Hospitality, #109

[Unidentified voice]:

When you think about here in our little part of Southern Maine, how many wonderful, wonderful restaurants we have and how many customers we have at those restaurants is always amazing. It's a wonderful business to be in. It's wonderful to listen to the customer feedback. There's nothing greater than when guests come in the kitchen and they say thank you, thank you. And the young kids hear that and really makes their day satisfying and worthwhile. And there's a goal there.

[Unidentified voice]:

What makes a really great experience is our staff and how they treat our people. We have over 40 people working for us. The way they work and their hard work and their commitment and their desire to make sure that all our guests individually have an amazing time. That makes it, in my opinion, that guests don't want to leave, that they want to stay because they feel so pampered and taken care of.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

This is Dr. Lisa Belisle and you are listening to the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour and podcast show number 109, Hospitality, airing for the first time on Sunday, October 13, 2013. Today's guests include Jonathan Cartwright, executive chef with the White Barn Inn, and Raymond Brynjansky, co owner at the Camden Harbour Inn. Autumn has arrived and with it the Leaf Peepers. Leaf Peepers are a wonderful class of tourists who enjoy traveling to northern climes in search of brilliant fall foliage. Maine, home to thousands of acres of deciduous trees, offers a special treat to those who would peep at leaves. Maine is a special place to visit for much of the year and those who offer hospitality to our visitors are in large part responsible for this fact. I've had my share of experience offering hospitality to Maine visitors. As a high school student, I manned the counters at various Freeport retail establishments and waitressed at the now defunct Down East Village restaurant in my hometown. Later I became an in state visitor and have had memorable moments at many fine main eateries and hotels. It feels good to take care of people and to be cared for by others. These experiences offer a unique type of healing from which we might all benefit. Executive chef Jonathan Cartwright of the White Barn Inn and Camden Harbor Inn co owner Raymond Brunyansky can attest to this. They have delivered healing hospitality to thousands of Maine visitors and locals. Though people may come to the state for our autumn leaves and beautiful vistas, they return again and again for our healing hospitality. What a gift it is that we may offer this to the world. We hope that you enjoy today's hospitality show and think about the ways in which you yourself have benefited from and offered hospitality to others. Thank you for joining us.

[Unidentified voice]:

One of the first best restaurants I ever went to in the state of Maine was the White Barn Inn. And I remember walking in as a young 20 something, not even out of medical school, with barely two nickels to scrape together and being amazed. Amazed by the setting, amazed by the waitstaff, but even more amazed by the food. And as it turns out, Jonathan Cartwright is one of the sort of. He's the wizard behind the amazement when it comes to the White Barn Inn restaurant. So we're very privileged today to have Jonathan with us to talk about what it means to be a great chef at one of Maine's great restaurants. Thank you for coming in.

[Unidentified voice]:

Oh, you're very welcome. Thank you for having me and thank you for those kind words. You know, the White Bonin is a special, special place. It's a place I've been there for 18 years, and when I first came there, it was, you know, just as you explained, there it was. It took my breath away. It took my heart and kept it there. And it really is a beautiful, beautiful setting with a great vision of an owner. That was Lawrence Pongiorno that I came to work for, who was an Australia. And we try to continue the vision of what he had for the place. And that is, you know, really to everybody, do their job and to make people just have a couple of hours of happiness and away from the world that we live in, you know, and transported to relax, to have conversation, to enjoy good food, enjoy good wine, and to have a wonderful experience here in Maine.

[Unidentified voice]:

Now, Laurie Buongiorno had passed away, and I think that the timing must have been pretty close. How long had you worked with him before he passed away?

[Unidentified voice]:

I came in 1995. Laurie passed away in 2007. So we'd been about 12 years together. He was a wonderful boss, he was a fantastic friend. He was a workaholic he really poured his heart and soul into the White Barn Inn and what he created there and other properties here in Kennebunkport. But I gotta say, he was the most genuine, passionate, hospitable person that you would ever meet. He could make the most humble person, the person that would stretch to come to the White Bonnet because it's obviously not cheap to come there and it's expensive what we put on. But he would make someone that would save long time for that experience and want to come for a special occasion feel so at home and so welcome and so special that he was an amazing chap and, you know, an honor to work for him. And I was so lucky. I always feel that, you know, in life you go around and sometimes you wander and you look for a job and you look for something that pays well and takes care of you and can have your standard of living. But, you know, when I found Laurio, he found me that the Kinect was so wonderful and the White Bon in stage to perform on is so special. So it was a. I was so lucky, you know, so blessed to meet him. So sad that he passed away so young and really is missed. But what a great guy. And still at the White Barn in many things that we continue to do and strive to do are all based on his vision and his passion for the business.

[Unidentified voice]:

He was somewhat of a visionary because I know that having spent quite a lot of time in Kenny Bungport myself, now Tim Harrington and a lot of people are behind this wonderful revitalization that's happening. But the White Barn Inn came before all that. I remember driving down to Kennebunkport and just the property sort of opens up and there's this beautiful house that's there and this beautiful restaurant. But it came before this resurgence that happened. I wonder what that must have been like for him to kind of want to create this award winning hotel and restaurant in the middle of the woods.

