It is well known that the Northborough Senior Center located at 119 Bearfoot Road offers many classes, groups, services and social opportunities. What many may not be aware of is that Northborough’s best kept secret for lunch is the Bistro @119 located onsite. The café is managed by Vickie Killeen and Carolyn Harrington and is open to the public Monday-Thursday, 12-1 p.m.
The Bistro offers a variety of foods, including sandwiches, homemade soups, salad plates, ice cream, homemade desserts and weekly specials. The prices are extremely reasonable.
“We try to keep costs low so that it is affordable to the senior community,” said Harrington.
Special events are held, such as the upcoming Seafood Festival on Wednesday, August 18, Applefest luncheon and Veterans luncheon. Tickets for the Seafood Festival are available at the front desk of the senior center and will include menu options of a lobster salad roll and New England Clam Chowder.
The bright and cheerful dining room can hold up to 250 people for table service, but orders to-go are available. Killeen estimates that pre-COVID, 10,000 people were served per year. The Bistro is unique and has been used as a model for other towns, as most senior centers do not have a kitchen.
Killeen and Harrington each work 19 hours per week. They design the whole program, create the menu, build relationships with vendors and make the food in house. They are responsible for keeping up with all the Board of Health codes and are ServSafe certified.
The Bistro is self-sufficient; its operation does not rely on any town funding.
“The money that comes through the Bistro is utilized for our payroll, and the purchasing of food and supplies,” said Killeen.
Harrington and Killeen said the general public is welcomed, and they often see people from businesses and organizations, or clubs having a lunch meeting. During the summer, they enjoy seeing grandparents with their grandkids.
They rely heavily on about 20 volunteers throughout the week to ensure excellent service, set up and clean up. The volunteers range from high school students to a 94-year-old.
“Our volunteers are of all ages, abilities and skill sets,” said Harrington. “We cannot function without them and are grateful for their help.”
The support of the Friends of the Northborough Senior Center Inc. is also appreciated. A grill was recently gifted to the Bistro.
“We support them in their endeavors too,” said Killeen.
One of those endeavors is an upcoming High Tea and Auction on Saturday, October 2 from 2-4 p.m. featuring the artwork of Gigi Casella, an active member of the community who passed away over the winter.
“This event will be a celebration of her life,” said Killeen.
Both Harrington and Killeen are happy to see the senior center active again after it was closed for the pandemic for months.
“We would love to welcome other members of the community to join us,” they said. “The senior center is a happy place where people love to mingle.”
View the Senior Center’s August newsletter.
View information on how to join or donate Friends of the Northborough Senior Center, or email info@friendsofnorthboroughseniors.org.
Written by Liz Nolan, Contributing Writer