Owners Mary Catherine Deibel & Deborah Hughes

			Both Mary-Catherine and Deborah, as owners and operators of UpStairs on the Square, embody the welcoming spirit of warmth and hospitality that is the hallmark of UpStairs on the Square. You will find us mostly at the door and in and out of the dining rooms as we make sure that you are having a wonderful time in our restaurant, just as if you were at a dinner party we were hosting. We have been friends for 35 years, and love running our restaurant together, as we did UpStairs at the Pudding before we opened UpStairs on the Square.

Mary-Catherine defines her most important role at UpStairs on the Square as greeting and supervising the good time of our guests. She has also loved her role over the years hosting wedding receptions and personal events--and has appeared on numerous panels and in local publications about that subject. We are committed to continuing this nuptial tradition at UpStairs on the Square as we help future generations to marry elegantly in Harvard Square.

Mary-Catherine is active in the Cambridge community--as a member of the boards of the Cambridge Office for Tourism and of the Harvard Square Business Association. In 1997, she received the Convention Bureau's "Spirit of Hospitality" Special Recognition Award. She is a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier, the Women's Culinary Guild and Women Chefs and Restaurateurs. She is on the board of Community Servings, The Harvard Square Business Association and the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau. In 2002, she was, along with Deborah, presented with the Burt Miller Classic Citizens’ Award, awarded by the Spinazzola Foundation.

In 2007, Mary-Catherine and Deborah each received the Carl Barron Business Person of the Year,  presented by the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce at their annual Excellence in Business Awards.

Mary-Catherine lives in Arlington with her husband Reid Fleming, whom she met playing tournament croquet when, as 7-time North American Champion, he taught her how to do a killer stop shot.

Deborah has always had her heart in the restaurant world, ever since she left Cornell on 1970 on the back of a motorcycle, and never looked back. Deborah and Mary-Catherine met at Peasant Stock in the early seventies, where Deborah cooked and was the dishwasher extraordinaire. Her influence is everywhere at UpStairs, from the food to the finances to the care of the premises she designed.

Deborah is well-known as the designer of UpStairs on the Square, has garnered numerous articles and kudos in local and national press for the restaurant’s exuberant and original design. She has also been written up over the years for the interior design of her residences, of UpStairs at the Pudding, and of numerous design projects she has spearheaded for the food world and beyond.

As a chef, Deborah has won numerous awards through the years, including "Best Female Chef" in Boston from TV Food Network in 1996. With Mary-Catherine was awarded the Burt Miller Classic Citizens’ Award presented by the Spinazzola Foundation at their gala in February of 2002.

Deborah enjoys renovating and gardening at her Civil War era home in Somerville.

Steven Brand, Executive Chef

Steven Brand grew up in Marblehead MA and has, over his career as a cook, worked in many restaurants in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York, including Empire and XO in Providence and Yumcha, Veritas  and Jean Georges in New York. Most recently, he spent two years as sous chef to Jean Georges Vongerichten in his flagship restaurant, Jean Georges in Manhattan. Brand graduated from Johnson & Wales with an A.S. degree in Culinary Arts and a B.S. in Entrepreneurial Management.
 
Chef Brand has made many food pilgrimages to Europe to taste and to cook. In 2001, Brand cooked for Chef Dominique Michou in his one-star Michelin rated restaurant, L’Albon Chambon in Brussels, Belgium.  In 2003, Chef Brand earned a Master in German Wine degree from Deutchewine and Sommelier School in Koblenz Germany, culminating in a lengthy winery tour of France, Switzerland and Germany. Most recently, he worked a several week stage in the kitchen of acclaimed chef and cookbook author Michel Bras at his eponymous Michelin three-star restaurant in the summers of 2006 and 2007. In March of 2008, he has scheduled a trip to Southeast Asia, where he will be doing some cooking demonstrations for his alma mater Johnson & Wales in Bangkok.

Chef Brand has written the menus and run the kitchen at UpStairs on the Square since 2005, where he continues the restaurant’s philosophy of featuring the best seasonal ingredients in creating beautiful, simple and artisanal dishes.

Matthew Lishansky, Director of Operations

Matthew is the person in charge of making sure the trains run on time at UpStairs, and he will most likely be the person greeting and seating you many nights. His hospitality skills are legion, and his enthusiasm is contagious.

Along that line, Matt tells us that many of his friends have heralded him as the male Rose from The Golden Girls. His “St. Olaf” is Oneonta, New York. His stories come from his unfailing knack for meeting fascinating people as he travels the world. His humor and improvisational prowess are credited to his belief that “everyone has a good story or two. It’s all about the delivery.”

