PAGE 8 — Addison Independent
| ARTS+LEISURE | Thursday, February 2, 2017
Meet the chef
Mark Perrin from Green Peppers in Middlebury
W
hen you think of Green Peppers Restaurant in Middlebury what comes to mind? Build your own pizza? Huge family salads, shrink-wrapped in cellophane? Hearty homemade soups or subs? How about those Magic Eye posters that used to line the hall?
BY ELSIE LYNN PARINI
If you don’t remember, Magic Eyes were a fad in the ‘90s. Technically they’re called random dot autostereograms; 2-D patterns that become 3-D when you look at the image just right. They were so popular, that a series of three books were published and, according to Wikipedia, they spent a cumulative total of 73 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List. Anyway, Green Peppers had the books and a bunch of framed Magic Eye posters ― the perfect way to spend a few minutes waiting for your order. “I can’t tell you how many people I’ve taught” how to see the 3-D images, said Mark Perrin, who established Green Peppers with his wife, Donna, in 1993. “You’ve got to let your eyes cross and look at your reflection in the glass.” Though taking the time to teach a customer how to see a Magic Eye seems simple, it’s a small example of how committed Perrin is to education and his community. Perrin, himself, counts 46 years of school board experience (if you count a separate year for each board he’s on). Right now he’s a member on the Mary Hogan, Patricia A. Hannaford and ACSU school boards; he’s also a member of the State Board of Education. Perrin has also been involved with
Steph Betourney, left, Amy Sweet, Lauren Ringey and Mark Perrin take a break from morning prep in the Green Peppers kitchen in Middlebury last week. INDEPENDENT PHOTOS / TRENT CAMPB
agriculture. “We’ve had one foot in ag and one foot in the restaurant business,” Perrin said. It’s been that way ever since his family raised sheep on his wife’s family farm on Creek Road. The Perrins bought the farm in 1990 where they raised their four children and had their own agritourism yarn shop. Perrin’s ag-side-of-life brought him to NOFA, Vermont Fresh, Vermont Tourism and the Chamber of
Commerce; he’s also been active with Hunger Free Vermont since its inception in the early ‘90s. “Being in the food industry and understanding nourishment and proper nutrition really turned me on to Hunger Free Vermont,” said Perrin, adding that the work he does with Hunger Free Vermont dovetails nicely with his school board and restaurant work. He said that Green Peppers produces very little waste; they give
pre-consumer waste to local farmers who use it to feed their pigs. “We’ve never had a shortage of farmers wanting our scraps,” he said.
“My wife and I have always viewed the restaurant business as a form of income, but also a way to do good in our community,” said Perrin. “We are supported so much by local people ― it’s really the locals that drive this business ― so we try to give back as much as we can.”