Hometown Highlights
From healthcare workers on the frontline, to the people sewing hundreds of face masks by hand, community members are coming together in various ways to help one another, spread positivity and maintain some shred of normalcy. Since the writers of The Comment are temporarily away from our home in Bridgewater, we wanted to shed some light on some of the small businesses and community leaders from our respective hometowns that are still managing to spread some joy.
East Main Pizza – Milford, MA
By Nick Jordan
Opinion Editor
While East Main Pizza in Milford, Massachusetts has only been open for a mere three months, they have already made quite the impact in serving their community beyond some cheesy, delicious slices. They are working alongside their customers to give back to local doctors, nurses and pharmacists. Customers have been given the ability to donate meals to these crucial health care professionals in their name, with the business taking care of the delivery. For every three meals donated, a fourth meal is donated for free. One can always find a way to support one another during these difficult times, no matter how you slice it.
Father Bill’s & MainSpring – Quincy, MA
By Tom Foley
Staff Writer
With so many of us stuck at home, it can be easy to forget that even during this pandemic, many people have no homes at all. Homeless shelters, such as Father Bill’s and MainSpring in Quincy and Brockton, find themselves in dire need as the availability of resources to help the homeless have been drastically reduced in recent weeks. You can help these homeless shelters by donating whatever supplies you may have extra of. The local homeless shelters need items like cleaning supplies, protective equipment like masks and gloves, bagged lunches, prepared meals, and bottled water. Some of the local shelters are even hiring if you need a little money and an excuse to get out for a few hours. It’s a stressful time for us all, and even more so for the people who don’t know where their next meal is coming from, any donations help, no matter how small. Check with your local homeless shelter to see if you can help in any way!
People’s Pressed – New Bedford, MA
By Kaela Resendes
News Editor
People’s Pressed is a small health-food cafe in Downtown New Bedford, Massachusetts. When we’re not in quarantine, this is one of my favorite places to go to for breakfast or lunch. The cafe is so beautiful inside and the people are always incredibly nice. They serve fresh-pressed juice, acai bowls, smoothies, avocado toasts, and even make their own almond butter! I can always count on their food to fill me up without feeling like I’m about to explode from eating too much. Right now, they have limited hours and a slightly smaller menu than usual but that doesn’t mean I won’t visit when I can. Supporting our local small businesses is so important right now and if you have the means to do it, I encourage you to! People’s Pressed is practicing some new safety guidelines by putting in place contactless pickup. Order online, pick up your bag from a sanitized vestibule in the cafe, and go! I highly recommend. Check out their website here for a menu and to see their temporary hours.
Ice Cream Smuggler – East Dennis, Cape Cod, MA
By Carly Mehl
Editor-In-Chief
If you know me, you know that I’m a die hard fan for the world’s best homemade ice cream, the Ice Cream Smuggler. Don’t ask me if I want to get “Smuggs” because the answer is yes. I honestly can’t decide whether to be proud or embarrassed of the amount of times I’ve been featured/ re-posted on their instagram… Just kidding, I’m beaming writing this.
I recently learned that in most places, going out to get ice cream isn’t an event? Well, going out for a cone on the Cape is an occasion, especially at the Smuggler. Conveniently located in East Dennis on the corner of Route 6A and Route 134, is the perfect pit stop after leaving any of the bayside beaches. Fans wait in lines wrapped around the outside of the building to get their hands on a cone. I’d do just about anything to be waiting in a normal line at the Smuggler right about now…
Although COVID-19 has cramped the style of our usual ice cream outings, the Smuggler team has been non-stop in their effort to make their town happy by starting no-contact orders over the phone and curbside pickup to smuggle your pints and sundaes safely to your car. I pulled up to claim my mocha chip ice cream pie for Easter and they ran it right out to my trunk. Their crew was on fire, dashing from each car back inside and out again with orders to the overflowing parking lot.
One of the smiling faces behind the operation is Emily St. Onge of South Yarmouth, going on her seventh season of scooping, who shared that “working at Smugglers has always been a fast paced job but with recent events it’s been kicked up a notch. While sprinting around the parking lot dropping ice cream in trunks to scooping faster everyday, we are working hard to bring a sliver of joy safely to everyone during this hard time. In my seven years working here we’ve made it through a tornado, switching buildings, and now a global pandemic; nothing can bring the Ice Cream Smuggler down. It makes sense considering the people I work for and with. We stick together and it’s all thanks to our loyal and diehard customers. We are all in this together.” Their phones have been ringing off the hook and for good reason. It’s their impeccable reputation, personal connections and commitment to quality that brings even seasonal visitors back remembering the name despite recently relocating after 40 years.
Picture an ice cream cake, but on crack. Their homemade fudge bottom pies are made with an Oreo pie shell, a layer of hot fudge and then filled with ice cream. Then, they frost it with the freshest whip cream, more hot fudge and finally, adorable little candies. For the record, this pie would be my last meal.
I know I sound dramatic but, it’s more than just an ice cream shop. To me, it’s somewhere I grew up going after perfect days spent at Chapin or Mayflower beach. It’s the place I bring every visitor to show them the hidden gems of Cape Cod. Even after listening to all of my hype, every person I’ve taken to the Ice cream Smuggler has always agreed that it’s simply the best they’ve ever had. Smugglers is a small, family owned and run business and they deserve every bit of support during these times.
C-Shore – Wellfleet, Cape Cod, MA
By Jesse Frazier
Staff Writer
Being back on the Cape during the off-season, it was hard enough finding a restaurant open year-round in my little hometown, Wellfleet. To narrow the scope even more, we add a pandemic. So here I am, hopeless to come across a decent meal when alas, my wishes come true. C-Shore, fairly new to Old Wellfleet, is approaching their third season and starting off strong, offering curbside pick-up and payments over the phone, providing a sense of comfort to our community in these uncertain times.
Diving into the menu, C-Shore provides a great variety of local seafood as well as comfort food. From Lobster Mac and Cheese, to fresh, hand-tossed pizza and the scrumptious burgers, there is something on the menu for everyone. The pizza is a personal favorite of mine with the special “Big Mac Pizza” being a dynamite selection for any night. Most recently, my family and I ordered the massive burgers topped with pork belly and my mother was delighted with her locally caught scallops.
They certainly don’t skimp on the meat, especially when it comes to the wings that had my father and I drooling over the bold, sweet chili sauce. My parents even scored some booze thanks to a newly signed municipal relief bill that’s allowing restaurants and bars licensed to sell alcohol to sell beer and wine to-go during the COVID-19 state of emergency.
While many locals are adjusting to the new style restaurant, C-Shore is quickly becoming a staple to the Frazier household. Although we miss the great service and in-dining experience, their crew is killing it and their hard work does not go unnoticed. We won’t forget who was there when we needed them most. C-Shore can count on many more takeout orders from the Frazier crew.
