Tony Ridgway believes in kindness.
He believes in letting go of the bad energy, throwing it away, or working through it to find kindness. And, he believes kindness is contagious.
“I believe when you’re just and fair and kind to the staff, from the dishwasher to the executive chef, and you treat your service staff [well] and the service staff treats our customers well, then they respond in a similar fashion,” says Tony, a 50-year champion of the Naples restaurant landscape.
From his office upstairs at Ridgway Bar & Grill on Third, Tony presides over a kingdom of good food and fine wine there and at Bayside Seafood Grill & Bar, Tony’s off Third and Sukie’s Wine Shop.
When we talked, I was in northern Michigan, coincidentally just a few blocks from where Tony played baseball as a kid and not far from the mom-and-pop restaurant where he worked in his 20s. He returned to Petoskey (where I summer) on the shores of Lake Michigan decades later to pen a few chapters of his recent cookbook, Kitchen Privileges.
We waxed poetic about dreamy summer days, the reassuring comfort of an old family cottage, the healing properties of a slower pace and the inexplicable warmth you get when you return to a place that means so much.
It’s this feeling of affection, contentment, peace and enjoyment that he strives to create for his customers through proven recipes and consistently good service. “When you drive up the hill to the cottage, you get a feeling of comfort, safety, simpler and better times - even if there were tough times, it’s welcome.” It’s this feeling he hopes to replicate.
During the past year, Tony and his kitchen team have experimented (and honed) a new dish that has proven successful, further cementing the restaurant’s place in diners’ hearts.
His carrot cake recipe, popular since he developed the dish in 1971 from a recipe shared with him in his Air Force days, has long kept diners saving room for dessert.
Now, it’s Ridgway’s homemade ice cream that is stealing the show, sending dessert sales skyward. “It’s rich and one scoop - maybe - is just enough,” says Tony. He and his pastry chef Clifford Parris researched the recipe and process. When he bought the ice cream machine, he was advised to look at pre-made mixes to make life easy. “For once, I thought maybe I will do that to make things easier! But, I looked at the ingredients and didn’t see eggs. I didn’t see cream. I didn't see milk.” They combined four recipes - including one from Tony’s favorite restaurants in Burlington, VT and one from a beloved Chicago pasty chef - and they tweaked it, and have been making ice cream for about a year.
What’s next on the Ridgway menu?
Tony is now working to create a few more reasonably priced entrees. “Beef prices are expected to take a 20 - 30 percent jump so we’re looking at options. Also, a few years ago we gave up what I call the ‘Midwest Triumvirate’ of protein plus a starch plus a vegetable. You don’t need all that - just two,” he says. Expect to see smaller cuts of meat and more vegetable options from Ridgway’s kitchens.
He’s been in business for 52 years. “I’ve done it all - from baking to expediting and cooking. One of the things I still love to do is to cook something and cook it very well - with the perfect meat temperature, and texture and arrangements of seasons and ingredients for flavor.”
But, do remember to save room for dessert. And fine wine. And don’t forget to smile and be kind. Food tastes better that way.
