บทถอดความฉบับเต็มของ Beyond the Plate: Building Max Hospitality with Richard Rosenthal

they answer the phone, Bialostocka blue, Bialistokabloo. 00:02:04.719 --> 00:02:07.120 So Steve and I for probably 50 years. 00:02:07.280 --> 00:02:08.159 If you're gonna call each other like that. 00:02:08.319 --> 00:02:12.240 If if I answer the phone, I will go Bialistaka boom, and he does the same thing. 00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:12.800 Oh my god. 00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:16.000 And it's not every time, it's like every tenth time or something. 00:02:16.319 --> 00:02:18.319 It's just so that's so funny. 00:02:18.479 --> 00:02:25.840 Yeah, so anyhow, that so I've known him forever, and I've you know you know known about you, and you know, I've been here in I'm 50, right? 00:02:25.919 --> 00:02:31.919 So I've been here since I grew up in the New Haven area, but I've been in law school here since 97, so sort of knew you. 00:02:32.400 --> 00:02:33.199 You went to Yukon, I said? 00:02:33.280 --> 00:02:34.240 I went to Yukon Law, yeah. 00:02:34.319 --> 00:02:40.319 And uh I went to college at American University in DC, um, and then came back for law school and settled here. 00:02:40.719 --> 00:02:45.120 Um and I've always been a um a huge fan of what you guys have put together. 00:02:45.199 --> 00:02:50.719 I didn't really get into good food until college, maybe, or not college, law school, I would say. 00:02:51.039 --> 00:02:51.759 Took Stephen longer. 00:02:52.080 --> 00:02:53.120 Took Stephen longer, yeah. 00:02:53.280 --> 00:02:53.759 Yeah, yeah. 00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:55.840 He um yeah, he did talk about that. 00:02:55.919 --> 00:03:03.439 Yeah, he um he I just I just didn't, you know, we were we were poor, I was a poor family, so we didn't, you know, we go out maybe to Ponderosa or something, and that was a big deal. 00:03:03.759 --> 00:03:04.879 Texas toast, Kiko Rosa. 00:03:05.039 --> 00:03:05.439 Texas toast. 00:03:05.599 --> 00:03:07.120 I I do love Ponderosa still. 00:03:07.199 --> 00:03:10.560 There's one in there was one in um in Kissimmee for the longest time still. 00:03:10.800 --> 00:03:11.680 Where's Kissimmee? 00:03:11.759 --> 00:03:12.400 Next to Orlando. 00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:14.000 It's like Florida. 00:03:14.960 --> 00:03:15.599 Oh yeah, yeah, I'm sorry, yeah. 00:03:15.759 --> 00:03:16.639 I go Kissimmee, Connecticut. 00:03:16.879 --> 00:03:17.680 Yeah, Kissimmee, Florida. 00:03:17.759 --> 00:03:24.800 And uh, and so the two about four years ago when we were down in Florida, we went to Ponderosa, and it was great, the big salad bar, you know, it's fantastic. 00:03:24.960 --> 00:03:27.120 And uh um, but it's gone now. 00:03:27.199 --> 00:03:28.319 Like it just it didn't make it through. 00:03:28.800 --> 00:03:29.199 None left? 00:03:29.439 --> 00:03:29.919 None left. 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:30.560 It's sad. 00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:33.599 There was there was a place, there's one left called York Steakhouse. 00:03:33.680 --> 00:03:34.319 I don't know if you remember that. 00:03:34.479 --> 00:03:35.759 It was one of West Farm's Mall. 00:03:36.479 --> 00:03:37.280 It's one of my favorite places. 00:03:37.360 --> 00:03:45.360 My grandparents would take me every Sunday, and it was General Mills that started that, and they had they were huge, and they had their test store in Columbus, Ohio. 00:03:45.520 --> 00:03:52.000 And the former manager there bought out the remaining one and he's still there, and now it's called like Rich's York Steakhouse. 00:03:52.159 --> 00:03:56.560 And I went there about 10 years ago, and it's all the same menu, and he still keeps it there, and it's in Columbus. 00:03:56.719 --> 00:03:59.439 You know, Columbus is like the testing ground for a lot of restaurants. 00:03:59.680 --> 00:04:00.719 But well, you know what that's from? 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:04.080 That started from General Mills, who was the headquartered there, and they would test them all there. 00:04:04.159 --> 00:04:05.520 So all the chains and everything like that. 00:04:05.759 --> 00:04:07.039 That's kind of like that's Peoria. 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:09.599 You know, if it works in Columbus, it'll work. 00:04:10.080 --> 00:04:11.039 It'll work anywhere, right? 