Some of the top chefs cooking in Newburyport, or with roots in the city, are getting together for one crazy pop-up on January 28 at Bar Mezzana in Boston – and they want all of the North Shore to join them.
Brought together by Newburyport native Colin Lynch, celebrated chef/owner of Bar Mezzana, the lineup includes chef David Bazirgan of Bambara in Cambridge and chef Dave Becker of Sweet Basil in Needham and Juniper in Wellesley, both of whom also hail from the Port City. Rounding out the five-some are two chefs currently making waves in Newburyport: chef Paul Callahan of Ceia and Brine and chef Suzi Maitland of The Paddle Inn and the newly opened Trina’s Starlite Lounge in Amesbury.
Colin and Heather Lynch, owners of Bar Mezzana. Photo by Brian Samuels.
Bringing together a host of chefs tied to Newburyport felt like a natural, says Lynch, who opened Bar Mezzana, his coastal Italian restaurant, with his wife in 2016 to much acclaim. From a start washing dishes at Michael’s Harborside in Newburyport, his first job in Boston after culinary school was at the iconic No. 9 Park, where he found some fellow Newburyporters in the kitchen, including the chef de cuisine at the time, David Bazirgan. “All these years later, we all still keep in touch and thought it would be fun to bring our small community together for a beer dinner with the folks from Newburyport Brewing Company,” says Lynch, whose illustrious career also includes working as executive chef for Barbara Lynch Gruppo (no relation) as the chef expanded her restaurant empire.
Each chef will be preparing a course for the five-course “Beer Mezzana” tasting menu, paired with a beer from Newburyport Brewing Co. The event is $65, including tax, tip, and of course, beer.
“Newburyport was great to grow up in because we had the best of everything at our fingertips,” Lynch recalls. “We had the awesome beaches of Plum Island right down the street and downtown was always a great place for kids to hang out—I miss Shirley’s hot dog stand all the time.”
For tickets to “Beer Mezzana,” Sunday, January 28, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at Bar Mezzana, 360 Harrison Ave., Boston, visit eventbrite.com/e/beer-mezzana-newburyport-chefs-newburyport-brewing-company-dinner-tickets-41292003494.