Comfort Kitchen
Referring to itself as “a mission-driven restaurant, community space, and food incubator,” an anticipated Boston restaurant finally made its debut.
“Comfort Kitchen uses its globe-trotting menu to celebrate immigrant stories, including those of its owners,” writes Eater Boston.
A cafe by day, and a restaurant by night with a full bar, celebrating the flavors and ingredients of the African diaspora — global comfort food — connected from Asia to the Americas. We are a Black-owned, immigrant-owned, and woman-owned business.
In a project led by Historic Boston, a 1912 streetcar line “comfort station” (read: restroom) in Uphams Corner was adapted (at no small price) into a restaurant space. Dorchester Reporter adds, “The derelict property received care from award-winning architects then found its way into the hands of immigrant-entrepreneurs looking to open a restaurant.”
“How does food connect us?” the owners write on the Comfort Kitchen website.
“Our menus speak to the relationship and the crossover of food culture based on the spice trade and the African diaspora — connected from Asia to the Americas. The similarities in the flavor profiles and cuisines is something in itself to be celebrated.
“To understand spices, you have to first know where they are from and what their stories are. The spice routes, also known as maritime silk roads, were trade routes that extended from Japan through the islands of Indonesia, around India and Sri Lanka, to the lands of Middle East, from there across the Mediterranean to Europe, and then up through the Americas.
“We are exploring the story of spices, the roads by which the spice trade traveled, and how spices change our perception of food. In doing this we are seeking to celebrate and pay homage to the cultures represented.”
OK. OK. We’re sold! You had us at “spice trade.”
Comfort Kitchen opened Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood.
COMFORT KITCHEN LINKS