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Boston Globe
9 hours ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
For Bryce Harrison from Cheese Louise, a sharp idea with hometown friends turned into a food truck
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 We were lucky to stumble onto Hub Hall. We were seeing the Bruins. My buddy and I walked through, and the energy is unreal there during games. We really like to be associated with fun, super lively events through our food trucks. We saw an opportunity to do something similar in the Boston area where we could get our start in an environment that already has built-in fun and excitement. Advertisement Bryce Harrison (in green) poses with the Cheese Louise team. Advertisement Why grilled cheese? I mean, everybody loves grilled cheese, but share the backstory. We were not chefs. My partners and I were all in college at the time. … I was studying international relations and economics. And, you know, we grew up in North Conway, right in the heart of the White Mountains. It's such a destination for tourists year-round. Everyone grows up working in restaurants. My dad was very involved in the restaurant industry in the area. He ran the Flatbread Company restaurant in town. Story Land territory. Story Land is a classic. The summer before we started Cheese Louise, I worked at a restaurant called the Moat Mountain barbecue, and we would get the 4:30 [Story Land] rush every day. Anyway, none of us were actually chefs. We were kids, really. But we'd all worked various restaurant-adjacent jobs and grown up in households that really prioritized good meals. All three of us reminisce about getting together with our family and having dinner on the table nightly. So I think we all learned to cook. We learned the basics. We learned what good food tastes like. We all were chatting about this one night, catching up on FaceTime. We had the thought: Could we bring something to North Conway during the summer? You go to any restaurant, and the wait is an hour. It seems like there are unlimited amounts of people who want to eat good food in the area, especially during the summer. That was really the origin. It wasn't necessarily: 'Let's start a grilled cheese food truck.' But it was: 'Let's start a food truck.' As we started inventorying our skills and getting advice from people who were in the industry, we realized that for us to succeed with fairly limited skills, we would need to do something that's really simple. Advertisement It's been a blessing, choosing such a simple thing like grilled cheese. You can iterate and improve and work on the details. We do a lot of double-blind samples with guests, and it feels sometimes like we're approaching it from a laboratory perspective. But it's been really effective to really perfect a simple food that everyone loves. We've probably made 100 to 150 different variations of grilled cheese over the years. Our menu only has five options on it, so we've really picked the best five out of hundreds that we've tried. Tell me about your menu. We have a really simple menu. Boston actually has a slightly smaller menu, just because of the constraints of the small space we're operating in. We picked the best. We've got our classic grilled cheese; we call it the Vermonter. It's awesome Vermont cheddar cheese, muenster, and we use Fantini Bakery, a family-owned bakery in Haverhill. We contracted with them to make a specific grilled cheese sourdough that's unbelievable. It toasts up really well. It's great for anyone who just wants the classic experience. We have the Baconator, which is that plus bacon. My personal favorite on the menu is the Blue Buffalo. It's actually really interesting; the way we make it, it's almost like a chicken salad. We make shredded Buffalo chicken, we add a little bit of bleu cheese and then chopped up celery. It's almost like a Buffalo chicken wing in a sandwich, and that chicken salad gets put right into the grilled cheese. Oh, man. It's the best. Advertisement A cheesy spread at Cheese Louise, new at Hub Hall. What's the origin of the name? 'Geez Louise'? I mean, that's the phrase, right? But it's funny. As we were getting started, we were obviously telling everyone we could about it, just getting ideas. We were trying to come up with a name. In retrospect, we had all sorts of terrible names. You know, Cheese on Wheels, Wheels of Cheese. My partner's college buddy said, 'What if you call it Cheese Louise?' It's got that ring to it. It's catchy. It's kind of a fun play on words. It's playful. Over the years, I think we realized how lucky we got with a simple name that people remember. Let's talk about the different locations. You're in all these quaint New England areas, which I'm guessing have their own vibe. If you had to describe each area in a few words, what would you say? This could get me into trouble. But let's see: Portland. I've spent time living in Portland and Portsmouth, and now in North Conway. It's interesting. I think Portland is a really awesome food city. The culinary scene there is unreal. ... I feel it has a younger energy. And it's also this beautiful, coastal, touristy Maine town, so it's busy. I think it's one of the best cities in New England, if not the best. Portsmouth