Boxerbrand | Recipe for Success

Providence is a tough city to plant a hospitality flag in. Italian restaurants long ago conquered their turf on Rhode Island’s legendary Federal Hill. And funky, creative eateries hold positions throughout the city, where many chefs earned their culinary stripes at the nearby Johnson & Wales University. Yet, into the fray stepped restauranteurs determined to return the city to “grand hotel dining” enveloped in the glamorous Centro Restaurant and Lounge. Located up what is arguably the longest escalator in the…

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When Martin Amaya arrived in the United States from El Salvador in 1994, he started his restaurant career as a dishwasher. Subsisting on three hours of sleep every night, Amaya worked by day in a bakery, and at night in the demanding kitchen of former Hadley, Mass. restaurant Carmelina’s. “I was always on time and I was so hungry to learn,” Amaya says. “And Damien DiPaola (then-owner of Carmelina’s in Hadley, Mass.) saw something in me. And over time, he…

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In 2002, when Boston nightlife mogul Patrick Lyons decided to mix buffalo wontons, steak tips and creative cocktails with a fun pastime once relegated to beer-stained venues serving deep-fried foods, Kings Bowl America was born. “Patrick Lyons, our president and founder, was a nightlife mogul who founded a lot of nightclubs on Lansdowne Street before moving into the restaurant space with successes like Sonsie of Newbury,” says Doug Warner, vice president of marketing and business development for Kings Dining &…

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On a tract of old farmland not far from the Saratoga Race Course flourishes a venerable restaurant, which has passed its good name along to generations of owners and even the mother of a Kentucky Derby winning racehorse. The Wishing Well restaurant in Wilton, N.Y. first opened for business in 1936. Nearly 40 years later, Robert and Brenda Lee purchased the property and relaunched it in May 1968. In that time, the pair, and now their son Robert Lee, created…

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Matt Prince was 19 when he opened his first bar at Hofstra University. The Long Island lounge called Bogart’s became so popular that the hospitality maverick opened a second and third location before selling them in a succession of sweet deals, the last about 10 years ago. The idea at the time, back in 2007, was to pursue a new lounge venture with former NY Jets wide receiver Wayne Chrebet, and retire from the hospitality grind to raise his three…

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The call for help came at 1:30 a.m. in early October as longtime California winemaker Fred Peterson slumbered before daybreak, harvest time. The alarm was sounded as major wildfires that would destroy vineyards, homes and lives began hitting farms and wildlife sanctuaries 20 minutes from the Peterson Winery in Healdsburg. “We were in the middle of finishing our grape harvest when my father (the founder of Peterson Winery), who’s a volunteer on the fire department, got a call in the…

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Not far from the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown, Mass. begins a quiet revolution in neighborhood fare. With its rough-hewn accents of wood, and a bright red, wood-fire stove at its center, four veteran restauranteurs from Boston opened Monument Restaurant to bring comfort stables & family friendly hours to a neighborhood hungry for the basics, but with flair. “Every decision we made, from the menu to the look and feel of the place, was made for the neighborhood and community…

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As a schoolboy, Curtis Bashaw fell in love with his dormitory and its glorious history. The storied structure in Cape May, N.J., burned in the historic fire of 1878, was rebuilt, renamed The Virginia Hotel, and catapulted onto the society pages of numerous publications as the glamorous old girl played host to the rich and famous of the day. But by the time Bashaw roomed in his quarters at the once-glamorous spot, the 24-room venue had long ago fallen out…

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The Portsmouth Brewery is like a stage for general manager and self-described “hospitality lifer” Brennen Rumble. It’s a place that comes alive the second the doors open, or, as in Rumble’s imagination, the curtain goes up. Patrons are greeted with warmth and a smile, and soon find themselves transported from their daily cares in to a microbrewery that entertains—it even introduces its patrons to one another if they wish— and offers lively discussions, fun events, and daring and delicious brews….

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Deepak Gulrajani is a techie turned vintner; a Bombay, India native who worked passionately in the California tech space for years until the lure of the grape, and dreams of making a great pinot noir, took root. Exchanging his climate-controlled office for an arid piece of farmland in the Carneros area of California, Deepak began growing his own grapes in 2003 at his 31-acre Nicholson Ranch Winery. Utilizing an organic, dry-farming method that forces grapes to put down deeper roots…

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