Lynn restaurants collaborate to grow their business

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 By Allysha Dunnigan |  Item Live | March 25, 2021

Lynn has been expanding in the food service industry for a couple of years now, welcoming a variety of new establishments offering unique food and beverages. 

One Mighty Mill, Nightshade Noodle Bar, Durum, and Bent Water Brewing Company are just a few of the local businesses that have planted roots in Lynn, but have since branched out. 

Located across from one another on Exchange Street, One Mighty Mill has been collaborating with its neighbor, Nightshade Noodle Bar, owned by Chef Rachel Miller. 

One Mighty Mill co-founder and chef Tony Rosenfeld arranges freshly baked bagels on a tray to cool Thursday morning. (Spenser R. Hasak)

According to One Mighty Mill co-owner Chris Pape, Miller uses the Mill’s fresh flour to make noodles for some of her most popular dishes. In turn, One Mighty Mill turns to Miller for her original sauces, which are in the Mill’s cafe to be used as toppings for its bagels.
“That’s kind of one of the most fun things to collaborate on,” said Pape. “We love to see people get creative with the different toppings they put on the bagels.” 

He noted Miller has a unique style that includes awesome and creative dishes. He said it’s an honor to have her create something to put in the Mill’s cafe for its customers. 

“This is one of our favorite collabs because we both have an affinity for high quality, organic foods, and because she’s right across the street,” Pape said. 

The Mill does provide a few other special baking and chef friends with its flour, but Pape said they are not a wholesaler. The Mill’s focus is on selling its bagels, breads and pretzels, he said.  

Chef Tony Rosenfeld, co-owner of One Mighty Mill, said that creating the bagels is a 48-hour process, beginning at 5 each morning to make the flour. 

One Mighty Mill partners with a farm from Linneus, Maine to acquire its wheat, and aims to stay as local and organic as it can. One Mighty Mill also has three other mills in Hyde Park, where the bulk of its bagels are produced, but Pape said they have plans to expand to New York. One Mighty Mill has also expanded its reach throughout the North Shore, with products at the Whole Foods in Swampscott and Lynnfield, which Pape said has been very successful. 

Nightshade Noodle Bar has expanded its Lynn partnership with Durum on Eastern Avenue, which grew in popularity during the pandemic with the latter’s at-home pizza kits. 

Al Giorgio, who owns Durum with his parents, said that they make baguettes and angel hair pasta for Nightshade. Miller came in one day and expressed interest in working together, he said, and she now uses Durum’s baguettes for her banh mi sandwiches. 

Giorgio said that he and Miller have discussed using more products from Durum for her superette store that she plans on opening next to Nightshade, but noted that nothing is definite. Durum also partners with other establishments in the Greater Boston area to provide pasta and bread products, but Giorgio declined to name them.

Giorgio owns La Familia Giorgios in the North End, so Durum also sends pasta outside of Lynn to that restaurant. 

The Bent Water Brewing Company, located off the Lynnway on Commercial Street, also sends products outside of Lynn. Bent Water decided to establish its business in Lynn because of the high quality of its water, the main ingredient in beer. 

According to its website, “Bent Water Brewing is proud to call Lynn, Mass., home because of the city’s rich industrial roots and superior water source. We believe passion can turn industry into art, and with careful, creative manipulation, we bend water into unique, flavorful beer.” 

The first batch of its brews were released in December 2015, which at the time, were only distributed throughout the North Shore. Today, Bent Water distributes its beer to places in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Florida and Rhode Island. 

James Cowdell, executive director of the Economic Development & Industrial Corporation of Lynn, said EDIC/Lynn worked with Nightshade Noodle Bar and One Mighty Mill to assist in their process of establishing businesses in the city.

“These restaurants are all doing well and will continue to thrive as the pandemic subsides,” he said. “We are very glad to see the collaboration amongst them and with 500 new residents moving into downtown, they will continue to thrive.” 

Allysha Dunnigan can be reached at adunnigan@itemlive.com.


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