Posted on May 16th
Imagine you’re a chef and you’ve just accomplished your ultimate dream: opening a restaurant in the neighborhood you love. Now you’re serving up an ever-changing menu—including Spanish tortillas, chilaquiles and brandade de morue—in a bright bustling dining room. You’re working crazy hours and overseeing the myriad details involved in running a restaurant. You’re exhausted. And now it’s time to… practice boxing.
Juliet offers Breakfast Mon-Fri 7-11 Sat/Sun 8-3 Lunch Mon-Fri 11-3 Dinner Th-Sat 6-10
Wait, what? Well, this is the real story of Josh Lewin, co-owner and chef of Juliet, a recently opened restaurant in Union Square.
It’s been just about 70 days since Juliet opened. 72 actually, Josh is counting.
“I can’t believe we’ve already been at work for almost three months” says Josh, who is now training for a fight. Not just any fight, this is a USA Boxing sanctioned amateur bout that will take place at the House of Blues, Boston, in front of about 2,000 spectators. Josh is jumping in the ring for a good cause: to raise funds for Haymakers for Hope, a non-profit that raises money for cancer research through charity boxing events.
“It’s actually the fulfillment of a lifetime goal,” says Josh of the match. “I trained in boxing, but never actually competed. I have always kind of idolized the one–versus-one contest [of boxing] with everything at stake. Something about that blue and red blur of the gloves, the feeling of winning everything or being left with nothing, two minutes at a time, with nowhere to go but forward.”
Josh hopes his boxing debut will illustrate the value of good health in a profession that doesn’t make it easy to stay fit. Another goal? “I’d love to show the white collar world that a hardworking young chef and new business owner can rally some serious support for a good cause,” says Josh.
To help support Josh’s efforts raise money for the American Cancer Society, go here. You can pledge support in someone’s honor. Josh is fighting for his grandmother, who lost her husband at a young age to cancer and spent her life supporting cancer research and hospice care.
Somerville Cable Access Television recently produced a great segment on Josh’s boxing debut, check it here.
Juliet is located in 257 Washington St in Union Square Somerville, MA 02143
