Regional Business Roundup: Black History in Mansfield, Immigrant Stories in Plainville and More

Black Doll Museum Bringing Culture and History to Mansfield

Celeste Cotton and two of her sisters opened the National Black Doll Museum in Mansfield in the summer of 2012, and are now receiving some well-deserved credit.

“We had so many dolls, and nowhere to put them,” She said. “We always wanted to have a museum, but we could never find the right building.”

Cotton said they found the right building in Mansfield. At first glance, the museum looks like a storefront on North Main Street, but the museum extends all the way back to Old Colony Road.

Cotton said she and her sisters Felicia Walker and Debra Britt opened a museum to both show their extensive collection and share the story of African American culture.

“I think every doll has a story,” Cotton said. “I think the dolls are significant in that they represent different parts of life. Personally I can relate my life to different dolls and stages of my life. I was doing this in this point of my life.”

Read more by clicking here.

Wrentham

Chieftain Pub Brings Irish Culture to Plainville

Thomas and Mary Kahill bought what is now the Chieftain in September of 1995, but they started in the restaurant business a long time before that.

“It’s just in our bones and blood,” Mary said.

The couple originally met in the early 1970s in Ireland. They opened their first restaurant in 1973 called, "The Old Still." They said they loved the location.

“We came here in 1989 straight from Logan airport,” Mary said. “It was the first drink we had in the U.S.”

The couple said they moved from Dungarvan in county Waterford in Ireland, which is a coastal town. In 1989 they sold their current bar in Ireland, called the Welcome Inn, and moved to Wrentham. They said originally when they moved to the U.S., they had no intention of opening another restaurant

“But when we met the owners of the place we had to try it,” Tom said.

Click here to read more.

Jake n JOES Now Open for Dinner in Foxborough

Summary:

There’s a new sports grille in town hungry to begin serving its newest community with great food in a fun, sports-themed atmosphere.

“We love this location and are very excited to be bringing Jake n JOES to Foxborough,” said owner James Nocera – who also owns The Chateau Restaurant Company. “We feel a sports grille is something the community was lacking and it’s great to be able to do it.”

Jake n JOES long awaited opening is finally here as the sports grille will be opening its doors to patrons in Foxborough at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday for dinner only. The restaurant will operate on dinner only hours (opening at 4:30 p.m.) from March 26 to April 1 and expand to lunch and dinner (opening at 11 a.m.) on Tuesday, April 2.

In addition to the wall-to-wall HDTVs and sports memorabilia, Nocera says patrons will enjoy the “great food” on the menu.

“We take pride in the food, especially with owning the Chateau Restaurants,” Nocera said. “If we do food right people will enjoy the experience.”

As for dishes to try, Nocera suggests something with barbecue or any of the grille’s chicken wings.

“Barbecue is very good,” Nocera said. “All the wings are incredible. We have quite a few different beers on draught.”

The Nocera family hosted a private party Monday night to celebrate the opening of its second Jake n JOES restaurant. The Noceras opened its first sports grille in Norwood in 2010.

Mansfield

Easton

 Personal Best Karate Kicking Away for Over 20 Years

Summary:

Christopher Rappold started studying martial arts when he was 13, but he always loved watching Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee on the screen kicking and spinning away.

“I was always into the Kung Fu theater, Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, and I was always amazed how they could walk into an adversity and have total calm," Rappold said. "I thought martial arts would be that vehicle to show me that calm.”

Rappold started Personal Best Karate over 20 years ago. When he was 13, a friend brought him to a martial arts class and he’s been going ever since.

Click here to read more.

Attleboro

Clam Shack in Attleboro a Happy Accident

Bert Buckley opened the Clam Shack in Attleboro with his wife Stacie last May, and said though it's his first foray into the food business, he doesn't regret it for a second.

Buckley, who owns Citywide Disposal Services and does public relations for Brewster Ambulance, said when the property became available, it was a no- brainer to purchase it for a restaurant.

"We've always talked about opening something," he said. "We thought maybe we can make something work here, it's a perfect spot."

Buckley said he and Stacie spent months thinking about what they could do as they were reworking and repairing the shack.

Click here to read more.

Seekonk Swansea

Toti's in Seekonk a Family Tradition for the Owners

Georgios Delis said his father started Toti's in Pawtucket more than 30 years ago, and it's been a way of life for him since as far back as he can remember.

"The restaurant was like home, I was in here seven days a week," he said. "We grew up in the restaurant, me and my sisters.”

Delis said he started working at the restaurant when he was 13, making pizza boxes and such. Back then, the store was a regular pizza shop, but later evolved into the full restaurant it is today.

"At 16, I was pretty much doing everything," Delis said. "My cooking got a little more advanced when we moved here. Basically, we were just pizza and subs until 2002, and when we came here we expanded the menu."

Click here to read more.

Norton

Alberto's in Norton a True Family Restaurant

Alberto's in Norton has been open for nearly 20 years, and has sliced out a niche in the Norton community.

Owner Tim McCarthy says the restaurant’s success is due to his employees and the loyal customer base.

“We wouldn’t be successful without our employees,” he said. “It’s not just a job to the families that work here.”

McCarthy opened Alberto's in Norton in 1993, and made it through the perilous first two years of a new restaurant business by the skin of his teeth.

“It was very difficult,” he said. “One the first days we only pulled in $110,” he said.

McCarthy said after selling and buying back the business he was able to expand from one room out of three to all three rooms in the building. He said the restaurant changed over the years, from a formal dining area to a sports bar.

Click here to read more.