A couple transformed a neglected storefront in Fall River, Mass., into a cheery cafe where they organize food pantries, neighborhood cleanups and a community fund for those who can’t afford a meal.
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Now we have another story in our series Here To Help. Today’s installment is about a restaurant that’s doing more for the community than just serving meals. In 2023, Nathan Silvia was unhappy with his job in the edibles department of a cannabis company. At the same time, his friend Christopher was opening a cafe.
NATHAN SILVIA: So I’m like, why don’t I quit, come on, and we’ll work together? And it kind of just blossomed from there. Probably about three, 3 1/2 months maybe after we opened, we got married. When you know, and it’s meant to be, it’s easy decision.
SHAPIRO: Their cafe on South Main Street in Fall River, Massachusetts, has also blossomed. With Christopher Silvia in the kitchen and Nathan front-of-house, the small bistro serves a new menu daily – cannabis-free.
SILVIA: Either our lobster BLT or our lobster grilled cheese…
Or a cake, or our pistachio cake…
Or his baked ziti.
Almond croissants, chocolate croissants…
Or cherry almond danish.
SHAPIRO: The cafe itself pops with flowers bursting out of window boxes.
SILVIA: Some people come in and actually think we’re a florist.
SHAPIRO: But before the cafe moved in, the space was not always so cheery.
SILVIA: It had been a hot dog place, a church, like, a little convenience store. It was, I believe, a storage space for auto parts or old Dunkin’ Donuts, refurbished parts.
SHAPIRO: Like so many former mill towns, Fall River still struggles economically decades after the textile industry went bust.
SILVIA: Many people compare it to nothing like they’ve seen in Fall River ’cause the stigma is, oh, it’s a bad place. Every city has its good and its bad. We’re just trying to make the spot that we have the best it can be.
SHAPIRO: And Nathan says that effort to build a cleaner, kinder, healthier community is contagious.
SILVIA: The tattoo shop, they have put a trash barrel outside. They’ve painted it their colors. There’s a barber shop across the street here. They have plants outside. They put holiday lights up, as well. It’s, hey, you know, we noticed what you did, and we just want to, you know, help create a more beautiful community.
SHAPIRO: Christopher’s Cafe has organized clean-ups on empty lots, they have a community fund for those who can’t afford a meal, and they’ve even run a free farmers market on weekend mornings from their storefront.
SILVIA: No questions asked. You know, we just, you know, try to keep it down to one bag per family. And if there’s nothing outside, people will come in and say, is there anything left? And we’re like, no, unfortunately, it’s all gone. And it’s like, but can we give you something? We also have a herb garden outside, so if anybody needs fresh herbs, we have clippers, and we’ll say, take as much as you want. If you need a bag, we’ll give you a bag. I mean, why not? If we can offer some herbs or some vegetables or a free sandwich or something if they need it, and it makes it all worth it.
SHAPIRO: That’s Nathan Silvia, who runs Christopher’s Cafe in Fall River, Massachusetts, with his husband, Christopher. You can hear more stories like this at npr.org/heretohelp.
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