A Life Dream Which Created a Community

By Haynes C M Llewellyn

Today I would like to humbly pay tribute to my friend Maria Philippis.

When Lars and I initially moved to Kingston, NY, the joke was we selected Kingston as it was a walkable City. Yet there was no where to walk to. Blind as a bat I needed to live in a City area as opposed to the rural setting of our dreams. Once IBM afforded the City of Kingston, NY a prosperous life. With the closure of IBM ‘s Kingston Facility the local economy was severely battered. Anchor restaurants, a few long standing shops remained - otherwise tumble weeds practically tumbled down the streets of Historic Uptown Kingston. Then along came Maria. I remember Maria taking me on an intial tour of her new proposed restaurant Boitson’s. Immediately I recognized Maria was creating something of merit. As a nominating Board Member of the Friends of Historic Preservation Awards I immediately submitted Boitsons’s as a preservation award candidate. The selection committee returned with outstanding reviews. Everyone was in awe of the transformation from derelict to upscale eatery, Maria had achieved.

In those days Kingston, NY like many Hudson Valley cities had lost its rudder. Maria became a revitalization touchstone. With one restaurant Maria help reunite a community in a manner which had not been seen for some time. Whether it was the creation of the New Years Eve ball drop celebration in Uptown Kingston, the O Positive Festival, or any other Uptown Event Maria was a driving force behind each events success. A single Mother, Maria transformed a restaurant dream into a concept which anchored a Community. Saucy, Spicy, wickedly humorous, Maria created a sexy restaurant which harkened back to the days of the Speak Easy. Celebrities dinned, billionaires laughed, every day people from all walks of life celebrated anniversaries, birthdays, marriages at Boston’s. The Kingston NY everyone has read of in numerous publications from the New York Times, to Dining/Travel magazines to the current real estate boom in Kingston are all due to the efforts of a powerhouse single Mom, whose restaurant aided in remolding a community.

In honor of all the Martinis, the laughter, the parties, the Snow Storm dinners, the Catered Events I would like to say thank you to a friend, who made a difference in a Community. A difference which aided in a Communities transformation. Rare are those restaurants which become a home, Maria instead created a Community.

Cheers Maria,

Oh yes in a comical note - I will forever be indebted to Maria for accepting Lars mounted spinner fish with the evil eye. Lars caught the damn thing in Miami, then wasted $675 having the fish mounted. Lars dragged that fish around like a trophy blanket for almost a decade. Then Maria graciously allowed Lars fish to be displayed amongst her mounted fish collection. Forever I will remain in Maria’s debt due to that one act of kindness.