The Harborvale is opening soon, with a complete rebrand including what you’re calling “a timeless American restaurant.” For people who are just hearing about it, or who knew Bleu, what can you tell us about what's being built, and what’s the first thing you hope people are going to notice about the new restaurant?

“It will be called The Harborvale hotel and restaurant…the restaurant won’t have a separate name. We're slated to open July 1st. I think we'll be getting Resy open for the restaurant a couple of weeks ahead of the official opening, so people can keep their eyes out for that.

“The first thing they'll notice for sure is the amazing lake view from the bar. We've relocated the bar from where it was in Bleu…the bar was facing the dining room, and we've moved it so now it's facing the lake, on the east wall. The middle of the lobby restaurant area is now one big open room. The whole concept is kind of grand lake house, where you’ve traveled to for many, many summers and winters and where you just have fond memories and spent many good times.

“It’s distinctly different from Hotel Vermont. Hotel Vermont is kind of our tribute to Vermont as a whole, whereas The Harborvale will be much more focused on the place that it is specifically…the lakeside. Some rooms have the best sunset views in the world. You can't really get the experience anywhere else. So we really want to capitalize on that.”

In all of the years that you’ve been in Burlington and watched the dining scene evolve, what are some of the biggest changes you've seen, and what really excites you?

“The biggest change that I’ve seen is the use of local ingredients becoming such a norm. You can't go to a place that doesn't use local ingredients anymore. The thing that's exciting about that is it really gives the opportunity for younger producers and farmers and artisans to get out there and try things that they might not have been able to do 20 years ago…whether that be specialty herbs, pottery, or cheese. There's just such a diverse market for small, local products now.”

When it comes to running a restaurant that’s in a hotel, there must be differences from those that are not. Is there something you feel people misunderstand about running a hotel restaurant, and what skills do your chefs need that might surprise people?

“I’m not sure whether it’s a misunderstanding…but the people who come to work from independent restaurants sometimes have a hard time adjusting to the fact that we never really close. We stop serving dinner at 9 or 10, depending on the day, but we don't actually close. And if the guests need something, we're going to do our best to get it to them, no matter what time it is. That's part of being a good host and hospitality professional…meeting your guests where they are, and with what they want, is just the most important thing that we can do.

“The biggest skill that I think chefs need is just the ability to organize a hundred things at once. Cooking skills are all very important, but there's a lot more to it than that. Like today, I've got a hundred packs of new dishware that we're opening, I had three different meetings about different aspects of the opening. We're hiring, interviewing…all that stuff, all simultaneously. So it's a lot to juggle.”

Bonus Question: If you had a day to eat your way around Vermont, where would you go?

“Right now, I would love to make it to Manchester. The Crooked Ram, I hear great things about…there's just a whole handful of places down there. It's a corner of the state I never get to, because it's just not on the way when I'm going somewhere else. Eventually I'm going to make a trip to go there and stay there.”