Leadership
A Decade Later – What I own.

A Decade Later – What I own.

A few weeks ago a friend suggested that I write about the year that was coming to an end- she felt, rightfully so, that I needed to pause before I would leap again.
Yet in trying to do so, my writing felt ineluctably vain & empty:
I had accomplished so much and worked more than ever, yet, nothing felt quite worth writing about.
And I could not figure out why.
Then December 30th came.
An email hit my inbox that day which made me pause & look back to 10 years earlier.
Only then did it all made sense:
I was not wrapping up a year but a decade.

THE NEXT (R)EVOLUTION

THE NEXT (R)EVOLUTION

Upon opening Maison May 5 months ago & I decided to remove tipping from both of my establishments.
I know this is the right decision and yet it has been anything but easy so far.
Like a few major decisions I have made before, as I came to the realization of what is fair & needs to happen, now there is no turning back.
Here is, in essence, what led me to take such a giant step.
I have no perspective on this decision yet, neither do I have tangible results.
I am here to show the process & to enjoy the ride.

Leading a Kitchen: Standing at the Pass… Spring Menu (R)Evolution

Leading a Kitchen: Standing at the Pass… Spring Menu (R)Evolution

Recently, I found myself standing by the kitchen pass after an epic dinner at ICI (now Maison May), feeling like the stars had aligned.
I was overwhelmed by a delicious feeling of raw empowerment & accomplishment. Looking at my two co-chefs, Armando & Robert, I felt like a football coach on the night of the Super Bowl, after the quarterback scored the winning touchdown to lead the team to victory.
The food had exceeded my high expectations,
I felt like my vision had been met, yet I had not set foot in the kitchen or cooked a thing.
How does that happen?