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Henry Bousquet
Candidate for Councilor at Large
A Passion
for New Bedford!
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About Henry
Personal:
Born at St. Luke’s Hospital in 1976, Henry
is a native of New Bedford, Massachusetts.
He attended Saint Anthony’s Elementary
School and the Greater New Bedford Regional
Vocational Technical High School. In 1998 he
graduated from Bristol Community College
with an Associate’s Degree in
Communications. In addition, Henry holds a
Culinary Educator Certificate from the
Massachusetts Department of Education. He is
currently taking courses at Fitchburg State
College pursuant to a Baccalaureate Degree
in Occupational Education.
Henry comes from a long line of city
employees. His father spent many years
working for the Solid Waste Department. His
mother, who passed away when Henry was only
ten years old, worked as a clerk in the
Department of Public Works until illness
forced her retirement. His grandfather
worked for the Department of Public Works as
a skilled laborer, setting curbstones on
many of our city streets. His uncle worked
for the Cemetery Department. Just recently,
his aunt retired from the School Department
where she held the position of school lunch
supervisor.
Henry and his wife Theresa (Tee) have been
married for six years. They have two
charming children: Phoebe (three years old)
and Payton (nine months old). They are
constantly working on their home, located in
the northwest end of New Bedford. The entire
family loves animals, laying claim to four
Chihuahuas: Harley, Rebel, Chopper, and
Triumph. In addition, Phoebe has her own
Beta fish named Sandy.
Professional:
Henry has worked in the restaurant industry
most of his professional life. Following his
graduation from Bristol Community College,
he spent two years in Orlando, Florida,
working for Walt Disney World Catering and
The Land at EPCOT. In 1999 he moved back
home to seek opportunities locally. In 2000
Henry purchased Four Corner’s Breakfast and
Catering, located on Nauset Street in New
Bedford’s North End. The next two years saw
him build valuable small business experience
there as a successful restaurant owner and
operator. Seeking to broaden his culinary
skills, Henry sold his business in 2002 to
become Sous-Chef at Margarets Restaurant in
Fairhaven.
In 2003 Henry and Tee purchased the
Cobblestone Restaurant, located on Sixth
Street in the historic downtown section of
New Bedford. They dramatically raised the
public perception of the restaurant, earning
many and varied accolades including
“SouthCoast Favorite” two years running and
Cape Cod Life Magazine Editor’s Pick for
Best Breakfast Place. In addition, Henry and
the restaurant were often featured in the
Standard-Times for their new and innovative
menus, culminating with the monthly Fusion
Night dinners which enabled Henry to
introduce new worlds to the New Bedford
dining public. Often noted as well were
Henry’s community service efforts and
contributions to local charitable endeavors.
Recently Henry experienced a career
highlight as a chef when he prepared and
hosted a luncheon for Massachusetts Senator
John Kerry and the SouthCoast Democratic
delegation at the restaurant.
In June 2007, Henry and Tee made the
difficult choice to sell Cobblestone. This
decision will allow Henry to continue his
professional growth in pursuit of his real
passion: teaching and sharing his enthusiasm
for food and the food service industry.
Building on his teaching experiences over
the last several years, this September Henry
will take a full time position at GNB
Voc-Tech as an instructor in the Culinary
Arts Department.
In addition to everything else, Henry also
authors the “Discover Downtown” column in
the Weekly Compass. He also contributes food
articles to
NewBedford360.com.
Volunteer:
Henry has always had a passion for public
service. As a child he enjoyed the Boy
Scouts, believing strongly in the community
and life lessons fostered by that worthwhile
and timeless organization. Those lessons
struck a deep chord, and continue to shape
Henry’s personal and professional
commitments to this day. As a small business
owner he jumped wholeheartedly into New
Bedford’s non-profit volunteer scene,
donating time, gift certificates and
services in support of downtown businesses.
With other like-minded individuals Henry led
the formation of the Downtown Marketing
Collaborative, an effort to organize
downtown retail businesses behind a series
of cooperative public relations and
advertising programs.
As the DMC initiative was moving forward,
Downtown New Bedford, Inc. was approaching a
critical transitional period. In the greater
interest of New Bedford businesses and at
the request of DNB, Inc. Henry chose to
place DMC on hold while he took a seat on
the DNB, Inc. Board of Directors. He was an
integral member of the team that organized
the New Bedford Seaport Chowder Festival,
which exceeded all expectations by
attracting more than 3,000 people. As Chair
of an extremely dedicated Parking Committee,
Henry led the effort to convince the
Zeiterion Garage to offer a reduced daily
rate for BCC and UMass students. During this
time he also helped to organize the Tourism
Summit for the City of New Bedford. This
meeting included 250 business and tourism
stakeholders representing a broad spectrum
of interests.
Henry is also a member of the Board of
Directors of the SMILES mentoring program.
He currently mentors a young man going into
his sophomore year of high school. “Being a
mentor to a child who is not your own only
takes one or two hours a week and could mean
the difference between a graduate and a
drop-out,” says Henry. “Besides, it’s
incredibly rewarding to watch the smile on
the face of a young person succeeding at
something they are enjoying, knowing in some
way you had a small part in that person’s
love and appreciation of school.” Henry
feels strongly that we can all contribute
meaningfully through this worthy program. An
hour and a half each week can make a life
changing difference to a young person
looking for a hand up. For more information,
contact Jim Mathes at
jmathes@smilesmentoring.org or visit
their website at
www.smilesmentoring.org.
Making a Difference:
Although he remains focused on family, on
helping to raise his two beautiful
daughters, and to enjoying time with his
wife Theresa, Henry is above all dedicated
to making a difference. He wants to give
back to New Bedford, the city of his youth,
the city he is proud to call home. As
Councilor at Large he will dedicate himself
to changing the course of our city, to
improving the morale of our citizens, and to
involving our youth in the political
process. As Councilor at Large he will be
our voice in government. Henry Bousquet,
Councilor at Large – bringing a new passion
to New Bedford! |
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