BREAD + SALT HOSPITALITY. JULIET.
OF JULIET. POST OAK APRONS.
JOSHUA LEWIN. KATRINA JAZAYERI.
Contents
Writing, Speaking, Other Initiatives
Awards, Accolades, Critical Reviews
Company Overview
Bread + Salt Hospitality handles their own public relations, doing their best to tell timely, engaging, and hopefully important, stories about Juliet and their company. We appreciate incalculably your interest in our efforts and endeavors, apologize for any delay in response (we might be in the kitchen!), and value immensely our cooperation with the media as we build our small company and share our passion with the community.
Inquiries should be directed to Josh at josh@julietsomerville.com
Bread + Salt Hospitality (BSH) is a Greater Boston based restaurant and hospitality company by Joshua Lewin and Katrina Jazayeri. Currently operating Juliet, in Somerville’s rapidly growing Union Square, BSH has also operated and produced pop up dining events all over the Boston area as well as in Manhattan and Chicago.
Before building Juliet, BSH spearheaded the now trendy “temporary restaurant” operating long term but for a fixed length of time. BSH also consulted on the development and managed the initial operations of award winning pop up event Kitchen Kibitz.
The first temporary restaurant production by BSH, Bread + Salt at Wink + Nod was a high end destination cocktail bar operating for seven months in Boston’s South End. With this project BSH laid the groundwork for what would become a restaurant incubator, paving the way for young chefs and companies to introduce themselves to the Boston dining public.
To follow up the success of Bread + Salt at Wink + Nod, BSH introduced Gitana, a restaurant inspired by the cuisine and culture of Seville and Barcelona. Gitana operated for two months in Somerville, out of a community focussed lounge and music venue, helping to introduce BSH to their neighbors in the city where they would next build Juliet.
BSH celebrates cuisine and service in a way that tells a story about the individuals providing it and involves the guests enjoying it in a kind of interactive theater. Committed to building good jobs in a supportive and career oriented workplace, BSH demands a high level of performance from their staff and delivers an excellent service to their guests. BSH restaurants, singular in the Boston area, operate without accepting tips and instead pay living wages to all staff including profit sharing incentives, while working aggressively to transfer responsibility, and therefore opportunity, to staff to oversee all aspects of cuisine and service, rapidly mentoring them toward a certain standard and style unmatched elsewhere.
In addition to daily operations at Juliet, BSH, through Josh and Katrina, is deeply involved in the community where they live and operate, promoting and supporting initiatives related to career mentorship, education, workers rights, workplace diversity, and other opportunities for the development of strong communities.
Josh serves as a mentor for the Somerville Arts Council’s Nibble program, assisting immigrant residents gain a foothold in the business of food service entrepreneurship, as well as Somerville High School’s comprehensive culinary arts program. Katrina has been recognized regularly, locally and nationally, for her work to professionalize all jobs in the restaurant industry, creating environments where meaningful careers can be built, and are accessible to anyone willing to pursue them.
Juliet
257 WASHINGTON ST (21 UNION SQ) SOMERVILLE, MA 02143 617-718-0958 WWW.JULIETSOMERVILLE.COM
TWITTER: @JULIETUNIONSQ
INSTAGRAM: @JULIETUNIONSQ
Home of Somerville's Most Unique Dining Experience
as well as Juliet Cafe and Romeo's At Juliet.
Gratuity free dining. Living Wages.
Great food. Great jobs. Great company.
Wednesday - Sunday
Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. Brunch.
Closed Monday and Tuesday
Juliet, the first permanent restaurant by BSH, exists in the space formerly occupied by Sherman Cafe, an independent coffee shop favorited for years by Katrina and Josh. The small (less than 1,000 square foot) restaurant was designed by Katrina to be a showcase for the couple’s favorite things. The wide open floor plan virtually eliminates all separation between staff and guests with the kitchen taking up the majority of the space at the center of the room. Katrina’s curated wine and beverage program, spanning beer and classic leaning cocktails, offer tastes of the familiar alongside opportunities to try something new and unexpected. Josh’s menus carry on this tradition by offering a peek into the whims, histories, training, and personal proclivities developed throughout his life and career. Celebrating a collaborative environment, Katrina’s influence is felt throughout the changing menus as much as Josh’s in the style of service and design.
A Tale Of Two Juliets, and a Romeo:
Juliet operates as a casual café for breakfast and lunch Wednesday through Friday and weekend brunch. Juliet transforms into a full service dining experience, serving themed tasting menus accompanied often by poems or essays by Josh and illustrations as well as dynamic dining room design and service elements by Katrina.