[Unidentified voice]:

He was an amazing chap. You're right there. I mean, visionary entrepreneur. He was very passionate about what he did. He worked for a large company. He worked for Hyatt Hotels here in America. And he'd been to Kenny Bunkpur and he'd seen the White Bonnet and he said to a local realtor that if that ever comes up for I want to buy it. And he had the vision to become Aurelian Chateau member, which is an affiliation of hotels. They're all privately owned, but they come together as members of Reliant Chateau to market themselves and to promote what individual hotels Do. So the Relian Chateau brand, the organization, the affiliation comes from Rue de Bonheur, which was the route of happiness in France, which were four little auberges on the way from Paris down to Nice to the Cortes or for wealthy Parisians to take vacations. And the White Bon Inn has a history that really, really blends into that and really is like it was a little auberge for people to stop off on their way from New York to go up to Bar harbor or to spend summer in Kennebunkport, things like that. So he had the vision, okay, I'm going to refine this. I'm going to make it a grand little hotel, a little gem, you know, in Kennebunkport when things, you know, were a little old fashioned, to say the least. You know, now it's very modern, as you mentioned, Mr. Harrington is doing a fantastic job with livening the place up and bringing. Keeping it alive, really keeping it alive, because it is very much alive and it's a wonderful place to vacation, whether you're young or old. You know, we have a wonderful town gentleman called President Bush, 41st president. And you know, he's a great guy and he really put Kennebunkport on the map. And he's a great supporter of all the businesses in Kennebunkport and the restaurants in particular, and a lovely chap. And I think now we have a wonderful town really built around him. And I think Laurie had that vision that Kennebunkport was a destination, a place where many, many Americans and international people want to come and vacation. And President Bush, in his tenure at the white and other things, has really put it on the worldwide map because the media cover him so much. And, you know, it's a wonderful, wonderful place. And I can't say, you know, just about the restaurants and the fun things to do. It's a wonderful area to bring up a family. I have young children. And it's, it's, it is a beautiful, beautiful place to have a family and have a life, you know, it really is so. He was a great guy and sadly very missed.

[Unidentified voice]:

You're obviously not from around here. People who are listening, I hope that they've gleaned that perhaps that you have a little bit of an accent. You've come from across the pond, shall we say? What made you decide that Maine was going to be your home, at least for the last. I guess you've said 18 years.

[Unidentified voice]:

18 years I've been here. Yes. Well, that's a very good question. I'm a very lucky chef that came from England, that came from a town called Sheffield that is quite famous for its steel, in particular its cutlery, silverware, and that more recently, more famous for the movie the Full Monty, where some male strippers decided to make some money after their mines and steel industry went a little south. But you know, what made me come to Maine. I'd been to America. I had the fortune to work for the Savoy Hotel in London. I'd been to America on a promotion. We did New York and Los Angeles. And I really enjoyed my time in America and honestly just thought, wow, what a great place. And what a. You know, I thought then this was 89. And I thought, wow, you know, the food is very good, but it's got a long way to go. And I think, you know, America is really now the fastest moving food place on earth. You know, I've been to. I haven't been everywhere in the world, but I think, you know, our customers really appreciate good food. We have a good customer base all around the country, not just talking about Kenny Bump. And we have wonderful, wonderful restaurants that are advancing so quickly compared to, you know, you go to France or Italy, Germany, England. You know, England's not so well known for its food, but, you know, we have wonderful restaurants, but it's very sort of historic industry, and restaurants are landmarks. And then to make a mark on that in America, I think it's much more understanding. And young people open restaurants, and they're wonderful and they really understand their customers. And we get great customer feedback, I think, in America. So it's a wonderful place to cook and to work in. So going back to the real question, how about Kennebunk Port and Kennebunk? I'd been to America. I really wanted to come back. Visas are very hard to get. And I had worked in Lenox, Massachusetts, at a place called Blantar, another Relly Chateau member. And I had to leave because my visa ran out and I went back to Switzerland just to do a winter season. And. And lucky enough, on the virtually the last day of my Swiss contract, the phone rang and an Australian chap was on the other end, and it was Laurie Bongiorno. And he said, hey, I heard you want to come back to America. I said, how do you get my number? How do you get. All this was so funny. And like you mentioned, coming across the pond, I said the funniest thing to Laurie was, and I'm sure knowing him now and getting to work with him and everything, he probably took three or four puffs on his cigarette and thought long and hard about the answer and probably thought, do I really want this crazy guy? Because I said, how about meeting me halfway? I'm sure he just, like, puffed on a cigarette and went, I'm not sure I want this guy. Does he know what do you mean by halfway, chief? He said. And I said, well, I'll get to Boston. Can you pick me up? And I came on 19th April, 1995, had dinner at the White Barn Inn. He sent someone to pick me up. He welcomed me in his usual way, very hospitable and wonderful chap. And I sat down on a table that I still consider my favorite table in the restaurant. And I have many funny stories about that, too. And I just looked at the window, looked at everything, felt what you explained when you first opened up the show today, how nice and warm and the feeling of being taken care of. And the quality of the food was amazing. I was like. I just looked sort of out the window and whispered to myself, hmm, okay, smarty pants. How are you going to improve this if you get the job? And, you know, Laurie and I hit it off and kind of guy you could not meet, a fairer boss you could not have. And always wanting to push and really strive to go forward and to. If yesterday was good, we can be better tomorrow. If yesterday was bad, we got to pick ourselves up and really buckle down and fix everything up and, you know, make a sure that, you know, he wanted everybody to love their experience and enjoy it. And, you know, that's still the motto right now. You know, we try to take care of everybody, and it's really enjoyable. When it all goes right and when it goes a little wrong, it's very disappointing. But, you know, you have to stand up and face the facts and be really kind to those people and make them want to come back, you know, so it's a great business, and he was a great guy, and I was very lucky to end up here. It's beautiful being in Maine because of the wonderful farmers we have, the wonderful fish that we have here, foragers, everything. The product that we have is wonderful. You only can cook good food with great product. You can't make a good dish out of something that's bad. And Maine has got that. And the wonderful thing for being a European, northern European person like me is that we have the distinct four seasons here. That is great to cook through that. And that was my background when I spent some time in Puerto Rico. A winter in Puerto Rico, when it's very, very warm, 95 degrees every day. It's very difficult to apply cooking techniques and ethic from northern Europe in that kind of weather conditions. So Maine is beautiful and it's really a great place. It's my home. So I really, I was very, very fortunate to meet Laurie and to have that opportunity to come to the White Bonnet because it was a fantastic restaurant before I ever stepped foot in it and that first meal was amazing.

