Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1292368
NORTHSHOREMAG.COM 30 OCTOBER 2020 FAC E S + P L AC E S education and family first, and that's who you end up meeting." Yet, even as the towns are steeped in history and bucolic charm, there is more going on than meets the eye: New eateries, new civic groups, and new people reviving old traditions can all be found within the borders of the two communities. The towns are definitely not standing still. In 2017, acclaimed pastry chef and Wen- ham native Lauren Moran returned to the area and opened Honeycomb in Hamilton, a bakery and cafe that has quickly become an integral part of the community. For about 10 years, Moran had worked at high-end restaurants in Boston, including Sel de la Terre and Island Creek Oyster Bar, but knew she wanted her own place. She was drawn back home by warm memories of her childhood and the conviction that the area was the perfect place to start a family of her own (she now has a one-year-old edge of Hamilton at Green Meadows Farm, a property originally owned by World War II hero Gen. George Patton. For years it remained in the family and operated as one of the North Shore's only certified organic farms. Earlier this year, the Patton family sold the property to Essex County Greenbelt, which is actively seeking a farmer to lease the property and begin farming it next year. The group is looking for a farmer who will use organic or regenerative practices, and will open the farm in some way to the public, continuing the connection between farm and community. "People have really good memories of the former farmstand," says Chris LaPointe, director of land conservation for the Greenbelt. " We're hopeful that we're going to find a good match." For visitors, this ongoing evolution creates a mix of familiarity and novelty that keeps the two towns comfortable, inviting, and always interesting. It's a mixture that's, well, timeless. daughter). Honeycomb, she says, has become a place were locals meet to catch up and relax, and she has been delighted by the support the eatery has received. Even when the pandemic forced her to change her model to takeout only, her customers kept coming. "It was nice to be able to give back to the community I grew up in and add something special to the town," she says. "We have really, really tremendous regulars who have support- ed us since March." Businesses in town also have a new route for marketing themselves. Shop Local Hamil- ton Wenham was founded last year as a way for small business owners to band together and promote themselves through social media, shopping guides, and events. The group ran a Christmas event that attracted more than 1,000 shoppers, and published and mailed a business directory aiming to drive customers to local businesses during the pandemic. Further change is afoot on the western PHOTOGRAPHS BY ELISE SINAGRA Green Meadows Farm was recently purchased by Essex County Greenbelt.