Our Story
The Cobble concept was born out of chef Emily’s love for hosting dinner parties and the art of sharing a meal around the dinner table.
ONCE UPON A TIME
Cobble came to life amid the Covid-19 pandemic, months after hosting ‘test’ dinners for friends and family.
Chef/owner Emily Vena (along with her partner, Rachel) opened Cobble for its first dinner service on September 4th, 2020. At Cobble, chef Emily prepared her signature style of vegetable-forward Italian cuisine, served in five courses and sourced from local farms. Since day one, we have aimed to put customer delight at the center of every dining experience.
Before opening Cobble, Emily worked as a chef at La Morra for over a decade and has spent much of her life working with and around food. On the other side of the Cobble-coin, Rachel has over 15 years of experience in creative direction, brand strategy, and user experience design.
Barlette, a BYOB cocktail bar, is now open and located in the Coolidge Corner Arcade building in Brookline.
INSPIRATION
Emily graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York and spent a year in Italy studying and cooking regional Italian cuisine.
During her time in Italy, Emily was struck by a series of dining experiences in smaller, less touristy towns where mom-and-pop chefs offered a “no choices” food experience. Each meal was unpretentious, and there was something immensely pleasurable about enjoying a meal without making a single choice. Emily knew she wanted to bring that experience home; in 2020, it was finally time to do so.
BYOB, WTF?
A nod to Philadelphia and South Jerz.
The BYOB experience is a standard feature throughout Philadelphia and South Jersey, where Emily grew up (and where her family still lives). Cobble allows guests to bust out a bottle of their favorite special occasion wine, host wine dinners with friends, or bring their favorite cocktail ingredients to mix table-side.
THE NEXT CHAPTER
We are taking a gap year in 2024.
We will use this time to explore new opportunities for Cobble and the future of what it means to dine out. The past three years have been incredibly rewarding, and we are overjoyed with the positive response to our unique dining concept.
Thank you for loving us as much as we have loved you!
