HUDSON — The team behind one of Hudson’s most prominent downtown restaurants is taking on a new venture: an Irish pub.
They’ve also recently experienced a broad expansion of its ice cream business.
Michael Kasseris, co-owner of Rail Trail Flatbread Company, confirmed to the Daily News that he and his team now own Finnegan’s Pub on South Street, located right behind Rail Trail’s flagship restaurant.
“We’ve known the owner for some time and he expressed interest in passing ownership over to us because he wanted to retire,” Kasseris said. “We thought it would be a good thing to carry on the tradition of the best aspects of the place.”
Finnegan’s offers beers, a full bar and pool tables. The Rail Trail team has added to the menu, and updated the furniture and equipment, all of which have been a hit with the pub’s die-hard fans, according to Kasseris.
“A lot of the classics are still there,” he said. “The feel of the place is still there.”
Kasseris and his team have found success in the restaurant industry throughout MetroWest and Greater Boston. Rail Trail Flatbread expanded to downtown Milford a year ago in a renovated bank building at 223 Main St. (Route 16).
Along with Finnegan’s and Rail Trail Flatbread, Kasseris’ team also owns New City Microcreamery, which uses liquid nitrogen to freeze the cream. The team also owns the speakeasy located behind it, Less Than Greater Than.
New City Microcreamery products to be offered in New York City
New City Microcreamery, founded in 2015 in Hudson, has expanded to Cambridge’s Central Square and to Sudbury. Now, the team is looking at furthering its success with New City Microcreamery by offering its ice cream by the carton at more grocery stores throughout the East Coast, including New York City.
The business’ liquid nitrogen process creates smaller ice crystals and a smoother finish. Unlike many ice cream shops, the business also makes its own ice cream bases from scratch and uses local ingredients, such as fresh milk from local farms in Massachusetts.
Like its ice cream, New City Microcreamery makes most of its toppings in-house, Kasseris said. Instead of mixing brand name Oreos into cream for its cookies and cream ice cream, it bakes its own cookies. And for its mint chocolate chip ice cream, fresh mint leaves are steeped overnight in its homemade base to extract the flavor. Waffle cones are even made from scratch with batter made in house.
New City Microcreamery’s pre-made ice cream is on the shelves of more than 450 supermarkets and bodegas in Greater New York City, with Kasseris estimating it will be in 1,500 markets by year’s end.
“It’s been exciting,” he said. “We dreamt of one day being on the shelves in New York City and it happened serendipitously.”
Closer to home, New City Microcreamery ice cream can be found in local supermarkets, including Market Basket, Whole Foods, Roche Brothers, Big Y and All Town Fresh.