[Unidentified voice]:

Here on the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour and podcast, we've long recognized the link

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

between health and wealth. Here to speak more on the topic is Tom Shepard of Shepherd Financial.

[Unidentified voice]:

I remember my first payroll job as a dishwasher. Punch the clock, scrape and wash the dishes. It was mindless work. By doing the work, I realized that this was not what I wanted to do with my life. I remember the most physically taxing job I had as an operator of a jackhammer on a bridge construction crew one summer between my first and second senior years of college. I loved the tan, the money, and the muscles I got that summer. But by doing the work, I knew it wasn't what I wanted to do with my life. I remember the effort required to teach kids about the real applications of math and money at an academy in the mountains of western Maine. But even the kids knew that there was more I wanted to do with my life. I know that I wouldn't be where I am if it weren't for all of my experiences in life. They are not highs and lows. They are the foundation on which we continue to build. Today I do the dishes, cut the grass, paint the house, make the popcorn, shop at the deli, drink the beer and invest the money. These things I do because I accept that hard work is part of life. And knowing that to be the case, we just get on with it so that we can come back and enjoy our free time with family and friends. Money makes a lot of this possible. To learn more like us on Facebook or go to www.shepherdfinance financialmain.com we want to help you evolve with your money.

[Unidentified voice]:

I believe. It seems as though food has become the new religion. It seems as though here in America, we've somehow elevated the things that we put in our mouths to this much higher level than perhaps ever before. I don't know if you have that sense, and if you do have that sense, I wonder if you can answer why that might be. Why has food become so important to us?

[Unidentified voice]:

