summer 2016 | Tavern 214

by Anne Pyburn Craig. photos by Matt Petricone June 07, 2016

Throughout middle and high school, Peter Diaz delivered and prepped Chinese food, worked in a deli, and served guests at catered weddings. He assumed these jobs were just temporary until he was ready for a “real” career in something like architecture, or maybe computers or finance. After his first semester at the State University of New York at Albany, however, he found himself back in the world of food, working at TGI Friday’s.

meet the owners tavern 214 by Anne Pyburn Craig photos by Matt Petricone

Throughout middle and high school, Peter Diaz delivered and prepped Chinese food, worked in a deli, and served guests at catered weddings. He assumed these jobs were just temporary until he was ready for a “real” career in something like architecture, or maybe computers or finance. After his first semester at the State University of New York at Albany, however, he found himself back in the world of food, working at TGI Friday’s. He realized on his first day at work that he wanted to run a restaurant of his own. “I was bitten by the hospitality bug,” he says. “I transferred to New York City Technical College to major in hospitality management and culinary arts.” Peter has worked sundry restaurant jobs since then, including sommelier.

“The last 20 years have been mostly spent managing restaurants,” he says. Peter honed his restaurant and hospitality chops in markets as diverse as San Francisco, Southeast Florida, and France. His skills culminated in Tavern 214, a farm-to-table gastropub he and his wife Vivian opened steps

“ What I love most is making people happy at the most basic, sensual level. When I hear, ‘It smells great, it looks great, it tastes great,’ that makes it all worthwhile.

—Peter Diaz

“I’ve always kept up my kitchen skills by throwing lavish dinner parties and trying to reproduce dishes I’d enjoyed in my travels.

from Stony Clove Creek in Phoenicia.

But acquiring the space for Tavern 214 was more difficult than you may think. “I used to visit the Catskills in the 90s, back when Tavern 214 was called Claude’s Bistro and Lodging,” he says. “Claude’s son Stan and I have always been close friends, and we’d stay with Claude whenever we came up to ski or hike, or just to get away.”

Peter always loved the potential of the building which housed Claude’s Bistro and tried to buy it when it was on the market in 2004, but the market was booming and Claude raised the asking price each time he tried. “In 2011 Claude passed away, may he rest in peace,” Peter says. “By then the real estate bubble had burst; Claude’s children were ready to make a fair deal.”

The deal came right in the nick of time. Peter had been living in Florida, managing a restaurant and scouting locations in Delray Beach. He found that he was priced out of the game each time. Then came the phone call from his old friend Stan. “I’ll never forget his words,” Peter says. “‘Why don’t you and Vivian fly up and take a look? I know you’re tired of being a corporate drone. Take a chance on your own thing. Start small; grow it organically.’” Peter and Vivian flew up just after Hurricane Irene came through.

“I decided then that I wanted to be part of the renaissance and rebuilding of this beautiful area,” he says. Claude’s Bistro closed in April of 2012, and Peter began researching and renovating.

“Watching this phoenix rise from the ashes was exciting,” he says, “but there’s a reason they call an older building a money pit. Getting open on

time and in-budget was the toughest challenge.”

In August of 2013, Tavern 214 was open for business with a small menu that included three appetizers, three entrees, and three desserts. It was an immediate hit, driven by social media, review sites, and word-of-mouth. “When people started digging my food, my music, my lighting, and my bar program, that was really fulfilling,” Peter says.

“I love making people feel that they’ve just experienced something special, something that was done with love, care, and attention to detail.”

Tavern 214 draws in both locals and tourists who rave about fine steaks, mouthwatering lobster macaroni and cheese, bold barbecue, and great bar selections. They describe the hospitality as infectious, passionate, and warm.

I treat people the way I’d like to be treated, whether it’s a guest, an employee, or a sales rep,” Peter says.

TAVERN 214

76 State Route 214, Phoenicia

845-688-7383, tavern214.com