The Harbor View Hotel

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
You are listening to Food for Thoughtwith's Billy and Jenny, brought to you
by the Box Center. For morethan fifteen years, this dining duo has
been eating their way through New England, mixing it up with top chefs,
jumping behind the line of the hottestrestaurants and giving you the inside scoop on
where to wine, dine and spendyour time. So get ready, it's
Food for Thought giving you something tochew on. Hey, everybody, welcome

(00:23):
into Food for Thought, brought toyou by the Box Center. I love
this time of year, I think, as so many New Englanders do.
I know there's a lot of folksposting up and down the East Coast,
but there's something very special about whenthe weather turns, the sun is out
longer, the days are longer,and I know that one of the things
that I look forward to most orsort of those weekends or weeks getaways and

(00:46):
Billy and I spend a lot oftime focusing on in New England to keep
in the islands. And one ofour very, very very favorite places to
go is Martha's Vineyard, and we'vehad the pleasure of meeting some wonderful people
who run operate and own a varietyof different properties on these islands and obviously

(01:06):
all throughout New England. But I'mmost excited today because our guest is a
person who has a great history andhospitality and has recently become at the helm
of a spectacular property on Martha Vineyardcalled the harbor View Hotel. But it
is my pleasure to introduce you tothe chief operating officer of Upland Capital,

(01:27):
Alton Sean and Alton, thanks somuch for joining us today. Well,
Jennie, thank you so much forhaving me on. So we've known each
other for a long time. We'regoing to talk a little bit about your
history in just a minute, butfirst can you sort of give me an
overview what is Upland Capital and andand talk a little bit about about your

(01:49):
work with them. Excellent. Well, thanks again Jenny for having me on,
and to all the listeners listening.We're so excited to talk about what
we do as a company and aswell more about harbor View Hotel. So
Auckland Capital. We're headquartered in Bostonand we are part of the own real
estate company in commercial, retail,residential and hospitality assets throughout the New England

(02:16):
area. And we're most excited withthe ownership of the Harbor View Hotel,
which has been fully renovated over thelast five years. And our owner purchased
the hotel because he had a lotof history vacationing on the island and this
has truly been a labor of loveand we are absolutely so excited to introduce

(02:38):
more and more amenities, more andmore renovations, and more and more offerings
to both the residents and locals thatlive on the island as well as those
that visit Martha's Vineyard. Well,it's so interesting you say that. So
Billy and I have had the pleasureof knowing your owner Bernard too, and
Gene and and you know, Billyspends a lot of time with him over

(03:01):
the course of the summer. AndI, you know, just just the
way that you described the renovation andthe facts that you keep adding things to
the experience. I'm never surprised almostwhen Bernard says up and then sometimes and
then this year we've done this,and we've added this, and so we'll
talk about a lot of the changesthat you guys have added, but and

(03:23):
we'll talk about why it's such aspecial property in just a minute. But
I know you guys are doing fabulousthings for hospitality and in the vineyard and
and elsewhere. So so Alton,I'd like to sort of start by giving
our listeners an idea of who youare, where you've come from, and
how you've sort of got to thepoint of being able to oversee such a

(03:43):
such an immense company. So,so, where are you from and how
did sort of hospitality get into yourbones? You know, you could you
could say, uh, hospitality isin my blood, and I was.
I was fortunate that my dad wasin the hotel business for many, many
years, say and so I wasborn in San Francisco, but lived for

(04:04):
about sixteen years between San Francisco,Hawaii, Alaska, Florida, and lived
internationally in Malaysia as well. SoI had a quite diverse background. Went
to school not for hospitality. Ithought I was going to be a computer
engineer, so I went for computerengineering and science. And while I was

(04:27):
trying to figure out life post college, I was in New York City with
my girlfriend now wife, with ourfour beautiful kids. I started working in
a hotel and it was the MandarinOriental in New York City. And I
got bit I guess by the bug, as you can say, and I
absolutely loved it was natural to me. I absolutely loved the experience of really

(04:54):
making experiences for guests and really foremployees, and that has just grown into
me. Then spent about fifteen yearsin New York City working for some various
other hotels, including most recently beforeI departed opening the Parkhayatt New York in
Manhattan. My family and I werelooking for a slight change of scenery.