Matthew moved to Boston in 2001 where he attended Northeastern University, graduating with a degree in International Business, Spanish, and Marketing. His  interrogative nature has been cultivated through his prior work as a corporate recruiter for L’Oréal Spain where he lived for two years. You might have seen him clowning around Boston and New York with his pals from NU + Improv’d, a short form improvisational comedy troupe he is a proud lifetime member of.

As Director of Operations, Matthew works to uphold UpStairs’ long-standing and high standard of unfailing hospitality. Smiling and accommodating, he works those stairs, always at the ready to inspire to his UpStairs staff to excellence. 

Matthew Paul Reiser, Manager of the Soirée Dining Room and Wine Director

Matt has worn many a hat throughout his long-time involvement with UpStairs at the Pudding and UpStairs on the Square. His roles as a Server, Maître Fromager and Private Events Manager have readied him for his current positions.

Fresh from Ripon College, where he majored in Advertising, Public Relations and Mass Communications and was a member of the Pi Kappa Delta honorary speaking fraternity for public address (never at a loss for words). In 1999, he ventured out to Boston.   Reiser joined the UpStairs family shortly thereafter, after literally falling on our doorstep: lost and wandering aimlessly in Harvard Square, he couldn’t help but notice our zany crocodile logo, so he ascended the stairs and a synergistic match was immediately made.

Matt's philosophy on wine is simple--never judge a wine by its packaging (unless it is Piper-Heidsieck Champagne as dressed by Jean-Paul Gaultier- as lovely as it is DeLish!)  Always trust your palate.  Drink your oaken, buttery California wines with pride. Never let a wine guy push you around.  And last but not least: screw caps are here to stay, so embrace them.  His love for New World wines is evident in a list that is as well-balanced as the wine it offers up.

In his spare time, value-conscious Reiser can be found searching the bins and racks of discount stores for that bang-for-your-buck factor, which inevitably influences his wine purchases for the restaurant.

Augusto Lino

Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil (did you ever notice how authentic your caipirinhas taste?), UpStairs Bar Manager Lino first stepped behind a bar in Manhattan and soon realized he was hooked. Under the tutelage of Flavien Desoblin at the Brandy Library, he was tutored in the art of pre-prohibition cocktails, the traditional craft of mixology, and a style of service that was born in the golden age of cocktails and grand bars.
 
Lino has worked at UpStairs since September 2005, and learned to blend the traditions and service tips he brought from New York with the user-friendly, slightly less formal style found in Cambridge. His philosophy is to never let fancy bar-speak get in the way of your good time (but should you wonder what the difference between a French 75 and a French 76 is, Lino has made sure that UpStairs’ bartenders can help you out).
 
Lino, truly a bar chef, is well-known for his hand-crafted libations that use infusions and potions he blends, squeezes and creates every week from the bounty of our kitchen. His original cocktails have been featured in numerous publications, (such as Boston Magazine, The Weekly Dig, Stuff @ Night, The Improper Bostonian and The Boston Globe,) and feature bold flavors that match the distinctive decor and cuisine of UpStairs on the Square.

Managers

Sheila Smith has been a manager for five years at the UpStairs at the Pudding before she joined the team at UpStairs on the Square; her first love is the Monday Club Bar. She is surrogate mom for the Krokodiloes, loves kids, and has a ready smile for Sunday brunchers.

Lovely Marcilia Loubach, known to all as Marci, takes the helm at lunch and got her start as a mere teenager as a host at the Pudding. She now does all the scheduling at UpStairs on the Square in addition to her managing shifts.

Eliza Brown

Eliza Brown joined the UpStairs team in June of 2007. For the two years previous to assuming the reins of Private Event Coordinator here, Eliza ran a successful wedding consulting business. She has also worked in the catering business, planning and executing events. When not at the restaurant, Eliza enjoys planning events for non-profit organizations, trying new restaurants and entertaining at home.
 
Outgoing, extremely friendly, and always at the ready to help any host or hostess, Eliza prides herself on helping put together every detail for perfect private celebration at UpStairs on the Square, be it a wedding, shower, birthday party or corporate dinner.

Dina Sonenshein

Dina Sonenshein was our pastry chef at UpStairs at the Pudding and transitioned to our financial manager in this restaurant in 2003. She keeps all those numbers straight for us and for you, and is happy to answer any questions any time about your bill! Dina, who has been part of the UpStairs team for more than 9 years, enjoys reading, cooking and renovating in her Davis Square condo.