By Ahmad Yassir, Vermont Country Magazine.
North Bennington has always been more than a village. Its independent businesses, library, arts organizations, trails, historic destinations and nearly three decades of outdoor sculpture have helped give the community a character all its own. But the people are what keep it moving — the owners, artists, cooks, volunteers, makers and longtime residents who continue to invest in the place they call home.
Among them is Lauren Davis, whose return to Kevin’s Restaurant has quickly made her one of the familiar faces of North Bennington’s dining scene. This summer, Davis was named Favorite Chef in Bennington County in the Readers’ Choice awards from the Bennington Banner and Manchester Journal.
It is an especially fitting recognition for someone whose story with Kevin’s goes back years.
Davis first joined the Kevin’s kitchen in 2009 as a line cook, becoming the first woman hired to work in the kitchen. After stepping away, she continued developing professionally in management positions in Bennington and nearby New York. When she returned to Kevin’s in 2024, it was less about starting over than returning to something she had missed: the craft of cooking.
At first, Davis was working a full-time job while helping Kevin’s through staffing shortages, stepping into the kitchen one or two days a week to cover the line. Before long, she saw an opportunity to help shape the kitchen again.
She approached owner Teddy, who has owned Kevin’s since 2016, with a simple goal: to “whip the kitchen back to shape.”
That meant starting with what already made Kevin’s special.
The menu remains rooted in the traditional Kevin’s recipes, with Davis working closely with Kevin Lynch himself to learn how the dishes were meant to be prepared “the Kevin way.” That foundation has become a creative jumping-off point rather than a limitation.
Davis still finds room to experiment, particularly with soups and sauces, where unexpected flavors and playful fusions can make their way onto the menu. The combination of familiar favorites and inventive specials gives the kitchen an identity that feels both connected to its history and distinctly its own.
And Lynch is still part of the picture, stopping in and working closely with Davis, offering advice and sharing the institutional knowledge that comes with Kevin’s long history.
For Davis, though, the most rewarding part of being head chef may happen outside the kitchen.
“It has given me special love, love North Bennington, love my team,” she says, crediting the consistent, hardworking staff who have helped build the restaurant’s atmosphere over the past two years. She also points to sous chef Chase Marcoux and the front-of-house team as essential to the renewed energy at Kevin’s.
That sense of family is easy to understand when walking into the restaurant.
Kevin’s occupies a building with its own stories, having once served as the North Bennington post office, a butcher shop and several restaurants over the years. Today, the space retains the feel of a neighborhood sports pub, with high-top seating and the bar on one side, a traditional dining room on the other, and a small outdoor area.
The walls tell their own story, too. Historic memorabilia, photographs of staff and regulars, and the accumulated character of the place create something more personal than a themed restaurant. It is a record of the people who have passed through.
As North Bennington continues to grow and evolve, Kevin’s remains refreshingly itself — a neighborhood gathering place built around familiar food, familiar faces and a kitchen that knows where it came from while still having plenty of room to surprise.
The Villager Block: A Timeline
- 1903 — H. C. Simmons builds the brick building on the south side of Main Street.
- 1920s — Frank Remington operates a restaurant on one side of the building, while Richard R. Dwyer runs a meat market on the other.
- Later — Remington’s restaurant closes and the space becomes the local post office.
- After the post office moves — Dwyer closes his meat market, and Norma and Cliff Herrington open the Villager Restaurant. The building becomes known as the Villager Block.
- Villager years — The restaurant and bar become a popular North Bennington gathering place, with regulars, local characters and a busy daily trade.
- Later Villager years — Norma leaves the business and Cliff continues operating the restaurant and bar.
- Partnership — Cliff brings Danny Wendell into the business as a partner.
- The Side Track — The partners open a second restaurant, The Side Track, for banquets, parties and larger gatherings.
- After Cliff’s departure — Gary Martin operates the restaurant and bar for several years.
- Following Martin — Danny and Beth Boepple open a restaurant in the building and operate it for several years.
- Kevin’s era — Kevin’s takes over and becomes one of North Bennington’s best-known restaurants, earning a reputation for good food, good times and a strong sense of community.
- 2016 — Teddy, Jamie and Kelsey Hill purchase the building and restaurant business, beginning a new chapter for the longtime Main Street gathering place.
- 2026 — Lauren Davis is recognized as Best Chef, adding another achievement to the building’s long history of food and hospitality.
Editor’s Note: Since this interview took place and the 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards were announced, Chef Lauren has moved on from Kevin’s. She continues to work in Bennington, Vermont.