(05:16):
An opportunity came up to move tothe Cape in twenty eighteen, and we
moved to the Cape. And I'vebeen now on the Cape for coming up
on my seventh year, and I'veworn different hats with different hospitality hotels and
groups here on the Cape and Islands, and I am absolutely thrilled that I
get to work with Bernard and upin Capital in the harbor View Hotel.

(05:42):
We are truly a family owned businessthat's interested in preserving the history and heritage
of the harbor View Hotel and reallybringing it back to what are some of
the best things that people remember aboutthe harbor View Hotel with its one hundred
over hundred and thirty year history.Everyone has a story. If you've been

(06:03):
on Martha's Vineyard, you have yourHarbor View Hotel story, and our desires
to really make sure that we're creatingmore of those, not only for guests
that have come year after year,but for the next generation of guests that
will continue to come, continue todine with us. So we're always,
as you had said, Jenny,we're always looking for really compelling reasons why

(06:27):
you want to come to Martha's Vineyard, want to stay with us, dine
with us, but also contribute tothe overall community on the island. Wow.
Well, I want to talk,of course, a lot more about
the property, but it's so interestingthat you were able to be in so
many different places, I guess throughoutthe world, but certainly throughout our country,
and the fact that this idea ofwhat pure great hospitality is is something

(06:51):
that you were literally raised with.Its one thing that Billy and I are
always very fascinated by is a hotelierhas a very, very particular way of
being. And it's really awesome toknow, especially myself now as a parent,
that you were able to sort oflook up to your dad in a
very particular way, and then eventhough you didn't think it was your path,

(07:13):
figure out how that became sort ofwhat your future was and have had
so much success with it. We'regoing to take a break. I want
to talk to you a little bitmore about what the transition was like from
being both in New York to beingon much more of a resort, sort
of more secluded island. We'll beback with more Food for Thought in just
a minute. You're listening to Foodfor Thought brought to you by the Box
Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel and Suiteall Tinjohn Everybody is my guest who oversees

(07:41):
the Harbor View Hotel, among otherproperties for upland Capital. Talking a little
bit about your history, so afascinating upbringing, obviously moving from place to
place, which tends to be whathappens when you get to a certain level
in hotels and in hospitality. Iimagine you'd say, Alton, that your

(08:01):
dad was probably one of your earliestI guess mentors or people that you looked
up to in the industry. Butcan you tell us a little bit about
what was it about maybe his presenceor his personality or his hospitality style that
helps you sort of create what hasbeen obviously a very successful style of your

(08:26):
own. Absolutely, and you know, my you know, at the time,
growing up, you know, sometimesyou don't think about what your parents
are trying to impart on you andingrain in you, you know, which
I do every day now with mykids. But one of one of the
things that was really natural to mydad and really stuck with me is hospitality

(08:50):
is really at its root, verysimple yet very complicated to consistently do right.
And it's really this concept, thesimple concept of just taking care of
people. And that could be anyonethat you come in contact with, whether
it be a guest staying with you, or an employee working for you,

(09:11):
or a vendor or contact that you'reworking with. The concept is always about
how do you care for them sothat they can be their best versions of
themselves. And when you're able toachieve that, that is true hospitality,
and that translates into a lot ofhow I have worked and operated in the

(09:31):
different businesses I've been in is reallyrooted in that. And to consistently do
that. How do you show,you know, empathy and compassion for the
people that you interact with, andthen how do you make sure that you
know, what are they trying toget out of their stay with you or
their dining experience with you, andhow can you create that? And that's
really when you approach it from thatperspective. It leads to a lot of

(09:54):
creativity. It leads a lot topersonal connections with your guests. And I
think that's always been my philosoph feeand not just from my dad, but
I've been fortunate to work for somegreat leaders in the industry that have really
imparted that same concept. And thegreat part is it doesn't have to be
all my managers. Sometimes is anotheremployee, sometimes it's an individual. So

(10:16):
they've really contributed to who I amtoday. And we're always searching for that,
We're always working for it. It'snever something you can rest your laurels
on. You have to be constantlyfinding new ways to make sure that your
guests are experiencing the best version oftheir stay when they're with you at your
hotels. I love that so much. I'm curious, because it has been

