The chef at Gift Horse in Providence wins a James Beard Award; Sullivan's Castle Island also honored
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Elsewhere in New England, Wolf Tree in White River Junction, Vt., was a nominee for Outstanding Bar. The award went to Kumiko in Chicago. And
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Harrison Oches, 5, of Wakefield enjoys fries on opening day at Sullivan's Castle Island on March 1 this year.
John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
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However, Sullivan's Castle Island in South Boston did win a previously announced
In a release, the awards committee called Sullivan's a 'Boston institution that has served working-class Bostonians for generations,' adding, 'Every Bostonian has a story about Sully's — whether from working there after school as a teenager, having their sports team or fundraiser supported by Sully's, taking their children for some crinkle cuts like their grandparents took them, or simply enjoying it as a nostalgic seaside gathering place for locals.'
Kara Baskin can be reached at
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- Boston Globe
Soak in the views — and the champagne — at Bubble Bath
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Boston Globe
3 days ago
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Career waiter Ken Temple on Alan Alda's big hands, Caroline Knapp's courage, and Brigham's glory days
Well, I wait tables. I got my first job in 1973; I worked at a Brigham's on Clarendon Street downtown. We sold sandwiches, sold everything. It was so much fun. I was so young, and those girls there — wow. I went to an all-boys' high school. It was fun. They had countertops, and you sat at the counter. People came and had breakfast and lunch, and we stayed open until dinnertime. They actually gave me great training. Get Winter Soup Club A six-week series featuring soup recipes and cozy vibes, plus side dishes and toppings, to get us all through the winter. Enter Email Sign Up It just evolved over time. I worked at places like that for a while. Then I was a bartender at T.T. the Bear's in Central Square. It used to be a restaurant before it went to rock and roll. Advertisement I have this thing called 'The Ken Show,' and it's evolved over time. I get really jacked when I wait tables. I get animated and high, because I'm really there to provide people with experiences. No one goes out to dinner to be miserable, right? Some people come in miserable, and my goal is that they leave happy. Restaurants can be great energy, or they can be dead. Advertisement What's the Ken Temple Show? I bring high energy to the table. I'm there to have fun. I tell jokes, the same jokes to everybody. People say to me, 'You just said the same thing to that table.' I said, 'When Robin Williams went from Toledo to Cleveland, he didn't change his material.' I'll walk up to a table and say, 'Good evening. Welcome to Umbria' — I have this low voice — 'My name is Ken. I'll be here catering to your every need. You have menus; you have a beverage list.' And I shake my head. Each inflection, each little thing, and then I'll go on about the specials, and I'll tell jokes, and it flows. I entertain people. I'm there to provide people with experiences. I'm not happy unless they're leaving and they turn to their partner and say, 'That was Ken-tastic.' What made you want to stay with this career? I've had many careers. I have 17 years of college — That's amazing. My first six years of college, I majored in pot and beer. Restaurants are breeding grounds for alcoholism and divorce, and I was lucky to get both of them. I've been sober for 36 years. Congratulations. It was a different time then. There were no credit cards. Everyone paid in cash. You walk out the door with a stack of cash, you know, and then you go to after-hours' bars. It was a party every night. For a 20-year-old, that's fantastic, but it's a trap. I made more money working 24 hours a week at Giacomo's on Hanover Street than [my ex-wife] made with a master's from Harvard. Advertisement I was making great money. It's actually much of my social life, too. You work the crowd. You know, I love restaurants. I go out to eat twice a week on my days off. Where do you like to eat? We go to Davio's, and I like Sorellina. We're always looking for new restaurants. We go to Legal Sea Foods. I worked at Legal. You've worked at a lot of places. I worked at Friendly's. I worked at a couple crappy, smaller restaurants that I forget. My brother taught me to tend bar at T.T. I worked at the Sheraton Commander Hotel. I moved to San Diego to develop a career in radio, which didn't take because I have a Boston accent. So I came back, and I worked at Jewish deli in Brookline at Putterham Circle. I met Jackie Taglieri there, who owned Giacomo's. He used to go there for breakfast every Sunday morning, and he offered me a job. I worked at Giacomo for years. I have ADHD that's severe, which works great in the restaurant industry. I don't stop and think about anything. It just flows: Just don't interrupt the flow. It's when you interrupt the flow that the problems happen. Then I went to work at the Summer Shack in Cambridge for I worked there for several years, but I wanted to be home at night with [my partner] Veronica, so I quit that job