VERMONT Magazine Winter 2023 | Page 59

Bill Walsh The Blue Benn by Lon Wasco ( Father of David Wasco , who was featured in our Winter 2022 Issue )
bookkeeper with her duties at the Benn . She worked nights at the diner , managing the financial aspects of the business and scrubbing the kitchen after Sonny closed down the restaurant . Eventually , she transitioned into full-time work at the Benn , and she and Sonny brought Lisa along with them for the ride . In the book , Lisa is quoted as saying the following : “ Dad was the creative mind behind the diner … My mother was the force that made it happen .”
Growing up , Lisa would routinely wake up at 4:00 AM , drive with her parents to the Benn , and fall asleep in a small bed that they set up for her in the basement of the restaurant . She would later emerge from her slumber , walk upstairs to the diner , and eat breakfast before heading off to school . “ You could smell the smoke , and you could smell the bacon ,” she recalls in the book . “ She came to see The Blue Benn as a rival sibling in a way ,” adds Randall . “ She respected her parents and their tireless work ethic , but it was a love-hate relationship with the diner , because her parents ’ work was all-consuming .”
When Sonny passed away in 2019 , it signaled the end of an era . Less than a year later , The Blue Benn closed its doors , and was eventually sold to its new owner , John Getchell . “ On one hand , it was thrilling for Lisa to take it over ,” says Randall . “ On the other hand , she didn ’ t feel like she was necessarily the right fit for the job , and she found it hard to treat servers who had worked there since she was a child with any authority .” In the book , Lisa says that although it was difficult to step away from the family business , she looks back on much of the time she spent there with happiness and gratitude . “ There were just a lot of really nice people that love the place . These are people I wouldn ’ t have ever met , if not for the diner . But my happiest times were when dad was there .”
Lisa and her husband , Bill LaFlamme , also witnessed their two children , Matheson and Marcus , come of age in the diner . Bill is quoted as saying that it deepened his emotional connection to the business . “ Watching our kids grow up through that diner , from here to where they are now — you know , working in the kitchen , playing the jukebox , bringing their girlfriends and their friends … it was fun to be a part of that .” While Matheson and Marcus were thankful to be able to spend time at The Blue Benn with their grandfather , Sonny — Matheson in the kitchen , and Marcus in the front of the house — they both knew at an early age that they were not destined to take over the Benn . “ Nobody in the family ever suggested my brother or I take over the diner ,” says Matheson . “ People outside of the family did , a lot .” Despite
Over the course of Lisa ’ s childhood , she often did her homework at the counter . After she graduated from high school , she began working at the diner full-time . When Sonny retired in 2009 , Mary Lou took over the ownership role . In the years that followed , Sonny ’ s health began to decline , and Mary Lou eventually turned the managerial duties over to Lisa .
Christmas at The Benn VTMAG . COM WINTER 2023 57