In February, we were able to first introduce the new Niche Hospitality concept coming to the Canal District: Nonna’s Kitchen. Since then, we’ve been eagerly watching the construction of the Worcester Ice Center in anticipation of the opening of both Nonna’s Kitchen and STEAM (a café-style eatery located within the Ice Center with a focus on healthy grain bowls, smoothies, and more). Progress has been made and it appears they are still on schedule for a mid-October opening (November 1 at the latest).
Railer’s Tavern (the property that was home to failed bars like Chaser’s, BarFX, and Fifth Amendment), however has been quickly renovating and updating the space to provide a place for hockey fans to pregame and watch away games while enjoying a beer and pub style food. Railer’s Tavern is still slated for an early October opening.
As always, we’re looking forward to the new Niche projects in conjunction with Cliff Rucker and the Ice Center.
A peek inside Nonna’s Kitchen (submitted photo)
A peek inside Nonna’s Kitchen (submitted photo)
Michael Covino offering a peek inside Nonna’s Kitchen (submitted photo)
A peek inside Worcester’s Ice Center (submitted photo)
The name Cliff Rucker has become synonymous with the future of Worcester and why not! Mr. Rucker is committed to bringing professional hockey back to Worcester in 2017 with the Worcester Railers, he is building a 100,000 square-foot skating rink in the heart of the Canal District, as well as numerous other proposed building projects in the City. But for our purposes, we are really interested in his eating habits and his relationship with local restaurant king, Michael Covino of Niche Hospitality. At Mass Foodies, we recently broke the news of Mr. Covino’s new dining concept, Nonna’s Kitchen and Café, to be housed in the aforementioned ice skating rink and featuring a style of pizza not currently found in Worcester. Long Island style pizza isn’t thin like Neapolitan, but not as thick as a Chicago deep dish or a Brooklyn Sicilian. That relationship led us to believe that Mr. Rucker might just be a foodie in business attire.
Cliff Rucker (Photo courtesy of MassLive.com)
First and foremost, let us be clear. Rucker is a man who simply enjoys a great meal by great people outside of the food chain phenomena. So, don’t expect to walk into your local Applebee’s to witness a feast led by Rucker. Instead, look for him in the crevices of the city and at local mom and pop shops. “We definitely stay away from chains,” says Rucker. “When we travel, sampling local cuisine is at the top of the list.” Luckily for Rucker, Worcester has morphed into a melting pot of food choices. Between the established local restaurants like the One Eleven Chop House or Niche’s The Fix Burger Bar, new up and comers like deadhorse hill and Lock 50, eclectic hole-in-the-wall restaurants like Talyta’s Café or Addie Lee’s Soul Food and the ever popular Hangover Pub, there is no real excuse to eat at a food chain. “With all the information about dining experiences available online, it is easy and fun to investigate a restaurant before you try it. Just remember, you can’t believe everything you read, so draw your own conclusions,” says Rucker.
Rucker is a lover of all things dinner time. “Like most people, I grab a quick breakfast on-the-go, usually a homemade smoothie and a muffin,” he says. “Lunch generally revolves around a business meeting but dinner is my time with my family. I usually try to be home for dinner with the family as often as possible. We have five children, so there is no such thing as a quiet meal at home but eating dinner with them has always been the highlight of my day. Watching my children interact with each other and evolve over the years at dinner has always been the reason behind why I get up and go to work every day.”
Dinner with family is always the right ingredient for a great night but at the Rucker house, and his wife and a few of her special recipes, are the star of the show. With an Italian heritage to back years of culinary skills, the Ruckers are fans of hearty, homemade dishes, but one is a crowd favorite. “My wife makes a fantastic chicken pot pie and I am a big comfort food kind-of-guy and I don’t want to ever live without her chicken pot pie.” If those words don’t melt your foodie heart, then we don’t know what will.
A family man in love with his wife’s chicken pot pie, Rucker also loves being around friends and enjoying dinner the good ol’ Italian way – with a lot of wine. “Hosting a dinner for six friends isn’t at the top of our list of “fun” things, mostly because of all of the prepping before and cleaning after,” he says. “I love going out to an upscale Italian restaurant and ordering a lot of courses: soups, salads, pasta dishes and a main course, just like in Italy. With a lot of wine and being very loud.”
Mr. Rucker is clearly making his mark in Worcester and we think, the community will be better off for it!
