Tag: Sherri Sadowski

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Southern Food Truck, Mama Roux, Takes Up Residency at The Dive Bar

Southern Food Truck, Mama Roux, Takes Up Residency at The Dive Bar

Jonathan Demoga’s food truck might be brand new, but the relationships that built it certainly are not. The custom trailer, Mama Roux, will take up residency in The Dive Bar’s beer garden this summer, serving southern cuisine. Demoga gained expertise in New Orleans cuisine while working for the Brennan Family (of James Beard notoriety) and envisioned coupling that experience with his time spent working on food trucks in Austin.

Mama Roux was built by Cart Concepts International, a manufacturer Demoga’s father came across years ago as his vision began to take root. When his father, John P. Demoga, passed in 2015 after a courageous battle with ALS, he felt compelled to make his dream a reality.

Demoga, a graduate of Johnson & Wales, returned to Worcester during his father’s illness and began working at Armsby Abbey for local restaurateurs, Sherri Sadowski and Alec Lopez. Upon hearing Demoga’s aspirations, Lopez saw an opportunity for synergy. He had long imagined offering food at his Green Street establishment, The Dive Bar, but with new projects in the works, he knew that he would have to put his trust in someone else. Demoga immediately rose to the challenge.

“He makes great comfort food. His heart and soul are in New Orleans and I know that will be reflected,” Lopez says.

Demoga is making a point to curate his favorite staples from different corners of the South for Mama Roux. Case in point, two aged Benton’s Country Hams are currently en route from the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. “The ham is intense and salty with a real campfire taste. True terroir,” Demoga explains. He plans to serve it with pickles from Regal Crown on Mason Street in Worcester and creole mustard from New Orleans. Other opening menu items will include a gimmick free smash style cheeseburger, a Sichuan take on Nashville Hot Chicken, Gumbo Ya-Ya Poutine, Shrimp & Andouille Jambalaya croquettes, a variation of Pimento Cheese with smoked gouda, aged cheddar, roasted jalapeno, green onions, and pecans.

If all goes according to plan, the truck will open for business Thursday-Saturday starting at 6p.m. and eventually expand its hours. For the time being, Mama Roux will live exclusively at The Dive Bar.

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Farmhouse Dinner Paired with World Class Draughts

Fried Fish Sandwich and Hill Farmstead Mary from Armsby Abbey on Main Street in Worcester, MA

Sarah Connell joined the front of house staff at Armsby Abbey in 2013.

Look around before dinner service at Armsby Abbey and you’re sure to spot servers sipping from tasting glasses and jotting down careful notes. Observe bartenders sniffing intently at IPA’s and rattling off hop varieties as they try to detect aromas of grapefruit zest or dried flowers or wet grass. The Abbey’s employees study the chalkboard like dedicated students before an exam in hopes of finding you exactly what you came for, or better yet, turning you on to something new.

Multi-Grain “Risotto” with Dunham Saison Rustique from Armsby Abbey on Main Street in Worcester, MA
Multi-Grain “Risotto” with Dunham Saison Rustique from Armsby Abbey on Main Street in Worcester, MA

A suggested pairing appears for every dish on the menu at Armsby Abbey where owners, Alec Lopez and Sherri Sadowski, pride themselves on curating one of the most exclusive draught lists in the world. Menu items are sourced from local farms and as a result, the farmhouse dinner offerings change frequently. This time of year, Armsby Abbey’s menu is rich with the wild delicacies of late spring like ramps and fiddleheads.

Pair the Multi-Grain “Risotto” with Dunham Saison Rustique, a blonde, Belgian-inspired farmhouse ale. The Abbey’s unique take on risotto consists of a blend of spelt and cornmeal from Four Star Farms and Maine Grain oats. Traditionally, saisons were brewed on Belgian farms with the leftover grains, making this pairing a natural marriage of rustic flavors. The tangy, herbaceous characteristics of this beer stand up nicely to the ramps, thinly sliced radishes, pickled onions and tightly spiraled fiddleheads that populate this perfect spring risotto.

Next, order the Fried Fish Sandwich and Hill Farmstead Mary. The fish itself is beer battered with Hill Farmstead and served with a spicy tartar sauce and root vegetable slaw on an ale roll from Crust Bakeshop. It is said that the secret to Hill Farmstead’s elegant pilsner, Mary, is the well water at Shaun Hill’s family farm in Greensboro, Vermont. One clean and refreshing sip of Mary balances the richness of the fried fish sandwich like none other and boldly assures us that summer is on its way.

Armsby Abbey is located on 144 Main Street in Worcester. Inquire about reservations for parties of six or more by calling (508)795-1012.