Wow. Very, very difficult questions, but good questions. I think Americans have always traveled. They've always gone to places to, you know, Paris has been very popular for Americans, and it's very well known for its cuisine. Italy is very popular for Americans, and the cuisine there is fantastic. I think, you know, now Americans want it on their doorstep. They don't want to have to go so far to get it and that. So there's now a great market for that. And that, as in, you know, America, the country embraces it and feeds the market. So therefore, it really is down to a customer base and the willingness of people to try new things and wanting to have that on their doorstep that does that. So, yes, I think it is a great place. I mentioned that earlier, that I think it's growing very fast, and that is down to our customer, why they have that. I think they've always searched it further afield, but now they really want to spend time at home, want to do it on their doorstep. And when you think about here in our little part of southern Maine, how many wonderful, wonderful restaurants we have and how many customers we have at those restaurants is always amazing. And we're just one little part of America. You go around America, you find them in every little village because the customers really, really, really enjoy that. I think the media has helped us immensely and spread that around. You know, like President Bush putting Kenny Bunkport sort of on the worldwide map. I think, you know, food has been put on the American map by these shows on television, whether you like them or not. But people really. I mean, we do. People that want to come and buy a couple of hours in the kitchen to see what we do is amazing. And it's so popular right now. And then they understand about food and they have questions when we do a cook cooking class that you mentioned, coming to one with a guest chef of ours. But I'm always amazed about the people putting up their hand and asking questions about, well, where do I get this from. And it's like, have you ever had this? Have you ever had that? And I think, wow, that's not just supermarket general food that you buy. That is really interesting stuff. And you know, I think they've seen it on television or they've read it on menus, they've had it at other restaurants that they've traveled to and really wanted here in America. And that's why it's a wonderful business to be in. It's wonderful to listen to the customer feedback. You know, there's nothing greater than when guests come in the kitchen, a bartender invites them in the kitchen to have a tour around or something and they say thank you, thank you. And you know, the young kids hear that and really makes their day, you know, satisfying and worthwhile and there's a goal there at the end of it. So really don't know truly why we have these great customers in America, but it is a great country. And you know, food I think was suppressed a little bit for some years and now seems to be the boom things. And I think, you know, eating, dining out, entertaining is really, really important. And I think you wanted to talk about, share our strengths and the schooling system I think needs to catch up to where we are in the dining and the hospitality world and put that as part of the curriculum for children. You know, lunch breaks are too short at school and they're not, they're not embraced, they're not part of the schooling system. It's in out, you need to eat, to have energy, to go off and do something else, to do your schooling, which I think was cuisine many moons ago in America. But you know, think about how much business, how much work, how much life is done over the dining room table out of that. If you teach a 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 year old child what food is, what the values are of that, and also how to sit at a table, not fidget around, not run off and have that conversation or you know, even. Who trains you for a cocktail party? I mean, we go to many cocktail parties. You've got one glass in one hand, someone's trying to give you food and you're trying to have a conversation at the same time and not have food around your mouth. And look, I mean, it's so difficult, I mean, but if you trained that at a young age or you know, had those kind of sessions at school, they'd think much more healthier about snacking, about things to do. And, and really I think we would solve a few of the problems we have of children being hungry or eating wrong, binging on wrong things. I mean, you know, you should eat everything. Of course, I love food and I cook a lot of food that perhaps isn't the healthiest. If you eat a lot, lot, lot of it, over and over and over again. But, you know, you need to try things, but you need to know the path and the cause of that and what will happen. And I think if we put that in as a curriculum for young children, we'd have a. I mean, I wish we did it at my school. Maybe I wouldn't have wanted to be a cyclist. I probably would have wanted to be a chef from a very young age rather than from, well, lost and not knowing what to do in life.

[Unidentified voice]:

Well, I'm glad you brought up Share Our Strength because I did want to make sure that people are aware that in addition to being a high end, maybe one of the highest end restaurants in Maine and being a special occasion place for many, you also support the organization Share Our Strength, which is a hunger relief organization for children not only here in Maine, but across the United States. And this has been a priority for you for many years. In fact, I know that Billy Shore was at your restaurant having a meal in honor of Share Our Strength and the proceeds of which went to Share Our Strength. So ending childhood hunger is very important to your organization as well.

[Unidentified voice]:

It most certainly is. I mean, Mr. Lagathedas is a wonderful man. You know, we have committed as a whole company with the Grace Hotels Worldwide to donate a certain amount of our proceeds from certain dishes and certain cocktails and room stays to go to local charities and our Rhode island property and our main properties. The money goes to Share Our Strength. And I think, you know, for me, I have young children and I could not imagine, you know, I'm fortunate. And Kenny Bonk put the white barn in. Laurie Bonciorno has been very kind to me and Mr. Logothetas is very kind to me as well. But we, you know, there's some things we have to say to the children. No, we can't have those, you know, you got to go without. But I could not imagine putting my two little girls to bed hungry at night. And I think that is so sad in a country where we have so much and we do so much for, you know, relief of anybody in the world that gets into difficulty, anybody in the country. But, you know, we don't look out for our little children that are our future, that are everything. You know, I mean, I'm not sure that my children will be chefs but, you know, there will be something in the country and they will contribute to the growth of the country and the continuity of America. And hopefully they will do it always with a good meal in their tummies. And I think that's very, very important. And you know, I have always had the good fortune of being well fed and had the opportunity to try a lot of things. And I really couldn't imagine how to do life, to continue in life, to be positive about life if you were hungry every day or, you know, for days on end. And I think it is really, really important. And I again, go back to schooling. I think, you know, I, you know, do funny things at my daughter's school because they asked me to do those things. And I really, really enjoy that. But I really think that we should focus on from a young age, really teaching children about dining and the importance of that and the importance of a meal and in the importance of that time, what you can discuss, what you can do, feelings over that. And I think, you know, going back to the White Pawn Inn, that's the great thing about it is, you know, you can be on a little table in our restaurant with many, many people going around. You can people watch or whatever. But also you can go with a partner, a friend, a relative, you know, a parent or something and really just have that time where enjoy food, enjoy the atmosphere, but enjoy each other. And I think if we taught that to children and to at a young age that they respected what they eat, what they harvest and everything, then I think we would stop a lot of it. But definitely supporting, share our strength. Billy Shaw, an amazing chap and again, another visionary with a great man and the people that work for him and carry out this and do all that and try to spread the word and everything. Still a long, long way to go. And I think he'd be the first to admit that. But we're trying a little bit and we're happy to support that and we're proud to support that. And I think we are getting somewhere, you know, really.