(10:41):
decades of you being immersed in thehospitality industry, what are the things that
you think have changed over the pastfew decades. You can say, sort
of hospitality in general, what arethe things that have become harder, more
challenging, and what are the thingsthat have been more positive shifts for the
industry. Of course, you know, I think specifically for the New England

(11:05):
region, and I think this isuniversal as well, but definitely to the
New England region. I think we'velearned to understand that we are all in
this together. And I think we'vealways known that, but I think we
know that even more now that thegreatest opportunity for resorts and restaurants is actually

(11:26):
by us working together understanding that it'snot a zero sum game. We do
compete, we absolutely do compete,but really the opportunity for us is as
we promote our hotels, as wepromote our region, we have a great
opportunity to float all boats. Andwe are really committed to that. And

(11:46):
I absolutely love working with so manyof the owners and operators in this region
because they've all come to this realizationthat we need to support each other if
we want to have a more robustpiece of business. Especially through COVID,
we saw that where a lot ofhotels came together to really support each other.
I think that's one thing I loveto see now in this industry,

(12:09):
and I know it will continue tohappen. One of the things that we
are really excited about is our guests, how they have evolved and change,
you know, with the app andof access to so much technology through to
social media are the perception and ideaof luxury has also evolved over time,
and luxury is no longer tied toa specific just a product or just a

(12:35):
service. It really is about anexperience. And hotels and businesses that are
getting it right, they're not necessarilyjust delivering the best customer service or best
product. Those are table stakes.Now we have to do that. What
different shapes luxury hotels is are youable to customize the experience to that specific

(12:58):
guest and a lot more time talkingabout what does that look like, How
do we personalize experience, How dowe make sure our employees are asking the
right questions, actively listening to theirguests and coming up with truly memorable experiences
for our guests. And again,the Harbor View Hotel is a perfect platform
for us to do that where wereally can observe our guests and really make

(13:22):
memorable experiences for them, no matterwhat time of year you're there, no
matter how many days you're there,it becomes like a home and kind of
an extended family and a place thatyou look forward to visiting year after year
after year. But I love thisidea of talking about some of the challenges,

(13:43):
and obviously COVID was a huge one. Billy and I spent you know,
certainly more than a year sort ofeducating customers about what the change is
meant for these businesses, both hotelsand restaurants, and you know, really
understanding again both the challenges and theopportunities that one had to be a part

(14:03):
of hospitality in sort of that COVIDera. And I think the folks that
are still being held in such highregard were the ones that were through that
challenging time and have so much success. So I guess let's start about the
Harbor View Hotel. Let's start expectingthat some people listening have never been to

(14:26):
Martha's Vineyard and have never been tothe hotel. Can you sort of paint
the picture for us and tell usa little bit about it's pretty rich history.
Absolutely so. The Harbor View Hotelhas been around for a little over
one hundred and thirty years, andit is such an iconic piece of Martha's

(14:48):
Vineyard and specifically in Egertown. Sowe are a five star resort located in
the heart of Egertown, overlooking theocean as well as Eggertown Harbor, the
Egertown Lighthouse. And what is sounique about this property it was built in
a very residential area, so itfeels very residential. It's within walking distance

(15:13):
of not only the beaches the lighthouse, but also to the town of Egertown,
and this makes this property really unique. And we have a variety of
luxury accommodations that include the historical building. There's also a newer building of called
Roxana, which which includes additional guestrooms. And then one of the very

(15:35):
unique parts about our hotel is wehave these standalone cottages that give you access
to all the amenities that a cottagewould have with a pass kitchen or a
full kitchen, private space, aswell as you still get access to all
the resort amenities. At the sametime, I will say I've had a

(15:58):
pleasure of being inside saying in thosecottages, and it's a very very unique
experience because you have, like yousaid, all of the feelings of really
being in a home and all thebenefits of being on a you know,
in a luxury resort. And I'dsay, for me who has two little

(16:21):
kids, I know you mentioned youhave four, which could we need to
have a whole podcast talking about howthat seems possible. But I think to
be able to have children where youstill want to be able to have sort
of the access in the enjoyment ofa luxury vacation. To be able to
have that little bit of separation alwaysgave me a little bit of reprieve,