Dinner at Juliet is an immersive performance, like being invited to a dinner party thrown by a couple of very talented and hardworking craftspeople who really just want to treat you as friends. The menu and details of the service are planned and choreographed as a show, where the diner sits center stage and enjoys the story that Josh and Katrina have to tell.
Once a week, on Sunday evenings, the team at Juliet reinvent themselves once again as Romeo’s. Romeo’s serves handmade pastas and other classic and modern Italian specialties, relaxing just a little bit for Sunday Supper.
Juliet tells the story of Lewin and Jazayeri connecting with their neighbors through excellence in the craft of cooking and service reimagined as storytelling, and through the careful development of meaningful careers for all staff.
Prices at Juliet are inclusive of service; no gratuity is expected. Staff are paid a living wage above state minimums and participate in a profit sharing program facilitated through the application of Open Book Management.
Since mid 2018, Juliet has been managed cooperatively with Executive Sous Chef Rachael Collins, Sous Chef Noah Clickstein, and General Manager Katie Rosengren, themselves beginning to play as important a role in the developing story of Juliet as the founders.
Awards, Accolades, and Reviews
Bon Appétit, Best New Restaurants in America 2016
Boston Magazine, Best New Restaurants 2016
Improper Bostonian, Boston’s Best Breakfast 2016
Eater Boston, Restaurant of the Year 2016
Thrillist, Boston's Best New Restaurants 2016
Eater Young Guns (National), Katrina Jazayeri, 2016
Improper Bostonian, Boston’s Best, Restaurant Concept, 2017
WGBH, Julia Child Culinary Stewardship Award, 2017
Les Dames d’Escoffier, Legacy Award, Katrina Jazayeri, 2018
Boston Globe Photo: Lane Turner
Boston Globe, “Union Square restaurant Juliet is a jewel box filled with surprises” July 2016
“... a lot of technique that manages not to be show-offy, or even obvious, except that it makes things irresistible.”
Boston Magazine Photo: Jim Brueckner
Improper Bostonian Photo: Nicole Popma
Improper Bostonian, “Arise, Fair Sun: Juliet elevates the neighborhood restaurant into something special” May 2016
“... beneath Juliet’s sunny, unpretentious facade lies some extraordinary sourcing underpinned by a boatload of refined technique.”
Boston Magazine, Restaurant Review: Juliet in Somerville, September 2016
“Juliet has the ambition and skill of a destination restaurant.”
“Juliet is almost a dream restaurant.”
Katrina Jazayeri and Joshua Lewin
Joshua Lewin is a cook, entrepreneur, and storyteller, who boldly mixes technique and mediums into a unique and immersive experience, whether at the table, on the page, or beyond.
Joshua Lewin grew up in the kitchen. Equal parts refuge and exploratorium, the kitchen provided a set of familiar sights and sounds amid an otherwise uncertain childhood, as well as an limitless lens into the near and far possibilities of the world around him.
Wonder and experiment gave way to summer jobs, and then further to opportunities to excel professionally without a requisite college degree, or even at first...long term direction. The kitchen remained a professional refuge amid Lewin’s service in the United States Marine Corps, and was still waiting for him when other industries failed to capture his attention.
These would remain just jobs though, until the mentorship of Jason Bond, of Bondir, leading to his chance to guide and breathe fresh life into the classic institution, Beacon Hill Bistro, where he introduced and honed a highly personal style of cooking, and service which fuses French technique and standardization to a wide ranging vision.
Upon leaving the bistro, Lewin took the opportunity to train briefly with James Beard Award winning Vikram Sunderam of Rasika and Dominique Crenn at her then solitary, two Michelin starred, Atelier Crenn, before embarking on the process of iteration and development that became Juliet.
In addition to the widely recognized restaurant, Juliet, Lewin is a writer and publisher, pioneering a level of immersion in work and craft as storytelling, display, and art, that is unfettered by expectations or industry standards.
Breaking the mold of tipped compensation and compartmentalized training, Lewin’s work is focussed on open sharing and strong training and mentorship, designed to build careers, open minds and doors, and lay strong foundations for support in restaurant careers as well as the arts, entrepreneurship, and community.
Personally named to Zagat Boston’s 30 under 30 in 2013, as well as the 2015 Arts and Industry Award from Opus Affair and 2017 Culinary Stewardship Award from WGBH, Lewin’s first restaurant, Juliet, steps from his home in a rapidly growing suburb of Boston, is a local standout, as well as national success.
