About Us
Garlic John’s restaurant and Italian trattoria has been a popular
dining and gathering spot in Manchester, VT since the early 1970s, when it was
opened by local resident, Dick Comollo. Dick later sold the restaurant to Edgar
Greason, who sold it after five years to the current owners, Susan Anagnos and
Frank Shattuck.
Sue and Frank have owned and operated Garlic John’s since
1981, with Sue running the kitchen and Frank overseeing the front of the house.
Over the years, they have made numerous renovations, expanding the kitchen, adding
the current bar and lounge area and building the veranda providing
outdoor
dining. Frank’s green thumb is responsible for all the numerous colorful
flowers and plants around the property.
Sue is a chef trained at the Culinary Institute of America in New York, and with prior experience at restaurants in both New York and Vermont. She was pastry chef at the Patisserie/Quilted Giraffe in New Paltz, NY before it moved to Manhattan and became one of the city's top restaurants. She was also a chef at The Buttery, Wilburton Inn and Cobblestone's (now The Perfect Wife) in Manchester.
Frank comes from a family with a long history of restaurant
ownership that includes the Schrafft’s chain that was popular across
metropolitan New York City and the northeast during most of the 20th century. Frank also worked as a bartender at The Russian Tea Room in Manhattan
and at other popular restaurants in New York and Vermont (including
Cobblestone’s) before co-owning Garlic John’s with Sue.
