MARLBOROUGH – If it was Christmas or Thanksgiving or just a special occasion, Marlborough families would get their turkey at Mello-Lane Turkey Farm. Children loved to accompany their parents to the farm to pick up the bird so they could see the turkeys gobbling in the pen outside the barn. If the kids yelled “gobble gobble” into the pen the turkeys would gobble back. At its peak the farm sold over 4,000 turkeys a year, along with stuffing, pies and other trimmings. During the holiday season the farm parking lot would be so busy, they sometimes had to hire a policeman.
The 138-acre farm, located on Stow Road, was purchased by the Mello family in 1942.
Originally, they kept cows and horses and operated a riding school. The farm, built in 1832, still has the original posts and beams in the barn area. Although George Mello was born in the United States, his family emigrated from Portugal. He was a trumpet player who played at Moseley’s on the Charles. Then in 1943 his grandmother gave him a dozen turkeys for his farm. It was during the war and turkeys were a prime product. What seemed to be a small business during wartime grew into a large turkey business with three generations of Mellos running it. George, his wife, Louise, his daughter, Judy, his son Dave and his wife ran the business along with the grandchildren. George continued on with his music playing but his son worked full time on the farm.
The farm would sell 1,000 cooked turkeys and 1,200 fresh turkeys for Thanksgiving feasts alone. What didn’t sell at Thanksgiving or Christmas time was frozen and sold during the rest of the year. The farm enlarged its country store to sell pies and cooked turkey meat. The pies were made with freshly picked berries. Squash, jellies, relishes and a variety of other old-fashioned items were also available. The Mellos relied on their own garden for many of the cooking ingredients. The business had first started out selling turkeys only on the holidays but grew into a fulltime business with the expansion of the country store, apple growing and a pick-your-own strawberries section of the farm.
The community of Marlborough not only enjoyed the fine food here but they were interested in the farm and how it was run. There were many field trips from the local schools to see the turkeys and to educate the students on how the farm was operated.
The raising of the turkeys began in March and they were ready for summer roasting and the turkeys that began in May were ready for Thanksgiving and the July birds were ready for Christmas.
In 1966 David took over the business completely when his father George retired. In 1978 Dan Mauro was hired to help out with the business. He helped to add delivery service and catering to the operation. In years to come Dan Mauro started Buffet Way catering out of Mello Lane. In approximately 1995, David decided to close the turkey farm. Dan Mauro took Buffet Way to another location and he continues to operate his business today. The closing of the turkey farm was the end of an era for Marlborough, but the community will always remember getting their holiday dinners at Mello-Lane.
