“What made you want to own a restaurant?” This is always the first question asked after someone finds out that owners Beth and Mike Ross are, indeed, actually veterinarians. And Mike is not really just any veterinarian, he is a full professor of Equine Surgery for the University of Pennsylvania at New Bolton Center. You can read about him in recent articles such as, “Top Equine Surgeon Turned Top-rated Delaware Restauranteur” in NewsWorks and in The Hunt in “The Healing Hands of One Local Equine Surgeon.”
But what did make him want to own a restaurant? Despite working at the University for 25 years, Mike has always wanted to own and manage his own business. Mike and Beth have always had a passion for food and wine and after exploring several options for business ownership, fell in love with the idea of owning their own restaurant. With the help of long-time friend Javier Matamoros (who many of you may know from many fine dining establishments through the years) Mike explored many restaurant opportunities. During this time Mike and Beth celebrated Beth’s 41st birthday at Domaine Hudson where they struck up a conversation with then owner, Tom Hudson. They loved the restaurant from the moment they walked in. “We had a great evening, starting with a flight of Rosé wine. Flight of Rosé–how many places do you find that?” remembers Beth.
While Mike was in Italy teaching an equine arthroscopy course the following month he received a phone call from Tom asking if he was interested in owning Domaine Hudson. Less than two months later, as they say, the rest is history.
While the learning curve has been quite steep, it has been an enjoyable challenge. “We had a great foundation to build upon from Tom and Meg Hudson”, explains Mike. “But after a few fits and starts, we have put together a great team of people. It is with this team of truly dedicated, experienced people that we know have the interest of the restaurant and our vision at the forefront that we have been able to create such a great experience.”
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