When the Press began publishing 10 years ago, one of the first problems we had to solve was how to sustain ourselves when writing, editing, and layout kept us busy late into the evening on deadline day. At first, we took turns preparing dinner and bringing it to the office, but that meant the person with dinner duty had to either take time away from production or prepare the food the day before. We quickly concluded we would rather chip in for takeout.
Who had the idea of bartering advertising for a meal? That is a continuing question, but someone suggested it, and the first restaurant we asked said, “Sure!” Dinner@Deadline became part of Press history. Since then, more than 40 area providers have fed the Press, and we have never been disappointed, or undernourished.
Twelve of the 40-plus providers fed us once; another 18 took an ad in exchange for dinner as many as 15 times. Our 10 most frequent providers have been there for us from 18 to more than 50 weeks, some monthly, others seasonally or as needed.
Recently, restaurants have welcomed the opportunity to showcase their entry to the market or to highlight new offerings. Our newest addition is the Gallery Café in Littleton, which opened earlier this year. We hope it becomes a regular in the rotation.
Mark diCicco, owner and head chef at Markoh’s on Main and Lucia’s Tavola in Ayer. (Courtesy photo)
One of the most interesting opportunities came a few weeks ago, when we were invited to Markoh’s on Main in Ayer for a media event introducing its new menu. We were treated to samples of many featured items, including braised pork shanks and a signature burger that is hard to describe (think venison, Gouda, and Kentucky bourbon). Chef Mark diCicco presided and explained his thinking about both new additions and old favorites, like baked peppadews.
This has been a year of interesting newcomers and old favorites, including soup and sandwiches from Westward Orchards; pizza, subs, and salads from Bravo; family-style salads, entrees, and desserts from Devens Grill; nourishing and tasty creations from Natural Café; old favorites from Pizza Bella in its new Devens location; and many tasty, sometimes last-minute pinch-hitting meals by the General Store, which we think of as home-cooking, based on our proximity.
In the near future, we plan to expand harvardpress.com to include more details about Dinner@Deadline providers, so our readers will be able to check out our experiences when looking for nearby dining alternatives.
In the meantime, we thank all who have fed us during our first 10 years! We encourage readers to patronize them, let them know you saw their ads, and tell them that you appreciate their support of local news.
