My Restaurant Was My Life for 20 Years. Does the World Need It Anymore?

By Gabrielle Hamilton

The New York Times

Philip Montgomery for The New York Times

On the night before I laid off all 30 of my employees, I dreamed that my two children had perished, buried alive in dirt, while I dug in the wrong place, just five feet away from where they were actually smothered. I turned and spotted the royal blue heel of my youngest’s socked foot poking out of the black soil only after it was too late.

A honest and telling piece of writing from one of the industry leaders, chef and owner of 'Prune' (one of my favorite restaurants in the great city of New York), 2018 James beard award winner, chef Gabrielle Hamilton.