Edible Food Finds: Oat Shop, Somerville
Photo by Michael Piazza
“Oatmeal is so underappreciated,” says Alan Donovan, whose passion for healthy eating inspired him to leave his job as a financial analyst and start a food business. Now customers can grab a quick meal at his Oat Shop in Somerville’s Davis Square.
Bowls of steaming steel-cut oats are blended with sweet or savory ingredients to create Oat Shop’s signature or custom-made bowls. For savory, there is the Great Greens bowl: oats mixed with herb pesto then scattered with avocado, kale chips and pumpkin seeds; or the Sriracha Fried Egg bowl: cashew butter, soy sauce and sriracha sauce folded into oats then topped with a fried egg. Donovan uses local apples to make his own applesauce for the sweet Apple Pie bowl and tops oats with toasted coconut, slivered almonds and chocolate coconut sauce to create Almond Joy. For customers yearning for a more traditional bowl of oatmeal, there is The OG: brown sugar folded into oats with steamed milk and maple syrup.
Donovan provides a variety of mix-ins and toppings for customers to create their own bowl and offers seasonal and local ingredients when possible. All oats can be substituted with certified gluten-free oats, and all baked goods are made gluten free. He uses steel-cut oats because they hold up and maintain texture. “They are not your grandmother’s gloppy oats,” he says.
Besides serving the local community, Oat Shop offers catering for businesses in downtown Boston and Kendall Square.
This story appeared in the Spring 2019 issue.