(16:45):
not having to sort of worry whathappens if the kids are loud in the
morning, or what happens if youknow it's just it really brought so much
ease to the family vacation. So, Alton, I want to talk in
a lot of detail about the differentdining options that one can experience at the
Harbor View, But let's start byjust giving a sort of an overview of

(17:06):
what the options are, and thenwe'll come back and talk a little bit
more specifically about each of them.Awesome, Jenny. So we have three
dining options at the hotel. Ourfirst one is our approachable fine dining restaurant
called Batini. Our second one isopening today called Behind the View and I

(17:26):
would love to share more about thatin the next segment. And our third
one is our fresco dining Pulsite diningcalled the Roxy Pool Bar. I mean,
this is what I said. Isaid, you guys are always coming
up with something new, So that'sso exciting that there's something hot off the
press. We'll take a break,we'll be back with more Food for Thought
and Alton Chun talking about the harborView Hotel on Martha Vineyard. You're listening

(17:51):
to Food for Thoughts brought to youby It's the Box Center and Sale and
Waterfront Hotel in sweets. Hopefully everybodyis still looking to figure out the more
summer adventures for themselves as a couple, for their families. A place that
Billy and I visit every single year, so so so happily is the Harbor
View Hotel and Martha's ben And we'retalking to Alton Shun, who oversees upland

(18:15):
Capital and also oversees the Harbor ViewHotel as one of the properties. So
Alton, I want to take alittle bit of a deep dive into the
culinary experiences as Billy and I reallyfocus on those. Tell us about what
happens with the al fresco space andthe alfresco dining absolutely well, the olfresco
dining is all about the pool side. So we have a beautiful private pool

(18:40):
right in the center of the property, heated to a really comfortable eighty two
degrees. There's cabanas surrounding it,and then right next to it is our
roxy pool bar that has fire pitssurrounded as well dining, seated dining as
well as bart side dining. Thisfood will really we're focused on outside dining,

(19:00):
alfresco dining, and some of myfavorites on that menu that's coming this
year is our tuna pokeevo, whichI absolutely love on a hot summer day
when I want to have something freshand something that really represents the island,
focus on seafood, focus on Coastof cuisine, and if I go to

(19:22):
the other end of it, Iabsolutely love our smash burger and that's actually
new this season that we're introducing toour menu, and I think it would
be a great complicatement if someone's lookingfor a nice burger and fries at the
pool area. So great, andI have to say that that pool area
is a very special place certainly duringthe summertime. But I think what's nice

(19:45):
is you guys even keep it openand available on the shoulder seasons that I've
experienced kind of before it's really warmand then you know that sort of crisp
beginning to fall, which is sonice with just a couple of seconds.
Last, I also want to referencethe fact that you can do a beautiful
walk to a beautiful lighthouse on yourproperty. Absolutely, and going back to

(20:07):
how walkable the property is. Youknow, the lighthouse is right across from
us, and it is it isunder a ten minute walk that you can
walk just right across the street fromthe property on North Water Street and walk
down to the beautiful, iconic lighthouse. And what a lot of people think
about is they haven't been to Eggertownor Martha's Vineyard when they think about a

(20:29):
lighthouse or a lot of the photographythat you see of the lighthouse is that
lighthouse right there on Egertown. AndI mean, how many weddings, so
many guests come to it. Yousee so many people doing their family photos
out there. It's one of themost picturesque. I mean, the sunsets
are outrageous, the colors in theSky. We're going to take a break.
We'll talk about a couple more ofyour dining options at the harbor View
when we come back. You're listeningto Food for Thought, brought to you

(20:52):
by It's the Box Center and SailingWaterfront Hotel in Sweets Alton. I know
we want to get into some detailabout a couple of your other dining venues,
including one that's brand new, butI do want to take a moment
to talk about something that's coming upin just a week right around the corner.
That's a pretty big deal for Martha'sVineyard. I know that you guys

(21:15):
have done this for a variety ofyears, but this is at a new
time. Can you tell us aboutwhat's happening first week of June? Absolutely,
Jenny, So we are so excitedas a hotel to take a lead
role in the food and wine festivalon Martha's Vineyard that's going to happen June
sixth to the ninth, and we'rehosting six of their events at the hotel.

