Tony Maws
Chef & Owner
Tony Maws is a non-traditional chef – an “idealist with a kitchen” might be a more appropriate job description. His ideology: that local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients are intrinsically better, and that these ingredients form the most significant part of what makes great food great. Tony embarked on an eight-year journey that included stints under local chefs Kenneth Oringer at Restaurant Clio and Steve Johnson at the Blue Room; Bernard Constantin at Larivore in Lyon, France; Roland Passot at La Folie and Wolfgang Puck at Postrio in San Francisco; and Mark Miller at the Coyote Café in Santa Fe. Tony is particularly grateful to Chef Chris Schlesinger, for giving him his first big break: a chance to chop vegetables at the East Coast Grill. He originally opened Craigie Street Bistrot in 2002, which moved to the Main Street home in 2008. Tony grew up just across the river in Newton, and now lives in Cambridge with his wife Karolyn and their son Charlie. His career highlight to date was when he got to cook for his favorite band, Wilco. His interests include the Red Sox, reading cookbooks for pleasure (he has a collection of more than 200), skiing, eating Chinese food, and traveling — particularly to France.