CITY LIFE
TABLE HOPPIN’
Assabet grads team up to offer ‘signature dining’ at retirement community BARBARA M. HOULE
Artisan at Hudson (SageLife) operates a Welcome Center at 10 Technology Drive, Hudson, until the retirement community officially opens. Call (978) 763-7111 for more information about the eight-acre campus near the Assabet River Rail Trail, or visit www. artisanathudson.com. Haywood and Colena definitely are focused and prepared for opening day.
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Applebee’s offers kids’ special
Applebee’s Grill + Bar locations has a new fall promotion “Kids Eat Free!” through Sept. 17. The deal: Guests get one free kids meal with each Applebee’s To Go or delivery order of $12 or more, using promo code: FREEKIDS. Visit www. applebees.com or the Applebee’s mobile app and select from the craveable menu and a favorite meal from the kids menu. Apply promo code at checkout. $12.
Sous chef Shawn Colena, left, and executive chef Ken Haywood hold an artist’s rendering of Artisan at Hudson, which is scheduled to open in November.
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The Castle Restaurant in Leicester will host Wines of the Rhone side Restaurant, interning there as Valley at 3 p.m. Sept. 20. Thirteen in Marlboro. a student at the CIA. “Cooking for the last 35 years, I wines will be tasted. Reservations Haywood and Colena are excited have operated four different kitchens only. Call (508) 892-9090 for more and geared up for their new posifor senior living communities,” said details. tions, which involve more than daily Haywood, who was executive chef/ The Castle’s Classic Grecian food service. The chefs also will cater Feast is scheduled at 4 p.m. Sept. assistant director of dining serevents for the residents, host cooking 27. Cost is $103 per person, inclusive vices at Whitney Place at Natick demos, share their favorite holiday and later worked at the Willows of gratuity and tax. The food will be dishes and even do wine pairings at at Worcester, both Salmon family paired with wine. Limited seating. owned facilities. He helped open the special occasion dinners. Ask for co-owners Evangeline The chefs credit culinary instrucThe Residence at Melrose Station Nicas or James Nicas when calling tors at Assabet for teaching them in Melrose after 20 years with the the restaurant to reserve. more than just basic cooking techSalmon family. On the menu: Hors d’oeuvres: niques. “Teachers at Assabet helped Being a chef you have to have a panakopita, spinach and feta cheese changed our lives,” said Haywood. talent for cooking and a passion for triangles wrapped in phyllo dough; “They prepared us for the real life and grilled baby octopus with a lemon, the profession, according to Colena, didn’t sugarcoat things. Many of us who graduated from the Culinary oregano and extra virgin olive oil have worked 12 hour days in restauInstitute of America in Hyde Park, accent; First course: blue mussels rants, knowing the meaning of hard New York. He worked five separate “Dimitri,” steamed in white wine, work and sacrifice. You don’t leave stints at Kennedy’s Irish Pub in fresh herbs, Vidalia onion, garden red Marlboro, the first time as a line cook school and immediately become an peppers and diced tomatoes; Dinner: executive chef.” while a student at Assabet. His was fire roasted leg of lamb with a fresh Haywood said he is especially employed by SAGE Dining Services garden herb rub and served with a grateful to Chef Louis Trudeau, a Inc. as food service director at St. feta cheese-caper-lemon-tomato Sebastian’s School and later as chef graduate and culinary arts teacher cream; Dessert: Evangeline’s tradiat Assabet, who also worked as for Epicurean Feast at its NSTAR tional baklava. executive chef for Marriott Hotels for Headquarters in Westwood and more than 20 years, and chef Margo Boston Scientific in Natick. If you have a tidbit for the column, Wilson, Assabet’s culinary arts lead He also worked for the former call (508) 868-5282. Send email to Boston landmark Jimmy’s Harbor- teacher. bhoulefood@gmail.com. ASHLEY GREEN
Chowder Fest, Haywood loves Colena’s chowder recipe even more than his own. “Shawn’s chowder is the best I’ve ever tasted,” said Haywood. “Soups and chowders are the guy’s specialties.” The dish on the chefs: Haywood had a passion for cooking as a youngster. “I loved watching my mother cook and when I was old enough we cooked together,” he said. “I laugh about it now, but I remember the day when she told me I had to learn to cook because someday I would have to cook for myself. ‘Don’t think someone’s going to do it for you,’” she said. “I used to kid her after that about being the better cook in the family.” The chef received his bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts and Hotel Management, graduating with honors from Johnson & Wales University in Providence. He worked for the Marriott Corporation for many years and on the Boston restaurant scene at Jimmy’s Harborside Restaurant, Anthony’s Pier 4 and the Top of the Hub. He also was head chef at a number of local restaurants including the former Piccadilly Pub
Castle Restaurant events
S E P T E M B E R 10 - 16, 2020
en Haywood of Marlboro and Shawn A. Colena of Hudson have been friends since they attended the culinary arts program at Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School in Marlboro in the ’90s. Both men became professional chefs and kept in touch with each other through the years. Now the duo will work side by side providing “signature dining” at Artisan at Hudson, a retirement community expected to open in early November at 253 Washington St., Hudson. As executive chef and director of dining services, Haywood chose Colena to be his sous chef in the kitchen. Colena has what it takes to be a head chef ’s right hand, said Kenwood. “He not only has restaurant, corporate and private school dining experience, but also has heart, is a self-starter, dependable and knows what he’s doing. “We both are hands-on chefs and get to do the things we love, like creating innovative menus featuring fresh local ingredients.,” said Haywood. “Dining at Artisan at Hudson will be as special and upscale as we can make it.” The general public and future residents of the new boutique rental community got a chance to sample Haywood’s food this summer when the Horseshoe Pub and Restaurant in Hudson featured several of his dishes on their menu during an “Artisan Day” event. Guests not only enjoyed food and schmoozed, but also learned more about Artisan at Hudson, still under construction at that time. Horseshoe Pub’s executive chef prepared food and Haywood helped expedite it. The event was a huge success, according to Beth Burns, community relations associate at Artisan at Hudson, who works with Director of Community Relations Sheri Mele. Guests were even treated to Haywood’s award-winning chowder, which got rave reviews from guests, according to Burns. We should note that despite having won Boston’s Best of the Best Chefs competition and Boston
