Fried chicken and oysters might sound like an unusual pairing on paper. How did those two become the foundation of the restaurant?

“Well, it’s kind of interesting, because we ran Misery Loves Co. for a decade before opening Onion City, and those two things had always been on our menu…oysters and fried chicken. They were kind of the cornerstone. People could always count on them when they came into our space.

“At Misery, the menu changed every day. There were a lot of other things in between those two items that people really looked forward to, and it changed from moment to moment, very much with the micro-season.

“With Onion City Chicken and Oyster, we wanted to take that sentiment of those keystone items and use them as a guide to create a space people could always count on. It kind of created instant classics…a nod to nostalgia.

“It does seem a little strange…even my mom thinks it’s weird! But if you follow that trajectory with us, it does kind of make sense.

“And funny enough, we were traveling in North Carolina and found a restaurant doing fried chicken and oysters and thought, ‘See…it’s not so weird…someone else had the same idea!’”

When you made the transition with Misery from a restaurant into more of a market model, it must have been interesting to go from all of your own food to curating products made by others. How do you decide what earns a spot on your shelves?

“It all started with a bottle of sherry vinegar.

“During COVID, we were still open, doing take-home meals and sandwiches for people to pick up. And someone came in and said, ‘Hey, do you guys remember that salad you did and the dressing? I'm trying to make it at home. I feel like I'm missing an ingredient,’ And we were like, ‘Actually, it was this Cepa Vieja sherry vinegar.’ We had it in stock, so we gave them a bottle.

“That’s when we thought, ‘Well, that’s kind of cool.’ We realized people still wanted that caliber of eating and cooking, and maybe they’re just going to do it at home. So it sort of blossomed from there. We started with the things we use, in our kitchen at home as well as at the restaurant, and made sure those ingredients were on our shelves.

“There are so many amazing makers right now…we’ve opened up to all these different kinds of condiments, hot sauces…just very interesting stuff. And the nice thing is, as we’ve matured, we know we don’t have to do everything. There are people doing it really well, and it’s okay to champion those folks.

“The challenge is that our space is tiny at Misery. I can’t bring in everything I want…so the editing lens has to be really strong. Our community tells us what they want and need, and we also like sharing things we think are really cool, and opening people up to things they never expected.”

You’ve now owned businesses in Winooski for well over a decade, and the city has changed a lot during that time. What big changes have you seen, and where does it feel like it’s heading?

“It has changed a lot. And I always hear people who grew up here in the ’50s and ’60s talking about how much it’s changed from that. My first job was actually in Winooski…I worked in the Champlain Mill at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. So it’s really interesting to see it from that point!

“But even from when we first moved here…it’s been incredible to watch the businesses come in and the community grow. It feels more independent now. More like a neighborhood. And I think that’s something that’s always been true about Winooski…it has a strong neighborhood vibe.

“It’s no longer just a bedroom community for Burlington…it really is its own thing. People are choosing to come to Winooski because of its uniqueness and the things we have going on. People from surrounding towns and even out of state are starting to see Winooski as a destination.

“We’ve got our first hotel coming, and we’re excited about what that will bring to the town. The Main Street project finishing up, and we have the bridge project happening soon. Construction is an inevitable thing, but it’s building toward infrastructure and things that will support the city to be what it was meant to be…a really vibrant, diverse, nuanced, fun community.

“What’s interesting is it’s become the downtown for a lot of surrounding towns. There aren’t a lot of city centers or town centers, but we kind of have it all. So people from that end of Burlington and Essex and Colchester and Milton are coming here for the downtown vibe.”

Bonus: It’s always interesting when married partners are also business partners. Do you have any tips for making that work successfully? And what’s the best thing you’ve eaten lately?

“We try to say that when the sun goes down, if we’re home, we stop talking about work. Because it inevitably just bleeds into all aspects of our lives. And the personal life bleeds into the professional, too.

“We have a saying in our household: ‘Everything looks better in the light of day…except a dirty kitchen!’ So we try to put things to bed and revisit them in the morning. Otherwise, we can get stuck in an endless cycle…and Aaron and I can talk each other in and out of pretty much anything!

“It’s really about creating some boundaries, and giving yourself a little respite from the bustle and grind of restaurant life.

“We love to order from Aromas of India (in Williston), and it always delivers for us. We all love heat and spice, and this winter has been so long…the saag paneer and chili garlic naan have really kept us going. It’s not food we make at home, which makes it special. I probably don’t have the spice library to do it.

“It’s family-run, all vegetarian, and just delicious. Their spicing really tastes and feels like home cooking. And they deliver…which is a bonus with a busy schedule and a teenager. We’re always bustling around!”