Juliet was named one of the best new restaurants of the year in 2016 by Bon Appetit, Restaurant Of The Year by Eater Boston, has been widely and overwhelmingly reviewed, and has been the recipient of multiple invitations to cook at The James Beard House and in 2018 was jointly recognized by Restaurant Opportunities Center United and The James Beard Foundation for a commitment to raising the standards of employment for the restaurant industry nationwide.
KATRINA JAZAYERI
Katrina Jazayeri is a designer, builder, and restaurateur, who uses personal interaction and natural hospitality to encourage alternative ways of looking and working, and to create social change.
Katrina Jazayeri grew up surrounded by the romanticism of food. Her Iranian father and American mother met while working together in a restaurant, and often told stories about mixing caesar salads and steak tartare tableside, painting a picture of classic service and black tie waiters along with the notion of camaraderie within the industry. Frequent dinner parties solidified their status as the ultimate hosts, further exposing Jazayeri to a spirit of hospitality at an early age.
A graduate of the University Of California at Santa Cruz, Jazayeri was born in Queens, NY, and raised in Austin, TX. This broad awareness of a diverse American landscape, coast to coast and everything in between, foreshadowed a life of connection and proactive community development through work and life.
Early experience in a social enterprise incubator, as well as leading urban health initiatives, developed Jazayeri’s approach and commitment to address problems of equity, support, and career development with business based solutions. A love of the myth of restaurants, prompted Jazayeri to examine the industry, one of the country’s largest employers, where she found systemic injustice and inequality, and eventually return to the roots of her childhood celebrating hospitality.
Jazayeri’s first venture, Juliet, was designed with career pathways, dignity, and limitless opportunity into the foundations of the start up plan, and has shown early and significant success in paving the way to a fair compensation model, while providing true step by step mentorship, with no ceilings and equal footing for all.
Not simply a beacon of opportunity, Juliet is nationally recognized as a standout cuisine and service experience, with its unique open floor plan, designed by Jazayeri, who works in the restaurant daily as the head of service and as beverage director. Her small and sometimes experimental wine and cocktail programs are noted regularly for attention to detail, and the joy of discovery of something special.
Before founding Juliet, Jazayeri trained under Liz Vilardi of Belly Wine Bar, The Blue Room, and Central Bottle, and developed an appreciation for and willingness to work from the ground up, scaling purposefully and attentively, under JJ Gonson of Cuisine En Locale. In 2014, she was named to Zagat Boston's 30 Under 30.
In Juliet style, Jazayeri’s is a life of nuance and variety, her handmade fashions, Post Oak Designs, are headlined by the custom aprons that have been coveted by chefs, restaurateurs, and other craftspeople since their introduction in 2014. Her craftsmanship can be seen and felt throughout Juliet and beyond, and she is the lead designer for the magazine, Of Juliet, as well as the company’s other publishing projects. In addition to the local and national accolades for Juliet, Jazayeri was the recipient of 2016’s Eater Young Guns Award, and in 2018, one of five national Legacy Awards given by Les Dames d’Escoffier.
Post Oak Aprons
Post Oak Aprons are tailored to suit the needs of craftspeople of all kinds. From cooks to carpenters, these custom aprons are designed with consideration of the craft. The style, fabric selection, and pocket arrangement are selected to make attractive, but highly functional aprons.
Katrina designed and stitched the first Post Oak Aprons, in three styles, in 2014, using colleagues in the restaurant industry as well as other craftspeople as case studies she developed a line of aprons that could be highly customized for both style, and function. Post Oak Aprons were featured that year in the Somerville Open Studios Fashion Show and were quickly adopted by high profile Somerville restaurants River Bar and Bronwyn.
The aprons quickly became sought after by both local and national restaurants and Katrina’s designs have been featured on:
As well as this interview, giving a good inside look at the design process behind the aprons.
If you'd like more information about post oak aprons, or if you'd like to order a custom apron contact postoakaprons@gmail.com
Of Juliet: The Magazine
At Juliet, dining is explored as a sort of immersive storytelling. Dinner menus are developed along a theme, and presented alongside original poetry, prose (last fall’s production Les Pommes Sauvages included a five day immersive performance complete with virtual reality time travel), and visual design.
First published in January 2018, the Juliet team reaffirmed their commitment to not only providing skillful cooking and sincere hospitality through their work, but to sharing their developing story in the most comprehensive and engaging way possible.
Of Juliet issue 1, Winter 2018 (“subtitled This is everything I have to tell you”), provided both a behind the scenes look at the development of three winter menu productions, as well as general interest content including short stories, interviews, album reviews, opinion, art, and photography. The three covers throughout the year, by Jazayeri, were intended as a collectible series.
