Marina Ortega, director of the Boston Celtics dance team, led a group of Mission Hill seniors during a dance class at the Celtics practice facility in Waltham. The Jan. 25 event, which promoted healthy living, was sponsored by New England Baptist Hospital and the Boston Celtics.
Courtesy Photo by Steve Babineau
At the monthly Main Streets board meeting, I started getting flashbacks of my college geology class. Our guest speaker started describing geological drumlins formed by the glacier that covered the Boston area during the ice age. Of course the drumlin, or teardrop shaped hill with two sides, carved out by the glacier he was describing is our very own Mission Hill.
The smoothly abraded slope of the hill is referred to by scientists as the “stoss” side and the other roughly plucked rocky side of the hill is called the “lee” which resulted from the direction in which the overriding glacier impinged. (By now, I’m sure you are thinking, “what the heck am I talking about?”)
The point of this is that this presenter was Matt Pian, a Northeastern grad who fell in love with Mission Hill. He wishes to open a restaurant at the street level of the new Tremont Street apartment complex at 1486 Tremont St. and name it “Stoss & Lee.” Matt and his three business partners—Tom Colleran, Timothy Duggan, and Benjamin Newman—are all restaurant professionals who are pursuing their dream of opening an upscale restaurant at the former Clutch Works site.
They appear to have put as much extensive research into their concept as they have in coming up with such a clever name for their enterprise. A wood-burning bakers oven and wood-burning grill will allow them to offer exciting new tastes to Mission Hill with locally sourced meats, produce, and cheeses.
Sixteen different draft beers along with special local brews with a house label to honor our neighborhood’s historic brewing tradition along with bottled imports and a well-curated whiskey and wine program will take place in an L-shaped bar. This will be in the center of the dining room, which will be flanked by an open kitchen showcasing the smoldering ovens.
Six full-time and six-plus part-time jobs will be created. These partners wish to feature monthly charitable initiatives aimed at assisting local charities as part of their operating model. This group got a favorable reception at the Community Alliance of Mission Hill meeting the week before and our Main Streets group appeared very excited about this new addition to the neighborhood business mix.
Can I be stone-cold boulder (sic) to suggest that geology might be boring, or perhaps you find yourself in a “rocky” relationship? Since Stoss & Lee has yet to open, may I suggest that you not be “flinty” and visit any of Mission Hill’s great establishments in February. In addition to the Puddingstone, nearly every eating place will be offering some sort of rock solid Valentine’s month special. Dine locally.
On Jan. 30, our community laid to rest one of its stalwart supporters. Although a number of serious health concerns over the years challenged the 52-year-old Gloria Murray, this neighborhood gem never lacked the drive to strive to improve the lives of those in her beloved Mission Hill community. Gloria’s Mission Main neighbors and friends gathered to mourn her untimely passing at the Greater Love Tabernacle Church.
My friend Carmen Pola visited me last week raving about the fantastic program she just attended with a group of 54 Mission Hill seniors at the Celtics Practice facility in Waltham. The Jan. 25 event is part of a program sponsored by New England Baptist Hospital and the Boston Celtics. The day focused on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and included a group dance class led by Celtics legend Ton “Satch” Sanders, the Celtics dancers and team mascot Lucky the Leprechaun.
The group from Alice Taylor, Mission Main, Roxbury Tenants of Harvard, and the Maria Sanchez House enjoyed a healthy dinner afterward and a day full of laughs and memories. This is just another example of the smart community engagement that NEBH does so well. Bravo.
Our local state Reps. Jeffrey Sanchez and Liz Malia, along with District 5 City Councilor Tim McCarthy, are sponsoring an overdose prevention training class on Thursday Feb. 11 at the Roslindale Branch Library. Run by the City Health Commission’s Bureau of Addictions Prevention, Treatment and Recovery Support Services, they will be instructing folks on how to identify signs of overdose and how to administer the Narcan nasal spray to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Everyone is welcome to attend and you could be the person to save the life of someone you love who struggles with the curse of addiction.
People who love Mission Hill do so for wide variety of reasons. Mine is mostly due to the many wonderful friends I’ve made here over the years, and continue to do. However, not one day goes by that I don’t stop to recall the most fortuitous event to have occurred to me in my lifetime. It happened right here in Mission Hill some forty years ago this week. That afternoon, I was blessed to meet the girl I would marry and who has made my life an absolute joy. Meeting my Susan is, without question, the best thing that ever happened to “altar”(sic) my life, and I’m still madly in love with her. Happy Valentine’s Day to all.