Trisha Pérez Kennealy grew up sampling matzah ball soup and mofongo in equal parts at her family table. With a Puerto Rican father and a Jewish mother, Kennealy was raised in a warm household diverse in kindness and culinary traditions. That unique heritage has guided her from corporate finance guru to Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef and owner of Inn at Hastings Park in Lexington.
“I like to describe the Jewish culture as we came, we saw, we conquered, often against insurmountable odds, so now let’s celebrate and have a meal,” says Kennealy. “They’re not as different as they seem; both cultures are very family-oriented and very welcoming.”
The Inn at Hastings Park is a boutique luxury property in a historic building on Lexington’s Massachusetts Avenue. Blending a rich history with contemporary design and amenities, the property offers 22 guest rooms and suites, the Town Meeting Bistro, and the Culinary Garden featuring Whispering Angel. The property pays homage to Greater Boston’s rich history of innkeeping and its role in the American Revolution. But that history has been upgraded to include funky patterned wallpaper and luxury room amenities.
Though the pandemic closed the property for six months, it also allowed Kennealy to narrow in on her original vision of a culinary education program. During the shutdowns, she conducted virtual cooking classes for the local library and now offers a spectrum of courses at the Inn. Eager culinary students can spend a day, or a whole weekend, learning techniques from the master herself.
Kennealy attributes part of her love of hospitality to the welcoming nature of both her cultural backgrounds. Here in Lexington, she’s found a community that’s oriented the same way. “Brookline and Lexington are very similar,” she says. “This is an incredibly progressive community. There’s a strong inclination to take care of one another, to be innovative in the way we offer services. It’s totally in keeping with tradition.”
This inclination ties directly into the history of Inn at Hastings Park, which was a senior living facility for more than a century. The progressive institution operated like most contemporary senior living, but over a hundred years earlier. Seniors would live in the house, each with their own rooms and space, and would receive care services individually as needed. Even in its earlier incarnations, the property centered on love and cared for the community.
Invigorated by the new culinary education program, Kennealy works more now than she has in the past few years, sometimes spending 16-hour days on the property, energetically jumping from task to task. For her business, there is no project too small. You might find Kennealy changing light bulbs or working the reception desk as efficiently as teaching cooking classes or working with the executive chef on the Town Meeting Bistro menu.
Kennealy is ambitious and business-oriented, no question, but she believes that pleasure activities should be scheduled first and stuck to in order to put your best self into your work. In addition to enjoying her husband and three children, Kennealy’s pleasure takes her onto the dance floor. She’s a competitive ballroom dancer and travels all around the country, tapping sambas and waltzes onto hotel floors. “I grew up dancing. When I was younger, I did jazz tap and ballet,” says Kennealy. “I give a lot of time to it; it makes me happy.”
A busy and rich life like Kennealy’s is constantly evolving. But while sitting in the Town Meeting Bistro chatting with BrooklineHub, she radiated the joy and calm of a self-possessed woman who has found balance and satisfaction in her life.
In addition to running the Inn, Kennealy is working on a memoir telling the story of her journey to Hastings Park and the tale of two cultures that have fueled her hospitality passion. “I was really lucky to be brought up in a household where there’s that kind of diversity,” says Kennealy. “That pervades here because everyone is welcome, and everyone has a seat at the table.”
