Michael's on the Hill in Waterbury Center Sold to New Owners

About four years after Laura and Michael Kloeti put Michael’s on the Hill on the market for $1.4 million, the 82-seat Waterbury Center restaurant and its property, including about four acres of land, has sold for $1.2 million. As of September 19, the new owners are married couple Don Jones and Andrew Kohn, who also run Stowe’s Brass Lantern Inn, which they bought just over a year ago after moving to Vermont from Columbus, Ohio, with their two children.

The Kloetis opened Michael’s in a historic 1820 farmhouse in June 2002. The location had previously been Villa Tragara. Michael, a chef, ran the kitchen, and Laura was the restaurant’s general manager.

When they decided to sell the restaurant in 2019, Laura told Seven Days they were ready for “a new chapter in our lives.” The couple said they knew it might take time to find a buyer but were committed to continuing to offer their elegant menu of European-style dishes featuring many Vermont ingredients until then.

Don Jones (left) and Andrew Kohn and their children Credit: Courtesy

Shortly after the deal was signed, the Kloetis said they felt good about the next step for what Laura described as “our third child.” She said she and her husband appreciate that Jones and Kohn seem to share their approach of “how to treat guests and listen to staff.” She added, “They love good food, too.”

Michael’s will continue to operate without interruption, and Kohn said there are no immediate changes planned. He added that he and his husband saw the restaurant as a way “to diversify our business and work symbiotically with our bed-and-breakfast.”

The team of about 22, including Michael’s longtime general manager and event director, Eric Griffin, and former executive sous chef, now executive chef, Jeff Thibeault, plans to stay on.

Michael said he is not worried about leaving his namesake restaurant. “It’s not hard to leave the restaurant behind as a building,” he said. “It’s hard to leave the people.”