Giving back to the community is central to the acclaimed Boston Italian restaurant MIDA. Chef and co-owner Douglass Williams and Seth Gerber (the other owner) founded Community Through Hospitality when the restaurant opened in 2016 as part of its mission.
Each year during Black History Month, the group coordinates events with restaurants to support local organizations such as the Greater Boston Food Bank and Stepping Stones, an organization that improves education access for Boston youth.
This year, Community Through Hospitality is spotlighting Heading Home, an organization that provides emergency shelter, transitional, and permanent housing for low-income families and people who are homeless. Non-white and Hispanic/Latinx people make up 83% of Heading Home’s clients. In addition, a fall 2022 report cited Boston as the second most expensive city in America for renters.
That made it all the more critical for Williams and Gerber to support Heading Home this year. “They’re a slightly smaller organization that’s very local and I think our help means a lot to them not only monetarily, but in a social equity way,” Williams says.
To that end, MIDA is hosting a one-night-only fundraiser on February 28. More than a dozen other restaurants will join MIDA to raise money by selling cocktails. At the heart of all these cocktails is Uncle Nearest Whiskey, a Black-owned whiskey brand that honors the first-known Black master distiller with its name.
As of December last year, Uncle Nearest became the most successful Black-owned distillery in the world, and it’s a staple on the shelves of MIDA. At the February 28 event, the lead bartender from each restaurant will create a cocktail spotlighting the whiskey. MIDA is making a Sicilian whiskey smash with a hit of white vermouth.
All proceeds from the event will go to Heading Home.
“We’re in a city, so homelessness for me is something that’s hard to ignore,” Williams says. “With Heading Home, we have the opportunity to make an impact by raising the profile of a local organization that changes families’ challenges by circumstances that are increasingly out of their control.”
Support the event by buying a cocktail (or two) at one of the participating restaurants on February 28:
MIDA’s social media channels including Facebook and Instagram will be continually updated with participating restaurants. Boston Urban Hospitality (Boston Chops, dbar, Deuxave) made a lump-sum donation to this year’s Community Through Hospitality fund-raiser.
Carley Thornell-Wade is a Boston-based food, travel, and technology writer who’s been to more than 70 countries and delighted in tasting the regional delicacies of each.
