Noted Ludlow restaurant to take over Weston Theatre eatery; Okemo resort honors employees

The Downtown Grocery, a restaurant based in Ludlow, will be taking over the Weston Theatre Playhouse’s pre-theater dinner service and Cabaret snack service under the name West Town Eatery.

Downtown Grocery owners Rogan, left, and Abby Lechthaler,

Chef-owner Rogan Lechthaler,  a Weston native who has worked at Boston’s Ritz Carlton and Mistral, has received accolades from the Wall Street Journal, GQ magazine and Yankee Magazine for the Downtown Grocery’s local and seasonal cuisine.

“There couldn’t be a better time to introduce a new menu to the Weston Playhouse restaurant,” says Lechthaler’s wife and Downtown Grocery co-owner Abby Lechthaler. “The summer produce is gorgeous and our focus will be on what’s of the moment.”

The late-evening Cabarets will be accompanied by Rogan’s delicious desserts and savory late night snacks, with a selection of large format beers, carafes of wine and specialty cocktails.

Dinner seatings are available from 5:30 pm Tuesday through Saturday, in accordance with Weston’s MainStage performance schedule. Special events include three Sunday suppers, and the Cabaret. All reservations can be made through the Weston Box Office by calling  802-824-5288. This season’s performance schedule is available at westonplayhouse.org.

Okemo resort honors employees at luncheon

On June 9, Okemo Mountain Resort celebrated being named among the Top 10 Best Places to Work in Vermont for 2015 in the large business category, following Edward Jones, LORD MicroStrain and Vermont Energy Investment Corp.

A catered luncheon brought employees together to be recognized for their hard work by resort owners, Tim and Diane Mueller, with special guest speaker Lt. Gov. Phil Scott. Ethan and Erica, the Muellers’ two adult children who play key roles in the family business, were also in attendance.

Okemo Mountain Resort was ranked fourth in the Best Places to Work in Vermont, climbing three spots since earning honors for the first time last year. Okemo was the first ski resort to ever make the prestigious list.

The awards program was created in 2006 and is presented in partnership with the Society for Human Resource Management, Vermont State Council, the Vermont Department of Labor and the Vermont Department of Economic Development. The state-wide program is managed by Best Companies Group.

Okemo Mountain Resort co-owner Tim Mueller said, “Every job at Okemo is equally important in making the guest experience memorable. It is because of Okemo’s employees’ work ethic, fun-loving attitude and support of each other that Okemo is a great place to work. Congratulations to our exceptional team that always puts the guest first.”