Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
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" I didn't have the confidence, but you fake it 'til you make it. It was important to do that as a woman." JODY ADAMS FROM TOP: Jody Adams and David Waters talk about the upcoming LifeSavor benefit; a chef plates monkfish osso buco; limoncello baba wraps up the meal. PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRYCE VICKMARK JA: What we like to do is showcase something that is in season—fresh! So we will be deep into asparagus, peas, and fava beans… things like that. [Dessert is served in the form of a limoncello baba (Meyer lemon, pineapple, and vanilla ice cream) and carrot cake with grappa and raisin compote, candied car- rots, carrot sorbet, almonds, and mascarpone sauce.] DW: Do you make all of your ice creams here? JA: Yes, my partner has a passion for making ice cream, so we have a lot of fun exploring really unusual things, like goat cheese ice cream. So, David, when you wake up in the morning and say, "I'm heading to work," what is special for you? DW: I didn't come to this as a public health person. I came to it as an entre- preneur, keeping the community engaged, and connecting with someone like you as well as others in the hospitality world. I always say it's the com- munity serving the community. It's paying for meals for sick people, which I think is really special. JA: It makes all the sense in the world. The first medicine is food. servings.org BC have enough experience. A week later, Gordon called me back. I was there for three years, and then Gordon invited me to help him open Hamersley's Bistro. It was a huge leap. [The waiter serves Adams a Nico Occhiali cocktail (Averna, Campari, Lambisse Ginge, and orange) and Waters a glass of 2012 Dourthe La Grande Cuvée Sauvignon Blanc, from Bordeaux.] DW: It must be like that opening two restaurants. JA: Yes. It takes me a while, and then I take a huge leap. Now it's been 20 years. We are the survivors—what the hell? We are the experts, right? We are still fresh! DW: Jody, you have always had the confidence to know where you were headed. JA: I had the determination. I didn't have confidence, but you fake it 'til you make it, right? I knew it was important to do that as a woman. It's important to push forward and be at the table. [Potato gnocchi with Chantenay carrots, glazed turnips, kale pesto, and hazelnuts, as well as grilled oysters with andouille sausage and toasted garlic bread are served.] DW: Oh, fabulous. I know this as being a classic Jody dish. JA: Yes, I spent some time in France, and I was invited to a winery. When we arrived, there were grape vines laid out in the road. There was a grill, and on the grill were mussels. They lit the vines, which burned very fast, and as soon as they went out they cooked the mussels. I brought the idea back. So here's what you do: You take the bread; you'll see that it has garlic butter on it. Add the sausage. You take an oyster and pour the juices on there. You eat the oyster. DW: When I was a child, my mother took us all over Europe. I was 8, and I fell in love with escargot. When we came back, any restaurant we went to— Applebee's or Denny's—I would ask them if they had escargot. [ Jody laughs] JA: Why did you first get into the restaurant business? DW: I had worked in the business since I was in high school. I just loved the whole idea of hospitality and operations. I worked at Upstairs at the Pudding for 10 years and was drawn as a volunteer to Community Servings—I fell in love with it. JA: And what is amazing is that Community Servings responds to 25 dif- ferent illnesses. DW: Yes, plus, you could be lactose-intolerant, diabetic, and vegetarian, and we could still accommodate you. We also feed the caregiver and any children in the household. We once served a man who had gone blind from diabetes. He and his wife were living in a motel room with their seven chil- dren because they had lost their home due to his health care costs. My staff orchestrated that they would get a hot meal every day, with china and silver, for all nine of them until they could get their own house. JA: Amazing. [Monkfish osso buco with red wine risotto, roasted cauliflower, walnuts, and gremo- lata is served to Adams, while Waters receives smoked chicken with Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, potato gratis, pancetta, and pomegranate.] DW: Oh, this is delicious. JA: So, LifeSavor is coming up soon! DW: It is our big spring gala, as you know, because you've been a supporter as long as it's existed. It will raise more than half a million dollars. What will you be serving? continued from page 76 78 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM ON THE TOWN 076-078_BC_ST_OTT_LteSpr14.indd 78 4/4/14 5:55 PM