Finale in Boston's Park Plaza Is Closing

An upscale dessert spot and bakery in Boston is closing for good, apparently marking the end the line for what had once been a local group of shops.

According to a Twitter post from @FoodserviceEast, Finale at Park Plaza is shutting down, joining other now-closed locations in Cambridge's Harvard Square, Brookline's Coolidge Corner, and the Natick Mall. It is not known if the Park Plaza location has already closed or if it is getting ready to shut down; calls placed to the shop this morning went directly to voicemail, though its website is still up. (We have reached out to one of the people behind Finale and will post an update as soon as we get it.)

[January 1, 2016 update: A note sent from one of the owners of Finale states that the Park Plaza shop will be closing for good on Sunday (January 3), though some of its products will continue to be available at a new cafe in Park Square called Vivra Chocolate Studio that will open this spring.]

Finale first opened in Park Plaza more than 17 years ago, offering such items as cookies, cakes, brownies, cupcakes, soups, salads, sandwiches, small plates, coffee, and more.

The address for this dessert spot and bakery is: Finale, 1 Columbus Avenue, Boston, MA, 02116. Its website is at http://finaleboston.com/

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[Related article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Ten Items from Bakeries and Pastry Shops in the Boston Area and Beyond]

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New England Dessert Showcase Returns to Boston, September 8, 2012

An event that features an array of desserts is returning to the Back Bay of Boston in September, and once again, a number of exhibitors will be offering samples of their treats.

On Saturday, September 8, the New England Dessert Showcase will be held at the Grand Ballroom Complex within the Sheraton Boston Hotel on Dalton Street (adjacent to the Prudential Center), with morning and afternoon sessions being open to the public, along with a "media & industry only" session held before the doors officially open (a "quick fix" will also take place after the afternoon session). Included at the event will be samples of desserts such as ice cream, pastries, chocolate treats, cakes, and more, as well as wine.

The industry-only part of the New England Showcase goes from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, with the morning session for the public running from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM, the afternoon session going from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM, and a quick fix being held from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM.

Tickets to the 2012 New England Dessert Showcase cost $20 to $75 depending on the ticket tier, with more information being found at the link below.

http://www.nedessertshowcase.com/


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Boston Magazine's Top Desserts Coming to Boston's Back Bay

A culinary event that focuses on sweet treats is coming to the Back Bay of Boston, and some of the money raised will be going to a good cause.

An email from Regan Communications indicates that Boston Magazine's Top Desserts will be held on Thursday, May 24 at the Mandarin Oriental on Boylston Street. The event, which starts at 7:00 PM (6:00 PM for VIP), will feature desserts from a number of area chefs, including Shane Gray of Mistral, Jiho Kim of L'Espalier, Maura Kilpatrick of Oleana and Sofra, Oliver Maillard of Deuxave, Katie Kimbal of Area Four, and several others. Beer and wine will also be offered, and live music will be part of the event.

Tickets to Top Desserts cost $55 ($70 for VIP), with part of the proceeds benefiting the Greater Boston Food Bank.

For more information on this event, please go to http://www.bostonmagazine.com/topdesserts/index.html


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A Sweeter Life to Be Held at the Haley House Bakery Cafe in Roxbury, April 29, 2012

A dessert-based event is coming to a non-profit restaurant in Roxbury's Dudley Square this weekend.

According to Brown Paper Tickets, A Sweeter Life will be held at the Haley House Bakery Cafe on Dade Street on Sunday, April 29 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. The event, which supports Haley House's Transitional Employment Program for people who are transitioning from incarceration, will feature samples of dessert items from several area chefs, including Joanne Chang (Flour Bakery), Nicole Cody (Finale), Maura Kilpatrick (Sofra), Jiho Kim (L'Espalier), Lee Napoli (Chocolee Chocolate), Gus Rancatore (Toscanini), and Elaine Stella (Met Club). In addition to dessert samplings, Equal Exchange will be sampling coffees at the event.

