In restaurants, a new season means new dishes, and for Karen Keohane and Matthew Sharlot, it also means getting a chance to cook up brand new ideas as a team. “The most fun is being creative together,” says Karen, who co-owns The Wellington Room with Matthew, her husband of seven years. Karen and Matthew describe their food as new American with French and Asian influences, and the menu emphasizes seasonal, organic ingredients. In fact, the menu changes constantly, “depending on what’s fresh in the garden,” Karen says.

Karen is a foodie who lived on a vineyard as a kid and has worked in restaurants for years, but Matthew is the chef at The Wellington Room, while Karen manages the front of the house. “If you want your marriage and your business to survive you should each be very clear about what your responsibilities are,” Karen

says. “With food, I’m going to ultimately give him the right to override me because he is the chef.” But that’s not to say they don’t share in the decision making. “That is the tricky part—the overlap—because we’re both owners of the whole restaurant,” Matthew says. “There’s got to be a sense that each person has veto power on something they feel really passionately about.”

Karen says running a restaurant works for them since they’re both good listeners who have the ability to stand back and evaluate criticism with an open mind. In addition to the fun of being creative together, there are other perks of co-owning a restaurant. Since opening The Wellington Room in 2008, each has come to

respect new things about their spouse. Karen says she admires Matthew’s “leadership in the kitchen,” while Matthew is “constantly impressed” by how good Karen is with people. “She can keep giving and giving and giving.”

Photographs by Allie Burke

From homemade bread to seasonal desserts, having a dedicated pastry chef is a way for a restaurant to leave a delicious first and last impression on diners, says Lauren Crosby, pastry chef at Black Trumpet. The much-lauded Portsmouth hotspot is a favorite of diners who want to experience the restaurant’s innovative cuisine, and thanks to Crosby, dessert lives up to that reputation.

Crosby, 30, says she’s inspired by reading, traveling, dining, and seasonal ingredients. She likes to feature unexpected desserts, and specializes in offering “a different combination of flavors as well as a combination of traditional sweets presented in a new way.” She uses savory ingredients in desserts, as in dishes like her Avocado Lime Tartlette with coconut crust and berries, and in the Sweet Tomato Pie with whipped Harbison cheese, balsamic vinegar, and basil. She aims to provide diners with “either something rich and sweet that you just need one bite to satisfy, or something savory-sweet that fits in to the progression of a meal,” she says.

Desserts have been part of Crosby’s life since she was born. “I grew up with my grandparents owning a multi-generational bakery that I worked in as soon as I was old enough to see over the counter,” she says, adding that she’s worked in kitchens since she was 15. After studying culinary arts at a vocational high school, she received an associate’s degree in culinary arts from Southern New Hampshire University. She’s spent the past five years working at Black Trumpet, dividing her time between cooking, making pastries, and working in the front of the house.

Although Crosby says she changes a couple of things on the menu every few weeks so diners can always have something new, she maintains certain bases for her desserts—custard, chocolate, nut, fruit, and savory. But that seems to be the only thing conventional about her recipes. Fruit may appear in a pistachio-crusted Key Lime Bars, or in a Gingerbread Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

Even when Crosby makes a familiar dessert, she adds brightening elements. For example, the custard on one recent menu was a Sugar Pumpkin Flan with burnt orange chili caramel and a smoked pecan sandie. Her Whoopie Pie was dipped in dark chocolate and served with coffee milk and espresso bark.

“There is always comfort in classics, especially when they are done right,” she says. “Although speaking for myself as a diner and a chef, I just get bored of the same old thing and like to see something new to try.”

When it comes to chocolate, which seems a required ingredient for a certain holiday in February, Crosby has mixed feelings. “I love it and am addicted to it,” she says, “but I actually don’t like making chocolate desserts because it is something that you are expected to always have on the menu, and you have the added pressure of fulfilling someone’s craving. When making chocolate desserts, I try to stay basic to satisfy that need for it.”

That said, Crosby has developed some pretty delicious sounding offerings, like a simple but deeply rich Chocolate Pâté. A January dessert was a Chocolate Banana Boston Cream Pie with cherry puree and a cocoa marshmallow. For Valentine’s Day, she says, “I am featuring a Chocolate Fondue for Two. It will be a fun interactive dessert with some interesting dipping options.”

This fall, Gerald Bonsey celebrated 30 years as Executive Chef at York Harbor Inn. He started soon after graduating from the culinary arts program at Johnson & Wales in Providence, Rhode Island. The inn has grown from 12 to 66 rooms, and now has two 125-seat restaurants plus a banquet hall for weddings and other events. Bonsey recently added another activity to his duties: bee keeping, supplying very local honey to the inn.

How did you get into food?
I cooked at home when I was a kid – my mother worked, and I liked to eat. I started making dinners for the family. Some were good, some not so good. I just made whatever my mother told me, things like meatloaf, chop suey, oriental style – that was cutting edge back then. In high school, I talked to my guidance counselor. He said, “What do you like to do?” and I said, “Play the drums and cook.” He asked me if I was a good musician, I said no, and he said, “Go to culinary school.”

What are some of your signature dishes?
Believe it or not, our most popular item is the Harborside Haddock Sandwich. It’s not deep fried, but lightly crumbed and grilled, with cheddar cheese, served with a caper mayo. Another popular dish is Lobster-Stuffed Breast of Chicken with Boursin cheese sauce. I made the mistake of taking that off the menu once and I heard about it from all the guests. I put it back. We have an Apple Cider-Brined Pork Chop. I used to think you could only sell pork in the wintertime, but it seems to be popular in the summer as well. We also offer a lot of gluten free items, and I usually run a Skinny Chef Special for brunch.

What’s that?
Well, I’ve lost 120 pounds over two and a half years, so I usually do a breakfast special every week that’s under 500 calories, with more emphasis on the protein, like Seared Salmon Over Corn Tortillas. We also have a homemade Veggie Burger, because I never found a premade one that I liked.

How has your cooking philosophy changed?
When I started, I had a little bit of an attitude, and I took everything off the menu that I considered pedestrian, like French Onion Soup and shrimp cocktail. I didn’t even have steak sauce – demi glace, Béarnaise, beurre rouge, that’s all you needed. Then I realized, you have to cook for the guest, not for yourself. People like French Onion Soup.

What’s with the beekeeping?
Someone mentioned to me that they took a class, I said that’s interesting, the next thing I know I’m taking the class at adult education in York. I have four hives at my house and four at the inn, and I harvested 180 pounds of honey this year. The inn guests really enjoy it. It’s kind of a challenge – it’s good for me, calms me down. You have to be calm around bees, move slow and gentle, which is not really me. I have to step back, relax. Bees definitely notice when you’re angry. I tried working without gloves – but I guess I’m not that calm and gentle.

What are you doing for Christmas, since the restaurant is closed?
This year I’m having family over Christmas day. I’ll probably do more hors d’oeuvres stuff. Though I have to have lobster because my niece demands it. I like chorizo cooked in red wine – doesn’t look pretty, but tastes awesome, with garlic and thyme.

Any advice for holiday entertaining?
Keep it simple and make food you can prep ahead of time and finish quickly, so you can spend time with your guests.