Michael Schlow started working in restaurants at age 14 and never looked back. Yes, he went to college and culinary school, and sometimes worked in non-foodservice jobs for extra money, but the native of Brooklyn, N.Y., has been in kitchens of many different types for decades.

He gained fame and awards with his fine-dining restaurant Radius in Boston, which closed in 2013, and since has been working on a variety of other projects across the country, especially in New England and the Washington, D.C., area.

That empire has shrunk since the pandemic started, as many have, and Schlow and his team currently operate nine restaurants, including five Alta Strada locations, serving fairly traditional Italian food in a casual setting, along with Michael Schlow’s at the Time Out Market in Boston, Sauce Burgers at Hub Hall in Boston, and Nama Sushi Bar and Nama Ko in D.C.

Schlow, like many multi-concept operators is working with more hotels these days, leveraging his operational experience with their infrastructure.

Schlow is the author of the cookbook “It’s About Time, Great Recipes for Everyday Life,” and has won multiple awards including being named Best Chef in the Northeast by the James Beard Foundation in 2000.

The chef and restaurateur recently discussed his current and future projects as well as how his priorities have shifted in recent years.