Food - Marblehead Current

26 Sep

Marblehead’s Maria Torres honored for entrepreneurship, community impact

Leigh BlanderBusiness, Food, Top Stories

Maria Torres has built a growing North Shore business presence around food, hospitality and a commitment to bringing people together. Now, the Marblehead entrepreneur is being recognized for it. Torres, owner of Maria’s Gourmet and Fine Foods and the Driftwood Restaurant, was recently honored as a 2026 Latino Excellence on the Hill Award recipient, joining Latino leaders from across Massachusetts during a celebration at the State House marking Hispanic Heritage Month. Maria Torres, center, has been honred as a 2026 Latino Excellence on the Hill…

23 Sep

FOOD 101: This classic soup bridges the seasons

Linda BassettColumns, Food, Linda Bassett

During this summer’s wanderings, I felt the urge to taste vichyssoise on its home turf. Yes, despite the French name, the cold potato soup was born in the USA. In New York City. The brainchild of a French immigrant chef, and a classic on menus for over 100 years. Louis Diat, started chef’s training as a teenager. A strong work ethic — and an equal amount of talent — brought him to the Ritz in Paris, then to London, starting as a potager, soup maker.…

16 Sep

One smart cookie: Marblehead chef launches ‘Baked by Johnny’

Marielle SabbagFood, Local News

John Diamantopoulos has always had a special place in his heart for cookies. Now, the Marblehead resident has started his own home-based micro-bakery business titled “Baked by Johnny.” While growing up in Lynn, Diamantopoulos was surrounded by food through his family-owned restaurant businesses. He said his mother would regularly bake traditional Greek cookies. Chef Johnny has created about 80 different flavors of cookies, including this one: Fruity Pebble & caramelized white chocolate chunk. COURTESY PHOTOS Chef John Diamantopoulos has made about 80 different flavors of cookies,…

02 Sep

What’s cooking at MPS this year — and when will students get a taste of it?

Akanksha GoyalFood, Marblehead Public Schools, Public safety

There’s a little bit of everything happening in the Marblehead High School culinary classroom: students cooking, experimenting, competing in “Chopped”-style challenges and, around the holidays, baking treats for the staff. Soon, they’ll have some new equipment to work with, too. With students back in class this week , Marblehead Public Schools is awaiting about $65,000 in state Fair Share supplemental funding, announced earlier this year, to help fund vital upgrades to some classrooms and buses. New culinary equipment is headed to Marblehead High School. COURTESY…

19 Aug

NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT: Step inside the Marblehead Food Pantry

Submitted ContentDiscover Marblehead, Food, Local News

The following is an interview with Marcy Schwam, board president of Marblehead Food Pantry, conducted by Discover Marblehead. The Marblehead Food Pantry has been serving the community since 1991, providing food to Marblehead residents facing food insecurity. Powered by dedicated volunteers and supported through the generosity of local donors, businesses, schools and organizations, the Food Pantry ensures that no neighbor has to face hunger alone. To learn more or donate, go to marbleheadfoodpantry.org. Marcy Schwam runs the Marblehead Food Pantry. COURTESY PHOTO Tell us about…

19 Aug

FOOD 101: Summer discoveries to tuck away for fall

Linda BassettColumns, Food, Linda Bassett, Opinion

It seems that no matter where I roam, I discover new flavors, or new ways of combining old ones. New techniques or a revival of a centuries-old method. Often unexpected, often surprising. This summer, a salad dressing in Cooperstown, New York; a surprising Milwaukee pizza; a twist on a beverage at a Southern bar; Irish sausage, cheese and butter; and a classic cold potato soup in Manhattan. So, as summer shifts toward autumn, I am cataloguing them here as I riff on their flavors in…

19 Aug

After a decade, ElderAct Garden needs some new green thumbs

Leigh BlanderCommunity Resources, Community Service, Food, Top Stories

On a recent summer morning at Stramski’s Park, the ElderAct Garden was bursting with cucumbers, tomatoes, summer squash, zucchini, potatoes, green peppers, jalapenos, green beans, onions and eggplant. For about 11 years, Chicky Curtis, 85, has been making sure the garden keeps producing — coming almost every day to weed, water, plant, harvest and deliver fresh vegetables to Marblehead’s public housing developments. Last year, Curtis and her friend Penny Gerow, 72, harvested 75 pounds of fresh produce. They typically spend about 250 hours at the…

03 Aug

Local couple launches children’s magazine to help kids explore community

Leigh BlanderArt, Community Resources, Education, Entertainment, Environment, Food, Top Stories

When Marblehead author and journalist Garrett Callahan published “M is for Marblehead in 2022,” he saw firsthand how excited children were to recognize their hometown in a book. Now, Callahan and his wife, Meredith, are expanding that idea with a new quarterly children's magazine designed to help kids across the North Shore learn about — and explore — the places around them. Garrett and Meredith Callahan are partners in the magazine project. Their two young daughters help with the publication. COURTESY PHOTOS Tidelines is a…

30 Jul

Hamilton bakery and cafe finds second home in Marblehead

Marielle SabbagBusiness, Food, Local News

Honeycomb, a local bakery and cafe in Hamilton, is preparing to expand with a second location in Marblehead. Owners Lauren and Billy Moran opened Honeycomb in June 2017. The bakery includes an assortment of baked goods, sandwiches, and refreshments. Over the years, the Morans said the community has been the best part about owning Honeycomb. They enjoy seeing customers come into the place to buy a pastry, have a coffee, and meet for conversation. Co-owners Laura and Billy Moran say that the Marblehead Honeycomb will…

29 Jul

PERFECT PAIRING: For owners of new wine bar, opening worth the wait

Marielle SabbagBusiness, Food, Top Stories

Customers can now “say cheese!” — or better yet, taste cheese — at Le Petit Comptoir Wine and Cheese. The new wine bar, owned by Marblehead resident Alex Lewis, officially opened its doors earlier this month. Located at 1 Atlantic Ave., Le Petit Comptoir offers rotating wines selected specifically to pair with artisan cheeses, along with cheese boards and gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. Lewis, a 2005 Johns Hopkins University graduate, briefly operated a hookah lounge until changes in smoking laws forced it to close in…