Mattapan Square business owner with a penchant for food hopes to open Haitian restaurant

David Cange first started planning his Fritay Haitian restaurant a couple of years ago. Covid-19 forced a delay, but Cange went before the Boston Licensing Board today to seek a food-serving license at 532 River St. in Mattapan Square.

The board could vote tomorrow whether to grant the license. The Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services asked for a month's delay so that Cange can meet with the Edgewater Neighborhood Association to discuss its concerns over parking and trash.

Cange said he plans a mix of Haitian and American dishes, things such as rice and beans, salads and plantains, "some healthy, very good food."

Rev. Dieufort Fleurissaint, praised Cange and said his restaurant would be a good fit for Mattapan, which has a high percentage of Haitian-American residents.

Camillon Santomero, a local property manager and owner, urged the board to approve the license, calling Cange "a really good good, a really hard worker" whom everybody in Mattapan Square knows and respects.