What’s your favorite spot in the Dayton area?

career, I’m very proud of the music that I’ve written and released, which includes 10 national releases, including a DVD. That’s a lot of work.

I will say that I did burn myself out several years ago and I backed off my performance schedule considerably. At that time I focused on my business a lot more, culminating in a rather significant addition to Jerardi’s Little Store in the form of a commercial kitchen.

But I’m getting back to playing live a lot more, writing and performing new material, and I feel that I’m at the top of my game musically.

One thing about the balance is that playing music afforded me the opportunity to grow my business by not needing cash. So I dumped every bit back into the business and lived off of playing my guitar — to this day I don’t pay myself out of the store, but I have quite a nice lifestyle as a result of it and drink very nice wine!

I’m a total hermit, bordering on agoraphobic, so I don’t go out much. I love my house and I work so much that when I’m not working, I enjoy being home. I will say though that my favorite spot is Ozu 852 in Englewood for sushi. I’ve been everywhere, and Ann and Alan, the owners, do it as well as anyone. I do get special treatment, though, and I gladly pay for it.

What do you love about life in the Dayton area?

People don’t realize how great they have it here in Dayton. You have to travel a lot to understand that. I live north and really love it here — no traffic issues, and I love the airport being so close. We are picking up direct flights all the time, and that’s nice for weekend getaways.

I also like my commute to my business, which is all of 5 minutes — and I live in the country. Not to mention our great festivals, world-class museums, entertainment, sports, etc. Food culture is starting to come around also.

If you could change or bring one thing to Dayton, would it be?

An authentic Parisian bistro.

What do you think Dayton will look like in 10 to 15 years?

Well, if what’s happened in the last 10 to 15 years is any sign of what’s to come, I think the sky is the limit. We are growing at hyper-speed right now, which is very exciting. I can see the office space getting filled up downtown with some heavy anchors coming in as they recognize what we have to offer, and then it will snowball from there — boom!