our story

Our Story

Years in the Making. Twenty Days to Life.

For Nina and Sam Patel, CeCarré is more than a restaurant. It’s the culmination of nearly a decade spent building businesses, learning the art of hospitality, and believing that great food has the power to bring people together.

A Legacy of Hospitality

Their connection to hospitality began long before CeCarré.

For Nina, it runs generations deep. Her paternal grandparents immigrated from India to New York and built a series of businesses around their love of food and hospitality. From ice cream parlors and a full-service pizza restaurant to two Indian restaurants in Manhattan, they created places where people gathered, shared meals, and felt welcomed.

Their first Indian restaurant, Indian Kitchen, brought home-cooked Indian cuisine to 78th Street and Broadway on Manhattan’s Upper West Side for over 20 years. They later opened Indian Delhi on Columbus Avenue, across from the American Museum of Natural History, building the restaurant entirely from scratch, down to the food and handwritten menus.

While her grandfather focused on building the businesses, her grandmother was the heart of the kitchen. A talented cook, Montessori teacher, and mother of four, she was an essential partner in their journey. Together, they believed in nourishing people, sharing knowledge, and creating spaces where others felt welcomed. Their partnership shaped Nina’s understanding of entrepreneurship, family, and hospitality.

Nina’s own restaurant journey began at just 12 years old, when she took her first job in the industry.

The Meaning of Hospitality

Born in a small village in Gujarat, India, Sam learned the value of hard work, resilience and community from his grandfather, the village president, who welcome anyone into his home for coffee, snacks or a meal. After moving to Massachusetts, his grandfather’s generosity earned him the affectionate nickname “mayor of the street”, reinforcing a philosophy that still guides Sam: hospitality is as much about how people feel as what they are served.

Sam moved to Massachusetts at 13 and later studied Business Management at UMass Boston, building his entrepreneurial foundation by transforming an underperforming retail store into a top-performing location and leading its expansion. Sam entered hospitality in 2017, helping grow a fast-casual restaurant group, overseeing new openings, developing teams and navigating the challenges of the pandemic. At CeCarré, he combines that operational experience with his grandfather’s welcoming spirit, bringing hands-on care to everything from staff training and daily tastings to making every guest feel at home.

Together, Nina and Sam spent nearly a decade immersed in the restaurant industry, working hands-on across operations, team development, new openings, and the everyday details that turn a restaurant into a place people love. Their experience taught them that great food is only one part of the equation. Consistency, care, creativity, and genuine hospitality matter just as much.

A New Beginning

CeCarré wasn’t born from a traditional business plan. It began with a decision to see opportunity where others might have seen an ending.

After moving on from their previous chapter in hospitality, Nina and Sam found themselves at a crossroads with a separate restaurant venture. They had an existing space, a fully equipped kitchen, and years of experience behind them, but the concept itself wasn’t working. With so much invested, they began considering what the next chapter might look like.

Then Nina saw an opportunity. Rather than closing the doors on a space they had worked so hard to build, she imagined transforming it into something entirely new. A restaurant that brought together their love of food, their years of experience, and everything they believed hospitality could be.

Her vision sparked something in Sam. What began as Nina’s creative idea quickly reignited his entrepreneurial spirit and determination to bring it to life. Where Nina saw the possibilities, Sam saw how to make them happen.

Twenty Days to Life

During a birthday trip to Mexico, Nina opened her iPad on the beach and began dreaming up the first CeCarré menu. From that moment, the two poured themselves into turning her vision into reality, combining Nina’s creativity with Sam’s dedication, operational expertise, and unwavering support.

In just 20 days, CeCarré came to life.

In many ways, CeCarré is a love story. A wife’s vision that inspired a new beginning, a husband’s devotion to making it possible, and two people who have spent years building a life and businesses side by side. What could have been the end of one chapter became the beginning of something entirely their own.

The Meaning Behind CeCarré

Pronounced “say-car-aye,” CeCarré takes inspiration from the French word carré, meaning square, a nod to our Roman-style pinsa and the neighborhood we proudly call home. The word also evokes a sense of precision and thoughtful execution, reflecting our commitment to doing everything with care, intention, and attention to detail.

Food with Intention

The menu reflects the couple’s shared belief that everyday dining should be anything but ordinary. From 72-hour fermented Roman-style pinsa and house-made focaccia sandwiches to vibrant salads, thoughtfully crafted provisions, and flavors inspired by cultures around the world, CeCarré is designed to make fresh, exciting food accessible.

For Nina, it’s about creativity, discovering new ingredients, and encouraging people to experience familiar foods in unexpected ways. For Sam, it’s about bringing that vision to life with consistency, quality, and the kind of hospitality that makes every guest feel like a regular.

Built to Bring People Together

Together, they hope to create something that extends far beyond a single restaurant: a neighborhood institution that grows with its community, becomes part of people’s everyday routines, and feels just as welcoming on the hundredth visit as it did on the first.

CeCarré is their way of honoring the generations who came before them while building something meaningful for the generations that follow.

roman roots. boston made. built to bring people together.