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strations. As if a metaphor for the year’s sadness, clouds rising from widespread wildfires covered the land like a dark shroud. In spite of all this instability, a risk-taking entrepreneur with the fitting sur- name of Zuppa (from the Italian soup) would secure a bid to buy The Last Chair (as in ski lift chair) restaurant in Plymouth, NH in September of the troubled year.
In spite of the fact that 2021 began as 2020 had ended with a destabilizing attack on the na- tion’s capital, Mike Zuppa, with the confidence that comes from decades of success in promoting wine, spirits, and craft beer, closed the deal on April 1, 2021. As it turned out, Mike was no fool on that iconic day. The Last Chair has thrived under the creative management of the Zuppa family.
Mike Zuppa was born on Jan- uary 12, 1972, in Keyport, New Jersey, the first child of Mike and Patrice Zuppa. A sister, Janice, would be born six years later. The Zuppa family was close and lov- ing. Patrice carefully monitored and encouraged the children’s ed-
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May 2024
ucation and religious awareness. Mike, Sr., a true patriarch, has been Mike, Jr.’s benefactor and mentor. As Mike, Jr. recalls, “I learned growing up that we could always do better.”
In time, the family’s value of self-improvement and “doing better” proved to be an effective antidote to Mike’s earliest child- hood thoughts of what would be a “cool” job. He wanted to be a garbage collector so he could ride on the tail end of sanitation trucks as they wheeled down Broadway in Keyport. Fortunately for the Newfound Region, Mike’s career would follow a different trajectory.
As a teenager, Mike began working in restaurants. That time was balanced with school sports and recreation at the Jersey Shore. But Mike loved work and was quick to absorb the nuances of being a successful provisioner of wine, spirits and appealing faire. Aside from work, it was ap- parent that there was another love in Mike’s life. He had known her since 5th grade. Her name was Marisa DeSimone (in English, one who harkens). And truly, with penetrating eyes, long dark hair, and a quick smile, she was most
Michael, Emily, Marisa, Mike Jr
harkening from Mike’s perspec- tive. The couple married in Sea Bright, NJ, on August 7, 1999. Mike’s dad was his best man. Mike and Marisa have been close partners in the joys and challenges of life ever since; they have raised the next generation of Zuppas, a son, Michael, a firefighter with the Plymouth Fire Department, and a daughter, Emily, a student at the University of New Hamp- shire. Today, Mike and Marisa share the responsibility of run- ning The Last Chair.
Several years before Mike and Marisa married, Mike, at age 22, made his first venture in restau- rant ownership. With family help, he purchased Foster’s restaurant in Baltimore, Maryland, where he had been attending college. Although to this day, he expresses pride that the establishment had 30 taps and served craft beer, the undertaking “didn’t work out” for Mike. Nonetheless, the experi- ence added to his understanding of an industry dependent on the purchase and distribution of alco-
holic beverages. That accumulat- ing knowledge served Mike well. After leaving Foster’s, he would enjoy a career as a successful dis- tributor, sales rep, and executive for several alcoholic beverage distributors. Although the career was financially rewarding, it had a downside. Mike traveled a great deal which meant time away from Marisa and the Zuppa family. Eventually, the always-present de- sire for the family to spend more time together would rekindle the dream of owning a restaurant, particularly one with a bar and brewery. Two opportunities for such a place presented themselves in 2020, that year of turmoil.
The first chance for a purchase was at a restaurant in New Jersey. The Zuppas began negotiations, but COVID-19 was widespread in the state, temporizing the family’s interest in the available property. At about this time, Mike and their family learned that the Last Chair was for sale. They vacationed in New Hampshire in 2020 and learned that Covid was much less prevalent here than in New Jersey. As indicated, they were officially
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