00:04:11.199 --> 00:04:25.839 And so and and and it's funny because uh, you know, I want to get into that with you because sometimes you know, I wonder like some of those places, you know, and I've eaten at those places, I try to avoid them because I I think you can get better meals and I'd like to support you know local places, although they employ a lot of local people. 00:04:26.399 --> 00:04:35.519 Um like I wonder sometimes like I go into I've I've had those type that type of food before, and I just I don't I don't know how it works. 00:04:35.680 --> 00:04:37.600 I I to me it's it's not good. 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:39.360 I mean, sometimes it is, right? 00:04:39.439 --> 00:04:47.040 You could get like there's somebody can make you, you know, a 3,000 calorie mac and cheese at the Cheesecake Factory that'll you know, you know, knock your socks out. 00:04:47.439 --> 00:04:48.079 Make you happy as hell. 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:49.279 Oh my god, right? 00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:54.959 But it's like there's it's just made in a commissary somewhere with the worst possible ingredients, made with margarine and oil. 00:04:55.040 --> 00:05:00.879 And you know, we've all been sitting in a place like, you know, and I don't go, I probably do fast food less than once a year. 00:05:01.040 --> 00:05:01.279 Right. 00:05:01.439 --> 00:05:06.480 But I remember years ago, one of my partners, Mark Connolly, who uh I don't know if you know Mark, he was at Maxamori for years. 00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:10.079 I don't, and uh, another brother of mine, you know, yeah, unrelated brother. 00:05:10.319 --> 00:05:16.639 Mark, um, we were looking at some restaurant site in near the shoreline, and we stopped at Burger King on the way. 00:05:16.800 --> 00:05:18.879 We were just we had no time, but we're so hungry. 00:05:19.120 --> 00:05:27.199 The two of them are sit

two of us are sitting over the table eating like double whoppers with extra bacon, you know, whatever the whole whatever you could add to a sandwich. 00:05:27.600 --> 00:05:34.639 We're sitting there, we take two or three bites, and we go, we could go to the best restaurant, and it will not taste better than this taste right now. 00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:41.600 True, you know, and that's you know, and again, I don't love I don't even like fast food, but when it's there's a certain time, it just hits. 00:05:42.240 --> 00:05:49.439 When the mayo's going down your chin a little bit, and it's that special, like that processed mayo that's even more processed at that moment. 00:05:49.680 --> 00:05:50.319 More than Hellman's. 00:05:50.560 --> 00:05:51.120 And it's amazing. 00:05:51.199 --> 00:05:51.680 It's amazing. 00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:52.240 No, you're right. 00:05:52.319 --> 00:05:52.480 There is. 00:05:52.879 --> 00:05:59.120 There's something about it, and you go, you could you know, you could go to John George and spend you know 500 a person and you'll go, it was good. 00:05:59.279 --> 00:06:01.920 And you go to Burger King and you go, it's fucking delicious. 00:06:02.240 --> 00:06:03.040 Fucking delicious, right? 00:06:03.199 --> 00:06:19.279 And it's loaded with and and and there's you know, there's a theory that the the food scientists at these places, and there's a big lawsuit going on now, they're actually like marketing it to make it very addictive for Americans and and and and and contributing to the you know, we have disproportionate obesity odemic here than other countries. 00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:29.439 And the theory is that they've literally like drug, like they've literally made the product addictive well, sugar salt to make it addictive so the profits go up. 00:06:29.680 --> 00:06:30.079 Yes. 00:06:30.319 --> 00:06:33.199 Uh, because look, you can go, you've been to Italy, I'm sure, France. 00:06:33.279 --> 00:06:34.959 You go there and you eat like a king, right? 00:06:35.040 --> 00:06:37.360 You eat everything, and you come back and you're like, I didn't get any weight. 00:06:37.680 --> 00:06:38.720 You also walk 10 miles away. 00:06:38.959 --> 00:06:39.519 You walk a lot, too. 00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:39.680 Right. 00:06:39.759 --> 00:06:40.000 No, you're not. 00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:40.639 No, you're right. 00:06:40.720 --> 00:06:42.399 The food is the processed food. 00:06:42.560 --> 00:06:45.839 You know, you take um uh Robert Kennedy Jr., right? 00:06:46.079 --> 00:06:46.560 Crazy guy. 00:06:46.800 --> 00:06:47.279 Crazy as fuck. 00:06:47.439 --> 00:06:48.319 But the food stuff, I think. 