Still Sizzling: Chef Lydia Shire’s enduring legacy in Boston cuisine
With a career rooted in hustle and heart, the Boston legend remains one of America’s most influential chefs
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NO. ON THE BOSTON RESTAURANT SCENE, THERE ARE CHEFS. WATCH THIS. AND THERE ARE ICONS. SEE HOW THE SKIN IS SEPARATING A LITTLE. LYDIA SHIRE MADE HISTORY AS THE FIRST WOMAN TO WIN A PRESTIGIOUS JAMES BEARD AWARD, AND HAS MENTORED GENERATIONS OF BOSTON CHEFS. AT 77, LYDIA IS STILL COOKING, STILL CREATING, AND MAKING IT LOOK OH SO EASY. GETTING A LITTLE SIZZLE ACTION THERE. ON THIS DAY, LYDIA IS TAKING ME WHERE SHE FINDS INSPIRATION. SO HOW OFTEN ARE YOU HERE IN CHINATOWN? EVERY WEEK. I’M HERE ALL THE TIME. FIRST UP, CHINATOWN’S PEACH FARM IS HANDS DOWN MY FAVORITE RESTAURANT. TRUE AUTHENTIC CHINESE FOOD THAT I’VE BEEN EATING HERE FOR 30 YEARS. 30 YEARS, 30 YEARS. WHAT DO THEY HAVE YOUR PICTURE ON THE WALL OR SOMETHING? THEY DO, DO THEY? A QUICK HELLO TO THE OWNER, TOM LYNN. HI GUYS. LYDIA HANDLED THE ORDER, OBVIOUSLY, AND I ORDER IT EXTRA FATTY. THAT’S WHY MY SKIN IS SO BEAUTIFUL. BECAUSE ALL THAT FAT I EAT. THIS DISH IS ONE OF MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITES. THIS IS GAO WANG, YELLOW LEEKS. IT’S DONE WITH ROAST DUCK. REMEMBER THAT ONE WILL DO. LYDIA’S FOOD JOURNEY HAS TAKEN HER ALL OVER THE WORLD AND CONNECTED HER WITH SO MANY PEOPLE, INCLUDING ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS COOKS OF ALL TIME. YOU HAD A GOOD BUDDY THAT USED TO COME AND DINE HERE. YES, JULIA. AS IN JULIA CHILD. JULIA CHILD. YES. SHE LOVED CHINESE FOOD. WELL, ESPECIALLY. SHE LOVED DUCK. JULIA CHILD WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN PUTTING LYDIA IN THE CHEF’S SEAT AT HARVEST AND CAMBRIDGE, A CAREER MAKING KITCHEN. ONE DAY I COOKED DINNER FOR HER AND I SAT DOWN NEXT TO HER AND SHE LEANED OVER TO ME AND SHE SAID, SO, LYDIA, WHAT’S THE GOSSIP? JULIA WANTING THE TEA. LOVE IT. FULL AND HAPPY. WE HEAD TO OUR NEXT STOP. JIA HOW TO GRAB GOODS FOR DINNER. THEY HAVE EVERYTHING. AND THIS IS THE FOOD THAT YOU’RE SERVING IN YOUR RESTAURANT YOU’RE BUYING HERE? ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. SIX RESTAURANTS OVER THE YEARS, TO BE EXACT, EACH LEAVING ITS OWN SPECIAL MARK. SCAMPO SHIRES RESTAURANT AT BOSTON’S LIBERTY HOTEL, HAS BEEN GOING STRONG SINCE 2008. THERE IS NO FINER SESAME OIL IN THE WORLD THAN KADOYA SESAME OIL, SO REMEMBER THAT I WILL. I’M GOING TO BUY YOU A LITTLE ONE FOR YOUR HOUSE. YEAH, YOU HAVE TO HAVE IT. WE’RE GOING TO GET SOME LEAKS BECAUSE I’M COOKING THE YELLOW CHIVES FOR YOU. OH, YUMMY. THE CHINESE ARE AMAZING. THE WAY THEY RESPECT FOOD AND HOW THEY COOK IT. AND IT HAS TO BE RIGHT. LOOK AT ALL THESE MUSHROOMS. PEOPLE COME HERE AND THEY BUY A LIVE FISH AND THEN GO HOME AND COOK IT. TO ME, THERE’S NOTHING BETTER THAN THIS. IT’S TRUE. MEANING OF FRESH. NOW WE COOK, NOW WE COOK. WE CHECK OUT AND ROLL OUT TO CAMBRIDGE. INSIDE THE CHARLES HOTEL IS BAR ENZA SHIRE’S LATEST PROJECT. SHE’S CHEF PARTNER AND THE MIND BEHIND EVERY MENU, SKETCHING OUT EACH DISH FOR HER TEAM BEFORE THEY HIT THE PLATE. I HAVE NEVER PUT IN A NEW MENU THAT I HAVEN’T DRAWN. PICTURES. LYDIA’S CAREER CAME FROM HUSTLE, GRIT AND SACRIFICE. YOU SOLD YOUR ENGAGEMENT RING TO GO TO CULINARY SCHOOL? YEAH. YOU KNOW, I WAS MARRIED AND HAD MY FIRST BABY AT 17. MY