Welcome to the Table

NYC,
2024

I created Bird Dog while trying to find myself as the world began to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic. Lockdowns and restaurant closures hit so many of us very hard. And it all left me with a feeling of longing, of searching for something real within myself and the world.

I have always loved the story of The Velveteen Rabbit. It is a story about finding self-worth and acceptance through love. But at the beginning, the toy rabbit struggles with feelings of inferiority, because he's comparing himself to the more impressive, modern toys in the nursery. I have a long career as a chef and restaurateur, but I can identify with the toy rabbit – working in an industry always searching for the next big thing.  

I was on the hunt for my own next big thing as Covid hit in March 2020. I had just left my executive chef post at another West Village spot to open my own restaurant here in NYC. It was to be my 12th opening. But the world shut down overnight, and I saw so many friends who make a living in restaurants left without much of a safety net. And so my mission changed as well: I spent most of the next year searching for the right space – looking at hundreds of possibilities across the city before one day walking into what would become Bird Dog. It felt like what I'd been searching for all along.

We opened in Fall 2022 with one goal that stood above the rest: to make sure restaurant jobs are good jobs, and to change the culture of restaurants for the better. We built this business from the ground up to support our staff with livable wages, access to health care and mental health care, continuing education, and paid time off. Of course the food also has to be amazing – but it will always be the people who matter more. And in turn, I have also discovered the most authentic version of myself, as our whole team works to make a small difference from our corner of the world, here in the West Village. You might even say that I have finally become Real, just like the Velveteen Rabbit.