For six years, Steve "Nookie" Postal was the executive chef for the Boston Red Sox, but last March he left to pursue his real dream: to open a farm-to-table restaurant and market of his own named Commonwealth.
The 37-year-old found the perfect location at 11 Broad Canal Way in Cambridge's Kendall Square and managed to raise more than $2 million from private investors — just enough to pay for rent and construction, but not enough to pay for kitchen equipment and basics like silverware, plates, glasses and servingware.
So last Monday, Postal launched a monthlong Kickstarter campaign to raise $50,000 for Commonwealth. Within four days, he was nearly halfway toward his goal, with 72 backers pledging $19,910.
"We really need to keep pushing along," he said. "Every little bit really does add up. If we don't reach our goal, we get nothing."
Crowdfunding is used to support all manner of things, from art to political campaigns to citizen journalism. But Massachusetts Restaurant Association President Bob Luz has never heard of it funding an eatery and market.
"It's a very unique approach, relatively low-risk, spread across a lot of people," Luz said. "I don't know what's in it for them, but if I have a great idea for a restaurant, I can't find a bank that's going to finance it, but I can find a lot of people who agree with me that it's a great idea. I can build the American dream with that. If it works, it'll be a kick in the pants to all the young entrepreneurs looking for a way to go out on their own."
So what is in it for Postal's backers? Try a jar of his homemade jam and a bag of his Killer Barbecue Rub for a pledge of $25, or a pig roast for up to 100 people on the restaurant's roof deck for $10,000 or more.
"You get the reward," Postal said, "and then you get to support a local business that supports local farms."
If the Kickstarter campaign is successful, Commonwealth will open in mid-October with a different menu every day, depending on what's in season, he said.
Meals will be served family-style, with takeout as an option, making the market the only one in Kendall Square where you'll be able to buy basics like farm-fresh vegetables, milk and eggs, as well as pasta, sandwiches and ice cream — all in a setting that, with its reclaimed furniture and tables made of recycled pallets, could be a welcome contrast to the neighborhood's sleek modernism.
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