Matecat, a Parisian who has lived in the United States since 1972, has been at The Common Man for 10 years. Originally brought to the United States by a French corporation to help develop a line of baked goods, he moved to Vermont 19 years ago. It's beautiful here, and very close to Montreal. Ware and Matecat are clearly good friends as well as colleagues. By May, we're pretty much the only fine dining place in the valley.
Loyalty is an important part of the operation.
Jean-Patrick, of course. Our head waitress, Chris-Ann Bauer, has been here for 17 years. And Robert La Perle, our dishwasher, has been with us for 11. People come back to us after 20 years and say that the place hasn't changed, the food hasn't changed. Most of our food is classic.