In 1997, Maxwell and his partners, a group of four entrepreneurs named the Irish Pub Group, opened Dora Keogh, an Irish pub next door, in a building adjoining Allen’s, and two years later opened P.J. O’Brien at 39 Colborne Street. P.J.’s was sold in 2004, and Maxwell today continues to operate Dora’s and Allen’s. A fixture in Toronto’s Danforth community, Allen’s is famous for its timeless design, top-notch patio overlooked by ancient willow trees, delicious local food and service staff who know patrons by name. “They day we opened, people thought that we had been here forever,” says Maxwell. “We have changed the restaurant very little since it opened. It has a timeless feel. It’s very far from trendy. My feeling about ‘trendy’ is that as soon as you are trendy, you are on the road to being out of fashion. I think Allen’s is as attractive and interesting aesthetically today as the day it was built. “I think the longevity of the staff contributes to our institutional status. We have about 50 people on staff, and a great many of them have been here for 10 years or more. A good percentage have been here 15 years or more, and at least five 20 years or more. That is something very rare in a restaurant – you walk in, and you the customer know the staff, and the staff knows you.” The food is a classic fare, with an emphasis on local ingredients, as well as local wine and beer. “Allen’s is a restaurant that specializes in local food and has done so since it opened – even before ‘locavore’ was a known term,” explains Maxwell. “Meat is a big, big feature of our menu, and most of it is what we call ‘meat of designated origin’, where I’m able to tell the customer where the meat was raised, what it was fed, how old it was, how long it has been aged, what breed it is and so on. We have developed relationships with local farms that I think is second to none.” While Allen’s neighboring establishment Dora Keogh is operated as a separate business, the restaurants are complementary. Keogh’s is more of a pub atmosphere, and the business doubles as a holding facility when Allen’s bar runs out of room as customers await tables. Dora Keogh’s is named after Maxwell’s wife, a born Dubliner. Maxwell purchased and took over Wyatt Farm in Flamborough, Ontario, in 2003 tending an apple orchard and growing other fruits and vegetables which are sold to restaurants. He uses the apples from his orchard to produce an artisanal apple cider vinegar. Wyatt farm is also where Maxwell raises Dexter cattle, a rare breed originating in southern Ireland. The smallest purebred cattle in the world, a cow typically weights about 750 pounds, and a bull 1000 pounds. They consequently take up less space and consume less feed than most other breeds of cattle, and are also known to be docile in nature and very hardy to the elements. “I am particularly attracted to meat that is naturally raised,” says Maxwell, “and the Dexter breed involves what I call ‘minimal human intervention’. They really look after themselves.” Dexters produce a high quality meat that is naturally lean, juicy and tender, which is available for consumption at Allen’s. Maxwell isn’t fond of speaking of himself, and prefers to focus on his favourite topics: the restaurant, farm and orchard, which consume much of his personal life – just the way he likes it. “I think it is the greatest life on earth that one could have,” says Maxwell. “I would very much like to encourage young people to look seriously at careers within the restaurant industry, and I do not intend to retire for another 15 years at least. I will have spent, starting in 1964, a lifetime in restaurants.” Asked if he has a lesson to share with the rest of us, Maxwell replies, “Don’t forget to be a member of your community. You’re asking people to give their trust to you when they come through your door, and you must pay back, not by just delivering on their expectations, but also by contributing to the community through political and charitable works. Giving back to the community is a vital part of the independent restaurateur’s life.” Any good clergyman would seek solace in that. See also: | 
