Gourmet Waffles Come to Worcester

By Vanessa Formato

“Here for waffles?” a woman asks as we enter Moynihan’s. My boyfriend and I seat ourselves and Sarah Herold, a cheerful young woman in a green-sequined cardigan, promptly gives us hand-drawn menus. My boyfriend settles on chicken and waffles, I on gingerbread waffles topped with pink whipped cream, honey, and candied ginger. The Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” is playing over the speakers. The Stones have clearly never eaten at WooDaddy Waffles.

“To call it perfect would be an insult to the food,” says my boyfriend.

WooDaddy Waffles is just five months old and taking the Woo by storm. Owners Herold and Zaliah Zalkind open for business every Sunday from 11am-3pm, plus monthly potlucks. While studying Community Development at Clark University, they bonded over a love of food and radical philosophies. Before graduating last May, they made a decision while watching friends search for conventional jobs.

“We figured if we can’t find jobs, make waffles,” Herold says.

They did just that. Frequent customers and trivia-night-goers, Herold and Zalkind became “…part of the Moynihan’s family,” so opening up shop there was a natural progression. Moynihan’s turned out to be the perfect spot for a waffle restaurant. While Worcester is well-known for its diners, this was a niche that hadn’t been explored.

“You can really waffle anything,” Herold says. Regular offerings include Waffles Florentine with hollandaise sauce, Indian-inspired Ragi Waffles with spiced lentils, and Falafel Waffles served with fresh hummus. There are weekly specials, too.

“I dream about them,” Herold says, laughing, of her method for coming up with new recipes.

Zalkind and Herold want to build community through food, bringing vegans and meat-eaters together.

“Eating meat is the norm,” Zalkind said, “but we’ve flipped it around.” By making nearly every dish vegan by default, Zalkind and Herold are subtly demystifying the diet. Customers are asked whether they want cream or soymilk with their coffee. If a dish has dairy or eggs, they’re asked if they want alternatives.

The pair hopes their business can demonstrate not only other ways of eating but also other ways of making ends meet. Despite its novelty, WooDaddy is doing exceptionally well, even turning a profit, confirming the owners’ steadfast belief: you can make money without compromising your values. They hope to expand someday with their own food truck. No matter what, the two will always be dedicated to making ethical food affordable.

“SLO [Sustainable, Local, Organic] food is expensive,” Zalkind says. “If we did that completely we might have to get shi-shi uniforms.” And where’s the fun in that?
WooDaddy Waffles @ Moynihan’s Bar
897 Main Street, Worcester
woodaddywaffles.com

WooDaddy needs local artists to help produce a zine.
Contact zali@bsdcoop.net for more information.

Photos by Michael Potiker
Pictured: Zaliah Zalkind and Sarah Herold, owners, and Bananas Foster Waffles