As any foodie knows, restaurant trends come and go…and so do restaurants! That is why longevity of any kind is remarkable. In order to stay current, however, many chefs and owners feel the need to change things up in order to ride the prevailing (and often fickle) tides of customer desire.
For 15 years, Jim Solomon of The Fireplace Restaurant has remained true to (and thus a favorite of) his customers by remaining true to himself and what he values. In addition to making time (and food) for local police officers, firefighters, and other community members in the Boston suburb of Brookline, Solomon (who also hosts a series of events where he prepares foods that were enjoyed by our Founding Fathers and Mothers and is also a regular member of a local historically-accurate fife and drum corps that performs at Patriots games and other notable venues) has always made a point to support local butchers, farmers, and fishmongers and to offer the freshest, cleanest, and greenest foods available. In fact, The Fireplace was the first restaurant in the Boston area to be certified by the Green Restaurant Association.
“I received a letter in the mail asking if I wanted to have a ‘green’ restaurant,” Solomon recalls when asked how he became the pioneering purveyor in the region. “While I was not quite sure I knew what that meant, I did know that I believe in being a good steward of the earth.”
After meeting GRA CEO Michal Oshman, Solomon knew that he wanted not only to get on board the “green” train, but also to stoke the environmentally-friendly fire among his colleagues and guests.
“I had an epiphany,” said Solomon. “As an advocate of corporate responsibility I was for the first time aware that, since opening my restaurant at the age or 37 that, After meeting GRA CEO Michal Oshman, Solomon knew that he wanted not only to get on board the “green” train, but also to stoke the environmentally-friendly fire among his colleagues and guests.
“I had an epiphany,” said Solomon. “As an advocate of corporate responsibility I was for the first time aware that, since opening my restaurant at the age or 37 that, I was now, for all intents and purposes, a corporation.”
As such, Solomon took it upon himself to be a leader not
From Boston:
Still Green After All These Years
Veteran chef/owner Jim Solomon remains true to his causes
By Matt Robinson