HUSBAND DROPPED ME FOR ANOTHER WOMAN. I NEEDED A JOB, AND THAT’S WHEN I APPLIED TO THE MAISON ROBERT AND THEY HIRED ME. SHE CREDITS HER PARENTS FOR HER FAMOUS FLAIR. MY PARENTS WERE ARTISTS. THEY WERE FASHION ILLUSTRATORS. I HAD GREAT PARENTS AS TEACHERS. I REALLY GOT MY DOGGEDNESS FROM MY MOTHER. MY MOTHER ONLY WORE RED SHOES AND THAT’S WHY I LOVE COLOR. WAS COOKING ALWAYS IN YOU? DID YOU KNOW? YES. OH, I KNEW MY FATHER WAS THE ONE WHO TAUGHT ME. I WAS FOUR YEARS OLD AND I WAS PEELING FRESH GARLIC. WHAT KEEPS YOU HUNGRY FOR IT? MY BRAIN IS 21 YEARS OLD, 100%. AS LONG AS MY BRAIN NEVER FAILS ME AND IT WON’T, I CAN TELL. I GET UP IN THE MORNING AND I RIGHT AWAY. I THINK OF PHONE NUMBERS OR WHATEVER TO KEEP MY BRAIN ACTIVE ON THIS NIGHT. IT’S CRISPY ROAST PORK BELLY. THAT’S A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF PORK BELLY WITH YELLOW CHIVES BOUGHT AT THE MARKET ALONG WITH LEMONGRASS OIL THAT I MADE YESTERDAY FOR SHAYNA AND NANTUCKET SCALLOPS. HERE, I’VE RECONSTRUCTED A CHINESE DISH, BUT NOW I’M ADDING AMERICAN INFLUENCES TO IT. THESE BEAUTIFUL SCALLOPS FROM NANTUCKET. OH, LYDIA. THANK YOU. YOUR FOOD IS ALMOST, ALMOST AS DELIGHTFUL AS YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I AM SO HUNGRY, SO GOOD. THAT’S UNBELIEVABLE. YOU KNOW, LYDIA TALKED A LOT ABOUT COLORS BEING IMPORTANT. OR SAYS ORANGE IS HER FAVORITE COLOR BECAUSE IT’S LIKE FIRE. I LOVE THAT. AND WHEN SHE COOKS A SPECIAL MEAL, SHE DOESN’T JUST BRING THE FOOD, SHE BRINGS THE DISHES AND THE SETTINGS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE MEAL TRULY REFLECTS HER, AS SHE DID WITH US, WHICH WAS FANTASTIC. AND BACK TO PEACH FARM. THE OWNERS RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THAT THEY ARE RETIRING. THE RESTAURANT WILL CLOSE TEMPORARILY, BUT THE NEW OWNERS
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Still Sizzling: Chef Lydia Shire’s enduring legacy in Boston cuisine
With a career rooted in hustle and heart, the Boston legend remains one of America’s most influential chefs
Updated: 8:04 PM EDT Apr 2, 2026
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In Boston’s culinary world, Lydia Shire is a legend. The first woman to win a James Beard Award in the Northeast, Shire has mentored generations of chefs and helped shape the city’s food scene for 50 years.At 77, she’s still a creative force. Her latest project, Bar Enza at The Charles Hotel in Cambridge, is a testament to her energy—she still hand-sketches every dish before it hits the plate. She also continues to find inspiration in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood, frequenting markets and restaurants such as Peach Farm Restaurant, where she says she has dined for 30 years. Shire’s path to culinary success was paved with grit. Married and a mother at the age of 17, she sold her engagement ring to attend culinary school after her marriage ended. She drew support from Julia Child, who loved her cooking and helped launch her into the chef’s seat at Harvest in Cambridge.Today, Shire is best known for restaurants including Scampo at the Liberty Hotel, as well as for her bold, personal style—driven by her artist parents and relentless curiosity. “My brain is 21,” she says. “As long as it stays that way, I’ll keep going.”Lydia Shire’s food is deeply personal, endlessly creative—and still, unmistakably hers.
