Evan Hennessey is the chef and owner of Stages at One Washington and The Living Room in Dover, New Hampshire, and the founder of Finding Thyme, a culinary travel venture that blends food, place, and community. Since opening Stages in 2012, he has focused on ingredient-driven, regionally rooted dining, collaborating closely with farms and producers across New England. In this episode, he shares why listening to guests and staff matters more than protecting a rigid concept, how mentorship can replace fear-based kitchens, and what it takes to design restaurants that allow owners to step back without losing the soul of the work.

Takeaways

• Restaurants should be designed to evolve
• Listening to guests is a core operational tool
• Small, manageable formats create long-term sustainability
• Community trust is earned through consistency and transparency
• Cooks should amplify farmers and foragers
• Leadership works best when it removes fear from the kitchen
• Mentorship develops stronger leaders than intimidation
• Cross-training builds resilience and shared ownership
• Multiple concepts can coexist when systems are intentional
• Reducing waste starts with whole-animal thinking and menu design
• Financial clarity protects creative freedom
• Stepping back requires teaching others how to lead
• Personal values should shape the businesses you build
• Longevity depends on designing work that supports life outside the restaurant

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