00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:48.959 He's right. 00:06:49.040 --> 00:06:54.319 And I haven't paid a lot of attention to it, but his food philosophies, um I back him 100%. 00:06:54.720 --> 00:06:55.360 I agree with him on that. 00:06:55.519 --> 00:06:56.319 I agree with him, right? 00:06:56.399 --> 00:06:57.199 There's a huge problem. 00:06:57.279 --> 00:07:24.000 And I forgot some plaintiff's lawyers have gotten together and they're suing the you know, the big boys about this stuff that you basically, like the cigarette company litigation, saying you guys have fucked us and and made these problems because it can't be that like like the that there's you've marketed and and created these products that are hugely addictive and unhealthy, and for the sole purpose of your shareholder bottom line, it's really um it's really interesting. 00:07:24.079 --> 00:07:27.040 But let's back up a second because I'm getting ahead of myself because I want to talk to you about all this stuff. 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:28.480 But well, we have two hours, right? 00:07:28.879 --> 00:07:29.839 We have six. 00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:32.000 Um, the and you're catering it. 00:07:32.079 --> 00:07:32.800 I didn't tell you that. 00:07:32.879 --> 00:07:35.920 Um, no, uh, so when um did you are you a Connecticut guy? 00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:36.399 Did you grow up? 00:07:36.800 --> 00:07:37.519 I grew up in West Harvard. 00:07:37.680 --> 00:07:38.480 Oh, you're a West Hartford guy. 00:07:38.639 --> 00:07:39.279 A Conor Call? 00:07:39.439 --> 00:07:39.759 A Hall. 00:07:39.920 --> 00:07:40.639 Hall or conversation. 00:07:40.959 --> 00:07:41.360 A hall, come on. 00:07:41.519 --> 00:07:42.000 You're a Hall. 00:07:42.079 --> 00:07:42.240 Okay. 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:42.480 All right. 00:07:42.560 --> 00:07:43.600 My wife's a Conored lady. 00:07:43.920 --> 00:07:44.160 Oh god. 00:07:44.560 --> 00:07:46.480 So Well, we always like the Conored girls. 00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:47.199 The Conor girls. 00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:47.839 She's the Conner girl. 00:07:48.079 --> 00:07:49.839 Because they didn't know how they didn't know how queer we were. 00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:52.160 Yeah, yeah. 00:07:53.040 --> 00:07:54.319 They didn't have any history, so they, you know. 00:07:54.560 --> 00:07:55.839 So you so grow up right here. 00:07:55.920 --> 00:07:56.160 Yeah. 00:07:56.319 --> 00:07:57.680 And uh it's siblings. 00:07:57.920 --> 00:07:58.879 I have two older brothers. 00:07:59.040 --> 00:07:59.120 Okay. 00:07:59.439 --> 00:08:01.439 One six years older and one eight years older. 00:08:01.600 --> 00:08:01.759 Six. 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:04.160 So I feel like I grew up almost an only child. 00:08:04.319 --> 00:08:04.480 Right. 00:08:04.639 --> 00:08:05.920 Other than I had siblings, you know. 00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:10.560 But as far as my junior high school and high school years, they were both until you're alone. 00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:10.800 Yeah. 00:08:10.879 --> 00:08:15.759 And then the so even six years though is a huge spread because he's nine and you're three. 00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:16.240 Right. 00:08:16.399 --> 00:08:17.199 He's off to a lot of things. 00:08:17.360 --> 00:08:18.879 Yeah, we have nice relationships now, but it wasn't. 00:08:19.600 --> 00:08:19.680 Right. 00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:19.839 Yeah. 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:20.079

Yeah. 00:08:20.399 --> 00:08:22.639 Even my friends growing up, like I had like I have a brother. 00:08:22.720 --> 00:08:26.000 My mom remarried and had kids, my brother and I are 11 years apart. 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:28.399 So we had a little time together, but then I was off to college. 00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:29.279 You're like an uncle. 00:08:29.439 --> 00:08:30.160 I'm like an uncle. 00:08:30.240 --> 00:08:37.840 But now we have a great relationship because the spread between you know 40 and 29, or you know, or 40 and 51 is nothing. 00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:38.159 Right. 