Joanne Passing on Ownership of Elm Street Luncheonette

Evelyn Szelest and Joanne Longton on their last day at the Elm Street Luncheon. Longton joked that Szelest 'came with the place.'

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Joanne Longton's been behind the counter at her Elm Street diner for nearly a half century. But not after Monday. 

She's handing over her spatula and heading to retirement after 48 years. 

Joanne's Elm Street Luncheonette will be under new ownership but she expects it will stay much the same as the hometown eatery that has fed many Pittsfield residents from childhood to adulthood. 

Longton announced the news of her retirement over Facebook on Friday. 

"After 48 years in business, it's time for me to lay down my spatulas and enjoy life. It's been an amazing journey, I've made great friends during my time here and will never forget you all," the post read. 

"So many amazing memories. Please stop in to say hi and share a story." 

And apparently, a lot of people have been in to say goodbye to Longton and waitress Evelyn, her longtime "best employee ever," who's also retiring. 

Their last day of work will be on Monday before an employee, whom she declined to identify, takes over the operation. She said the only change is that diner will now be open on Sundays. 

Longton said she wasn't open on Sundays because it is traditionally a day of rest and family. 

She bought the Elm Street Luncheonette in 1974, adding her name later, and filling it with hundreds of photos of her customers over the decades. 

When asked what she will miss the most, she pointed to the nearly 50 years of returning and new customers. 

"It's very hard. It's not easy for me to do it but I need to do it.  It's time," Longton said. "It's been an amazing experience." 

Joanne's Elm Street Luncheonette, located at 123 Elm St., is currently open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays and 6 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays. 

Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires Honors Leaders, Volunteers

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
09:07AM / Sunday, May 24, 2026

Liana Toscanini presented the Founder's Choice Award to Smitty Pignatelli for his years of support as state representative. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires held its ninth annual nonprofit awards last week honoring the contributions of those who have helped the community in their own way.

 

The gathering at the Country Club in Pittsfield on Tuesday included the introduction of new nonprofit Executive Director Samantha Anderson, who steps in for retiring founder and director Liana Toscanini. State Reps. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, John Barrett III and Leigh Davis attended the event.

 

Toscanini, who created NPC in 2016, was honored at the conclusion of the evening to mark her decade leading the organization. 

 

"Founders don't just lead organizations, they are the organization in the deepest sense," said NPC Board President Emily Schiavoni. "Their relationships, their instincts, their fingerprints are on everything, and when someone has poured a decade of herself into building something from the ground up, the act of stepping back is not a simple handoff, it's an act of extraordinary trust and courage that brings me to what Leanna actually built." 

 

NPC became something of a chamber of commerce for nonprofits under Toscanini's guidance, creating a hub of support for leadership and networking for the small and large nonprofits that fuel much of the activity within the Berkshires. 

 

She developed more than two dozen programs, including Get on Board, which helps connect community members with nonprofit boards, and a giving-back guide, volunteer fairs, and a resource directory.

 

Schiavoni described Toscanini as a great mentor who has had a big impact in strengthening local nonprofits.