In Boston’s culinary world, Lydia Shire is a legend. The first woman to win a James Beard Award in the Northeast, Shire has mentored generations of chefs and helped shape the city’s food scene for 50 years.
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At 77, she’s still a creative force. Her latest project, Bar Enza at The Charles Hotel in Cambridge, is a testament to her energy—she still hand-sketches every dish before it hits the plate. She also continues to find inspiration in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood, frequenting markets and restaurants such as Peach Farm Restaurant, where she says she has dined for 30 years.
Shire’s path to culinary success was paved with grit. Married and a mother at the age of 17, she sold her engagement ring to attend culinary school after her marriage ended. She drew support from Julia Child, who loved her cooking and helped launch her into the chef’s seat at Harvest in Cambridge.
Today, Shire is best known for restaurants including Scampo at the Liberty Hotel, as well as for her bold, personal style—driven by her artist parents and relentless curiosity. “My brain is 21,” she says. “As long as it stays that way, I’ll keep going.”
Mass General nurse-turned-author Karen Winn brings Beacon Hill to life in her latest book. Add this to your beach bag.
“The Society” by Karen Winn. PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE/SLY PHOTOGRAPHY PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE/SLY PHOTOGRAPHY
Massachusetts General Hospital nurse-turned-author Karen Winn often writes in the Boston Athenaeum, watching tours pass by.
One day, in 2023, she joined one. And the seed for her next novel was planted.
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“We passed by an oil portrait of Thomas Handasyd Perkins, a major benefactor to the Athenaeum in the 1800s. The docent alluded to this dark history as to how he’d amassed a large portion of his fortune in the opium trade,” she tells me.
“The tour group moved on — but I was stuck there thinking. I went home and fell down this rabbit-hole of research and learned, to my surprise, just how many of the Boston Brahman families made their fortune in the opium trade. It was fascinating.”
I went down a similar rabbit-hole. The Boston Brahmin opium fortunes are well-documented, including a past Harvard Art Museum exhibit, articles, books and website info including, speaking of Perkins, the Perkins School for the Blind.
Winn, who lives on Beacon Hill and was in a secret society (I asked) added bits and pieces from her own life into the novel-creating mixing bowl: What if there was a secret society built on old opium money in Beacon Hill, and a Mass General nurse was somehow involved?
“The Society” was born.
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If you’re looking for a Boston-set page-turner — an “alternate universe Beacon Hill,” as Winn puts it — to kick off your summer reading, add this suspense to your beach bag.
Nutshell: The Knox, standing proudly on Mount Vernon Street in Beacon Hill, houses meetings of a secret society. Some in Boston believe it’s an elite social club — others believe it hides something sinister.
When Boston antique dealer Vivian Lawrence sees her family fortune vanish, she turns to a family legend that ties her to the Knox, seeking a way into the exclusive secret society.
Taylor Adams, a 20-something Mass General ER nurse who recently moved to Boston, becomes almost obsessed with old-moneyed Vivian, “a creature of wealth,” after Vivian lands in the ER one night. When Vivian disappears from Mass General without a trace, Taylor’s search for answers pulls her into the Knox and its dark history…
What interested me — before I knew anything of Winn’s backstory— was that it felt like it was written by someone who just moved to Boston and was in awe of the city.
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Living here, we might think of Rachel Dratch and Jimmy Fallon and Denise and Sully in those old “Boston Teen” SNL sketches, or Casey Affleck as the “King of Dunkin” as summing us up, at least in terms of how outsiders see us.
But Taylor, the Mass General nurse, almost fetishizes Boston, and old-moneyed New Englanders she imagines walking down every street.