(21:40):
And it certainly highlights what we dobest at Harbor View Hotel, but
it also highlights supporting the culinary scenethat's really, really vibrant on Martha's Vineyard.
So we start the evening on Thursday, which we're hosting the opening Gala,
which is really the kickoff to thefestival as well as to the summer

(22:02):
and really celebrating the best of theisland in when it comes to cuisine and
offering. The next day on Friday, we have been very fortunate to work
with the James Bear Foundation and we'reoffering some master classes. So we have
a pasta making class making yoki witha top chef alumni Joe Sasto, quite

(22:25):
a personality. I think it's goingto be a great segment. The second
pieces we partnered with a local farm, Gray Barn, and they're going to
do the art of chief making aswell as pairing of wine as well that
evening on Friday night. This isone of our signature events that we've done
year after year with the food andwine. The twenty twenty four finalists,

(22:48):
David Standridge from Rhode Island, we'llbe joining us and working alongside a executive
chef, Juan Martinez of the hotel, and really it's going to be an
absolutely culinary experience for our guests whoare joining that event. So on a
Saturday, we have we have acocktail making class with UH with cocktail guru

(23:08):
Jonathan Polgash. I think that's goingto be a great event. And then
to sort of end the food andwine festival on Sunday, we're doing a
tie to table Brush, So that'sgoing to be with executive Chef Juan And
as you can see, there's justa packful week of culinary experiences. We're

(23:29):
absolutely excited about it. UH.The island has been a buzz about coming
to this event. We are seeingreservations and bookings and it's just going to
be a great time on the islandand both to experience the culinary experience as
well as some really great chefs thatare going to be joining us this year.
I think that's probably something. Soit's so fun for the island,

(23:52):
it's so fun for the property,it's so fun for the chefs. You
know. I love when chefs comefrom various places to be I mean,
I think that's when so much ofthe creativity of this industry takes place.
When you when you sort of shiftand change your day to day, it
makes you sort of push your youknow, just push your mind in a
variety of different ways, and Iknow that this is the I think that's

(24:15):
correct me if I'm wrong, Butthis is the first time that you're doing
this this time of year, whichI think could be really nice to bring
about a whole new group of peoplenow because people are listening and may be
really interested. Is there still opportunityfor folks to get connected to stay on
property? Uh? And then secondarily, what are some of the other places

(24:36):
that you recommend for folks who arestaying on the vineyard after they beat nipp
Atini, after they be nip behindthe view, after they've you know,
been it really experienced your property.What are some other places you suggest that
they visit while they're on islands?A certain they love to share that,
you know what, one of thegreat things there. There's so so many
things to do for so many differentpeople, and and that's why I think

(25:00):
that's why people come to Martha's Vineyard. I always say one of my absolute
favorites, and certainly we've gotten absolutelyamazing feedback from our guests is really understanding
the history behind Egertown and the area. And I recently did a historical walking

(25:21):
tour and I did it right beforethe season open so I could could see
it with the Vineyard Preservation Trust,and the Vineyard Preservation Trust has done a
lot of work on the island inpreserving the history and heritage of Egertown,
and it starts off with the CarnegieHeritage Museum, which is a five minute

(25:41):
walk from the hotel, and youcan see the old Whaling Church, which
which to me is one of thefinest examples of Greek refiable architecture when it
was on the island, and seeingthe Vincent House, which is the Odor's
home on Martha's Vineyard. Being ableto do that historical walking tour in Egertown
just brings so much of your experiencein Eggertown, whether you're staying at the

(26:04):
hotel or dining in the restaurants inthe town. It connects the whole town
to your experience, and I thinkanyone who comes here to try and take
the opportunity to do that one ofthe unique things. I like to be
a tourist sometimes, you know,even though I live on the Capan Islands,
I want to be a tourist somedays. And I still really enjoy

(26:26):
the drive out to Menemshaw and Istill always go to Mandempshaw Fish Market and
get a lost burrow, some clamchowder, some lobster bace and sit on
the dock. And it's still sucha special moment for my family and I
and it really has become a traditionfor us that we do every time we're

(26:48):
on the island. I adore thatspace as well, and it's really nice
because it does make you realize howbig the vineyard is. I'm compared to
some other Zord islands that you visit, and how much you know there's just
so there's so much to see,so much diversity and just landscape and terrain.
And I do love that area too, and it's it's always a nice

