20 | AUGUST 13 - 19, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM
CITY LIVING TABLE HOPPIN’
Myles Barber takes helm at Flying Rhino kitchen Barbara M. Houle Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK
A love of cooking came early to executive chef Myles Barber, son of Paul Barber and Melina (Capsalis) Barber, owners of the Flying Rhino Café & Watering Hole in Worcester. Barber started in the Rhino’s kitchen as a teen washing dishes. “I knew I really wanted to be a chef when I moved to helping on the line,” said Barber. After graduating from St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury, Barber entered the International Culinary Institute in New York and later became kitchen manager at Mighty Quinn’s BBQ in Manhattan. The restaurant’s franchise locations outside of New York include Florida, Maryland, New Jersey and Dubai. One important thing Barber learned in his early years working with his parents is how dedicated they are to the business. They both have a creative work ethic, he said, crediting his father as a person who loves the business and has kept it running successfully for 21 years. His mother is a fantastic cook and also the artist responsible for the Rhino’s décor, which she designed and hand-painted, he said. The day of this interview, Melina Barber was at the restaurant food prepping. One former Rhino chef described the couple as “owners who think outside the box.” For his part as new executive chef, Barber several months ago “tweaked” the lunch and dinner menus and made dinner selections for participation in Worcester
Myles Barber, the new executive chef at Flying Rhino & Watering Hole, with his father, Paul Barber, who started the business with his wife more than 20 years ago. CHRISTINE PETERSON/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE
Barber has “tweaked” the lunch and dinner menus and made dinner selections for participation in Worcester Restaurant Week 2021, which runs through Aug. 14. Visit www.worcesterrestaurantweek.com for restaurants offering three-course meals for $25.21. Restaurant Week 2021, which runs through Aug. 14. Visit www.worcesterrestaurantweek.com for restaurants offering three-course meals for $25.21. The chef said Worcester Restaurant Week is “going very well” and that he looks forward to the return of Taste of Shrewsbury Street Aug. 24 after it was canceled last year due to COVID-19. The event, 5 to 9 p.m., will feature food tastings from participating eateries, in addition to live enter-
tainment. More info about tickets, $25 each, at http://tasteshrewsburystreet.com. The Rhino is among city restaurants that recently reported a rebound in business. Barber is hopeful the fall season will bring in more diners with the anticipated return of football games, college students and other local activities. The Rhino’s outdoor tent provides additional seating, he said, and is a safe and comfortable dining area. The restaurant has plans
to extend outdoor dining through October or early November. Expect chef-driven barbecue from Barber, who has a smoker on premise. Visit www.flyingrhinocafe.com for lunch and dinner hours Wednesday through Saturday. The business is closed Monday and Tuesday. Sunday Brunch (a la carte menu) is from 11 a.m. to last seating at 7:30 p.m. The restaurant offers valet service on Friday and Saturday. Additional park-
ing in nearby lots. Connect on social media; telephone: (508) 7571450. This family-run business is where Myles Barber met his wife, Shannon, a bartender at the restaurant. The couple have a 3year-old daughter, Mila Barber. Paul and Melina Barber’s daughter, Victoria Barber, is the restaurant’s bookkeeper, having been mentored by her late grandmother Katherine Capsalis. The couple’s other daughter, Madeline Blumberg, manages a boutique winery in Napa Valley. “We’re extremely proud of all our children,” said Paul Barber. The Flying Rhino Café & Watering Hole has won its fair share of local awards. Before COVID-19, Barber was sous chef at the Rhino, working with executive chef Drew Day, winner of the 2020 Iron Chef award at Worcester’s Best Chef competition. Chris O’Harra, a former executive chef at the restaurant, won a first place WBC Judges’ Award. He’s now a chef/instructor at Worcester Technical High School. Paul Barber has served as president of the Shrewsbury Street Area Merchants Association and continues to be an active member of the nonprofit volunteer-staffed SSAMA, working with other owners to help promote businesses on Worcester’s Restaurant Row. Before the pandemic, I wrote a Q&A column, Meet the Chef, for the Worcester Sunday Telegram. I asked Barber a few questions from the column. Q. What’s your favorite cheap eat? A. Vincent’s (Suffolk Street, Worcester) for meatball and sausage sandwich. I may have raised a glass or two there with my dad. Q. Who were your biggest in-
