In Boston, while working at the counter of a Boston-area Hayes-Bickford's (a cafeteria-style restaurant), he befriended Alan Hovhaness and the painter Hyman Bloom, who often ate dinner there.
While working as a counterman at a Hayes-Bickford's restaurant in Boston, he formed friendships with Alan Hovhaness and Hyman Bloom, both of whom frequented the establishment for their meals.