art18-pubweb

Art on the Plate: Strangers & Saints

Cape Cod Art  /  Annual Art 2018 / , ,

Writer: Allyson Plessner / Photographer: Elizabeth Shaw and Teagan Anne 

Art on the Plate: Strangers & Saints

art18-pubweb

Cape Cod Art  /  Annual Art 2018 / , ,

Writer: Allyson Plessner / Photographer: Elizabeth Shaw and Teagan Anne 

“Although it’s a tavern and it’s casual dining, we want to juxtapose that with quality service and food so you can walk in off the beach and have a nice glass of Bordeaux and a plate of food that’s been carefully crafted.” – Fred Latasa-Nicks


Strangers and Saints

Hazelnut and sesame crusted salmon, served with a dandelion pesto and a salad of watercress, ruby red grapefruit, blueberries, pickled mango and a fig vinaigrette

 


Owners: Fred & Steven Latasa-Nicks • Chef: Bethany Gregory


“We want people to feel like we’re inviting them into our home,” says Fred Latasa-Nicks, who owns Provincetown’s Strangers & Saints with his husband Steven. The restaurant is named after the Pilgrims who referred to their non-religious company as “strangers” and themselves as “saints.”

“Provincetown still is a bunch of strangers and saints,” Fred says with a laugh. The restaurant was originally a sea captain’s home, and Fred and Steven have attempted to reimagine the space as something that Captain Cooke might enjoy in modern time.

In support of the surrounding art community, much of the décor is created by local craftsmen, from the mural spanning the front wall to the bench made of floorboards from the attic. “People were excited to participate because we were creating something that felt like it was celebrating Provincetown and the house,” says Fred.

“The food goes hand-in-hand with the communal aspect of what we’re trying to create here,” explains Fred. “It’s a place where people share food and try lots of different things.” Chef Bethany Gregory is committed to creating flavorful cuisine that is all homemade—right down to the liquor, barrel aged in-house. “I don’t want my food to just fill somebody, I want it to nourish them,” she says.

In keeping with the philosophy of the restaurant, Strangers & Saints even provides housing to workers upstairs. It’s truly a sanctuary for strangers, saints and everyone in between. “Every night I throw a party, and I love that,” says Fred.

Strangers & Saints

404 Commercial Street, Provincetown

508-487-1449

Allyson Plessner

Allyson Plessner is a former editorial intern for Cape Cod Life and now works for the publication as a staff writer and digital media coordinator. Born in Florida, Allyson has been a lifelong summer resident of the Cape. She is a recent alumna of the College of Charleston, located in Charleston, South Carolina, where she completed bachelor’s degrees in both English and Spanish. In her free time, Allyson is an avid sailor, beach-goer, and—like her fellow Cape Cod Life colleagues—a dog-lover.