BURTON — Blaze Tishko’s stepfather, Charles Mayo, gave him his foundation in the restaurant business by taking Tishko to work with him.

“My first job was with him. I worked at Mr. Smith’s, a semi-upscale restaurant in Chagrin Falls,” Tishko, 50, said, noting it was an enjoyable experience because as one of the younger workers, some of the older ones would take him under their wing.

Tishko said a difficult boss and a bout with cancer fueled his first leap into the restaurant business.

“I wanted to start a restaurant for two reasons, one, I was working for a guy who I thought was a tyrant, but ironically I learned a lot from him; not necessarily related to the restaurant, but applicable to management,” he said.

He worked at the Welshfield Inn in Parkman for a while, where he was part of the original management group. After about 15 months, he found the first location and opportunity for a restaurant in a vacant space in a strip mall in Middlefield.

“The reason I wanted to do it (own a business) more than anything else I think was because I got cancer. In early 2009 is when they found it, so I had six months of chemo, and two months maybe of radiation. I was working at the Welshfield the whole time I had cancer. After it was all said and done I thought, ‘If I’m ever going to do anything it’s now, I need to do something that’s going to make an impact on my life and my family’s life because I might not get another chance,” Tishko said.

He originally had a partner, and for about two to three years before opening the first restaurant they often talked about the kind of food they wanted to serve in Middlefield. His partner was originally from Little Italy in Cleveland and he had just had a son whose name was Vinny, so they named the restaurant after him.

Tishko was living in Little Italy at the time and it’s also where met his wife Laura, who he married in 2005. They moved to Burton in early 2006. His grandmother, Janet Tishko, who helped rear him, was the original investor in the restaurant. It has been in business in Middlefield for 14 years and he is now the sole owner.

The restaurant was not his original dream, but sprung from the roots his stepfather gave him. “My dream was to go to Cornell and get into hotel management. I was actually working at a hotel when I met my wife. I was in a band at the time called Integrity and I had just gotten back from a six-week tour in Europe,” Tishko said.

Tishko’s newest venture led him to Trumbull County when one of his vendors knew a restaurant owner with an established business who was looking to make a change.

“I had a restaurant in Burton called Fat Daddy’s and after it caught on fire, I was looking to do something else and thought I would like to try an already established business,” he said.

That business is Roby Lee’s in Newton Falls, which is now known as Vinny’s. Tishko said catering and the banquet facility made up 75% of Roby Lee’s business, but he is trying to change that.

He has owned the restaurant since July and he said it has been a struggle taking over an established business and trying to adapt his dream. Roby Lee’s was in business for more than 30 years.

“I thought there was a good opportunity to improve the quality of the product and the quality of the service,” Tishko said.

Every business needs the support of its local community if it is to survive, let alone thrive. Tishko is working hard to provide quality food and service to the community, including events and Sunday brunch, and recently some local children visited with Santa at brunch.

He said he enjoys golfing, but spending time with his kids is his favorite pastime. He and Laura have two boys and two girls. A fifth child died. He also likes going to amusement parks.