was our second full year-round location. And Portsmouth is gorgeous. It's a well-kept, put-together city. People are proud to be a part of it. If Portland is defined by youth, Portsmouth is a bit older. It's definitely got that historic feeling. … I feel like it takes time to kind of build your reputation in that community. People aren't just jumping at the next new thing. You've got to prove yourself a little bit in Portsmouth. Advertisement North Conway is probably one of the most beautiful places in the world. You're surrounded by mountains. It's beautiful three seasons out of the year. You don't want to be there in the spring mud season. But other than that, it's one of the best places to be. I plan to make my life here. … The community has just been so welcoming. We really lucked out with the space we have here. I've always thought of Boston as the big city. When you look at Boston compared with other cities, it's not that huge. But when you grow up in the woods in North Conway, it's the big city. For us, it's been really exciting to start to lay the foundations for Cheese Louise in Boston. … I could see Cheese Louise opening 5 or 10 locations in the Boston area over the next few years. It's just an awesome town. There are so many little subsections of it, and I'm just learning about it as I spend more time here. Where do you eat when you're not working? Well, my favorite place, if I'm on the road, honestly? I love Chipotle. It's consistent. It feels good. I could eat it every day. If I'm trying to treat myself, I go crazy for good barbecue. If I'm in New Hampshire, in North Conway, I like Moat Mountain. In Portland, Advertisement The guys out on the street giving away free hummus samples? I just love that. It's the best marketing you can do. They're just so friendly. What's your go-to Chipotle order? I've been into the barbacoa. I feel like I slept on the barbacoa for years. I get the barbacoa, I get half brown rice, veggies, green salsa, half sour cream, guac, and lettuce, in a burrito. If you could only eat one type of cheese for the rest of your life, what would it be? Cabot extra-sharp cheddar cheese. What food do you refuse to eat? Cottage cheese. I don't mind the flavor. I just can't get that texture down. Interview was edited. Kara Baskin can be reached at
Boston Globe
9 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- Boston Globe
A mouthful of history: Tracing the origins of iconic New Mexican dishes
But there was a Before. New Mexicans seem to agree that the green chile cheeseburger first appeared at the 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 The story goes that Frank added a grill so that he could serve the hamburgers that his regulars craved. That burger was often accompanied by a side bowl of spicy green chile. One day, the dishwasher didn't show up. When Frank ran low on dishes, he simply plopped the green chile on top of the burgers. And the rest is history. Advertisement The Owl Bar & Cafe is a small desert roadside eatery in San Antonio, N.M. David Lyon Apart from the fresh paint job, the squat adobe-colored roadside joint looks like it hasn't changed since the days of the Manhattan Project. Once our eyes adjusted to the chill darkness inside, we walked past the bar, settled into a booth, and didn't even have to look at the menu. We did ask our waitress what makes the famous Owl burger so good. 'We have a good cook,' she shrugged. The beef in the patty is hand-ground and the green chile is prepared daily from a 'secret″ recipe. 'They say it's just salt and pepper,' she confided, advising us to also order a plate of green chile fries — a heaping meal in itself, as it turned out. Our waitress left a big pile of napkins on our table and we needed every one. The bun could barely contain the beef patty that escaped over the side or the cheese and green chile that oozed from the edges. As if that weren't enough, the burger was also topped with onion, pickles, lettuce, tomato, mustard, and mayo. (In a moment of ordering exuberance, one of us also added bacon.) Both versions were two-fisted tastes of history. Diners from across the country and around the world make a point of stopping at the Owl. They eat a burger, write a few laudatory lines on a slip of paper, and tack it to the wooden walls along with a few dollars for charity. Recent diners at our booth had come from Maine, Costa Rica, and Oklahoma, as well as points in the Four Corners. Despite its culinary fame, the Owl remains a down-to-earth neighborhood place where at least two of the waitresses had worked for more than 40 years. We overheard an Owl regular order his burger with 'no mayo, extra mustard.' So we decided to ask him what makes him keep coming back for more. 'The chile and the grill,' he told us. 'It's been in use since 1945, so it's well seasoned.' Advertisement He paused for a bite and then continued. 