Old North Cambridge

By Thomas F. O’Malley, 1929 The literature of Cambridge contains but little relating to the early days in North Cambridge. This does not necessarily mean that North Cambridge history is lacking in interest, but rather that the subject has not been written up. The region between Harvard Square and Alewife Brook is rich in historic…

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Culinary History Hub

Man and a woman standing in front of a counter smiling

Culinary History of Cambridge By Rain Robertson, and revised by Deb Mandel, 2022 Cambridge holds a rich and distinctive culinary history. It gave America ice, the Porterhouse steak, Peking ravioli, its first star chef in Julia Child, and a hankering for Indian food. This is a survey of 20th century markets, delis, cafeterias, and local…

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Simeone’s 

Compiled by Deb Mandel, 2022 Years  1949-1976 Locations 41 Pearl St. (1946-1949) 21 Brookline St. (1949-1976) History Simeone’s, whose motto was, “choice foods skillfully prepared served promptly and courteously,” opened on February 24, 1949 on Brookline street in Central Square, after moving from its original 60-seat 41 Pearl St. location. Its menu included pizza, popular…

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The Tasty Sandwich Shop

Compiled by Deb Mandel, 2022 Years 1916 – 1997 Location 2a JFK St., Harvard Square History The 24-hour/day Tasty Sandwich Shop, a beloved character in the heart of Harvard Square, was located in the demolished Read Block building, former site of Colonial poet Anne Bradstreet’s home. The Tasty was a no-frills, 300 square foot, 12-seat…

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Cardullo’s Gourmet Shop

Compiled by Deb Mandel, 2022 Years 1950-present Location 6 Brattle St., Harvard Square Website: https://cardullos.com/ History On April 1st, 1950, Frank Natali Cardullo set out to fill a niche supplying quality foods for the neighborhood’s international community. Cardullo was born in Messina, Italy in 1915 and came to Boston in 1929, originally to become a…

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Businesses Well Lived: Sage’s Market

By Charles Sage, 1999 This presentation was given as part of a Cambridge Historical Society program called “Conversations on Harvard Square” at the New School of Music in Spring of 1999. My grandfather, Rodney Sage, came to Cambridge from New Braintree, Massachusetts, in 1898. He worked for Daniel H. Dean in a small grocery store…

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Businesses Well Lived: Out of Town News

By Sheldon Cohen, 1999 This presentation was given as part of a Cambridge Historical Society program called “Conversations on Harvard Square” at the New School of Music in Spring of 1999. I know a lot of folks here. I’ve seen a lot of you. I’ve sold newspapers to a lot of you here. When I…

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Cambridge Love Letters

Red envelope with words "Cambridge Love Letters" written on white paper coming out of envelope

In June 2021, History Cambridge held and event called “Cambridge Love Letters” at Starlight Square. We asked members of the larger Cambridge community to send us their love letters to the city. These are some of the submissions. Dear Cambridge, When I first arrived in your port twenty-one years ago, I had no idea how…

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Businesses Well Lived

As part of our ongoing work to capture Cambridge history, we partnered with Cambridge Local First to reach out to local small business owners and find out how the pandemic has affected their livelihood.

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