Dozens of residents braved a New England snowstorm Feb. 7 to enjoy a Chestnut Hill dessert crawl benefitting the Newton Food Pantry. They walked a route spanning The Street shopping center, sheltering from the snow in sweetly-scented stores along the way.
Standing inside the crawl’s last stop, The Half Cookie, Mia Platt, a Jamaica Plain resident who came to Newton for the event, grabbed her last treat of the day.
“It felt like trick or treating,” Platt said.
The Sweets at The Street Dessert Crawl returned for a second installment after its debut last year, featuring seven participating businesses offering attendees samples of their signature treats. Hosted by The Street Chestnut Hill, the event aimed to bring locals together while supporting one of Newton’s three food pantries.
“This time of the year in New England it’s tough to get out of the house,” Arianna Billias, marketing manager at The Street Chestnut Hill, said. “We wanted to bring something fun that people could look forward to.”
The food-centered focus of the event made supporting Newton Food Pantry a natural tie-in for organizers, Billias said.
The Newton Food Pantry serves more than 2,500 Newton residents and delivered over 85,500 bags of groceries and personal care items in 2024. The pantry relies on donations from events like Sweets at The Street to continue serving the community.
“We’re just happy to be able to support in any way,” Billias said. “We’re always looking to partner with some of our great local community organizations and continue to try to give back in our neighborhood.”
Promoting some of the region’s small, locally owned businesses, like The Half Cookie and Bianca, was another priority for organizers, Billias said.
While every other business was sheltered from the snow by a storefront, The Sweetish Fish, a Cape Cod-based candy truck, held an outdoor pop up, handing out bags of sweets to attendees passing by. Even in the freezing cold, workers felt positive about the Newton community’s response to the event.
“It lets people hear our name,” Ayla Gedmintas, one of the pop-up’s employees said. “The people out here have been really nice.”
The Street Chestnut Hill hosts a variety of events throughout the year, all focused on bringing locals together, Billias said.
“We like to create a place that people love,” Billias said. “Even on a cold day, showing that we have something fun to do – another good reason to get out of the house, meet up with friends and family, and do a little strolling while supporting our local businesses.”
Luke Wise is a junior at Boston University majoring in Journalism and writing for Fig City News as part of his studies.
