Julia Tatum, writing the board at Taste
No secret how much I like Taste Coffee House in Newtonville - and I like to patronize the establishments of friends. When I'm not twisting people's arms to go to Shogun in West Newton, MA, which truly deserves a post of its own (it's coming, it's coming), I'm forcing them to meet me at Taste.
Nik, the owner, greets me yesterday when I arrive for two back-to-back meetings. Well, commiserates with me might be a better way to put it. Or blames me. "You're responsible for this," he says, as I stand forlorn at the counter, wishing for a seat for me and my two companions. The place is packed at 10 AM (and they don't even all seem to be people working on their resumes).
Then a man, sitting at a table by himself, offers me the chair across from him. I explain that there are two more coming. At which point, Nik repeats his view of me as the cause of the standing-room-only. And explains that I've blogged about Taste. At which point the man pipes up: "Here's a quote for your blog: 'Taste is the best thing to happen to Newtonville in five years.'"
Asking for a name to hang that quote on, he obliges: "Les," he says. I press on. What does he do? Turns out he's Pres and CEO of The Epilepsy Foundation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, a most worthy organization. I should have been offering him a seat.