THROWBACK THURSDAY–“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?”

Welcome back–back to “How to survive 25”, light hearted fun and this weekend’s Winterfest! This after a tumultous week of false headlines and thousands of our fans sharing their love and suppoort as we wait for the City to propose, assist, support us and our legacy after presenting plans that will pretty much “steamroll” Cobblestones as a new high school gets built for the next X amount of years! More on that as it develops….

So, one of the ways you survive 25 years in the restaurant business, beyond surviving the many (many) mistakes along the way is by learning from them–and not repeating them.

Years (and years) ago, if you can remember an early WinterFest, when the food tent was actually on Merrimack St, in front of GoodYear, we (I) had an “incredible” idea. COBBLESTONES signed on as one of the food vendors, paid our entrance vig, and started brainstroming. Should we do chili? Not everyone likes chili. Chowder? Eh, milky doesn’t go with beer so well. Fries? Chicken fingers? Meatballs? Everyone else will be doing that. “Hey! I have a great idea! Let’s do our signature dessert–NO one does dessert! Bananas Flambe! Hot, sticky bananas, brown sugar and flamed brandy sauce ladled over vanilla ice cream! NO ONE will be selling that!!” And neither did we. Our staff sat in chairs behind their table, huddled in fuzzy hats and gloves, for hours as MAYBE we sold (10) all weekend.”

Always my work-“check” valve, and I’m sure she warned me in advance and I didn’t listen–GM Robin pointed out that ice cream in winter…not so brilliant. “What were you thinking?”

Here’s what I’m thinking this year!

Outside, under the Arcand Tent, we will be serving sausages and peppers–the perfect festival food (after fried dough). And inside, a “THROWBACK” special dessert, from the days of Chef Manny Besana (early 2000’s)…Our WARM, gooey, Chocolate Molten Lava cake! It’s being featured now and through the week.

Join us this weekend for Lowell’s awesome, annual, winter jam. No ice crem.