Launched in 2005, WellesleyWeston Magazine is a quarterly publication tailored to Wellesley and Weston residents and edited to enrich the experience of living in two of Massachusetts' most desirable communities.
Issue link: https://wellesleywestonmagazine.epubxp.com/i/78488
local cuisine "fond memories" In the index to the book Farm Town to Suburb: The History and Architecture of Weston, Massachusetts, 1830-1980 (Pamela W. Fox, author; and Sarah B. Gilman, photo editor), Mullin points out a Weston High School yearbook photo from 1955 taken from inside the Cottage facing the back wall. What's notable is what's missing: the now iconic landscape mural had not yet been painted. Maintaining the Tradition In 2007, Weston resident Dawn Rodowicz became the fourth owner in Ye Olde Cottage's 60-year history and it still looks the way she remem- bers it as a high schooler. She would eat there with her mom, Reba Campbell, who worked as a clerk in the Assessor's Office in Weston's Town Hall just down the street. Rodowicz, who is also a licensed real estate agent, says her staging instincts tempted her to consider redecorating with a spiffy coat of white paint and new flooring. But she knows the knotty pine walls and chrome finishes can evoke fond memories of a couple's first date or other rites of passage in a small town. So when she purchased the restaurant, she focused on replacing a lot of the original kitchen equip- ment, but left the dining area essentially untouched. "There are parents who taught their children their letters on those jukeboxes, broken or not," she says. They'd be heartbroken if they were taken down. Now in her fifth year at the helm, she recognizes most customers who walk through the door. She enjoys engaging in conversation and catching up on their lives. "You meet wonderful people." Weston residents who have long since moved away will make a point to stop in the Cottage for old times' sake. They're delighted, Rodowicz says, to find the menu still offers classic American diner fare of pancakes, eggs, sandwiches, and more. The least expensive item is an English muf- fin for $1.50 all the way up to a cranberry walnut chicken salad or chicken parmesan plate with spaghetti that will set you back all of $9.50. YE OLDE COTTAGE is looking for a new owner. This special person can contact Dawn Rodowicz for more information. 186 WellesleyWeston Magazine | fall 2012 BRIAN SMITH