[Unidentified voice]:

Jonathan, how do people learn more about the White Barn Inn?

[Unidentified voice]:

Well, now we have the world Wide Web. So definitely we have a wonderful website with a lot of information, information there at www.whitebarnin.com. we also have US Hotels website. We also have Grace properties in there and you can find them all on the web. And we're expanding around the world with that. And we will probably not probably, we will most certainly bring the Grace brand into Kennebunkport. Kenny Bunk soon. That's high on the priorities of, of the Logothetas family. And you know, we can really learn a lot about the White Barn in on there and you know, but the best way to learn about it is come on down and talk to one of our staff, really enjoy a meal and find out some of the history and some of the things that go off and, you know, you want to really learn a lot more about it. Come and do a cooking class with us. A day in the kitchen is also a lot of fun for those people that are passionate about food and about hospitality in particular.

[Unidentified voice]:

We've been speaking with Jonathan Cartwright, the executive chef at the White Barn Inn and also with his new restaurant, Muse by Jonathan Cartwright in the Vanderbilt Greece Hotel in Newport. I do encourage people to spend some time in your restaurant. I'll have to go down to Newport. I haven't been there yet. But the White Barn Inn is truly, it's beyond just having a meal. It's an experience experience. So I hope that people have a chance to go down there and eat the food that you prepare for them and have a chance to really experience the hospitality that you put out there. Thank you for bringing this delicious cuisine and experience, wonderful experience to the state of Maine.

[Unidentified voice]:

You're very kind. Thank you very much and thank you for today. It's really nice to chat with you and to be here and please hope everybody comes to the Whiteboard Inn and that's an enjoyable time. Love to meet everybody.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

As a physician and small business owner,

[Unidentified voice]:

I rely on Marcy Booth from Booth, Maine to help me with my own business and to help me live my own life fully. Here are a few thoughts from Marcy.

[Unidentified voice]:

Loosely defined hospitality is the relationship between the host and the guest. It's the host's job to make certain that everything is well taken care of. But when needs aren't met and details are missed, the experience becomes the exact opposite. It becomes an uncomfortable, bad memory. And as I think of it, there are times when my team plays the part of host. We make sure financial details for businesses and individuals are taken care of and that things run smoothly. Because when it comes to finances, happy memories are the best kind. I'm Marci Booth. Let's talk about the the changes you need. Boothmain.com

[Unidentified voice]:

Maine is fortunate to have many wonderful places to stay and to eat up and down its coast and into the interior and up to the very tip of Maine. But there are really only a few places that I think of when I think of luxury and true luxurious pampered hospitality. One of these places is the Camden Harbor Inn, which is a joint venture of Raymond Runjansky and Oskar Varest, both originally who are Dutch. Raymond has been a friend of mine for a while, as is Oskar, and I've had the good fortune to to stay in their inn and also eat at their restaurant, Natalie's. And I'm so pleased that you came to talk to us today. And I'm also so pleased that you brought the Camden Harbor Inn to midcoast Maine. It's a wonderful, wonderful jewel.

[Unidentified voice]:

Well, thank you, Lisa. I'm really happy to be here and excited to talk a little bit about what we're doing and the product that we have and the luxury that we try to give to our guests. It's been an interesting seven years.

[Unidentified voice]:

Well, tell me about that. I mean, obviously you and Oscar are Dutch and you've had many other things that you've done before. Now I believe that you worked in the tour industry for a while and Oskar was a pharmacist for a while. You've done different things, you've been to different places. Why did you choose Maine?

[Unidentified voice]:

I think we were at a sort of a crossroads in our lives. I have been consulting hotels in the Far east and the Middle east and Oscar, as you said, had a pharmacy that he owned and run for 10 years and he was ready to sell his pharmacy and I was ready to do something else. And we were vacationing in Maine in 2003 and it was a leaf peeping trip and we did a three week tour from Boston to New Hampshire to Maine, Vermont, Connecticut. And the truth is that I fell in love immediately with New England in general. And when I was in Vermont, I had this vision that I should start writing and buy a house in Vermont. And Oscar was like, you know, there is no way that we're going to do that because it's not practical, you have to fly for seven hours to Boston. And if you so desperately want to ride, then buy a house in France, which is only like five hours driving and you can do that in the weekend. But we both liked the area and almost by coincidence we were able to. Well, we were also too early that year. I mean, we were like mid September and there was no foliage yet, so we didn't see anything really. We just saw, you know, the beautiful New England. So we did a year later, we were actually off boat at the same time in the beginning of October and we said, well, let's try it again and now actually see the foliage. And at that point, Oscar was more thinking about really selling his business. And I remember we were standing on a beach in Algonquit and for so many time I said to him, you know, why don't we move here? And he said, well, I can see myself living here on the ocean. I don't see myself living every month, but I can see myself living here in Maine on the ocean. And you know, that was the beginning. That was for me the sign like, okay, now I'm going full force. And it took us another four years, three years before we were able to find the right property. I think we looked over 100 properties and we went to Vermont and New Hampshire and all the other states. But finally we run into, into the Camden Harbour Inn. And it wasn't. We. I at least instantly knew that it was the perfect place for us. And I had an immediate vision with this property and how it should be. And Camden felt right. It is a year round community. As most coastal towns are closing down for the winter. Camden is vibrant in the winter as well, with lots of restaurants. And with Rockland nearby with the Farnsworth Museum and people living there year round, it felt comfortable. And so we bought Camden Harbour Inn.

