Each week, we feature three quick questions with someone bringing something creative, thoughtful, or downright fascinating to the food and wine scene here in Vermont and beyond.

You’ve been around Burlington hospitality for a long time, back to the days of the Chickenbone. How much of what you loved back then is still keeping you going today…and what’s changed, both in the business and in the dining crowd itself?

“Obviously, a lot has changed. I mean, our whole society has changed … it’s been almost 50 years, right? But at the core, what I enjoy, and what we do, is hospitality and service. The most basic thing for humans is food and drink and interacting socially.

“What I love is that interaction with my customers. I love the staff I have…people I genuinely enjoy working with every day. I’m with them more than I’m with my wife — God bless my wife! — but that’s the reality. It’s the hospitality, the service, and getting back to the basics. And I think our industry has lost a little of that attention to hospitality and service…that real attention to detail. I want guests to feel that.

“At the same time, guests have changed. They’re more educated. Between the Food Network, social media, TikTok, whatever it is…people are more informed about what they’re eating and drinking, and what they’re looking for. Everything is always evolving, and my staff — many of whom are much smarter than I am — helps me evolve and adapt so we can meet those expectations.”

You’ve been through all the seasons…the ups, downs and changes. What keeps you excited after all these years? What’s the next thing coming up, whether that’s here, or whether that’s for you personally?

“There are always projects and opportunities. We go through them organically. I’m not going to say exactly what we’re thinking about, but there are opportunities. My staff needs to grow, and I always want to push and grow. It just has to be within the limits of today’s economic reality.

“What keeps me excited is this: I get to do this every day. I get to interact with my friends and associates — my employees — and I get to interact with our guests, to socialize while I work, in the right way. I’ve always enjoyed that.

“We have to remember what restaurants and bars used to be. They were places where communities came together, exchanged ideas, helped one another out. It’s that — I hate to use the word — that “Cheers” effect. But it’s true. That sense of interaction, that energy, that’s always been my life. And it’s kept me going. I still look forward to it.”

When you walk into a restaurant, what’s the first thing you notice that tells you whether it’s a well-run place?

“I’ll keep it very simple: it’s the greeting I get when I walk through the door. That sets the tone right away.

“After that, service is everything. Things can go wrong — they always do — but how the front of the house and the server handle those moments tells you whether they really understand the business. I actually enjoy observing that.”

Bonus: If you could spend one night back at the original Chickenbone, knowing what you know today, what would you tell yourself…or do differently?

“I have to be very honest: I wouldn’t do anything differently. I have no regrets. I’m a very fortunate individual … and I wouldn’t change a thing!”