Rich Moore is proof that instinct and guile can trump book learning.

Moore, owner of Shanahan’s Food & Spirits, has had three successful careers — 20 years in insurance, 10 years in the cell phone retail business, and the last eight years as owner of Shanahan’s Food & Spirits — with no more than two years of junior college under his belt.

Shanahan’s was honored as 2007 Business of the Year by the village of Woodridge Dec. 14. He owns one establishment in Woodridge and one in Downers Grove.

Despite just two years of higher education after graduating from Harrison High School in Chicago, Moore has become a business leader in Woodridge.

He credits the lessons he learned growing up in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago, near 31st Street and Pulaski Road, for providing the life skills that have translated into success as a businessman.

“I think the main thing was we learned to work together as a family while my single mother was raising us and working two jobs herself,” Moore said.

“My brother Dennis and I worked paper routes when we were young, and I also worked at a bakery to bring in some income for the family,” Moore said. “Family is everything.

“We had to chip in and pay for our own clothes and other items, had to learn how to really manage our resources,” Moore said.

In 2000, Moore began researching businesses for sale and came across the Corner Clubhouse at 75th Street and Woodward Avenue in Woodridge.

Moore, who had no experience in restaurants or taverns, said he “got a good feeling ... had a vision” the moment he walked in the door.

“It had this warm, inviting atmosphere, and Woodridge residents are a lot like the people I grew up with in my old neighborhood. It is a very ethnic, working class community in which people really care about each other,” Moore said.

Moore, a resident of Wheaton, said he knows he has to adapt to maintain an advantage over his competitors, and is in the process of introducing authentic Irish entertainment and cuisine, as well as gourmet coffees.

“We already have added WiFi at both stores,” said Moore, who said his ability to recognize his own strengths and weaknesses also contributes to the business’ success.

“I know I am not a good cook, and am not a bartender, but I do know how to hire good, talented people, people who care about their jobs and the people they serve,” Moore said.