[Unidentified voice]:

What was it about the Camden Harbour Inn specifically, out of all the places that you looked at in these various New England states?

[Unidentified voice]:

Right. I think it was a growing process. We started with a six room bed and breakfast in Algonquin. We looked at and the idea was that we would just run it for the summer and close it down in the winter and maybe go to Thailand and enjoy the beaches in Thailand in the winter and come back in the summer or in the spring to run the business. But as the more and more we looked at the business and we were not looking for a lifestyle, we were looking for business. And the more and more we started looking at the properties and the asking prices and the money that you were able to make with those smaller properties, we realized that it was a lifestyle that you were banking on the property becoming more worth over years, the real estate. But the business itself was hardly sustainable. And you had to nickel and dime everything. You almost had to calculate how many muffins you were going to give for breakfast. And that's not who I am. It didn't feel right. So slowly in the years that we were looking for the right property, the. The business got bigger and bigger. And at some point we realized that we needed more privacy. We were staying at a lot of hotels or small inns and bed and breakfast where there was no privacy, where the owners would be constantly on top of you, where you had breakfast in the morning with other people at the same table. And I don't do well in the morning with other people at the same table. I don't want to talk to other people. I just want to have my privacy when I'm vacationing. And so more and more, we understood that while we wanted to run, should be able to offer privacy, should be able to, you know, feel like a luxurious Ritz Carlton, but at the same time have that, the feeling of a small bed and breakfast as well, the warmth and the coziness of a smaller property. So slowly, bit by bit, our property got bigger and bigger. And our tough vacations to Thailand in the winter completely got eliminated in the process. And we also realized that we wanted to have a restaurant if we wanted to be open year round. And so I think when we walked into Camden Harbour, Oscar was still very hesitant about Camden Harboring. But when I walked into that building, there was space for a restaurant in the past. Ten, 15 years ago, they were running a restaurant there. And everything looked, you know, so dated in that building. It was such an old Victorian building with tons of curtains in front of the window and flowery wallpapers, and everything was a big mismatch. And it just, you know, I understand why people would walk in there and say, oh, my God, I'm not even starting with this property. But it had one thing. It is on the. As you said before, it's on a hilltop overlooking the entire harbor, Mount Betty, all the highlights of Camden, and the views are just sensational. And when I walked into that building, I was like, we just need to open it up. We need to just open it up to the outside again, and we will be fine. And, you know, everything else is just renovating and updating. And I can do that, but I cannot find a better location than this. So I convinced Oscar that this was the right property and we bought it.

[Unidentified voice]:

The goal of the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour is to help make connections between

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

the health of the individual and the health of the community. The goal of Ted Carter Inspired Landscapes is to deepen our appreciation for the natural world. Here to speak with us today is Ted Carter.

[Unidentified voice]:

I have a beautiful biodynamic garden and it was quite abundant this year. My biodynamic landscaper Bennett Steele, told me about Max Gerson. He died, I think in the late 50s, but he spoke about a plant based diet and how the enzymes in raw fruits and vegetables really work to heal us. And Max Gerson really worked on cancer therapies with using a new diet, I guess you might say, with vegetables and fruits. And it actually was quite successful. Interestingly, nature does nothing but really reach out to us and heal us. And when we consume these plants, they really work in concert with us, bringing us balance and bringing us a sense of peace. When I go down in the garden, I pick all my fresh vegetables and I squeeze them through a juicer that I have. They're incredible. And you can just tell your body is resounding in great happiness. So I think it's important to that we understand just how much plant life is here to really work with us and give us balance and stasis in our lives. I'm Ted Carter, and if you'd like to contact me, I can be reached@tedcarterdesign.com

[Unidentified voice]:

We at the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

know that our listeners understand the importance

[Unidentified voice]:

of the health of the mind, body and spirit.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Here to talk about the health of

[Unidentified voice]:

the body are Travis Bloyer and Jim

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Greatorex of Premier Sports Health, a division

[Unidentified voice]:

of Black Bear Medical.

[Unidentified voice]:

Jim, you pull those socks up any higher and I'm pretty sure I'm not hanging out with you anymore.

[Unidentified voice]:

Travis. They're compression socks. You know, like the medical ones, only they're for athletes.

[Unidentified voice]:

Oh, so now you're calling yourself an athlete. This keeps getting better.

[Unidentified voice]:

Well, they actually work. They increase blood flow in your legs by as much as 40%. And you know what that does hmm, let me guess.

[Unidentified voice]:

Allows you to leap tall buildings in a single bound?

