Page 8 - BusinessWest May 12, 2025

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT >>
In Southwick, There’s Plenty to See, Do, and Eat
BY GEORGE O’BRIEN
Southwick
at a Glance
Year Incorporated: 1770
Population: 9,232
Area: 31.7 square miles
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: $15.57
Commercial Tax Rate: $15.57
Median Household Income: $52,296
Family Household Income: $64,456
Type of Government: Open Town
Meeting; Select Board
Largest Employers: Big Y; Whalley
Computer Associates; Southwick
Regional School District
*Latest information available
Ed Grimaldi pointed to the small table for two by the door,
under the large-screen television.
“I was sitting right there,” he recalled. “I had my
head in my hands, thinking, ‘what have I done? What have I
gotten myself into?’”
It was April of 2020, a month after COVID-19 officially
arrived in the region. Grimaldi had, in keeping with a man-
date from the state, shut down Samuel’s, the pub-style res-
taurant at the Basketball Hall of Fame that he co-owned.
And he had already invested, along with partners Melissa
Veino and Joe Rondoletto, in a new endeavor on College
Highway in Southwick called Kettlebread Deli, that was slat-
ed to open in a few weeks.
Which explains why Grimaldi had his head in his hands.
“We muddled through, somehow,” he said, noting that
Kettlebread — more on that name and that concept later —
pushed on through curbside service and was able to estab-
lish a beachhead, if you will. Fast-forwarding a little, the new
business survived, has expanded to a second location and
central bakery in Westfield, and Grimaldi and his partners
are exploring franchising opportunities.
“There’s nothing new about doing things home-made —
lots of places do that now; we’re trying to do it in a way that’s
duplicatable and scalable,” he said, hitting at the heart of this
operation, adding that he believes he has an easily identifi-
able brand, a name that resonates within the industry, and
“food that’s really, really good.”
Kettlebread is one of many intriguing businesses and sto-
rylines in Southwick, a recreational community known for its
Congamond Lakes, motocross, including the highly anticipat-
ed Southwick National in late June, the Ranch golf course,
rail trails, a wide range of outdoor experiences, and more.
It’s also known for its hospitality and food-related busi-
nesses, including one that has risen to the ranks of institu-
tion. That would be Mrs. Murphy’s Donuts, another College
Highway establishment that will soon — as in next year — be
celebrating a half century of serving up a wide variety of
offerings, including its signature raised, glazed honey dip.
A family business to the core, Mrs. Murphy’s now has
members of three generations working behind the big glass
display case, or behind the scenes, said Shane Smith, noting
that things really started with her grandparents — and espe-
cially her grandmother, Shirley, “the original Mrs. Murphy”
— who opened a donut shop in Florida.
“They taught my dad, Earl Murphy, how to make the
donuts,” said Smith, adding that her father and mother,
Rose, opened the shop in Southwick in 1976.
Today, Rose is mostly retired, with Smith assuming
more management responsibilities over the years and shar-
ing duties with her husband, Zack, as well as her daughter,
Bryce, and her husband, Jeff, and other team members.
Building on this strong existing base of businesses, while
maintaining the community’s rural, recreational character
is among the main responsibilities of the community’s gov-
ernment, said Town Manager Nicole Parker, who came to
Southwick not quite a year ago after serving in a similar post
in the Central Mass. community of Hardwick.
She was attracted by the town’s many attributes, includ-
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MAY 12, 2025
Business W est