Higgins also wants government support for private initiative: “There’s a lot we can do with MacArthur Blvd. Look at Sixth Street in the summertime – the plantings and people dining outside – it’s beautiful, something that draws people, and that Springfield can be proud of. It became that way because of me and other business owners who got together to make it happen. I’d like to bring that same kind of initiative to MacArthur Blvd. – make it another location that draws people in.”

“As far as being a chef and restaurateur, I think the main advantage that gives me is my sense of having a small, local business – that’s how the restaurant plays into it. I’ve had to look at different revenue streams, and deal with national crises that affect local business, like 9/11 and the banking crisis – and, of course in Springfield, state politics have huge local impact. I have to be able to forecast trends and budgets.

“In the restaurant business, you have to communicate with the public – your customers – constantly. I need to make sure that regular diners’ longtime favorite dishes maintain their quality (I’ll never be able to take the Beef Wellington off the menu!) while at the same time developing fresh and innovative things for people who want to try something new. You can’t take anything for granted – a restaurant is only as good as its last meal. I tell my staff that our job is not to be perfect, but to minimize mistakes as much as possible – and, most important – to not let mistakes slide.”

Higgins hails from San Francisco, and graduated from that city’s College Culinary Program.

How did he get from there to Springfield?

“My first job after school was at the Sahara in Lake Tahoe – that was tough – gorgeous scenery, skiing in my off hours,” he laughs. “I worked every job in every department, and learned a lot.”

His move to the Midwest came in 1981 with a girlfriend who had a scholarship at St. Louis’ Washington University. Higgins became a chef at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel. The relationship didn’t last. Higgins was miserable and made plans to move back to California. But three weeks before he was to leave, he met the love of his life, Nancy Howard, a pastry chef. The couple married in August, 1982, and moved to Springfield that September. Higgins had worked in hotel kitchens since his culinary school days, and wanted experience in a stand-alone establishment. The executive chef position at Maldaner’s sounded just right – and turned out to be almost as good a match as were he and Nancy.

Originally it was supposed to be a temporary move. “I always thought we’d go back to California,” he says. “I’d established a good reputation out in Tahoe, and we had lots of opportunities for jobs there. But in the end we always chose to stay here. When we came, we didn’t know anyone. But we got to know farmers like Mr. Stevens [my grandfather] and Ron Suttill. In 1995 the Higgins bought Maldaner’s (the business, not the real estate) from their landlord, Carolyn Oxtoby. So it was pretty clear that they were here to stay.

Still, Nancy’s death in 2004 after a yearslong, increasingly debilitating illness gave Higgins an even deeper appreciation of just how much Springfield had come to mean to him: “Blessed Sacrament was completely filled with people – I didn’t know we had so many friends. It was a little overwhelming – it made me realize that I want to give back as much as I can.

“Everything I’ve accomplished, I owe to the support of the Springfield community. This city helped define me – and Nancy. A business – especially a restaurant – owes so much to its community – the only way it can succeed is with community support, and I’ve been lucky to have that. That’s really why I wanted to get involved, to become the alderman for Ward 7.”

Since I don’t reside inside Springfield’s city limits, it might be not appropriate for me to make a recommendation. But I’m going to do it anyway. If Michael Higgins becomes the alderman for Ward 7, I strongly advise that the city council elect him to be in charge of bringing treats to the meetings.

Contact Julianne Glatz at [email protected].