Earl Handy is the friendly face behind the counter at Handy's Diner in Burlington. He is not only behind the counter, he is also waiting tables, in the kitchen, and behind the office desk. Earl runs the diner in every sense of the word. Here is some more about his life, career, and family.

Family: Handy is a well-known name in Vermont. For this Earl Handy, the name also belongs to a diner in Burlington. Earl's grandfather opened the family business in 1945 as a grocery store and lunch counter. In 1958, his dad took it over and it became solely a diner. In 1996, only three months after Earl graduated from college, his father passed away, and Earl became owner of the diner. We will explain more about that in a bit.
Earl and his wife, Alexis, have been married for 12 years and moved to Shelburne 10 years ago. Alexis was only six months pregnant when she went into labor prematurely and delivered twins. One baby weighed two pounds and the other baby was just one and a half pounds. The twins, Genevieve and Nicholas, were in the Fletcher Allen Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for 90 days. The parents smile as they talk about their twins and say they are true miracles. The babies are now 20 months old and they are active, happy, and healthy.
Alexis and Earl have truly appreciated the support they received and have nothing but good things to say about the staff at Fletcher Allen, and their friends, family, and customers. They have continued to give back after their hospital experience, and have made blankets for hospital patients, and they fundraise to support the March of Dimes.

Education: Earl grew up in the Burlington area and attended Christ the King and Rice High School. After graduating from Rice, Earl went to Champlain College and studied public relations and marketing. He said he wanted a life in radio but then something very different came about.

Career: Three months after graduating from Champlain College, Earl's father passed away. Earl faced a very difficult decision: either take over the family business and run the diner, or live the life in radio that he had wanted. Earl chose to take over the business, and says he made the right decision. Since the time he was 10-years-old and could stand on a stool to reach into the kitchen sink, Earl worked in the diner. His experience carried him well when he took over the business, and he has enjoyed it for the past 14 years. As owner, Earl gets up before sunrise every day, and cooks, cleans, waits tables, does the payroll, bookkeeping, and paperwork. Alexis takes care of the marketing, and now Handy's is on Facebook and Twitter. In reference to customer relationships, Earl says that he has developed many, many friendships. "Everyone is family," said Earl.

Favorite food: His wife's pasta with red sauce

Hobbies: Collecting baseball cards and sports memorabilia (he is a New York Yankees fan)

Music: A variety - classic rock, and the old stuff like Sinatra and Dean Martin

First concert: The Black Crows in 1992 at Memorial Auditorium

Favorite movie: "The Godfather" movies and "Twilight"

Bucket list: Go to baseball fantasy camp, see a game at every major league ballpark, visit Katz Deli in New York City, and be on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. However, Earl said, "My life is complete with my wife and kids."