We Will Return
It has been a long year. A year ago it was clear that the restaurant I had built was going to have to close. My employees Antonio and Molito had decided to partner with me in a new venture we had hoped to be a continuation of RnR in Somerville named Delicious & Co. With RnR closing it was impossible to focus in the right direction to make D&C what we wanted it to be. Dragon Pizza was created and we rolled into May 2018 with new intentions, focuses, and directions. We closed RnR, packed the vitals in a storage space in Eastie, opened the Dragon, and rolled into the fall making pizza. I made one last trip to Rozzie to close the bank account at the Coop, spit on the patio of 4257 Washington Street that still sat as I had left it, and rode my bike back to Somerville.
Then the depression set in. “Well, something very important to you has died.” My wife consoled me. It was true. The restaurant had been a part of my life in more ways then I knew. Roslindale was the perfect place for what I wanted to accomplish in 2011. It was born, raised, tested, and succeeded over the next 3 years. I pried it from the hands of my thieving partner and watched it continue to blossom into dream come true. The proud chef/owner was surrounded by a team of employees, family, and a neighborhood that loved our restaurant. Fucking loved it. Two golden years followed. Then it started to unravel. As 2016 ended, the foundation we built returned to a sandy base that slowly eroded away until we were forced to close in July 2018. But did it die?
Clearly not. The people of Rozzie have let me know we are missed more than I ever expected. Antonio and I miss the cooking. The body is dead, but the soul is still very much alive. The passion that started that restaurant is still burning in us and although we tried to extinguish it and move on, we have been unable. We believe that something special combined with our passions and Rozzie’s people that continues to burn.
It will be resurrected, but not now. Our efforts to return this year have been unsuccessful. We are now seasoned business owners who understand the neighborhood, it’s needs, and our place in it. We will come back when we have an honest, fair, long term foundation that cannot be taken away. Never again will our dreams and hard work be taken from us, and us includes you. The next time will be for good.
So, wait, believe, and prepare. When the time comes, we will need your help. Your support in many ways will be necessary to bring RnR back in it’s new, better, seasoned, version. Roslindale has always been my favorite neighborhood in Boston, and it gets better each day. I miss it very much but have stopped pouting like a little bitch, splashed some cold water on my face, got back to work, and began to rebuild it. It all starts in a notebook for me and RnR2 keeps showing up in the margins with fantastic ideas and dreams.
Until then, let’s party! Chef Delicious was created doing pop-ups and it sure was a fun way to start a business, or a cult. I’m not sure which was created but I like it. Antonio and I will be popping up in the Arboretum picnicking on Mother’s Day with our wives and children (for the first time ever instead of cooking brunch.) So, if you want to find us pack a dish then search out the sounds of champagne popping, laughter, and the unmistakable voice of Chef Delicious preaching about some subject he knows nothing about. The next chapter promises to be a fun one, come have some Kool-Aid.
This post is dedicated to the people of Rozzie, especially the children raised in my restaurant. I miss you very much and look forward to breaking bread again.