His resolute commitment to these tenets may have made Tony something of a pioneer in the “locavore” movement and in “Nose to Tail” cooking, but he admits that these ideas are not particularly novel. “Basically,” says Tony, “these are ideas that are shared by about 90% of the world’s grandmothers.”

Tony’s combination of a Parisian “slow-food” philosophy with ingredients from New England has earned widespread attention, including being named as one of America’s top 10 new chefs by Food & Wine magazine and Boston’s best chef by Boston magazine.

He has also been featured in Travel & Leisure magazine, Gourmet magazine, the Boston Globe and numerous others. From the humble little-bistrot-that-could, Maws found himself being invited to appear on NBC’s Today Show and Fox News, and cooking at culinary events in locations as diverse as Singapore and Aspen, Colorado.

At Craigie On Main, Tony’s earthy side and his mad-scientist side combine to create a menu best described as “refined rusticity.” This restaurant, opened in November 2008, is a newer, more spacious incarnation of Craigie Street Bistrot, Tony’s first labor-of-love located a couple miles down Mass Ave., which opened in 2002. Tony takes pride in the fact that the spirit of his tiny bistrot remains alive and well in his new space.