Local “Mini” Food Crawl In Lawrence
Last week, we took a day away from the office to explore downtown Lawrence, MA, and while we have embarked on longer annual food crawls in cities outside of New England in the past, it was fun to explore to a vibrant and diverse city closer to Boston, in an effort to expand our network of developers and community leaders who are transforming nearby neighborhoods. The food listed in Melissa and Noah’s itinerary was also a bonus!
Lawrence was a major textile manufacturing hub during the Industrial Revolution. Many of its mills, left vacant over the last century, have been converted into exciting, adaptive reuse projects. With its high concentration of Dominican-owned small businesses, a growing creative community, and committed local developers, Lawrence was an great place to visit, learn, and network.
We started off the morning at Reposteria Miguelina for some fresh juices, Pastelitos, and Quipes. I normally don’t eat breakfast, so I was happy to take a walk around the many old mill buildings, most of which have already been repurposed. After some caffeine and snacks as Lu’s Cafe & Bakery, we met up with Johan & Walki Lopez to discuss two of their new projects: The Jav, a 28-unit market-rate apartment complex, and The Millex, a mixed-use development project with a food hall being built on the first floor. Thanks to a quick rain shower, we took cover at Tripoli Bakery, which of course led to order few slices of Pizza and a sampling of pastries. With our bellies already full, it was time for lunch at Japu, a Peruvian and Japanese fusion, family-owned restaurant located in the Union Crossing development. Remarkably, we made room and had a great lunch with guests, Anabelle Rondon-Palau, Mass Development’s Director of Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) and Gary Sidell, President of Bell Tower Commercial Real Estate Group. We then ventured into El Taller and Café Azteca, one of the most vibrant commercial spaces in the area for some tacos and Tostones. The Mexican and Dominican Fusion cafe also houses a bookstore and Cultural hub of Lawrence, all under one roof. Owner, Mary Guerrero, was nice enough to meet up and give us the history of the establishment as well as her experience doing business in Lawrence.
It was a super packed day, full of food, drinks, new friends, and interesting places…Check out the photos below to follow along in our visit to Lawrence!
-DK
