In 1976, Ogunquit native Jonathan West was 26 years old and had spent a few years traveling around Europe, Canada and the U.S. East Coast.

He was still trying to figure out what he wanted to do as a career. Half of his relatives were in the tourism industry and the other half in the fishing business.

West was prone to seasickness so he chose a career on land, using what he learned from family about preparing, salting and preserving fish. “I loved cooking and eating (fish), I just didn’t love catching them,” he said.

West also grew up surrounded by music. His mother and uncles all performed in bands, but he knew early on that the stage wasn’t for him.

“I can’t sing,” West said with a laugh. “But I can cook and I love food.”

So he opened Jonathan’s Ogunquit, a restaurant and live performance venue, at 92 Bourne Lane on June 24, 1976, combining his two loves.

West describes himself as a self-taught chef, starting in a commercial kitchen at 17 and spending three months as a vegetable cook and busboy at Harvard University.

West cites British cookbook author Elizabeth David as an influence, and Portland restaurateurs Sam Hayward and Dana Street, who opened their restaurants after West, as mentors.

Fifty years later, the restaurant and music venue is still thriving, and anniversary celebrations have included special meals and shows. The place is a southern Maine institution, a stone’s throw from both the center of town and the Ogunquit Playhouse.

Singer-songwriter Melissa Ferrick has played at the venue many times.

“Jonathan and everyone at the place always make me and my fans feel at home with kind smiles, fantastic food , great sound and a community of music lovers at the ready to embrace you for who you are,” she said.

I’ve returned to Jonathan’s countless times, drawn by the warmth of its welcome. West added an intimate second-floor listening room in 1992, where well-known performers such as Paula Cole, Joan Osborne, Indigo Girls and Dar Williams played.

Live music has been part of Jonathan’s since the day it opened, though for its first 15 years or so, the lineup mostly featured local musicians performing downstairs.

West was friends with the late Arnold Greenberg, who operated a bakery and performance venue in Blue Hill and helped West attract nationally known artists. West said that touring musicians were more willing to book Maine dates if they could perform multiple shows around the state.

Tom Rush and Jonathan Edwards were among Jonathan’s earliest headliners, both performing there in 1976. They’ve each returned many times over the ensuing five decades, including June 24 this year, as part of the venue’s 50th anniversary celebration.

West, 76, lives in South Berwick on a 14-acre farm.

When asked what artists who performed at Jonathan’s Ogunquit made the biggest impression on him, West mentioned singer-songwriter Laura Nyro, who performed at Jonathan’s on May 13, 1994.

“It was just one of the most phenomenal times of my life,” said West. “I remember her gentleness and I’ve never met anyone quite as skilled as her. ” Nyro died from ovarian cancer in 1997 at 49.

West also spoke about folk singer Odetta and jazz singer Anita O’ Day, calling them the most remarkable people he’d ever had dinner with. He also fondly remembers evenings with singer-songwriters Richie Havens, who died in 2013, and Leon Russell, who died in 2016, as well as Judy Collins, Arlo Guthrie, the Indigo Girls, J. Geils and comic Paula Poundstone.

“We’re very good friends, and we have been for a really long time,” said West about Poundstone.

He calls a number of other performers friends as well, which West attributes to a hands-on approach to running the business. He and his daughter Caitlan Etchevers handle all the bookings. “It’s a great part of having an independent venue and not a Live Nation one,” he said.

Retirement isn’t on West’s radar. He plans to keep dishing out upscale New England cuisine rooted in local ingredients, adding to Jonathan’s eclectic art collection and presenting live performances.

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IF YOU GO

Paula Poundstone

8:30 p.m. Friday. $52.50-$93.50. jonathansogunquit.com

Tom Rush

7 p.m. Saturday. $50-$91. jonathansogunquit.com.

Howie Day

7 p.m. Sunday. $45-$86. jonathansogunquit.com.

Something Wonderful Tonight: Eric Clapton & George Harrison Tribute

7:30 p.m. July 23. $32.50-$73.50. jonathansogunquit.com.

Dueling Pianos Sing-Along

8:30 p.m. July 24. $25-$66. jonathansogunquit.com.

Yesterday Once More: Carpenters Tribute

7:30 p.m. July 25. $28.50-$69.50. jonathansogunquit.com.