Example: when old-Boston-money Vivian lands in the ER: Taylor “swallows, a flurry of excitement building in her chest… she envisioned that the city would be teeming with these ladies… That she would get to move among their world, learn from them, drink in their fanciness… letting that old New England generational wealth rub off on her until she glimmered with something of its gold dust…It is Boston, after all: the city of cobblestones and beauty, of Harvard and MIT, of sophistication and history.”
Winn, who grew up in New Jersey, moved to Boston 20 years ago after meeting her Boston-native husband Gil at UPenn. They now live in the Beacon Hill area with their two kids and 100-pound (yup) Bernedoodle.
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After two decades here, she’s still “in awe.”
“I grew up in a 5,000-person town in New Jersey. When I came to Boston, I was struck by this beautiful city. Beacon Hill is one of the most historic and charming neighborhoods,” she tells me. “Living here, one might almost be inured to it, but I have this awe. I’m always struck by the cobblestone streets and the gaslit lamps.”
Winn even started a TikTok account for @theknoxsociety, documenting life on Beacon Hill.
This is Winn’s second novel, after 2022’s “Our Little World.” But “I’m not an overnight success by any shape or form,” she says with a laugh.
“I was a nurse and a nurse practitioner, but always loved writing and wrote on the side,” says Winn, who left Mass General in 2010. “It’s a typical writer’s story: I had hundreds of rejections for short stories.”
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One of those rejections — from JFK Jr.’s “George Magazine” in 2000 — actually landed her in Newsweek recently.
I called Winn to talk opium, strange graveyard tour, a terrifying house fire, TikTok, and more.
Taylor arrives in Boston with a burning curiosity about the city. “What is Boston? Who are these people?” questions swimming in her head.
“Absolutely. When I came to Boston, I was so struck by this beautiful city. In my head, I could very clearly see the Knox building: The front is on Mount Vernon Street, and the back, I imagined to look like Branch Street. Branch isn’t the back of Mount Vernon, so I gave it a fictional name.”
I love that level of detail, though. No one outside Boston — or maybe even Beacon Hill— would ever know: oh, Branch Street isn’t in back of Mount Vernon. You have other specific references, like dining at 1928.
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“I almost wish I’d been a little craftier [with adding more]. For instance, at one point I had Taylor get her knives sharpened at Blackstone’s. And it was just too much detail, so I pared it down. But sometimes I’m like, ‘Oh, I wish I kept that!’ [laughs]”
[laughs] That’s how it goes.
I don’t think I realized the effect each reference would have. There are book clubs now that tour Beacon Hill and go to spots mentioned. A few toured the Boston Atheneum, or dined at 1928. I didn’t realize how much people would connect to the sense of place. It feels like it’s been embraced by people in Boston, which is so fun.
Now 1928 has a cocktail named for your book. What are more specific inspirations that went into the novel?
“For the Knox, I took inspiration from The Somerset Club and The ‘Quin — the beautiful room with fireplaces and ornate details.
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“And I was in a secret society in college: Tabard Society at UPenn.”
Wow, what was that like?
“I can’t tell you. [laughs]”
[laughs] Fair enough.
“But I loved that experience. When I was rushing [or trying to get in] you’d find out if you were invited by getting handwritten notes slipped under your door. I tapped into that with The Knox sending notes.”
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You said your husband went with you on midnight strolls through Boston?
“Yes! I dragged him to some graveyard tours. We did one that —it was funny, because I’m not sure how I found it, but it definitely, like, wasn’t very legit.”
[laughs] OK.
“It was just us and this guy — we weren’t allowed inside any of the cemeteries. We’d watch the tours go on the inside, and the three of us would be standing on the outside. [laughs]”
[laughs] Amazing.
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“My husband’s like, ‘Where did you find this guy?’ I don’t know.”
[laughs] This feels like a “Curb Your Enthusiasm” episode.
“It was quite an experience [laughs] And then, of course, I had to go back. We had to go back and do an official tour.
“And I toured the Nichols House Museum in Beacon Hill, which was neat to see another historic building and learn about family that lived there. I toured the Forbes House Museum in Milton. Forbes family was one of the Brahman families, they made their fortune in the opium trade.
“Also we had lived, at one point in the South End, and actually had a house fire. We were home at the time. Luckily, we were fine. But our house was a total loss.”
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Oh my god.
“We each grabbed a kid and ran out at the door. It was pretty traumatic. Five minutes later, we would not have been able to go out that door. So, I tapped into that when I wrote the fire scene.”
