For more than 21 years, dinner crowds at Blue Paddle Bistro have been a sign of summer in the Champlain Islands. This week, the white house with blue shutters on Route 2 in South Hero went dark. In a social media post on Thursday night, co-owner Mandy Hotchkiss confirmed that the restaurant is permanently closed.
“We experienced a perfect storm of circumstances that caused us to come to the difficult decision to end our beloved business,” Hotchkiss wrote, signing the post on behalf of Phoebe Bright — her friend of 40 years and chef/co-owner — and their “Paddle Pups,” the bistro’s well-known German wirehaired pointer mascots.
Hotchkiss did not reply to requests for comment earlier this week, when rumors began circulating that the restaurant was canceling reservations due to an unexpected closure.
Despite the Islands’ seasonal fluctuations in population, the Paddle had a dedicated year-round following for what Bright described as its “delicious yet unpretentious” menu, including crab cakes with mango chutney aioli and coffee-crusted pork tenderloin.
The restaurant was a perennial favorite in the Seven Days readers’ choice awards, and Bright — who trained under famed chef-restaurateur Anita Lo — took home the Daysie for best chef in 2022. Reservations were only available via phone, which Hotchkiss answered starting at 6 a.m. each day.
Bright and Hotchkiss adapted the biz many times over the years, offering popular Sunday brunches, winter food deliveries, live music and a dog-friendly outdoor seating area. They ran Blue Paddle on the Bay, a seasonal spot at Keeler Bay Marina now home to the Rest Stop, in 2020 and 2021.
“Thank you all for your support,” the post said. “We will truly miss all our friends … who have been so loyal and enthusiastic about The Paddle.”
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