Our Story
Roughly 65 years ago, four ambitious brothers—Fern, Pauly Billy, Jorge, and their brothers—set out with a dream:
- To bring the freshest fruits and vegetables to the people of Boston. Two had just concluded service in the Navy, one in the Army, and the youngest was about to graduate high school. Raised in the South End of Boston, they shared a bold vision: to build a business in their own backyard. Pooling their resources, they purchased a truck and launched their enterprise on Morrissey Boulevard in Dorchester—a neighborhood not yet shadowed by the Boston Globe complex, nor hemmed in by Channel 56, UMass, or B.C. High School. From those modest beginnings, Lambert’s has endured and grown.
As the years passed, the business passed into the hands of the second generation
- Billy Danny, George, John, and Nino Lambert helped guide Lambert’s transformation from a neighborhood produce stand into a full-service market while continuing the values established by the founding generation. While fresh fruits and vegetables remained at the heart of the business, the family expanded Lambert’s offerings throughout the 1980s and 1990s to include a New York–style deli, an expansive salad bar capable of selling over 1,000 pounds of salad per day, soups, sandwiches, calzones, catering services, and a wide variety of grocery products both domestic and imported.
Over time, they also established full garden centers at each location
- With the Westwood facility becoming capable of delivering New England–processed mulch across much of Massachusetts. This expansion gave Lambert’s a dual role: both an everyday food market and a trusted neighborhood garden center.
Despite growth and modernization, Lambert’s has always remained deeply family operated
- Family members such as Billy Danny, George, John, and Nino continued to work directly within the day-to-day operations, ensuring that the company’s commitment to quality, service, and fair pricing remained unchanged. Founder George Sr. often reminded the family: “If you give someone more than they expect, they will always come back.” That principle—exceeding expectations—became the company’s definition of value.
In recent decades, Lambert’s has become a beloved local institution
- Frequently featured on local media programs such as Phantom Gourmet, which highlighted the stores’ deli, calzone station, and legendary salad bar.
Lambert’s commitment to the community remains steadfast
- Many longtime employees remained with the company through the years, building their lives alongside the business—buying homes, raising families, and becoming part of the Lambert’s story itself.
Now entering its third generation, Lambert’s mission remains unchanged
- To combine tradition, pride, quality, service, and value while continuing to exceed customer expectations. As the Lambert family proudly says, “Educated by tradition, driven by pride” is more than a motto—it is the foundation of how they live and do business.
Eat Fresh. Live Well.
At Lamberts, we bring you the best in fresh fruits and clean foods — every day.
About Lambert's Fruit —
A Family Business Built on Freshness
For over 65 years, Lambert's Fruit has served Greater Boston as a family-owned market with a single enduring promise: find the best, freshest produce available, charge a fair price, and give every customer more than they expect. Now in our third generation, that promise is unchanged.
Our Story — The Full Picture
The story above tells where Lambert's came from. Here's what it means — and why it still matters today.
The founding idea was simple: four brothers — Fern, Pauly, Billy, and Jorge — raised in Boston's South End, came home from military service (two from the Navy, one from the Army) with nothing but a shared conviction that the neighborhoods of Boston deserved better, fresher produce. They pooled their savings, bought a truck, and set up on Morrissey Boulevard in Dorchester before the Globe building, UMass, or B.C. High reshaped the landscape. From that truck, everything else followed.
The second generation — Billy Danny, George, John, and Nino Lambert — didn't inherit a business and coast. They built it into something far bigger: a New York–style deli, a salad bar serving over 1,000 pounds of salad per day, calzones, soups, catering, domestic and imported groceries, and full garden centers at both locations. The Westwood store grew capable of delivering New England–processed mulch across much of Massachusetts. None of it happened by accident — it happened because each generation stayed inside the business, working the floor, maintaining the standards, enforcing the values.
