MASSACHUSETTS — Welcome to Patch’s weekly round up of food and restaurant news in Massachusetts, where we review openings, closings and more in the state’s dining scene.
This week, the Herb Lyceum Carriage House continues working through the aftermath of a devastating Sept. 1 fire at the Groton farm and venue.
No one was injured in the fire, and the carriage house was unoccupied at the time. The fire didn’t spread to other parts of the property, either, prompting the Gilson family to praise Groton’s Fire Department.
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However, the carriage house was “destroyed beyond repair.”
“As we navigate this next chapter, our main priority is to take care of our team and work with the Herb Lyceum guests to continue to work with them to host them on other areas of our property or connect them to new venues to host their upcoming events,” said owner and chef Will Gilson.
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Since 1989, The Herb Lyceum has been a family-owned farm that David Gilson and his son, Will, have lived and worked on.
The farm can take credit for supplying many Boston restaurants with herbs and produce, and patrons of local farmers markets have surely seen them before, too. Outside of the farm, the Herb Lyceum serves as a venue for farm dinners, weddings and other special events.
The carriage house was a mainstay of the property for multiple purposes and needs “serious renovations” in order to get the property back on its feet. An online fundraiser has been launched in hopes of helping with that process, raising over $20,000 in one week.
“The support of the gofundme page will help accelerate the restoration and repairs needed and rebuild the Carriage House, the mainstay of the property,” the family said, in a statement.
Those funds will also help them support staff during the renovations and transition period.
A Friends of the Herb Lyceum dinner is being planned later this fall for guests to “enjoy memories and a meal from some of the chefs who have been directly associated with the farm through the past several decades,” they said. Details will be announced soon.
Despite the fire, the venue and farm is still hosting events during the rebuilding process and the farm and greenhouses are still growing crops, herbs and produce.
Here’s what else to know this week in Massachusetts:
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