[Unidentified voice]:

No, they allow more oxygen and nutrient rich blood to my muscles, which reduces muscle fatigue and allows me to train harder. Plus, I'm not as sore after those long runs. And they also flush out lactic acid and keep my feet cool and dry. And of course they're stylish.

[Unidentified voice]:

Jim, I'm actually wearing some right now. I wear them every day, even when I'm not training. I notice a huge difference in how my legs feel. But Jim.

[Unidentified voice]:

Yes, Travis?

[Unidentified voice]:

I actually am wearing pants over mine since we are in the office.

[Unidentified voice]:

Hey, pays to advertise.

[Unidentified voice]:

I suppose it would. Maybe you ought to promise the listeners that if they stopped down to our store on 275 Marginal Way in Portland, they can see firsthand what an athlete in his compression apparel looks like. Or they could visit blackbearmedical.com and read up a little more.

[Unidentified voice]:

Hey, that's a great idea. Come by 275 Marginal Way location today or visit us@blackbearmedical.com and see our entire line of compression apparel and other sports medicine equipment. Life can be a bear. Attack it with Black Bear Medical.

[Unidentified voice]:

One of the reasons that I'm able to spend time in various places is through 48 hours, which is associated with Maine Magazine. There was a 48 hours issue that recently came out. Kevin Thomas, the publisher, and I spent time in camden on our 48 hours and it was not the nicest of weekends. The weather wasn't so great. But we did stay in the Camden Harbor Inn. And we stayed in this amazing room that had a sauna and a shower the likes of which I have rarely seen, an enormous bathtub and a fireplace. And it was to think we have this in Maine, you know, it was surprising and it almost made it so well, do we even need to leave to go anywhere else? And other people have said the same thing. They said we read the 48 hours issue and then we kind of did your 48 hours Camden. And we spent time at the Camden Harbor Inn. And they found the same thing, that just staying at the inn was enough of a draw that they might not have even had to leave.

[Unidentified voice]:

Right. Well, I'm glad to hear that and I hope we achieve that always with our guests. We've worked very hard, first of all, to create a place where people feel comfortable, where they feel like they can be their selves. I don't like stuffy, snobby hotels, you know, even when we are on the higher price level for room rates and Also dining, I don't think it should mean that you should feel that you have to sit up or that you have to behave to a certain degree. I still think that you should be able to walk in your shorts in our hotel. I still feel that you should not be forced to wear a jacket when you go to our dining room for the men. Or I think we should create something, and I think we succeeded in that, where people are just beautiful. I mean, if you dine in our restaurant, regardless what you're wearing, you will look beautiful in the lights that we chose, in the colors that we chose. You will be as beautiful as you can be even when you wear shorts. And it's fine, you know, come in as you wish, because it's about you. It's not about me and my rules and regulations, how to. How to walk around my building or inside my building. In the process, we try to give people all the amenities and things that we think that will help them to make their experience nicer. The suites have sauna, steam showers, iPads, sound systems. I think the grand suite has three flat screen televisions. I mean, even one in the bathroom. But at the end of the day, there's. The amenities are not the important part of our product. At the end of the day, there could be another hotel opening up next to us with newer rooms, with newer amenities. And you can't simply constantly keep up with. Especially in big cities, you know, hotels are opening every week. There. There is no way that you can keep up with all those amenities, improving them and keeping up with what the competition is doing. So what makes a really great experience is our staff and how they treat our people. And we have over 40 people working for us, taking care of our guests. And that is, you know, that for me, the way they work and their hard work and their commitment and their desire to make sure that all our guests individually have an amazing time. That makes it, in my opinion, that guests don't want to leave, that they want to stay because they feel so pampered and taken care of. And nothing is scripted, nothing is forced. It's all intuitive almost. If somebody's sitting in the lounge, there's always one of our staff members going there and would you like to have a cup of tea? We don't even charge them for that. It's just be part of our family. It's like, you know, the great mom taking care of her 40 children when we fully booked and making sure everybody's happy.

[Unidentified voice]:

When I've eaten at Natalie's, I've noticed A lot of people there enjoying their meal as kind of a special occasion. When I think about special occasion places, birthdays, anniversaries. We were there once for a child, I think it was his 20th birthday.

[Unidentified voice]:

Right.

[Unidentified voice]:

Is that one of the things that you had hoped to do is to create a place that people could really make memories in?

