August 29, 2012 — Whenever I’m in our restaurants, it’s pretty much guaranteed that a guest will wave me over to reminisce about Anna McAllister. Anna was the first employee my father hired at our original restaurant, adjacent to his fish market in Inman Square. Anna had no restaurant experience (neither did we for that matter!), but she was pure genius when it came to hospitality. For many years, she was indisputably the backbone of our operation. She managed waitstaff, the kitchen, guests and inexperienced owners – all with great aplomb. She had big blue eyes, and the gift of anticipating what you wanted before you even asked.
Many notable people-including Julia Child, Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners and politicians like Tip O’Neill-counted her as their friend. Paul Grey, former president of MIT, even presented Anna with the Class of ‘57 Award. Sadly, Anna passed away several years ago after a bout with cancer, but her imprint on all of us was indelible.
Anna had a huge impact on our menu as well. In the first couple of years at our Inman Square restaurant, all we offered on the menu was fried fish. One day Anna grabbed my father and said “Look, George, we could use a little variety on the menu. I have a recipe my mother taught me in the old country, baked scrod. Perhaps we could give it a try.” And we did. That was around 1970. Ever since, it has been one of the most popular items on our menu.
Read the full story at the Boston Herald.