Tableside Talks: Brian Mercury Of Cambridge Street Hospitality Group
Brian Mercury is currently the Executive Pastry Chef of Cambridge Street Hospitality Group, including Puritan, Puritan Oyster Bar, The Lexington, Gepetto, Cafe Beatrice, and Amba all located in Cambridge, MA.
Brian's journey into the world of pastry began in Rochester, NY, where family gatherings and his grandmother's baking ignited his passion for sweets. Following his father's sage advice, he pursued culinary education at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America and Rochester Institute of Technology.
Arriving in Boston in 2004, Brian honed his craft under industry luminaries at The Charles Hotel before joining the acclaimed Harvest in Cambridge. There, his innovative creations earned him national recognition, including Food & Wine's "People's Choice Best New Pastry Chef, East Region 2013" and Boston Magazine's "Boston's Best Pastry Chef 2014."
After showcasing his talents at Oak + Rowan, Brian now brings his expertise to Puritan & Company and its sister establishments, crafting unforgettable desserts that blend nostalgia with modern flair.
Welcome in, Brian!
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Cassie Fransciso (Tableside): What’s the most challenging thing about leading in hospitality?
Brian Mercury: I’d say the most challenging thing is the team and allowing time for their growth. You may have some leaders or chefs that don’t give you the time. They want you to be able to produce right away, immediately as you are changing or moving with new products and new ideas. You want your team to be able to take that growth and change a little more naturally with a smooth cadence. But you need to give them time for growth, and you need to help them along the way. Sometimes you want their response and outcome to be positive and immediate, but any sort of change or growth requires time for everyone to learn.
You might be ready for [change], but your team may need a little more guidance. It may be something you’ve been thinking about for a long time in your own head and you’re ready. But you have to get them along with you. I feel like that’s one of the hardest things, getting everybody along with you.
Cassie: That makes sense that aligning everyone, getting everyone’s buy-in can be especially hard in hospitality where there are so many other pressures. Brian, in times of crisis or uncertainty, what do you do to maintain high morale with your team?
Brian: Oftentimes in this industry, when crunch time happens, whether you're a leader or not, you're on the front lines with your team, doing everything with them. You have to be able to be willing to step up and show them that you're in it with them and willing to do everything it takes to make the process happen. Because for me, that's what I need them to do for me. If I'm not in the building, I need them to support me when I'm not there, so I can have my own personal time or I can separate myself from what's going on at work. So if I need their support, I need to give them 100% support as well, whether it's personal or more importantly on the job.
Cassie: I hear you talking about presence a little bit. And that’s much more than just showing up in person, but making sure that people on your team know that you’re there to support them. What is your mantra?
Brian: It was actually somebody who had said this was something that they took away from working with me. They said that through all the shifts they've worked, they've always had one little snippet that they've taken from others. Mine wound up being, “bend don't break”. As problems aise, as we add new things, as somebody leaves, you have to be malleable. Like everybody was saying during Covid, pivot. You just have to be malleable, flexible. Bend, don't break. Don’t let anything break you, just make sure you can work around it and make it work for you and then come out the other side a little bit better.
Cassie: Bend, don’t break is so good. Like you said, pivoting is so important and things just keep changing so fast and they will continue to change. Having that in mind, that you need to be flexible and malleable, like you said, it's so important.
Brian: Yeah, if you're too rigid, it's just going to push you out of the way. So you got to be ready.
Cassie: If you could say one thing to someone just starting out in hospitality leadership, what would you say?
Brian: It's just patience with everyone and patience with yourself. For me, when we create a new dish or a new pastry, I find it very easy to be creative in the moment or during a conversation and say, “I was thinking this, what about this? What if we try this?”
And some people on the team, that's not how they process information or how they can be their best self. They might need to say, “Okay, we want to change this croissant to the new summer flavor.” And they might need to go home, reflect, think about it, and gather some ideas. But for me, I'm always like, “why can't you just tell me now?” So, you have to allow them the time and have patience.
You may have a restaurant owner, and you want something. You might want a new piece of equipment. You might want to do something, and you have to have the patience to communicate what you need and allow them the time to get that for you. Things can't always happen overnight, and an issue may not be able to be resolved right away. If something's broken, it might take a week or two, but if they're going to do it, you just have to have the patience. I mean, it goes along with anything. You just have to allow it to happen, be there, be ready for when it does happen, and appreciate the outcome in the end.
Cassie: What I'm hearing you talk about is the importance of understanding that a team is made up of multiple individuals with multiple perspectives. And there's also that bigger business context, and you can't always control the timing of things. So, understanding where you fit in and then also understanding what everyone on your team needs to process what's going on.
Brian: Yeah, definitely. I remember there was one experience of being in a management meeting, and I was frustrated with stuff that was happening with the front of the house. I had time to talk to myself about this and I was prepared for the meeting with what I wanted to say. But when I was communicating to the rest of the management team, I just kept talking over everybody and I wasn't allowing them the time. I wasn't having the patience to let them process the information and tell me their thoughts. I remember one of the leaders separately messaged me and said, “You need to give everybody space to communicate.” Because I wanted answers now, I didn't realize that I was inhibiting the process. So patience is key.
Cassie: There's one condiment in your fridge. What is it and why?
Brian: Honestly, it's mayonnaise. I love mayonnaise. Who enjoys a dry sandwich? Especially being American and growing up in America—macaroni salad, potato salad, broccoli salad—they all have mayonnaise. Mayonnaise on my burger, on my sandwiches, hot dogs. I just love mayonnaise. It's a lifeblood.
Cassie: Well, thank you so much, Brian, for joining us on Tableside Talks and sharing your leadership insights.
