Moore had the good fortune to work in some outstanding California restaurants including Lark Creek Steak, where he spent two years mastering the art of the grill, and also BIX, San Francisco’s oldest supper club. BIX’s fine-dining menu provided Moore the opportunity to hone his culinary skills under the tutelage of the executive chef, Bruce Hill, a California star known for his devotion to local products. Eventually, Moore followed Hill to help open the new Zero Zero, which highlighted artisan pizzas.

Investing in the Future
In San Francisco, Moore also met Alex Manfredonia, a front-of-the-house co-worker who introduced the idea of yet another life opportunity—ownership. Alex and his father, Chuck, invited Moore to join them with a new Annapolis restaurant endeavor. Moore thought the time was right to return to the East Coast and accepted the challenge.

The plan was to keep the operational staff lean; most duties are divided among the three men. Moore handles the chef-related responsibilities, maintenance and ordering, which, he says, “includes everything from linens to carpet.” Alex Manfredonia manages front-of-the-house duties such as waitstaff training and wine, and Chuck Manfredonia oversees the accounting.

“I clock about 100 hours per week,” says Moore, describing his six-day workweek.  “I view it as an investment in my future.” There is also the matter of his reputation. “My name is on everything,” he says.  “It’s a representation of me, and I want to make sure everything is done right.” Moore insists the cooks have proper, ongoing training. “The guys can prepare the same dish 1 million times and then one time, just one time, it will be a bit off,” he says.  “I want to be there to catch and correct that.”

Even though Moore had accumulated 10 years of culinary experience when he opened Vin 909, he realized he would benefit from further seasoned advice. “I asked every chef I knew to tell me one thing to do when opening a restaurant,” he says. The most important answer he received was this: “Get as much done as you can before you open.” Moore took the recommendation, organizing details like inventory and ordering sheets before Vin 909’s doors opened for business. “We were busy right away and it made life easier,” he says.

“It was my fine-dining experience that really prepared me,” Moore says. “You learn so much. If you want to open a restaurant, working in a retirement home reheating frozen food products or working in a large hotel making 50 gallons of mayonnaise in a giant Hobart won’t help you. You need to see and learn it all. You need to work with farms, seasonal ingredients, and make food from scratch.” This knowledge has been invaluable since Vin 909 makes most everything from scratch including sauces, sausages and mozzarella.

Do You Dare to Share?
Vin 909’s menu honors the flavors of Moore’s California tenure and the Manfredonias’ Mediterranean roots. These are simple, flavorful dishes complemented by, as the menu says, “some of the best wines and craft beers you’ve never heard of.”  For instance, Moore has added a new brick-oven baked and wood-smoked pizza to the menu; The Rockstar is comprised of Hudson Valley foie gras, black summer truffles, black garlic, local peaches, fontina and taleggio cheeses. To accompany the pizza, waiters suggest a thoughtful pairing of a 2009 August Kesseler ‘R’ Riesling.

The small-plate and sustainably sourced menu is designed for sharing. “We do not serve a steak with a vegetable and potato,” says Moore. “The steak will come plated on its own and sliced for family-style eating.” Vegetables, like zucchini carpaccio, are plated separately, as well. The shared, small-dish concept (popular in California and other gourmet cities, but not well known in smaller East Coast towns like Annapolis), offers patrons the chance to try many things. “Sharing works well for those who crave variety and don’t want to be limited to just fish or steak,” he says.

Most customers will share a bottle of wine without a second thought, but Moore admits that one of his current challenges is getting certain customers on board for a communal meal. Perhaps, if you are not dining with a family member, you worry about double- dipping into the Shrimp with Heirloom Corn Grit Cake, or feel awkward about scooping up that last bite of wild boar meatball from your workmate—even when you really, really want it. Moore does try to educate his clientele in the art of sharing.

“Our waiters give every customer the spiel that our menu items are best shared” says Moore, “but some groups such as attendees at a business meeting feel uncomfortable. They want their own food. You will see five people ordering the same Margherita pizza instead of trying and sharing the other six choices. I don’t know, maybe they think sharing hurts negotiations.” Moore says that older people are also not used to sharing. “Of course, we let customers do what they want, but my philosophy is that it’s much more interesting and fun to share.”

Despite those skittish sharers, the Annapolis community is embracing Vin 909. It is off to a better-than-expected start and Justin Moore is in the great position of drawing on his past while investing in a bright future.

Lynn Schwartz, a former New York City restaurateur, is a writer based in Maryland.