By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer
PELHAM – After a decade in Chelsea, Joseph’s Table has entered a new chapter—one that owner, founder and head chef Joseph Matta hopes will give even more people a seat at his table.
Joseph’s Table Mediterranean Bistro & Bar reopened in June at 9340 Helena Road in Pelham, taking over the former McAlister’s Deli space in the North Pelham Square Shopping Center.
For Matta, the move was never about leaving Chelsea.
“We wanted to stay in Chelsea. We had no intention of leaving the community,” Matta said.
After 10 years in Chelsea, however, the restaurant’s lease was coming to an end, and the space was needed for an expanding physical therapy business. Matta said the restaurant had grown beyond what the space could accommodate.
Joseph’s Table could have downsized, but Matta said that wasn’t an option.
“We decided, OK, we’re not going to scale down to a small sandwich shop because that’s not who we are anymore,” he said.
Instead, Matta spent about eight months looking for a new location.
There were plenty of possibilities considered, including shopping centers and other businesses, but nothing seemed to fit until the former McAlister’s space in Pelham became available.
When Matta walked into the building, he saw potential.
“It had some good bones,” he said.
The restaurant then underwent a significant transformation.
The former McAlister’s space had subsequently been home to several bars, and Matta said it initially felt cold and industrial, with metal accents and furniture that didn’t reflect the identity of Joseph’s Table.
So he and his team went to work.
They installed new flooring and furniture, renovated the walls, added tile work and incorporated arches—elements Matta considers signatures of the restaurant.
The new space is significantly larger than the Chelsea location, giving Matta the opportunity to create different areas while also bringing a piece of the old restaurant with him.
One section was designed to be reminiscent of Joseph’s Table in Chelsea.
“I redid it to be reminiscent of where we were,” Matta said.
Another section brought an unexpected bonus: plenty of natural light.
For Matta, the finished restaurant represents more than a new address.
“This is where we decided that God wants us to be,” he said.
Matta’s passion for the restaurant is evident in the food—and in the amount of work that goes into preparing it.
Joseph’s Table describes its cuisine as creative Mediterranean, combining recipes Matta developed himself with dishes and techniques he learned growing up watching his mother cook.
“I learned a lot of things, a lot of spices, a lot of seasoning and the way they do things,” he said.
The Pelham menu includes Lebanese favorites such as kibbi, kefta, grape leaves and tabbouleh, alongside steaks, burgers, seafood and other dishes.
The restaurant also makes many of its sauces, desserts and other components from scratch.
Hummus is made fresh every day, sometimes twice a day. Matta makes his own yogurt for sauces, prepares tzatziki, creates reductions and gravies and hand-cuts the steaks.
And then there is the baklava.
During the interview, Matta was still laughing about an unfortunate batch he had burned shortly before sitting down.
“I burned the baklava,” he said.
For someone who has spent two decades honing his craft, mistakes still happen.
“You cannot be perfect all the time,” Matta said. “I try to get to 99 percent. You know, sometimes the food takes a little bit longer.”
Dining and Cooking