Forgotten New England

Ryan W. Owen, Writer and Photographer

The Prince Grotto and Its Place in Lowell Restaurant History

October 31, 2020.Reading time 8 minutes.

When it opened just before Memorial Day in 1959, Lowell’s Prince Grotto Restaurant promised big things. “New England’s finest Italian restaurant,” they said, catered to “those who know and appreciate fine foods elegantly served.” And for nearly thirty years, the Prince Grotto served fine Italian, American, and French cuisine from its well-hidden alcove down Carter […]

The Birth of a Chelmsford Landmark

December 4, 2016.Reading time 5 minutes.

The story of those fritters at Skip’s was also the story of John Kydd, a blacksmith at Lowell’s Boott Mills who wanted a career change 90 years ago.