(27:12):
drive to head out there. Okay, we're going to take a break.
We're going to talk more about yourother culinary offerings on property. We'll be
back with more Food for Thought injust a minute. You're listening to Food
for Thought, brought to you bythe Box Center and Sale and Waterfront Hotel
and Sweet Alton. We've talked aboutthe awesome El fresco experience people can have

(27:32):
eating at the Harbor View, butthere's two other places, one brand new
and one award winning on a numberof different levels. Let's start with the
tini. What can you tell usabout walking into that dining space and what
people can expect from the menu.Certainly, you know, the space is
absolutely stunning. You know, it'sright on right on a veranda that overlooks

(27:55):
the harbor and you really I reallycan't do it justice by describe in the
view, but guests and anyone that'sbeen in that space, you know,
it really truly is a stunning view. Uh. The space has been when
warmly designed with with really focusing onreally focusing on the design of the space
as well as the tribute to theview as well as the food that we

(28:15):
serve. We serve our colossal cuisinemenu and again we really focus it on
being approachable for our guests and theywant, we want them to feel comfortable
when they're dining with us. SomeI was the menu that we have this
year. I am really excited about. We kept some classics that have been
truly popular in that restaurant. Myfavorite right now is our end and frize

(28:37):
salad with a truffled vinaigrette. Absolutelyamazing, uh, And I have to
admit I eat it every time I'mthere. So so that's become my go
to dish and one of the thingswe started. We also do all our
own home own homemade pasta in therestaurant. UH And one one thing that
we started this winter that we aregoing to carry into this summer is this

(29:00):
really classic lobster bucatini with a slighttwist, So we're doing it with lobster
asparagus and a staffron champagne cream anda little fennel but breadcrumbs on top of
it. Absolutely delicious, absolutely luscious, and our guests have been absolutely raving
about that dish since we introduced itthis morner. Going on to one of

(29:22):
my other favorite dishes this year isgoing to be Australian Australian lamb Wreck,
and the chef is doing a slightdifferent preparation than before. We're keeping it
pretty classic in terms of the deliverywith fingling potatoes and garlic confete, but
what he's doing is actually southing thelamb, so it is so tender,
falls off the bone, absolutely amazingexperience and it just shows our dedication and

(29:48):
our chef, Chef Juan Martinez,his dedication to the quality of the food
and the experience for our guests whenthey dined with us. Oh my gosh,
I'm very hungry at the points forcertain So tell me a little bit
about your chef and your chef beenwith you and where you know a little
bit about his history too. Yes, absolutely, our chef's Won Mattinez.

(30:10):
You know, very humble guy,but you know has has the chops.
You know, he started cooking whenhe was well, He started working as
a dishwasher when he was fifteen inMichigan, went to CIA, and then
had worked at the Greenbrier Resort,the Four Seasons in Boston. The little
nell in Aspen has great pedigree,great experience, worked with some great chefs,

(30:32):
and himself has become a absolutely outstandingchef. And what I enjoy most
with him is not just his creativity, but his ability to listen and understand,
you know, what are the customerslooking for? What is the island
looking for? And I do thinkthat this menu represents those things that we're
talking about, and I'm really excitedto be working with him. Well,

(30:53):
you even saying that about chef goesback to sort of what you said originally
about the the idea that it's afamily like you have your family, and
I know that there's so much ofyour individual family. Your family that you
work with in me is a familythat comes to sort of stay with you.
And I know that there's certainly alot of camaraderie and a lot of

(31:14):
communication that takes place between you andthe chef to make sure that all things
are firing on all cylinders. Andit sounds like he's doing a spectacular job
of that and sort of running theteam in the kitchen. I also think
it's worth pointing out, because wehave a lot of families who listen to
this radio program, that your menualways offers lovely things for kids, lovely
and healthy things for kids, whichI think is important because it's not just

(31:37):
sort of you. While you canget things probably like a more upscale mac
and cheese, you're also going tobe able to do the healthy things that
you'd like to do for your kids. I know that's an important piece for
you all. Yes, you know, absolutely it is, and you know
we you know, for a lotof us who have kids, you know,
we know how important that is.Just as much as the abuilt experience.
We want the kids to have experience, and that's where we are most