'I've eaten everywhere. This is the best green chile cheeseburger in the universe. I'd be back here on Sunday — except they're closed.' Tia Sophia's has been a staple of the Santa Fe restaurant scene since 1975. David Lyon Because we were spending a month in a casita in Santa Fe, it was much easier to stroll into town to enjoy the breakfast burritos at Tia Sophia's. The breakfast and lunch joint stands at one corner of the main plaza across the street from the Art Deco Lensic theater. When the restaurant opened in 1975, Santa Fe was still a slightly sleepy Hispanic city favored by painters, photographers, and folks seeking mountain air. Ann and Jim Maryol's casual diner flourished by serving good regional New Mexican dishes at good prices. With son Nick Maryol at the helm since 2004, Tia Sophia's remains a go-to place for local comfort food. Widely lauded by Santa Feans for its sopapillas drizzled with honey, Tia Sophia's true fame in wider culinary circles derives from its breakfast burrito. But Nick is quick to set the record straight. Jim Maryol didn't invent the breakfast burrito. 'It was my father who put that name on the menu,″ he says. 'But he always said New Mexican people have been putting breakfast food on tortillas forever and wrapping them up. He was just the first to call it a breakfast burrito.' Advertisement Beautiful plates arrive at the table for breakfast at Tia Sophia's. David Lyon In fact, his father was modest about his role in American culinary history. 'Back in the '90s, when Taco Bell put a breakfast burrito on its menu, the family joked that Dad should have trademarked the name. But he was a humble man and didn't want to take credit for tradition.' One Saturday morning, we arrived early before the usual line formed down the sidewalk and scored one of the last small tables at the front. The menu offered several tempting choices, but, again, we were on a mission to go to the source. So we ordered the famous breakfast burrito. Adhering to tradition, we chose bacon for the meat in the filling (as opposed to sausage or bologna). All that was left was to decide if we wanted red or green chile. The diner's homemade red and green chile sauces are celebrated, and the menu warns 'Not responsible for too hot chile.' It was September and the smell of roasting green chiles filled the air. So we went with our noses and chose green. The burrito was filled with a generous mass of scrambled eggs, nicely crisped fresh hash browns, and delicious strips of sweet and smoky bacon. On top was a fiery helping of green chile sauce and the inescapable melted orange cheese. Breakfast was born. And the green chile? 'Not too hot,″ one of us said bravely as tears rolled down our cheeks. If you go... For information on the New Mexico Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail, see Owl Bar & Cafe 77 US Highway 380, San Antonio, N.M. 575-835-9946, Advertisement Open Monday-Saturday 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Green chile cheeseburger $6. Tia Sophia's 210 West San Francisco St., Santa Fe. 505-983-9880, Open Monday-Saturday 7 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Breakfast burrito $14. David Lyon can be reached at
Boston Globe
9 hours ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
As Olivia's Organics turns 20, a look at State Garden's growth
Fast-forward to the early 2000s, when the company expanded on the trend of how people wanted their greens — conveniently packaged, pre-washed, and ready for tossing into the salad bowl. The insight led State Garden to launch Olivia's Organics and later introduce two other divisions, Northeast Fresh and Saturn Farms, last year, both focusing on conventionally grown leafy greens, celery, and mixes. 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 Recently, it launched a new product line, Advertisement You might wonder: Who is Olivia? The three DeMichaelis brothers who run the company have eight children, and only one is a girl. Her name is Olivia. State Garden's brands are available at most major supermarkets and grocers. For a store locator, check . ANN TRIEGER KURLAND Ann Trieger Kurland can be reached at
Boston Globe
9 hours ago
- General
- Boston Globe
For the ‘cupping' curious, George Howell Coffee hosts coffee tasting sessions
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 For those hoping to sharpen their palate, these sessions offer an accessible way to appreciate the beverage. 'We came because we're really into coffee,' said Esteban Medina, originally from Colombia, who works in finance nearby and attended with his co-worker, Jenny Zheng. 'And it's an excellent mid-afternoon break.' Dan O'Brien, who works downtown and is a regular cupper, says his understanding of coffee has grown through the sessions. Advertisement Classes are held at George Howell Coffee locations at The Godfrey Hotel, 505 Washington St., Boston; the Boston Public Market, 100 Hanover St., Boston; Lovestruck Books & Café, 44 Brattle St., Cambridge; and in Newtonville at 311 Walnut St. Reserve a spot at . Advertisement Ann Trieger Kurland can be reached at
Boston Globe
7 days ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
Boston-area restaurants that accommodate gluten-free diners
