Fairhaven Restaurant Chosen to Feed Hollywood Cast During ‘Finestkind’ Filming

Imagine having a Hollywood location manager walk into your restaurant and ask if you'll cook for their cast.

That's exactly what happened to Monica Mendonca.

When the Acushnet native opened Little Village Cafe, 23 Center St. in Fairhaven, she never in a million years would have guessed that she'd be cooking for the cast of Finestkind, a film from New Bedford native and Academy Award winner Brian Helgeland, set to film in the SouthCoast this spring.

Cafe Was 'the Place to Ask'

On Tuesday, April 5, around 1 p.m., a man by the name of John Whoriskey Jr. walked through the doors of Mendonca's restaurant and asked to speak to the owner.

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"I just so happened to be upfront and was told that he was looking for someone to feed his crew," Mendonca said. "He needed breakfast for April 20 and 21 and wanted to support local. He heard from a few townies that Little Village Cafe was the place to ask and next thing you know, I'm honored with cooking for them."

Whoriskey, a Rochester native, requested trays of bacon, eggs, home fries and toast, and specifically asked for a SouthCoast staple for his crew to try: linguica.

"To be more specific, he requested linguica links," Mendonca said.

'Finestkind' Puts Spotlight on SouthCoast

In the New Bedford-based Finestkind, "two brothers are pulled into a deal with an organized crime syndicate in Boston," according to the description on IMDb.

The Paramount+ production, featuring Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Foster, Jenna Ortega and Toby Wallace, recently announced several possible filming locations in Fairhaven.

Jake Gyllenhaal, rumored earlier to be a part of the project, has not been confirmed.

Exciting Year in Business

Since opening in May 2021, Little Village Cafe, a quaint breakfast and lunch spot, has been doing "really well," busier than expected.

"I'm excited," Mendonca said of the new Hollywood connection. "It's nerve-wracking, but I'm really excited and I hope they like my cooking. As a bonus, I make my own cacoila, so I'm going to add in an extra tray on the house with a little note to describe what it is."

Little Village Cafe is open daily, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Be sure to keep an eye out in a couple of weeks as Mendonca puts her skills to the test.