(32:00):
excited about the introduction of Behind theView, which opens today. It is
our casual, lively cocktail lounge,and we offer a diverse selection of really
upscale comfort food and the idea isreally to create shared plates appetizers alongside our
really really amazing cocktail program and areally fun atmosphere for our guests. And

(32:23):
Behind the View, the name forthe restaurant really pays tribute to the heritage
of the hotel, our ownership,our team, and also our sense of
place on Martha's Vineyard. It's withone hundred and thirty years of history.
We only know what these walls,if they could talk, is really that
space behind where so much has happenedand so much history. It's gone through

(32:46):
so many different chefs, so manydifferent names, and we're sort of bringing
that together to make it into areally, really fun cocktail bar we believe
will be Egar Town's newest, hottestspot going forward. I love hearing that,
So tell us a little bit aboutwhat the menu looks like. Oh
yeah, yes, that's see thatI can't wait to talk about. So

(33:09):
we we we thought it would bereally fun to start off the menu where
I guess have and at this menu, we're calling it the Martini, Martini
and Fritz menu uh. And it'sa selection of different martinis that you can
select from, and then it comeswith a side of either regular or truffle
fries that is on the side,we'll have a dipping crimp fresh top with

(33:31):
caviar. Very luxurious, perfect complimentto a martini, and we think it's
a great way to start your nightor afternoon at at behind the view,
our menu really again is shareables uhand and one of my favorites is is
our duck balbons uh. This isa peaking duck style duck lake con feet

(33:54):
that's marinated and put into a bun. Absolutely delicious, absolutely shareable, absolutely
placed homage to our heritage, andwe know it's going to be an absolute
hit. We also know that ourlobster roles are one of our top selling
items on our menu and it's notgoing away. It's going to stay on

(34:15):
there. But this year we thought, hey, why don't we introduce something
fun, something sharable, So we'reintroducing a lobster nachos at the property and
it will still be the six ounceamount of poach lobster on warm corn chips,
Megan Selsa and Crumb Fresh, andI think it's going to be absolutely

(34:35):
fabulous. I've had it a fewtimes and I can't wait for our listeners
and guests to try it. Mygosh, that's so fantastic. I do
want you mentioned the cocktails. Iknow that they're all very creative and inventive.
But talk a little bit about yourbar program, your wine program,
all components of that in all theproperties, of course. So let's start
with our wine program. So wemade a significant commitment to ensure that we

(35:00):
had some of the best wines andsome of the most desirable wines on the
island. UH. We've been fortunateenough to have a dedicated so earlier at
the property in recent years, andwe've built a new wine room in our
restaurant to be able to accommodate thecollection that we've been collecting over the years.

(35:21):
UH and Wine Spectator has acknowledged usover the last couple of years.
We continue to win awards with them, and we think we have a great,
great approach to wines that really willbe interesting to our guests. We
focus on really hard to find winesand I think our guests will find that
really exciting when we moved to ourcocktail program. It is all about creativity

(35:45):
and making sure that we use thebest ingredients. One of the couple of
cocktails that I would love to highlight, you know, one is actually our
Bettini gin and tonic. It's atake on the classic gin and tonic.
And when I think about a refreshingdrink during summer weather, for me,
a gin and tonic always comes tomind. And this one we did a

(36:07):
site twist. It's a little citruscervant d driven with floral notes in it,
and so we have outflower liquor init, some tonic, some citrus.
A really refreshing drink in the summer. And one of my other favorites
is called after Dark and it's aperfect alternative to espresso martini. We know

(36:29):
how much people love espresso martinis,so we want to have a little bit
of fun with it. So itcomes with a drumbrewy liquor forty three an
espresso. It's a perfect after dinnerdrink or before or I mean, let's
be honest, you can have itanytime of the day. It's a great
cocktail. It's the perfect, theperfect pick me up cocktail. And what

(36:49):
we love about it, it hasreally rich caramel flavors and a little bit
of hint of orange. So anyof those espresso martini lovers out there,
you know, come by and trythat cocktail. You will love it and
has this added depth and complexity thatyou will absolutely love. So those are
just two of the many cocktails thatI'm really excited about this season. Yeah,

(37:10):
it is true because and I dolove that. You're right, you
kind of enjoyed it at any time, and you have that beautiful porch outside,
you know, the way that youhave sort of maintained that property in
a way that gives you all theselittle different vignettes to experience, even if
you're there for a week. There'sdifferent places to sit, there's different times
of day to enjoy it. AndI think the adding of this new property