Tickets to A Sweeter Life cost $40 each ($100 for early admission at 2:00 PM, which includes a pre-reception with the pastry chefs), and can be ordered at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/239036

The Haley House Bakery Cafe is located at the corner of Dade Street and Washington Street. Their website is at http://www.haleyhouse.org/bakery_cafe

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Grub Street's 101 Craziest New Desserts in America Includes a Few Boston-Area Picks

Just in time for Valentine's Day (which is today, of course), the Grub Street blog of New York Magazine has just created a list of the 101 craziest new desserts in the United States, and desserts from several Boston-area restaurants have been included within the list.

A check on the slideshow from Grub Street's site indicates that the following treats from local dining spots were among the 101 "crazy-awesome" new desserts:

Baked Alaska (Trade, Boston)
Buttermilk Donuts With Pickled Pineapple (Strip-T's Restaurant, Watertown)
Cajeta Creme Caramel (Craigie on Main, Cambridge)
Chocolate Hazelnut Puffs/Roasted Banana Ice Cream (Island Creek Oyster Bar, Boston)
Mandarin Orange Capsule (L'Espalier, Boston)
Olive-Oil Chocolate Cake (Area Four, Cambridge)
Tangerine Dream (Bondir, Cambridge)

Our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants) posted a photo of the aforementioned chocolate cake from Area Four awhile back, with the picture being shown at the link below:

http://www.hiddenboston.com/foodphotos/area-four-chocolate-cake.html

For a complete list of the desserts picked by Grub Street, please go to the following link:

Totally Sweet: 101 of America’s Most Crazy-Awesome New Desserts

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Home Sweet Home Dessert Tasting Event to Be Held in Cambridge, October 22, 2011

A dessert tasting event and competition that raises money to help the homeless is coming to Cambridge later this month.

An email sent from Image Unlimited Communications indicates that the fourth annual "Home Sweet Home" charity event will be held on Saturday, October 22 from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM in the Presidential Ballroom of the Cambridge Hyatt Regency on Memorial Drive. The event, which is presented by The Cambridge Housing Assistance Fund, will include a dessert competition, with local dessert chefs having their creations judged by Annie Copps (food/wine writer; host of Daily Dish on WGBH; contributor to the Today Show on NBC), Andrew Rimas (Editor, The Improper Bostonian), Amy Traverso (Senior Lifestyle Editor at Yankee Magazine), and Jill Epstein (Publisher of Where to Eat Boston). Home Sweet Home will also feature music, dancing, wine tastings, raffles, and auctions. Billy Costa of NECN's TV Diner will be hosting the event.

Tickets to Home Sweet Home cost $50 for regular admission, and $100 for VIP admission (which includes a buffet dinner and the wine tasting).

For more information on the event--including how to purchase tickets--please go to the link below.

http://www.chafund.org/dessert2011.html

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Licki Licki Dessert Stand Has Opened in Allston

It looks like a dessert stand has opened within the Hong Kong Supermarket/Super 88 in Allston, and it has a rather memorable name.

According to posters on the Chowhound site and the Hiddenboston Twitter page, Licki Licki has opened within the market's food court area. One of the Chowhound posters mentions that the dessert stand, which is one of a number of Asian spots within the food court, offers ice cream, yogurt (presumably frozen yogurt), and some other desserts.

Currently, there appears to be no information online about the new Licki Licki food stand. If anyone has tried the place, please post a comment here.

The address for Licki Licki (and the Hong Kong Supermarket/Super 88) is 1095 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215.

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2011 New England Dessert Showcase to Be Held at the Sheraton Boston Hotel on September 17

An event featuring desserts of all kinds returns to Boston once again in September, this time being held at a hotel near the western edge of the Back Bay.

