The Drake Bar and Kitchen is the culmination of Eben Hill’s life long devotion to the New England restaurant industry. In 2011 he met his wife and business partner; Tessa Hill and together they ran the Broken Arrow Cafe food truck and catering company until fall of 2019. When they found the location of The Drake, the Hills knew this was the right place to showcase their passion for local ingredients, contemporary American cuisine, and a fun, inclusive community environment.
Where did the name come from?
When chef Eben met Tessa, she was working at the Echo Center in Burlington as the Animal Care Staff. They bonded over a mutual love for animals and nature!
Owner Tessa Hill grew up in Amherst, MA where there was once a dive bar in the in the basement of a hostel that was called the Drake! (it was shut down for illicit activities, but the legend remains!)
A drake is the word for a male duck!
Northern VT is chock full of families who have hunted for generations- we wanted to speak to our locals who value our natural bounty!
When Chef Eben first started dating now wife Tessa; he frequently cooked duck confit to win her (and her mom) over- it worked!!
We had to shout out to our very close neighbors- Canada- and their favorite rapper… Drake
Our gorgeous duck logo was created by local artist; Dominika Smolinski who can be found on instagram and etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DominikaSmolinski