08/14/2026
The last three months have been some of the hardest we've faced since opening Pondicherry House.
Restaurants have a funny way of reminding you that whatever plan you thought you had probably isn't the plan you're going to end up following.Change came fast. There was no exit strategy. No carefully thought-out transition. Honestly, there wasn't much of a plan at all.
Christine took over the kitchen and stepped into a situation she never expected to be in and absolutely owned it.She took everything we've learned over the last two years, trusted her instincts, and started building a kitchen that feels like Pondicherry House.
She figured out how to keep that little kitchen running seven days a week, with two menus, when people who had worked in that exact same kitchen told us it couldn't be done.
Turns out it could.
Christine has never been interested in titles or being the loudest person in the room. She doesn't need everyone to know she's in charge. She just puts her head down and gets to work. And she expects the same from the people around her. I've watched her teach, lead, listen, change course when something isn't working, give people opportunities, and most importantly, build a team.
She's my wife, my business partner, my ride or die, and the love of my life. So yeah, I'm biased.
What she's done over these last few months has been incredible.
I'm incredibly proud of you, Christine.
But I also know she'd be the first person to say this:
She didn't do it alone.
So we'd like to properly introduce the Pondicherry House Back of House All-Stars.
Eddy.
Eddy has been through it with us.He's seen people come and go. He's watched this kitchen change around him more than once. He's worked under different personalities and through some pretty significant changes, and we know it hasn't always been easy or particularly pleasant. But Eddy stayed.
Steadfast as Katahdin. When plenty of people would've decided the grass was greener somewhere else, Eddie kept showing up.There's something to be said for the person who's still standing next to you after the dust settles.You may not know this Eddy, but Christine knowing you were going to be right alongside her gave her the confidence she needed. We love you buddy
Rob.
Rob goes all the way back to our first days in Maine bartending at Gary's. Life has a strange way of bringing people back around, and it feels pretty damn fitting that he's become such an important part of this chapter too.Rob brings decades of experience, a calm presence, and enough restaurant stories to keep you entertained through several bottles of wine.
They just don't make 'em like Rob anymore.He's the kind of person every restaurant needs—the guy who doesn't stand around waiting to be told what to do.The man has crossed things off our "to-do list" that have been sitting there for two years. No meeting. No reminder. No asking required. We're lucky to have you, Rob.
And then there's Noah.
Our little man.The ultimate Pondicherry House utility player.
Dish pit? Yep.Prep? Yep.Line? Absolutely.
Tables need refinishing? Apparently Noah does that too.
What we appreciate most isn't simply that he does what we ask.He notices. He helps. He listens. He wants to learn. And he does it with a smile and an attitude that makes everyone around him better.You can't teach that.Christine and I don't have children. But if we did, we'd hope they'd turn out a lot like Noah.That's probably going to embarrass him.
Good.
Noah, we mean that from the bottom of our hearts. We're incredibly proud of the young man you're becoming, and we're grateful you're becoming part of the story of this place.
And last but certainly not least, Amanda.
Amanda has quietly become the Pasta Queen of Pondicherry House, making most of the fresh, house-made pasta we serve every night.But Amanda means more to us than the pasta.
We consider her and her family dear friends.When we suddenly found ourselves trying to figure out how to put the pieces back together, she didn't need some big explanation.Her friends needed help. So she showed up.
That’s what the past few months have reminded Christine and me.Restaurants aren't built by one chef.They're not built by two owners.
They're built by teams.
They're built by the person washing dishes when nobody is paying attention. The person making pasta early in the morning. The person who notices something needs fixing and fixes it. The person who stays late. The person who teaches the person standing next to them. The person who keeps showing up when things aren't easy.
This isn't the kitchen we planned,but we're starting to believe it might be the kitchen we were supposed to have all along.
Pondicherry House is still young.
We're still learning. Still changing. Still making mistakes. Still figuring things out.But somewhere in all the chaos of the last few months, something pretty special happened.
We became a better team.
And we became a little more comfortable with exactly who Pondicherry House is.
We're small.We're independent.We're owner-operated.We're a little stubborn.
We make pasta by hand. We cook over fire. We pour wines we actually like. We know our regulars. We laugh a lot. We occasionally drive each other crazy.
That's Pondicherry House.
Which makes this feel like exactly the right moment to introduce something else that's new.
Our new logo.
It was created by our incredibly talented friend Kate Streeter, and when we saw it, there really wasn't much discussion.It just felt like us.Not bigger.Not fancier.Not trying to become something we're not. Just more comfortable being exactly what we are.
Small by design.
Personal by nature.
Independent by choice.
A little stubborn.
And very much ours.Christine, Eddy, Rob, Noah and Amanda—
I'm proud of every one of you.
More importantly, Christine and I are grateful for every one of you.
Thank you for showing up.
Thank you for caring.
Welcome to the next chapter of Pondicherry House.
Love, Mike
