only in his community but in the larger food community, which has since exploded in the Greater Boston area. Among its earliest and most enduring steps along this long road were to find local providers.
“It is central to our mission to serve what is fresh and in-season,” he maintains, noting that, in addition to ensuring freshest, cleanest, healthiest food available, the locavore focus (which may not have even been a word, much less a “thing” when Solomon started) has “the added benefit of creating a relatively small carbon footprint.”
While an additional benefit may be savings on shipping, Solomon assures that this was not on his mind when he decided to go green and help his neighbors grow.
“For me the decision was not based on a cost-benefit analysis,” he assures. “I believed it was ethically the right way to run my business.”
Fortunately, Solomon’s spirit of giving also helped him gain financially as well.
“The GRA staff were able to show me the empirical data so I did actually know before laying out the mostly nominal money that running a green business meant running a more profitable business,” Solomon recalls.
In addition to the “top line” benefits of dedicated customers and even corporations who come back to Jim time and again for his popular live music, historic menus, wine and beer pairings, and other successful series, The Fireplace was also given the honor of being named a “three-star green caterer” and has landed numerous gigs not just because the food and service are excellent, but also because the clients feel so good knowing that the food and its preparation are good for them and the environment.
Though he has been at it for almost 15 years, Solomon continues to educate himself and to move his menus towards ever-greener pastures.
“Each year we make approximately two to four significant changes to move in a greener direction,” he explains, noting increasing savings on utilities and many ideas and additions that continue to lead the industry.
“An additional benefit of focusing on being as green focused as possible is positive staff morale,” Solomon adds. “The crew… feel good about where they work and I honestly believe that turn-over is lower than would otherwise be the case. Additionally, in a saturated restaurant environment where talent is scarce, we regularly welcome candidates that choose to approach The Fireplace because of our values.”
So whether you want to enjoy a meal that was also enjoyed by John and Abigail Adams or to enjoy the freshest live music while digging into even fresher and more satisfying food, follow your nose and your heart to The Fireplace and you will surely feel warm all over.
Matt Robinson is a professional journalist, writer, communications director, educator, coach, and parent. His food writing can be read at matts-meals.com and he can be reached at [email protected]