Chef & Partner of Fai Bravo Hospitality

Never burn any bridges. At the end of the day, it's a very small world, what we do, and we know everyone. Just leave on a high note.

If you're having struggles, do something else, and then see what the world has to offer. I think there's a special kind in this industry, and I think that when they leave, they realize how much they miss it. This industry is a place that is very rewarding to people that stick it out.

When we had a fire at Massara, there was damage everywhere, and we had to close. What is great about the hospitality industry that you don't see in a lot of other places is that the people will ask, “Ok, how can we help?” I had four restaurateurs reach out to help us at that time. This could probably only happen in this industry

After being in Italy, I principally chose to move to New York because the best people in the world do what we do in this industry here. I wanted to be around those people, I wanted to be surrounded by people that want to do this for a living and for the rest of their lives, because I think it's an incredible industry. That's not going to change. I don't want to do anything else. Maybe I'll have little side projects here or there. I'm obsessed with our work and our job and our industry.

I feel I am lucky that I do something that is amazing. It's hard at times, no question, but you work with amazing people and people that are working at a very high level. It's extremely satisfying. I'm lucky to have found something that really gets me up every day, where I don't feel like all I care about is a weekend.