Now in its third generation, Lambert's carries all of that history forward with two thriving locations serving thousands of Greater Boston families every week. The produce is still the heart. The family is still in the building. The truck on Morrissey Boulevard became an institution — and it still feels like a neighborhood store.
"If you give someone more than they expect, they will always come back."— Founder George Lambert Sr.
Our Locations
Two Greater Boston stores — both restocked fresh every morning, both carrying the full Lambert's experience, both operated by the same family that started it all.
Westwood, MA
Serving: Westwood · Norwood · Dedham · Walpole · Canton · Medfield and surrounding towns
Dorchester, MA — The Original
Serving: Dorchester · South Boston · Roxbury · Milton · Quincy and surrounding neighborhoods
Our Values
Three generations. One standard. These aren't marketing lines — they're the operating principles the Lambert family has lived and worked by since the first truck rolled onto Morrissey Boulevard.
Fresh Ingredients Only
No artificial additives, no powders, no shortcuts. Everything we sell and every dish we make in our kitchen starts with real, whole ingredients — the same rule since the founding brothers bought their first truck.
Community-First Mindset
Lambert's was built in Dorchester, for Dorchester — and then for Westwood. Community isn't something we adopted as a brand value; it's where we came from. Our longest-tenured employees have built their lives here alongside the business.
Local Sourcing When Possible
When New England farms are growing, we're buying from them. Local produce means a shorter path from field to shelf, peak-freshness for our customers, and direct support for the regional growers who feed this part of the country.
Affordable, Accessible Healthy Food
The founding brothers believed fresh, healthy food should reach everyone — not just those who can afford a premium market. Competitive pricing has been a core commitment since day one, and it hasn't changed under any generation.
Exceeding Expectations
George Lambert Sr. said it clearly: "If you give someone more than they expect, they will always come back." That definition of value — more than expected, every time — has guided three generations of the Lambert family.
Family-Operated Quality Control
Lambert family members have always worked inside the business, not just above it. That hands-on presence means the quality standards are personal, the customer relationships are real, and the commitment to the community is lived — not delegated.
As Seen On
Lambert's Fruit has been recognized by Greater Boston's most trusted media — independent third-party confirmation of the quality and character our customers have known for decades.
Phantom Gourmet
New England's most-watched local food program featured Lambert's for its legendary deli, calzone station, and famous salad bar — introducing Lambert's to a new generation of Greater Boston food lovers.
Visit Phantom Gourmet →Chronicle — WCVB Channel 5
New England's longest-running local magazine show covered Lambert's as part of Greater Boston's community fabric — a story of family tradition, enduring quality, and neighborhood pride spanning generations.
Visit Chronicle →WBZ TV — CBS Boston
WBZ TV, Greater Boston's trusted CBS affiliate, has featured Lambert's Fruit as a community-minded local institution serving South Shore families and Boston neighborhoods for over six decades.
Visit WBZ TV →Community Involvement
Lambert's has always given back to the communities that gave it a place to grow.
From the beginning, Lambert's understood that a business is only as strong as the community around it. The founding brothers built their first market in Dorchester because that was their neighborhood — and that sense of belonging and responsibility has carried through every generation. Many longtime employees have built their entire careers and family lives alongside the business, becoming part of the Lambert's story themselves.
Today, Lambert's actively supports local schools, youth organizations, sports teams, and nonprofits across Greater Boston through formal donation partnerships. If your organization is planning a fundraiser or community event, we encourage you to reach out through our donation process.
- Donation support for local schools and PTA events
- Support for youth sports teams and athletic programs
- Partnerships with local nonprofits and neighborhood organizations
- Decades of loyal employment — many staff members who built careers and families at Lambert's
- Deep community roots in both Westwood and Dorchester
Come See What 65 Years of Freshness Looks Like
Both locations are open daily. Browse the produce, grab a sandwich from the deli, pick up a catering order — and see for yourself why three generations of Greater Boston families keep coming back.