[Unidentified voice]:

Yeah, I think everything we did at Camden highway was to make memories and to bring experiences home and to not necessarily see something you would see somewhere else. I think traveling is. Is about making memories, about experiences that are new and different and coming home with new refreshed ideas. Get inspired and maybe, you know, implement a couple of the things that you saw during your travels in your own life. Natalie's has been a. It's been an interesting experience. It's very difficult to run a restaurant, especially when you are in. In a remote area like Camden, Maine. More so when you decide to have a fine dining restaurant, our price point is high. It's high for the local community, but also the commitment, the time commitment that you need to make when you dine at a restaurant. So it's not a restaurant where you just walk in, have a quick bite, and walk out again. And in the beginning, when I started operating a restaurant, I. It's in my genes, it's in my personality to please everyone. I mean, I'm like, you know, everybody should be happy. And I think in the beginning, it's sort of the focus was not there. And it was unclear for people what we were, because in the winter we tried to get the entire community in, and in the summer we were a fine dining restaurant. And it took me a couple of years to figure out that we are a fine dining restaurant. And it's okay that, you know, people, the locals are not coming in three times per week, but they come in like maybe once every two weeks to celebrate something or have a special dinner and that they actually have to pay a little bit more to get a sensational experience. And when we finally understood that, we were able to really focus the restaurant in the right way. And now when you look at the reviews and what people say about a restaurant, they say, you know, it's expensive, but it is probably the best experience I've ever had in my life.

[Unidentified voice]:

You know, in some respects, I think that you even have to get to the place where you value your own self enough to stay in a place like the Camden Harbor Inn or to eat at Natalie's. And you have to say, you know what, this is going to contribute positively to my well being. It's going to give me something that I enjoy doing, a chance to stay with somebody or eat with somebody. So even the guests have to decide this is worth it to me, right?

[Unidentified voice]:

Well, I think the danger in this industry is that the industry is changing really fast right now. If you go to New York, Miami, you have all those club hotels where people, you know, where you still get charged 5, $600 to start with at a king size room, but the staff is too cool to really service you. They think they're more important than that. You are, unless you are Madonna checking in, but otherwise they don't care about you. So I understand that more and more Americans, but people all over the world get a little hesitant paying so much money for a room because how do you know that you actually get worth what you're paying for? And I think that is a challenge for a lot of hotels, even, even for Ritz Carlton nowadays and the Four Seasons, to find a way to make sure that people understand that what they're doing is worth paying for and that you actually should go there and you should do both. I mean, you should stay at an inexpensive hotel when you're on a trip and then pamper yourself at a luxury hotel. But then pick the one that is really going to pamper you and don't pick one where you charge $600 because it's high season on the coast and you get a lousy experience. And you know, with TripAdvisor and all kinds of review pages and magazines printing about hotels, I think if you do your research, you can figure it out.

[Unidentified voice]:

Raymond, I'm sure after listening to us have this conversation about hospitality and what the Camden Harbour Inn and Natalie's have to offer that people will want to go and visit you and Oscar up in Camden. So how do people learn about the Camden, Camden Harbour Inn?

[Unidentified voice]:

Well, we have obviously Our wonderful website CamdenHarborin.com and NelliesRestaurant.com Our website is actually amazing. You have so much information on our website. Not about, you know, all the rooms and hotels and experiences that we have, but about camden. With over 14,000 visits per month on our website Camden Harbour Inn website, people use the website also just to get information about Camden, which is great. And I think they have something in the industry that's called hotel porn. I'm not sure if I can say that, but there are a lot of people out there that just go to hotel websites, especially the high end ones, to just look at the pictures and imagine themselves living there or staying there and start saving for years to come. And to be honest, we have a lot of VIPs and famous people staying with us. But for me personally, the couple that is in the early 30s and save three years to stay with us and send us six emails to make sure that their experience is going to be just amazing. That's so. That makes me so happy and I'm just going to really. We all are. Our entire team is going the extra mile for those people, especially for those people, because I know how hard they're working to stay with us and I really appreciate that they spend so much money at our place.

[Unidentified voice]:

I've been speaking speaking with Raymond Brunjansky who along with his partner Oscar Varest, owns the Camden Harbor Inn right here in Camden, Maine. Thank you for bringing your positive view of the world to the coast of Maine and also to our studio. Thanks for coming in today.

[Unidentified voice]:

Thank you Lisa. It was a pleasure.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You have been listening to the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour and podcast show number 109 Hospitality. Our guests have included Jonathan Cartwright and Raymond Brynjanski. For more information on our guests and extended interviews, visit Doctorisa.org we invite you to join us for a very special upcoming event. Senator Angus King will speak about Maine and the global environment at the Physicians for Social Responsibility Maine Chapter Annual dinner on Tuesday, October 15th. The dinner is a unique opportunity to participate in an interactive discussion with Senator King and learn about PSR Maine. The dinner is being held on October 15th at the Italian Heritage Centre in Portland. For more information, go to psrmain.org or the PSR Maine Facebook page or email karensrmain.org the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour and Podcast is downloadable for free on itunes. For a preview of each week's show, sign up for our e newsletter and like our Dr. Lisa Facebook page, follow me on Twitter and Pinterest and read my take on health and well being on the Bountiful blog. We love to hear from you, so please let us know what you think of the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour. We welcome your suggestions for future shows. Also let our sponsors know that you've heard about them here. We are privileged that they enable us to bring the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour to you each week. This is Dr. Lisa Belisle. I hope that you have enjoyed our hospitality show. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your day. May you have a bountiful life.

[Unidentified voice]:

Sa.