“I moved here in 1991 for The Summerhouse on Siesta Key with the handshake understanding that someday I’d inherit ownership, and I worked really hard for 10 years to build something fabulous. In 2001, I realized my handshake deal was never going to be honored, and I left to start Mattison’s. A couple of years later my ex-partner, who’d been like a second father to me, sold the property to a developer for several million dollars and I ended up with nothing. In many ways it made me more motivated to be successful.”

—Paul Mattison, owner, Mattison’s Restaurants