Beyond the first year, Of Juliet, has evolved into something much bigger than the inward looking seasonal restaurant program, taking a broad approach and enjoyed nationally (and a little bit internationally) presenting engaging storytelling and design, rooted in food and hospitality but accessible to all.
Not only as a fulfilling creative project, founded on Juliet’s characteristic excellence in craft, Of Juliet is also an experiment in developing economically viable support structure in the arts. Contributors and staff share in the profit of the project. Like the restaurant itself, supporting this endeavor not only provides a unique and fulfilling experience for fans and readers, but an opportunity to develop skills and be paid for them, for those involved in the creation.
The project is produced and managed by the Juliet team and features the work of both their own staff and outside contributors such as Nina Coomes, whose work has been published by Catapult, EATER, and more.
Of Juliet is available at Juliet as well a growing number of local and national stockists, or online at www.OfJuliet.com where single issues can be purchased for 12.00 or yearly subscriptions for 30.00.
Writing, Speaking, Other Initiatives
Furthering his commitment to storytelling even beyond the kitchen and dining room, Lewin’s writing appears regularly (often accompanied by Jazayeri’s illustration) in restaurant industry as well as other publications in the form of recipe contributions, stand alone personal essays, and longer running columns about life in and outside the kitchen.
Josh and Katrina are both experienced presenters, panelists, and speakers and have been featured repeatedly by the New England Aquarium, The Sustainable Business Network, Restaurant Opportunities Center, the national conference Bespoke, examining the intersection of social justice and the food service industry, and others.
Josh and Katrina have presented in settings ranging from large and small panels as both participants and moderators, roundtable discussions, conference breakouts and keynotes as well as publicly addressing state and federal legislators on topics including:
- Social justice
- Sustainable food systems
- Fair wages and compensation
- Career mentorship and training
- Culinary and service technique
- Storytelling and stagecraft as part of the service experience
As a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Josh is also uniquely qualified to present on topics related to veterans, and their families.
Published by Josh
*Illustrated by Katrina
The Best Way to Spread Truth Is to Stop Listening to Lies
The Good Men Project
April 23, 2017
A Golden Moment — And Missed Opportunity — For American Chefs At The Bocuse d'Or
Cognoscenti (WBUR)
February 23, 2017
And other lessons from my first restaurant year
BostInno
February 13, 2017
Chefs Feed. Dec 26, 2016
Eater Boston. Sep 23 - Dec 31, 2016
Remedy Quarterly
June 2014
Pay Attention to the Process, or What Judy Rodgers Taught Me
The Huffington Post
July 22, 2013 - May 27, 2014
Open Book Management
At Juliet, and throughout the Bread + Salt Hospitality operations, businesses operate a system called Open Book Management, or Open Book Strategy.
Open Book Management
A philosophy and management strategy of involving every employee in making a company more successful by sharing financial and operational information, sharing responsibility for its challenges and success, and giving active participants a stake in the outcome.
It involves five basic practices:
- Training employees to become business-literate so they can understand financial statements.
- Empowering them to use that information in creating and implementing cost-cutting, revenue-generating, and quality improvement initiatives.
- Trusting people with decision-making, projects, and problem-solving.
- Setting financial and operational goals collectively as a team – having and paying attention to a measurable annual plan.
- Sharing the rewards of the company’s success when the plan is fulfilled.
We create business teams (Menu Data, Finance & Metrics, Hospitality, Marketing & Social Media, Community Outreach) that are setup to allow staff to work directly on initiatives to improve the business. All these teams have three goals: To perform some of the many management functions which owners and managers do not have time to do well, to develop staff’s business skills, and to develop skills for running and participating in meetings.
Through Open Book Strategy we empower our staff to learn and develop skills beyond their basic job functions, gaining a greater overall understanding of how a food service business is run, managed, grown, and evolved. Based on our collective success, the entire team is incentivized through quarterly profit sharing.
Our program is inspired in part by recent initiatives by acclaimed restaurateur Danny Meyer, with whom we shared the pages of Entrepreneur Magazine as well as Ari Weinzweig and Zingerman’s.
Although inspired by these course charting individuals, Juliet remains singular in using these principles to simultaneously challenge, empower, and mentor their staff toward meaningful career growth but also to eliminate tipping and the alternative minimum wage from their hospitality experience; creating better guests experiences and guaranteeing their staff good, dependable wages, with plenty of room for incentives based on service and performance.
Just over two years old (as of March 2018), Juliet is proud to claim a well paid, well respected, well trained, and well tenured staff of goal and mission aligned individuals (unheard of in the restaurant industry) to go along with a profitable and award winning business based on community engagement, creative storytelling and cuisine, and exceptional service experiences.