• Courtesy
• Chicken and ribs at the Waybury Inn

East Middlebury's Waybury Inn is under the new ownership of three town natives: chef Antonio Petri and Halina and Chas Lyons. The change of hands occurred in the spring, when Joe and Tracey Sutton sold the 200-year-old inn after nearly 25 years of ownership.

Petri has been executive chef at the inn's casual and fine-dining restaurant for the past two years. Having grown up next door to the inn, he said it was an opportunity "too good not to take a pass at."

The new team is working to expand the restaurant's menu and hours, which were pared down during the pandemic. The Lyonses work alongside Petri, managing the inn, the restaurant and its catering service.

In reworking the Waybury Inn's offerings, Petri said, he strove to retain the spirit he grew up with while pushing the menu in creative directions. Previously, the inn served classic American fare that Petri described as "Vermont tavern" style. While shepherd's pie ($20) remains a mainstay, the Waybury's menu now offers a greater range of flavors with a worldly influence.

• Courtesy
• Chas Lyons and Halina Lyons With Antonio Petri

Creole and Cajun flavors come to the forefront in the chicken and ribs served over coconut rice and topped with pineapple chutney and a citrus relish ($28), a dish that reflects Petri's time working in New Orleans. The chef's ras el hanout eggplant ($28) exemplifies the Mediterranean aspect of the menu: The smoked eggplant is served with stewed tomatoes and apricots and topped with a lemon yogurt sauce and pistachio-citrus honey.

Petri's experience as a chef in cities such as New York and Philadelphia brings a contemporary feel to the menu. Yet he said he is glad the Waybury "brought him back home" to East Middlebury, where he sources from local farms with which he has formed relationships, such as New Haven's Misty Knoll Farms, Cornwall Cattle and Ripton's Mountainyard Farm.

The Waybury Inn is now open for dining Wednesday through Monday from 4:30 to 8 p.m.