Wow. That’s terrifying.
“As a writer, you store all these things up, and then go into your basket of experiences, and you get to use them.”
You also created a TikTok for the Knox. What sparked that, and how long will you keep that going?
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“I’m having fun with it. I had no expectations when I started. I wasn’t big on TikTok. But having the account for the Knox itself allowed more creative freedom because I wasn’t putting myself out there — I was putting the Knox out there. So I’ve enjoyed creating these videos. Especially since the next novel is brewing in my head.”
What are you working on now?
“My next book focuses on a minor character mentioned in “The Society” — the bookstore owner, Nicholas. I was telling you earlier about those rejections — I actually wrote a short story about him years ago that was never published. It’s been living on my computer and in my head for all these years. I’m ready to tell the story. It will be another very Boston book.”
Catch Karen Winn on July 29 at Quincy’s Next Chapter Books & More.
Lauren Daley is a freelance culture writer. She can be reached at [email protected]. She tweets @laurendaley1, and Instagrams at @laurendaley1. Read more stories on Facebook here.
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Lauren Daley is a longtime culture journalist. As a regular contributor to Boston.com, she interviews A-list musicians, actors, authors and other major artists.
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O’Malley shot and killed a suspect in a carjacking in March. The swift decision to prosecute has prompted outrage by the police union and law enforcement officials.
O’Malley, 33, has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter for the death of Stephenson King, 39, who was shot March 11 while he allegedly tried to flee a traffic stop in a stolen car. Prosecutors determined that O’Malley had no justification for shooting at a moving vehicle.
“It is disappointing that the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office is choosing to second-guess an officer whose only goal was to protect the public,” O’Malley’s lawyer, David Yannetti, said in an email to the Globe. “We will continue to vigorously defend this officer and this case.”
“The main issue in this case will be who the aggressor really was and whether Officer O’Malley acted in lawful defense,” Yannetti wrote in court filings.
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On Wednesday, Yannetti filed several defense motions in the Roxbury division of Boston Municipal Court, in an effort to illustrate “King’s mayhem and reign of terror,” spanning nearly two decades and resulting in more than 17 criminal cases across Massachusetts, court records show.
Over the years, King has been charged with strangulation, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, carjacking, breaking and entering, gun charges, and resisting arrest, according to court filings.
At the time of his death, King was free on bail for at least three separate felony cases, and had active warrants for his arrest, court records said.
O’Malley is seeking King’s mental health, criminal, and court records from all of his past cases, recordings from police body-worn and dash cameras, the medical examiner’s file on King, along with statements taken from O’Malley and witnesses at the scene of the shooting.
O’Malley told investigators that when he shot King he feared for his own life and for the life of another office on the scene, believing his colleague was about to be run over.
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Police had pursued King after he allegedly committed a carjacking outside a pizza restaurant in Boston’s Mission Hill neighborhood. About 15 minutes later, officers stopped the stolen car less than a mile away, at Linwood Square in Roxbury.
The driver ignored “multiple verbal commands” as officers approached and tried to drive away, police said.
King opened the car window, but did not turn the vehicle off. O’Malley drew his Taser and shouted, “Bro, I’m going to [expletive] shoot you,” the police report said.
That’s when King backed into the cruiser behind him, then maneuvered the vehicle forward and back “in an attempt to escape the police,” according to the report.
As King started to drive forward again, O’Malley fired three shots through the driver’s window, striking King, the report said.
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King’s family has contended that he was experiencing a mental health crisis in the hours leading up to the deadly encounter.
In court filings, O’Malley’s lawyer, Yannetti, said King gave “O’Malley no choice that night.”
“Any suggestion that this shooting was precipitated by simply a ‘mental health crisis’ completely misses the point,” Yannetti wrote. “When facing an extremely dangerous threat, there is no time for a police officer to hold a counseling session on the street or to sit down to discuss the feelings of a menace who is intent on using a motor vehicle as a deadly weapon.”
“If a man is going to assault and carjack an innocent woman then threaten the lives and safety of the public and a police officer, that man needs to be stopped — whether he is in his right mind or not,” according to O’Malley’s motion.
O”Malley’s next court date, a probable-cause hearing, is scheduled for May 21.
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Tonya Alanez can be reached at tonya.alanez@globe.com. Follow her @talanez.