(37:34):
is going to just give you giveeverybody a whole other layer of that beautiful
property. We're going to take abreak and we'll be back with more Food
for Thought in just a minute.You're listening to Food for Thought brought to
you by the Box Center and SalemWaterfront Hotel in sweet Well, Alton.
I can't believe we're already at theend of the show, you are a
fantastic guest who's full of so muchknowledge about of course martha'svin here, but

(37:54):
also about the industry. It's beengreat to get to know a little bit
of your background in summation. Ihope we've given you enough reason and to
sort of say, let's let's makea weekend. Let's make a week let's
make a fun vacation experience on MarthaVineyard at the Harbor View. So is
there anything else that's happening this summer? Of course, we have the wine

(38:15):
fest that's coming up very shortly ifyou're looking for uh an opportunity to do
something really fun. But are thereother things that you want folks to know
about that are coming up this summer? Certainly, you know, we we
are just excited for the season andand you know look forward to welcoming so
many guests to the island, andand you know, I want I want
the listeners to understand that you know, we we we we are, we

(38:37):
are open and available. You know, so the island does get very busy,
but you know, always give usa call, check in with us,
you know, about availability, becausewe definitely want as many people not
just to experience the hotel, butto experience the island. We're really excited,
we we we We're excited. Thenext thing that comes right up after
the that will be our Fourth ofJuly events that happen on the island,

(39:00):
and the parade goes right in frontof the hotel and loops behind it.
You have a view of the fireworksfrom the hotel, so our guests really
get a front row seat of theparade and the fireworks without having to leave
the hotel. We are going tobe hosting a ticketed event in our restaurant
that gives guest priority seating and agreat dining experience. With Fourth of July,

(39:22):
and as we go through the season, we also welcome the African American
Film Festival that happens in August.We again, like the Food and Wine
Festival, our significant partners in thatevent both supporting the film festival as well
supporting the local community. And therewill be many events that will happen during
that time as well. But reallythe opportunity for our guests are boundless,

(39:45):
and you know, the best wayto find out about us is to go
to our website at Harborviewhotel, dotcom. In our upcoming events, you
can find out more about what wetalked about with the Food and Wine Festival,
and then certainly signing up for ournew letter or following us on Instagram,
you'll really get to see what ishappening at the resort and what's happening

(40:07):
on the island. Yeah, andyou're right, of course, these islands
get very busy July in August.But I think it's also worth noting the
shoulder seasons on these islands are somemorable. I've been there twice late in
late October, when you know whenNew Englanders might think it gets a little
bit chilly there. First of all, October is one of my favorite months

(40:27):
in New England in general, buton Martha's Vineyard it's so special because it's
like you have the whole island toyourself, and you know a lot of
the stores are getting ready to kindof close up for the off season,
and so you're experiencing sort of theirlast weekends of things, and which usually
brings a nice kind of energy.So while I certainly am a big supporter
of getting to these places in thesummer, because there's really nothing more energetic

(40:52):
than something like Martha's Vinyard during thesummer. Do not forget about the shoulder
season. I think for us tobe trying to keep it a secret,
but it's no longer a secret,right It really is. September and October
such a beautiful time on the CapanIslands and we've seen an influx of guests
and locals that stay longer as well, and we're we're really excited to start

(41:15):
introducing our pall programming and so youknow, to to the community and it
really is an exciting time on theisland. Yeah. Well, Alton,
we are super grateful for you spendingthis whole hour with us. I think
we've got a really nice idea ofwhat people can expect when they go to
the harbor view on Marther's Vineyard.I know, I am so excited,
and my family is. My daughterasks me almost every morning when are we

(41:37):
going to Martha's Vineyards. So I'mexcited to see you guys this summer as
always, as I know Billy istoo. So thank you so much for
taking the time and we hope thateverybody listening check it out and get the
chance to visit. Well. Thankyou, Jenny, and obviously to all
your listeners for Food for Thought,and you know, to our guests and
to the Martha's Vineyard islanders that reallysupport our hotel. That's it for Food

(41:59):
for Thoughts, brought to you bythe Box Spencer. Now it's time for sixty minutes