From Here to Inishmor

Alex Levere, originally from Guilford, made his way from Connecticut to Boston and back, interspersed with traveling to France, Germany, and Ireland, before landing in Colchester.

In 2014, Alex and his family, who already had connections in Colchester because his father lived there, managed to acquire a Main Street pub in town now known as the Inishmor.

Alex’s collegiate career, however, started somewhat tentatively when he first attended college for about a year. He felt the time wasn’t right for him then, so that’s when he chose to travel extensively throughout Europe instead.

When he returned to Connecticut, Alex immediately enrolled at Middlesex Community College as a full-time student in the general studies associate degree program. He became very involved with student leadership opportunities, such as the College Affairs and Academic Appeals Council, the College Council, as well as the MxCC Foundation. (Students are eligible to sit on and participate in the discussions and decisions of these committees with the college’s faculty and professional staff.)

Alex was a member of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society and was the president of the Student Senate. Boosting his leadership and academic skills, Alex was also a legislative intern with former member of the Connecticut House of Representatives John Geragosian.

Looking back, Alex especially found that “being around adults and seeing how the process and systems work” proved to be very beneficial to him in the future.

Giving credit to faculty and staff members who were influential to him during his two years at Middlesex, Alex mentioned math professors Stephen Krevisky and Pamela Frost, his advisor Judy Mazgulski, and “a great relationship” with history Professor Emeritus Richard Patrick.

In 2008, now with academic confidence after graduating summa cum laude from Middlesex, Alex made a smooth transfer to Emerson College, a private institution in downtown Boston. He earned a bachelor of science in political science in 2010.

While in Boston, Alex bartended and worked his way up in restaurant management roles, but wanted to get back to Connecticut to be near his family. Then came the Main Street pub in Colchester and the establishment of Inishmor, a blend of his college and restaurant leadership experience—with a dash of European travel—that now serves up award-winning Irish cuisine in a community pub atmosphere.

“Take advantage of the opportunities in college. Not because you have to, but to gain knowledge and experience,” said Alex. “I never had so many professors help me then while I was at Middlesex. They really do care.”

The Inishmor Pub, located at 20 Main Street in Colchester, continues to bring acknowledgement to Alex’s passion for cooking with awards from Connecticut Magazine, Buzz Feed, among others. Find out more at theinishmorpub.com.

August 2018
Written by Thea Moritz