo complexes and an influx of young professionals are attracting businesses that cater to the demographics. On a recent stroll, we found a new location of the Italian market, Capone Foods; the stylish Good Food Cafe; and Verna's, now under new management.......... Lime green and saffron walls, orange chairs, red couches, and a wall of mirrors makes the Good Food Cafe a fashionably casual place to stop for homemade soup, press-grilled sandwiches, salads, and smoothies. Open since May, owner and chef Jim Walsh has been happy with the response he's had from the neighborhood. "I used to live in the area. I looked in Davis and Porter squares but there wasn't much space available to rent," says Walsh, who put in the wainscoting, painted the space, and laid the wood flooring himself. "It took six or seven months to build the place," he says. After attending University of Massachusetts- Amherst for hotel and restaurant management, Walsh did some catering and then worked in the financial industry for years but didn't like it. His main cooking experiences were with his family in Weymouth. "We're an Irish family who cook like an Italian family. Everyone loves to cook -- my mother, my sister. Cooking defines the family." Almost everything at Good Food Cafe is made from scratch, including soups (at least one vegetarian offering each day), salad dressings, and cookies. Every morning Walsh cooks a turkey breast for sandwiches he makes with Iggy's bread. "It's not cold cut, mushed-together, processed turkey meat. It's an actual turkey breast," he says. ..... Good Food Cafe © Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
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