This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Tom Armenti, the founder of Fat Shack. It's been edited for length and clarity. When I first tried to open a restaurant, the numbers didn't add up ...

Reservations will open on March 26 — nearly nine months after the renovation began — to coincide with the Paper Mill Playhouse’s production of “1776.” The theater’s F. M. Kirkby Carriage House ...