Category: Food News

Food News revolves around the happenings within the national Hospitality Industry and how it relates to the local restaurant scene. Here in the Commonwealth, the dining scene is vibrant and is influenced by—and sometimes influences—the national spotlight.

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Publisher’s Letter: “Check Please! Goodbye, Mass Foodies… Hello, Mass Food & Wine”

Mass Foodies and the Worcester Wine Festival will be merging into Mass Food & Wine in an effort to focus on coordinating, promoting, and executing world class food and wine events in Massachusetts with exclusive dinners and grand tastings effective January 2020.

When I started Mass Foodies in 2007 (then called WorcesterScene.com), the goal was to have one website that aggregated—and provided a free digital footprint for—the restaurants in Worcester. What began as a passion project quickly turned into a business after a year when I was joined by a business partner, talented contributors, photographers, and many friends who shared an affinity for the region’s culinary palates. Like all businesses, Mass Foodies has seen years of flourishing as well as weathering through the quieter news cycles. Today, the region continues to be infatuated with Worcester’s evolving food scene and, in stride, Mass Foodies has helped lead with events and content that offered insights for restaurant guests, advice and promotions for restaurant owners, and, above all, unique experiences for everyone. The products Mass Foodies curated were always aligned with its mission: to support and promote the independently owned businesses.

A few short years ago, I partnered with a few individuals to create the region’s first wine festival. The Worcester Wine Festival proved to be a tremendous success in every way we measured it. Even more so, it was fun.

In an effort to be more efficient in life and business, my partners from both Mass Foodies and Worcester Wine Festival made a strategic decision to merge both companies—bringing together the best of both, aligned with a leadership team, which includes Ed Russo and Joseph Giacobbe, that will focus on continuing the growth of the existing reputations of both organizations through the company, Mass Food & Wine.

Effective January 2020, you’ll notice that the branding will be switched and events that were formerly managed by Mass Foodies and the Worcester Wine Festival will be managed by Mass Food & Wine. Even more exciting, with a larger bandwidth, we’ll be introducing several other small events and new original content, all curated around food and wine—including, but not limited to, a food event focused on Worcester’s history; Worcester Wine Walks to bridge the gap of Worcester’s neighborhoods; and wine dinners that will promote the region’s most respected chefs and celebrate some of the world’s greatest wines.

Although Mass Foodies will cease to exist, I can promise that Mass Food & Wine will be better positioned to execute world class food and wine events, right here in the heart of New England.

Stay hungry,

Luke M. Vaillancourt
Publisher

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All Aboard the Blog Bus

A few weeks ago, food photographer Ally Voner and graphic designer Chris Boudrow drove their converted school bus through the White Mountains of New Hampshire with no plan of a final destination. The Blog Bus had been years in the making. Voner and Boudrow’s longtime dream came to fruition last Christmas Eve with the purchase of a vintage school bus. After six months of automotive labor, nothing compared to the feeling of finally hitting the open road.

“I really like it when I’m sitting on the bench,” Voner says, “When we’re driving and we turn—with all the windows open—it’s an ‘oh my God’ moment.” She likens the feeling to that of a subway car winding down the tracks.

Graphic designer Chris Boudrow reviewing for Good Bites and Glass Pints.

Voner and Boudrow arrived in Worcester three weeks into their journey, prepared to pitch restaurants and breweries ripe for change. With many years of hospitality experience and an arsenal of marketing skills between the two of them, the couple had become something of a traveling PR agency. The mission was simple: find a new city, compile a list of establishments in need of a reboot, send out some introductory post cards, zero in on new businesses, and repeat. 

“I think one of the biggest things is that we had a stint working at a fine dining restaurant and it really put a bad taste in our mouths, not necessarily the job itself, but just the way that company in particular was run,” Voner recalls. “They kept growing to the point where they were buying hotels left and right and they were turning themselves into this big hospitality group.” Boudrow felt like the whole operation was growing impersonal. It was time to start calling their own shots.

Voner always has her camera in hand. When it comes to restaurant marketing, photos are everything. Voner’s blog, Good Bites & Glass Pints showcases a keen eye for detail and a passion for making small pubs and eateries shine. “I really wanted my voice to come through and I didn’t want stuffiness in my writing,” she says.

Food photographer Ally Voner reviewing for Good Bites and Glass Pints.

Boudrow hopes that their home grown platform can overshadow the antiquated constructs of sites like Yelp and Tripadvisor. “Bad reviews sit there and bring down the score,” he explains, adding, “One bad review can negate seven good ones and stay up at the top. Then, they’ll take your money in order to get rid of the bad review.”

Voner and Boudrow intend to change the narrative from the comfort of their Blog Bus. The hardest part of working and living out of a school bus is not the confined space so much as the lack of a shower. The couple is excited to head south where beaches and outdoor amenities abound. 

Inside the bus, everything has its secure place. Tucked into drawers, inlets, and corners are the makings of an entire screen printing studio.”I like how I can grab everything within an arm’s reach,”Boudrow says. “I have orangutan arms.” He reaches out his arms to demonstrate an impressive wingspan; it feels like the whole country is at his fingertips. 

You can follow @goodbitesandglasspints on Instagram to check out recent posts from Redemption Rock Brewery and Brew City in Worcester.