Barbara Lynch: Food Fighter – Boston magazine – Barbara Lynch profile – Menton Boston – Fort Point Channel

By Benjamin Wallace | Boston Magazine |

By just after 9 on an overcast Thursday morning in November, a motley platoon of exercisers—men and women, twentysomething and middle-aged, svelte and not—was already doing jumping jacks, jogging sideways, and punching the air at Peter Welch’s F-15 gym in South Boston when Barbara Lynch walked in. The chef and business mind behind No. 9 Park, Sportello, and several more of the city’s most celebrated restaurants had stayed up until 1:30 the night before, for a wine-and-martini-fueled event, and was irritated at being a bit late for her hour-and-a-half workout.

She fell quickly into the routine, a relentless mix of cardio, core, and bag-punching that soon had her winded and sweating. During a one-minute break, a middle-aged guy in a baseball cap named Norton started needling her. He accused her of spraying fake sweat on herself to make it look like she was working hard; he told her she couldn’t stay on her feet in the ring. "That’s why we call her canvas-back," he said.

"What’s that, muffin-top?" Lynch said, giving him the finger.

Lynch knows Norton from having grown up in the projects, which is also how she knows Welch, the boxing trainer for the reality show The Ultimate Fighter. As the class continued, so did Norton’s trash talk. "We also call her A.T.," he said, as in "All Talk." Lynch was on her back now, about to do leg lifts. From the mat, she flipped him a double bird.

  • jeanne

    Hope I got your attention….read this piece and felt a lot of emotions…..mostly pride. I also got a dose of surprise…..always, always thought Beth, who I knew from the courts (the wall), devine way, the andrew, the o’reilly, the gavin, the tynan, was the youngest Lynch. then i read this review and said to myself, “are you kidding me, who the hell is Barbara?” I was around when whitey would drive by the courts in his caddie throwing candy so i do get it. in fact, i was just recalling the serious and sad conversation among neighbors as we made our way past your house after your dad passed, and how concerned people were thinking how your mom would get by with all you kids to take care of. I looked across at your house and to me, a kid, I wondered how could everything change so much but yet look the same? Sort of like us when we grow up, hu
    ? At the time it was very disconcerting, very scary. I was just a kid. I think a week or two later Beth and I pooled our money and boug

  • j

    my previous comment was much too long….i’ll just end with best wishes for your continued success!

  • Dara

    At Women Chefs Conference chefs were asked Why Food, Chef Lynch is the last and sums it all up http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-277-Baltimore-Dining-Examiner~y2009m11d7-Why-food-Women-chefs-and-restauratuers-answer-the-question

  • Dara
  • Brian

    I have been following your success, what you are doing is good for the city of Boston. Keep up the good work. I love the publicity you are getting. Don’t forget to duck when you see one coming! Good luck to you. The next time I come down from the mountains of New Hampshire, I’ll stop by.