Look for the Natick location of this homegrown burrito chainlet to roll out gluten-free homemade tortillas in the coming weeks; soon, they'll introduce the tortillas at each restaurant. 1265 Worcester St., Natick, 508-318-8960, Advertisement A Various locations, 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 The place to go when you need to please a crowd, with salads, bowls, seafood, steaks, and nachos — almost all of 'em available gluten-free. Plus, there's a kids' menu. 336 Moody St., Waltham, 781-899-0297, This 1271 Cambridge St., Cambridge, 617-945-1179, Advertisement Egg sandwich at Bom Dough in Cambridge. Lane Turner/Globe Staff An affable ale house that caters to gluten-free guests, with modifications for snacks like potato skins, poutine, even lobster-and-bacon grilled cheese and ice cream. 1885 Centre St., West Roxbury, 617-477-3298, This approachable, something-for-everyone chain offers a gluten-free version of its entire menu; this month, they're also donating a portion of dessert sales to Boston Children's Hospital Celiac Program. Various locations, Chef Jason Santos's Various locations, Fried chicken at Buttermilk & Bourbon. A favorite of gluten-free social media influencers (yes, this is a thing), sibling Italian restaurants Capo and Prima host gluten-free nights; Prima's is Monday, while Capo's is Tuesday. Most everything on the menus is gluten-free, from meatballs to pasta to arancini. 443 West Broadway, Boston, 617-993-8080, 10 City Square, Charlestown, Gluten-free pasta plates at Prima. A barbecue-oriented, comfort-food-focused pub with gluten-friendly options for baby back ribs, beef brisket, pulled pork, and more. 780 State Road, Dartmouth, 774-992-0183, This North Shore duo, with locations in Beverly and Salem, lives up to its name with husky egg sandwiches, available on gluten-free cheese-and-herb bread. Various locations, North Shore pizza-goers in the know rely on Danvers Pizza for an admirable roster of gluten-free pies with all your favorite toppings, plus gluten-free subs, calzones, and fries. The menu is well-labeled and easy to navigate. 136 Andover St., Danvers, 978-880-7959, Advertisement This Italian stalwart, now celebrating 40 years, has changed with the times to offer a full, pasta-laden, gluten-free lunch and dinner menu. Various locations, This cozy, dedicated gluten-free bakery focuses on bread: fresh-baked and fermented for 24 hours, along with gluten-free provisions like pastas and sweets. 915 Elm St., Manchester, N.H., 603-600-1773, Chef Ken Oringer is known for his celiac-friendly dishes (he even wrote a 278 Newbury St., Boston, 857-991-1080, Sip craft sake — gluten-free, made with rice, koji, yeast, and water — alongside gluten-safe cocktails and mocktails. Pop-up food vendors are required to offer both gluten-free and vegetarian choices. 120 N. Meadows Road, Medfield, 508-242-5416, A Medford favorite, For Pizza lets guests build their own gluten-free pies with safe, house-made dough; there's plant-based pizza, too. 51 High St., Medford, 781-219-3139, At these Various locations, Ensalada de Remolacha, Puerco Asado, and Pulpo at Gustazo Cuban Kitchen & Bar in Cambridge. Erin Clark/Globe Staff Advertisement A Newton staple for gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and Kosher Pareve provisions, including gluten-free challah and sought-after latkes. 547 Commonwealth Ave., Newton, 617-795-2626, This popular Worcester-based bakery specializes in sweets safe for nut-free, gluten-free, and shellfish-free snackers; now, there's a branch at the Boston Public Market. It's a prime spot for allergy-friendly bespoke birthday cakes, too. Various locations, This doughnut shop serves 12 gluten-free varieties daily, made in a gluten-safe kitchen, in fun flavors like maple bacon and blueberry blast. Various locations, At this North End restaurant, all pasta (except ravioli) has a gluten-free alternative. 125 Salem St., Boston, 857-233-4500, This Various locations, Feast on breakfast bowls and gluten-free brioche French toast at this allergy-sensitive diner, with a dedicated gluten-free and meat-free fryer. 906 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-864-5301, The menu at this fried chicken and bubble tea destination — which resembles a 1980s arcade game — is more intuitive to navigate than a throwback round of Pac-Man, with a helpful allergy chart and plenty of celiac-safe options, including gluten-free rolls. 324 Walnut St., Newton, 617-433-8882, The artful poke bowls at this West End Hawaiian takeout spot are crafted in a gluten-free kitchen, which uses tamari instead of traditional soy. 103 Beverly St., Boston, 617-588-0889, Advertisement The kitchen at this 136 Haven St., 781-942-0001, Sarah Wade's comfort food restaurants offer gluten-free nights every Monday (Stillwater) and on the first Monday of every month (Sloane's), serving soothing plates like mac-and-cheese and spicy Nashville hot chicken. 197 North Harvard St., Allston, 617-693-8220, 120 Kingston St., Boston, 617-936-3079, A Porter Square haven for students on a budget, with a long menu of gluten-free alternatives that don't compromise on spice or flavor. 1933 Massachusetts Ave., 617-868-4200, Another hit from Ken Oringer (Faccia a Faccia), this time with pastry chef Monica Glass, with a 298 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-395-3125, A breakfast sandwich at Verveine Cafe and Bakery in Cambridge. Brooke Elmore This is Cambridge's go-to, gluten-free bakery, with a focus on special occasion cakes and cupcakes. 1782 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 857-500-2748, Prowling for even more resources? Visit the ever-popular, niche Facebook hit Kara Baskin can be reached at
