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JULY 29, 2021<br />

WEEKLYNEWS.NET - 978-532-5880 3<br />

Alchemy hopes to transform<br />

Lynnfield’s restaurant scene<br />

ALCHEMY<br />

From page 1<br />

lot for the first time.”<br />

Alchemy’s menu features creative,<br />

seasonal New American<br />

cuisine and craft cocktails, all in<br />

a casual, family-friendly setting<br />

complete with a sleek sushi bar,<br />

indoor and outdoor seating and<br />

bars with jumbo TVs.<br />

Alchemy is one of the largest<br />

of the 11 restaurants in the<br />

Serenitee Group, with seating<br />

for up to 297 diners. Other<br />

restaurants in the group include<br />

Minglewood Harborside<br />

in Gloucester, 15 Walnut<br />

Tavern in South Hamilton,<br />

Hale Street Tavern in Beverly,<br />

Cala’s in Manchester-bythe-Sea,<br />

Opus in Salem, The<br />

Spot in Georgetown, The Spot<br />

in Winchester, Maggie’s Farm<br />

and Chanco’s in Middleton<br />

and the Little Red Rooster in<br />

Gloucester, which is currently<br />

closed but will be reopening in<br />

the fall.<br />

Freidus promises the<br />

Lynnfield location will feature a<br />

vibrant new look and fresh take<br />

on its menu.<br />

“The menu will have New<br />

England/American comfort<br />

classics with big, bold flavors<br />

that are globally inspired,” said<br />

Freidus.<br />

Located on the site of the<br />

former Gaslight Restaurant, the<br />

restaurant has approximately<br />

8,300 square feet in all: about<br />

2,200 feet of outdoor space,<br />

6,400 indoor (including the<br />

kitchen area) and about 4,400-<br />

4,500 square feet comprising<br />

the dining area. In terms of<br />

occupancy, there will be 194<br />

spaces inside and 103 outside.<br />

“This space is one of the nicest<br />

locations on the MarketStreet<br />

property,” said MarketStreet<br />

Marketing Manager Annie<br />

Healey. “After Gaslight closed,<br />

we held out for a really great<br />

PHOTO | JAKOB MENENDEZ<br />

General Manager Seth Freidus, left, Head Chef Mike Stark, center, and owner Jeff Cala stand together outside of their restaurant<br />

Alchemy.<br />

use and that’s what my team<br />

found in Alchemy.”<br />

Lynnfield Select Board<br />

Chair Dick Dalton and his wife<br />

Carmela Dalton were enjoying<br />

the festivities with fellow board<br />

member Phil Crawford.<br />

“It’s nice to add to the<br />

MarketStreet mix and nice to<br />

see this wonderful space getting<br />

a nice buildout,” Crawford<br />

said. “I was curious to see what<br />

you were going to do with the<br />

building, and the sushi bar is a<br />

nice addition to the mix. This is<br />

great, the food, the atmosphere,<br />

everything is just great.”<br />

Cala said the inspiration for<br />

the restaurant’s name came from<br />

the novel, “The Alchemist” by<br />

Paulo Coelho.<br />

“A large part came from<br />

the book,” said Cala. “It all<br />

came together when Mark<br />

[McDonough] and I visited<br />

the original Alchemy space in<br />

Gloucester. We were transitioning<br />

the raw, homey, locally-loved<br />

space into something<br />

that was fun, but cutting edge<br />

for the time. We were following<br />

our dream and going for it; it<br />

just made sense.<br />

Cala said Alchemy is all<br />

about family.<br />

“Alchemy was built on a<br />

staff that became a family, with<br />

a vibe that was all about comfort<br />

and fun, and menus that<br />

were created with love and the<br />

idea of adventure,” he said.<br />

“This restaurant will become a<br />

community beehive, the place<br />

to go to see old friends, make<br />

new friends, enjoy your family<br />

while enjoying some of the<br />

best food and beverages on the<br />

North Shore.<br />

“During the crazy, crazy<br />

times over the past year we all<br />

needed something to look forward<br />

to, and for the Serenitee<br />

Restaurant Group, it has been<br />

Alchemy.”<br />

Lynnfield Senior Center<br />

returns to in-person activities<br />

By Allysha Dunnigan<br />

LYNNFIELD — Following<br />

a year of virtual programming,<br />

the Lynnfield Senior Center has<br />

opened its doors again to inperson<br />

events and gatherings.<br />

Most of the programs have<br />

returned, including exercise,<br />

yoga and art classes. The center<br />

is also running its usual day<br />

trips to locations including<br />

Boston and Kennebunkport and<br />

Ogunquit, Maine.<br />

Senior Center Director Linda<br />

Naccara said everyone is happy<br />

to be back, but there are still<br />

some mixed emotions.<br />

“For the first time this week,<br />

we have gotten a few calls<br />

from seniors saying they are<br />

concerned about the (Delta)<br />

variant, and are not going to<br />

be coming in for a while,”<br />

Naccara said. “But, for the<br />

most part, they are just thrilled<br />

to be back and be with their<br />

friends again.”<br />

The center is following the<br />

state guidelines regarding<br />

COVID-19, including asking<br />

people who are not vaccinated<br />

to continue wearing masks.<br />

Naccara said most of the seniors<br />

are vaccinated, but some<br />

opt to wear a mask either way.<br />

Masks are required on the<br />

center’s bus, which brings seniors<br />

to the grocery store and<br />

provides transportation for<br />

scheduled outings.<br />

The bus brought people to<br />

the grocery store throughout<br />

the height of the pandemic, but<br />

Naccara said that ever since<br />

vaccinations were introduced<br />

on a large scale, the bus is allowed<br />

to bring more people and<br />

partake in leisure rides.<br />

“We’re getting there,”<br />

Naccara said. “Let’s hope we<br />

can keep it up.”<br />

Naccara said since reopening,<br />

the center has not<br />

had any cases of COVID-19,<br />

nor have they had any “breakthroughs”<br />

— rare incidents of<br />

vaccinated individuals contracting<br />

the virus.<br />

“I worry about that everyday,”<br />

Naccara said. “But<br />

thankfully, we have been good<br />

since reopening.”<br />

Naccara said she is happy<br />

to be back in the center and to<br />

see everyone mingling, playing<br />

bridge and being able to catch<br />

up and exercise together again.

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