Al Thomas began in restaurants at the ‘bottom of the bottom’ — “I was so low on the food chain I had to work up to becoming a dishwasher.” As a boy, he couldn’t wait to launch himself into restaurants. He got his feet wet at age 13 working in a seafood store and mini market. “I loved it! I sold fish over the counter all summer.” At age 14, the budding entrepreneur was doing cleanup work at 48-year-old Sperry’s,…
Beneath a chandelier laced with faceted crystals reflecting a bygone age, a room is steeped in 1920s history, while fresh opportunity bubbles up for a female entrepreneur, so filled with optimism. Stacey Gibson, who co-owns Park Avenue Fine Wines of Portland, OR, with partner Neil Thompson, enjoys the rise of her career as sommelier-turned-business woman with enthusiasm and intensity “Wine, for me, evokes an image of beautiful vineyards, and late-night conversations over wine and meals,” Gibson says. “I just love…
Tom Jankovich looked out the window of his North Carolina restaurant concept and saw a line of cars heading his way. “All of a sudden, there they were!” Jankovich says. Coming from the mountainous Bannerelik region of his state, on word-of-mouth news that the longtime country club chef had opened his own restaurant, loyal fans and patrons found their way to the Painted Fish Café without so much as a billboard to lure them in. But nothing in Jankovich’s story…
“Tea is just wonderful!” says Melissa Oraibi. “We’ve found a way to infuse a modern flair to classical tea at the Wenham Tea House (Wenham, MA) and we’re appealing to a wide spectrum— young, crossover customers who come for our full lunch and dinner menus to these die-hard ladies who “like to do lunch, baby.” And many in between. As the world opens up to life-after-Covid, Melissa and her husband and chef Brenden Crocker are brimming with optimism. The new…
Along the banks of the Androscoggin River in Lewiston, Maine, where old brick mills once hummed, a new energy fills the air with a sense of possibility; of optimism. Though the historic town with deep French-Canadian roots does not yet “sizzle” with a thriving restaurant scene like Portland, Maine or Concord, N.H., restaurant partners Jules Patry and Craig Tribuno, principals in Davinci’s Eatery, a 20-year icon in Lewiston, are positively stoked about the future. “It’s been a tough slog to…
Soaking in the panorama of Manhattan from a roof-deck on the 38th floor of the Renaissance NY Chelsea Hotel in NYC, Sameer Qureshi and business partner Nathan Leong were a little confused. Peering down from the tallest building in the business-and-art district of West Chelsea, they felt a bit like Alice in Wonderland looking down the rabbit hole. What they had was a newly leased 5,500 square foot space 39th floor roof-deck with large swimming pool. And on the floor…
Were it possible to gather strong female figures like Amelia Earhart, Susan B. Anthony or Annie Oakley in one place at one time—there is a wine bar dedicated to strong women determined to “change the world and have a hell of a good time.” WineGirl Wines, with two locations in Washington —Lake Chelan and Leavenworth— is a winery and wine club founded by Angela Jacobs, a woman on a mission to honor strong women; all women. But of course, guys…
Just 9 days before The Pizza Dude/Holly Lanes of Fenton, Mich. was to go out of business — joining the ranks of establishments decimated by pandemic lockdown measures—Barstool Sports frontman Dave Portnoy swooped in for the save. The outspoken sports figure, whose podcasts and popular digital media company had typically focused its discussions on sports and pop culture, went all-in to create a national fundraiser for the nation’s struggling restaurants. And by chance, Brian Aubuchon, owner of The Pizza Dude…
When Boxerbrand’s blog catches up with Blaze Restaurant Group owner Matty Haskell, the visionary farm-to-table entrepreneur, he’s clad in work boots and surveying the land and animals on one of his working farms. So busy visiting his cattle and hog farms in Maine, Haskell misses a couple of phone interviews before sending a quick text: “I’m so sorry! I’m at the farm. Can we talk at 10 a.m., for real this time?” The Mainer is about as real as it…
The vision to create a grand, luxury-boutique hotel to nurture Carmel, Ind.’s vibrant performing arts and American music scene, was first glimpsed 25 years ago through the long lens of official planning. The goal was to help anchor the community’s future as an important arts and cultural destination. No detail to luxury or ties with the rich musical tradition went unfulfilled in the planning of Hotel Carmichael’s 114 guest rooms, eight suites, meeting rooms named and decorated for legendary artists…