About Big Fresh Cafe
Big Fresh Cafe in Framingham, MA is the meeting place of business savvy and activist passion - it's where environmental concerns and social justice sit at the table with business pragmatism. It's about finding a balance between paying local growers what they deserve and keeping the cost to you reasonable. At Big Fresh Cafe, we make conscious decisions at every turn; what we buy and who we buy from matters to us, and we hope to share this with our customers. And while some of our goals will take time and a lot of hard work, we plan on eating well and having a great time getting there - and we'd love you to join us!
About the Founders
Karen and Kevin Masterson (left) have been involved in the food service industry for more than 25 years. Karen has focused her energy on environmental and social justice issues, while Kevin has infused his entrepreneurial spirit into a number of restaurant concepts. Big Fresh Cafe is their partnership in business and spirit.
Tony Entzminger (right) is the manager of Big Fresh Cafe and has been an important part of the Big Fresh family since the beginning. He manages day-to-day operations, the hiring and training of all the hard-working, friendly staff and ensuring food quality and consistency. He has been instrumental in the development of the menu and works closely with Karen and Kevin in all aspects of the business.
Karen Masterson has had a passion for social justice and environmental issues for over 30 years. In the early 90's she spearheaded the Taste of the Nation event for Share our Strength in Calgary, Alberta, raising money for hunger relief organizations. Karen sat on the Board of the Natick Community Organic Farm for many years and continues to play an active role as a member of their Advisory Board. From 2001 to 2004 she was on the Board of Directors for Coop America, a national organization "dedicated to creating a just and sustainable society by harnessing economic power for positive change." Currently she is on the Board of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Boston, a network of BALLE (Business Alliance of Local Living Economies). Her work with SBN is to create vibrant, healthy and sustainable communities, focusing on the benefits of locally owned businesses.
Her volunteer work extends to her family life - the Mastersons have spent the past two years raising service dogs for the NEADS organization out of Princeton. For 30 years, NEADS/Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans has carefully partnered children and adults with highly trained canine assistants. In addition to a service dog in training, the Masterson's share their home with their own dogs Jasper and Roma and two cats Lucky and Stripes. So far the goat to cut the grass is just a thought....but a really sustainable one!
Reviews on Yelp!
I love this place! The falafel is fantastic, as is the hot sauce that comes with it. Their vision is great; it's good to see restaurants using local ingredients and not using overly processed ingredients.