and worked at Encore. I worked at lunch at Garden Café, and I was the highest-rated waiter at the Encore with a 91.1 average, per the managers. Advertisement But then you became a nurse? I was working at the Encore, and then COVID came, and I was also working as a registered nurse. I became a nurse at 50 years old. I worked in heroin detox for the homeless, which was the perfect place for me, Bridge to Recovery. It was on Long Island in the middle of Boston Harbor. At that point, I'd been sober 18 years. Then, I worked as a psychiatric home care nurse for years, when I got a call from the CDC. They were desperate. They couldn't find anyone willing to go to the airport to screen people for COVID-19. Would I do it? I was happy to. So I was a quarantine medical officer at Logan Airport for the CDC. You've done it all. 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I have trouble making decisions on where we go out to eat. What do you wish there were more of? Better Chinese. I don't like the Chinese food we have. I drive around and try different places. They're OK. The best Chinese restaurant I've ever been to in Boston was this takeout place on Hanover Street. They only served takeout. When they were out of barbecue spare ribs, they were out; you should have come earlier. It's closed. They put some bubble shop in there or something. Alan Alda in 2013. Richard Drew Who's the most notable person you ever served? I waited on Alan Alda. Very down to earth and great. Alan Alda's hands are so big because he's 6-foot-5. I'm looking at his hands, and he looks like a basketball player. Especially in the food business, where alcoholism and drug use is rampant, what advice would you give to someone who wants to live differently but can't find their way out? It's a better life. I anesthetized my brain from the pain of adolescence. Being young is not easy, you know, and so I started anesthetizing my brain with sugar early on. People don't know that, but I'm addicted to sugar, and then I went right into beer. I had a tab in a bar when I was 17 years old. I didn't know anybody who didn't drink beer and smoke pot. But I wanted more out of life than drugs and alcohol. I went to AA in Cambridge. Best thing ever happened to me. I didn't want to anesthetize my brain anymore, and I wanted to be something. As a server, this is interesting. Can you spot who's an alcoholic just by serving them? Oh yeah. 100 percent. It's not my job to pass judgment. If they asked me, I would be happy to help them. But I don't have to. They have their own path. You know, I tell everybody, 'I'm an alcoholic.' People ask me, 'What's this [drink] like?' I say, 'Well, I'm an alcoholic, so I don't know. Most people like me with my clothes on in public, so I don't drink anymore.' Did you ever read the Caroline Knapp book 'Drinking: A Love Story?' She's from Cambridge. I knew Caroline Knapp. We went to Cambridge AA together. She died of cancer. I remember when she was diagnosed, and she was very courageous. She was a wonderful woman. I loved her. I have a picture of her on my computer, in my files of dead people. Great book. I knew all those people she talked about. What restaurant do you miss from the past? I miss Brigham's. Besides Umbria, which restaurant has the best service? I love Deuxave. Deuxave's a really nice restaurant. But, you know, I critique the waiters everywhere. 'He didn't button his top button, you know, and this is supposed to be a classy restaurant, so you should have a uniform.' Giulia has good service. That's a good restaurant. It's hard to get into. I like elegant food. I like Fore Street in Portland. Have you been there? The food is awesome; we used to drive up there just for something to do and get in line, because you can't get a reservation. What would you eat for your last meal? Wow. Because I don't eat sugar now, I'd like a hot fudge sundae from Brigham's. Interview was edited and condensed. Kara Baskin can be reached at
Boston Globe
07-08-2025
- Boston Globe
Tiffani Faison's Bubble Bath opens in the Back Bay; New England BIPOC Festival announces an all-star lineup
Get Winter Soup Club A six-week series featuring soup recipes and cozy vibes, plus side dishes and toppings, to get us all through the winter. Enter Email Sign Up Events : Head to New Hampshire for the free, fifth annual New England BIPOC Festival on Sunday, Aug. 17, kicking off at noon at the Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth (14 Hancock St.). Advertisement Vida Cantina owner David Vargas oversees the event, with stalls from local social justice organizations, live music, dance, and plenty of food from spots like Ansanm , Coastline Seafood , Flame Jamaican Cuisine , Mei Mei Dumplings , Nine Winters , Pagu , Tulsi , and many more. Check out the full lineup at Performers at the annual New England BIPOC Festival in Portsmouth, N.H. David J. Murray, ClearEyePhoto Food recovery powerhouse Spoonfuls launches Battle of the Bites , a charity cooking competition series with esteemed chefs. First up: Jamie Bissonnette ( Somaek , Temple Records , Zurito ) versus Drew Grosse (Cape Cod's Lobster Trap ) on Wednesday, Aug. 20, at South Boston's Lincoln Tavern & Restaurant (425 West Broadway), beginning at 6 p.m. Advertisement Tickets ($50) include appetizers, a drink, tastings of the rival dishes, and more. Get them at Kara Baskin can be reached at