An email sent to us by The Anthem Group indicates that the third annual New England Dessert Showcase is coming to the Grand Ballroom Complex within the Sheraton Boston Hotel on Dalton Street (just west of the Prudential Center) on Saturday, September 17, with both a morning and an afternoon session taking place, as well as a "trade-only" hour before the doors open to the public. The event will once again feature a variety of exhibitors offering samples of desserts, including cakes, ice cream, pastries, chocolate treats, and more (wine will also be offered). Private tastings will also be held, as well as live chef demos from area pastry chefs, and a number of media members will be in attendance.

Tickets to the 2011 New England Dessert Showcase cost $25 to $75 depending on the ticket tier (more information can be found at the link below). Hours are 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM for the trade-only part of the event, 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM for the morning session, and 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM for the afternoon session.

For more information on the 2011 New England Dessert Showcase, please go to the link below.

http://www.nedessertshowcase.com/


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2010 New England Dessert Showcase To Be Held September 18

An event featuring all kinds of desserts will be returning to Boston in September.

Based on a press release from The Anthem Group, the second annual New England Dessert Showcase will be held at The Westin Copley Place in the Back Bay of Boston on Saturday, September 18, 2010. The event is open to the public from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM, with trade-only hours for B2B networking being from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Included in this year's showcase will be a variety of exhibitors giving out samples of desserts, including pastries, ice cream, cakes, and more. Dessert wines will also be featured at the event.

The Westin Copley Place is located in the heart of Boston's Back Bay at 10 Huntington Avenue.

General admission tickets are $25, with morning-only tickets being $15 (for the trade-only part of the showcase). Tickets will be available at the door on a space available basis.

For more information on the 2010 New England Dessert Showcase, please go to the web page below.

http://www.nedessertshowcase.com/


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2009 New England Dessert Showcase Coming September 26, 2009

The first annual 2009 New England Dessert Showcase is coming to the Marriott Long Wharf in Boston later this month, featuring all kinds of desserts, chocolates, ice cream, baked goods, dinner wines, and more. The event, which will be held on Saturday, September 26, is partly a networking event for distributors, but it will also be open to the public from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Saturday. (Networking events for exhibitors will also be held on Friday, September 25.)

The Marriott Long Wharf is located at 296 State Street on the Boston waterfront.

For more information on the 2009 New England Dessert Showcase (including exhibit registration and ticket purchasing), please go to the link below.

http://www.nedessertshowcase.com/

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Latest Review: Strip-T's, Watertown

The latest review on the Boston's Hidden Restaurants Web site is for Strip-T's, a cafe-style restaurant in East Watertown that specializes in soups, salads, sandwiches, and desserts. Strip-T's is a funky, quirky restaurant with a local following, though its location on a relatively little-traveled street in a semi-industrial part of East Watertown has kept it a secret from many. To read more about Strip-T's in Watertown, please click on the link above.

Finale to Open New Shop in the North End of Boston

Finale is coming to the North End.

According to the Boston Herald, this upscale dessert chain will be moving into the old Martignetti's spot along the Rose Kennedy Greenway. There will be room for about 70 people inside the new Finale.

Finale has four other locations in the Boston area: Park Plaza in downtown Boston, Harvard Square in Cambridge, Coolidge Corner in Brookline, and the Natick Collection in Natick.

The Boston Business Journal also reports that Finale is moving its corporate headquarters from Park Plaza to Allston.

For more information, please go to the following links:

http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1093864

http://boston.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2008/05/12/daily21.html

GlobeTalks Coming to Clio, January 21, 2008

GlobeTalks, a series of conversations between top artistic talents and Boston Globe journalists, is holding an event at Clio in the Elliot Hotel on Monday, January 21, 2008. This particular GlobeTalk is called Explore the Modern Dessert, and will feature Rick Billings, Pastry Chef at Clio, Ken Oringer, owner of Clio and pastry chefs Pichet Ong , Jordan Kahn, and Will Goldfarb as they look at the cutting edge of desserts in a tasting and discussion session.

This GlobeTalks event starts at 7:00 and will cost $30. To order tickets, go to the following link on the Boston Globe Web site:

http://www.boston.com/aeweekend