Our Story

Kevin Crawley and Frank Santo, co-owners of Isabella, go back together a fair number of years. The restaurant did not just "happen", and the success that Isabella enjoys today had its roots back in a bar in Jamaica Plains. Frank, just out of college, was teaching tenth grade biology. For three years all was going well for this young educator when the world suddenly seemed to collapse around him. In an education cut back, Frank found himself on the street with little prospect of landing another teaching job. What to do?

A quick call to his old college roommate started him down a new road. There was a run down bar available in JP. Having nothing better to do, Frank decided to have a go at being a public house proprietor. They turned the bar around and soon it was a money making operation. Frank, however, had loftier goals. He knew of Chef Kevin Crawley, so together they planned a first class restaurant. Frank sold his share of the bar to the roommate and with the proceeds opened Panopolys in downtown Boston.

Chef Kevin was a graduate of the cooking program at Johnson & Wales College in Providence, Rhode Island. He had a number of good positions after leaving school. He had most recently been cooking for Francos and Carla, two excellent restaurants in the suburbs. Kevin wanted a place of his own, so when Frank approached him with the Panopolys idea, he jumped at the opportunity.

It was a grand success! Panoplys grew and prospered for five years. The downtown location was great and the guys loved it. So did the customers and it looked like it would last forever. But nothing is forever when the lease is up. The landlord gave Frank and Kevin the bad news that Starbucks was willing to pay big bucks for the property. Either come up with a huge rent increase or hit the road.

With the end in sight, Frank and Kevin started to scan the country side looking for a new location for a new beginning. For days they trooped through sites from Boston, to Braintree, to Bedford, but nothing looked right. One afternoon they were in the Mug 'N Muffin in Dedham Square taking a break when they began to notice the poor customer service and dingy appearance of the operation. Here, perhaps under their cups was the good location. They talked to the management who would sell if they could provide relocation expenses. While it was a bit more than they wanted to spend, they pooled their resources, got a loan from Frank's Dad, and made the move.

Of course there were a lot of last minute expenses, but Isabella opened on time. The staff on opening night consisted of Kevin on hot food, Frank on salads, 4 waitresses, and a dishwasher. They sold 36 dinners that night. By this time the cash had run out, but the patrons loved it. The crowds came back. In their planning they figured they needed to serve 350 dinners a week to break even. They now do over 1,400, each one carefully prepared as if it is the only dinner being served that night.

With success, Isabella supports a number of local activities. They sponsor two Little League teams. They are regular contributors to the Dedham Food Pantry. This year they raised over $2,500.00 for the Super Hunger Brunch. Frank says that if you are going to be in a small community like Dedham, you need to give back something to the town.

Isabella is in no rush to expand. The restaurant is now running at capacity, but everything is under the eyes of Frank and Kevin. If they grew that would not be the case. The quality of the food is the most important item under our control Frank says. If we got bigger, I would be uncomfortable that we could no longer give our personal supervision. We like to think Isabella is just the right size for the best in dining anywhere.

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