00:08:38.480 --> 00:08:40.559 It's uh yeah, so you're here. 00:08:40.639 --> 00:08:43.279 Um, intact family, but parents growing up. 00:08:43.759 --> 00:08:44.559 Yeah, both stayed together. 00:08:45.200 --> 00:08:45.919 They're both passed away now. 00:08:46.080 --> 00:08:46.559 No, no, right. 00:08:46.639 --> 00:08:47.600 But at the time, yeah. 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:48.720 What do they do? 00:08:48.960 --> 00:08:50.159 My dad was a CPA. 00:08:50.320 --> 00:08:50.639 Okay. 00:08:50.879 --> 00:08:53.039 And my both my brothers ended up being CPAs. 00:08:53.200 --> 00:08:53.919 Oh, interesting. 00:08:54.080 --> 00:08:59.200 So they they that CPA, was your mom a homemaker, or did she just she was a homemaker, but extremely involved. 00:08:59.360 --> 00:09:06.080 She worked more hours out of the home doing, I shouldn't say out of the home, but non-umestic stuff. 00:09:06.240 --> 00:09:06.320 Oh. 00:09:06.799 --> 00:09:11.519 Mostly Jewish related charities, you know, like Jewish Federation Temple. 00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:12.960 That was important to your family. 00:09:13.279 --> 00:09:14.960 You bar mitzfod and everything like that. 00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:17.200 Okay, so you were you conservative or reformed? 00:09:17.600 --> 00:09:18.000 Conservative. 00:09:18.240 --> 00:09:18.559 Conservative. 00:09:18.960 --> 00:09:20.000 And I'm a little less than that now. 00:09:20.159 --> 00:09:20.639 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:09:20.799 --> 00:09:22.320 I tell people I'm Jewish-ish. 00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:24.000 Well, I'm Jewish for sure. 00:09:24.240 --> 00:09:24.480 Yeah, yeah. 00:09:24.559 --> 00:09:25.200 No, I'm Jewish. 00:09:25.519 --> 00:09:29.919 My DNA is Jewish, but I'm saying in terms of everything else, I'm, you know, I'm a little weak on the observance. 00:09:30.240 --> 00:09:30.559 Well, that's right. 00:09:30.720 --> 00:09:44.080 Because my wife one day we go to a and my wife's a sh, you know, a shiksa goddess, and she yeah, we go somewhere, and I, you know, you know, I'm a marketer, I meet people and stuff, and I like she's seeing me and she pulls me aside, she's like, she saw me Jew it up with somebody, you know, like and she's like, what the hell was that? 00:09:44.159 --> 00:09:45.679 Like, I'm using Yiddish words and all this stuff. 00:09:46.879 --> 00:09:47.279 No, I know that. 00:09:47.440 --> 00:09:48.399 She's like, what is that? 00:09:48.480 --> 00:09:50.879 Yeah, and I

said, Oh, I can I could bring it out if I need to. 00:09:51.279 --> 00:09:51.360 Right. 00:09:51.440 --> 00:09:53.279 We talk we talk job, we talk Jewish chime. 00:09:53.600 --> 00:09:56.159 Talk Jewish jive, and she's like, I couldn't even believe this stuff. 00:09:56.240 --> 00:10:01.759 So so you do that, you barmits food, you're um you you you're living here, you go to the school. 00:10:01.840 --> 00:10:03.279 Well, do you go to college after right away? 00:10:03.440 --> 00:10:08.080 I go to uh I went to uh Bentley College, which is now Bentley University. 00:10:08.399 --> 00:10:09.919 Sounds much more special, doesn't it? 00:10:10.080 --> 00:10:10.480 No, yeah. 00:10:10.960 --> 00:10:11.200 That's right. 00:10:11.519 --> 00:10:18.399 I don't really know the difference, but um went through school, did got by through the skin of my teeth. 00:10:18.559 --> 00:10:19.679 Right, you were weren't a good student. 00:10:19.759 --> 00:10:22.799 Uh I wasn't there's two there's two sides to it. 00:10:22.879 --> 00:10:23.039 Okay. 00:10:23.200 --> 00:10:28.159 I don't think I was overly capable as far as you know, maybe a little uh ADD or whatever. 00:10:29.039 --> 00:10:31.519 And I didn't spend a lot of energy doing it. 00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:35.679 So the combination resulted resulted in very low GPA. 00:10:35.919 --> 00:10:36.240 Yeah, right. 00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:38.799 Because they didn't know what AD was then. 00:10:38.879 --> 00:10:39.120 They didn't. 00:10:39.360 --> 00:10:39.679 They didn't. 00:10:39.919 --> 00:10:44.720 Um it probably exists, it obviously existed and they probably knew about it, but not every kid got uh. 00:10:45.840 --> 00:10:53.039 Well, because I I I I'm an ADHD or and you know they they used to say, oh, he's very smart, doesn't apply himself, he's lazy, but he's very creative. 00:10:53.360 --> 00:10:56.159 But Rich, they didn't ever say I was smart and didn't apply myself. 00:10:56.480 --> 00:10:58.080 They said he didn't apply himself. 00:10:58.799 --> 00:10:59.679 All right, Mayor. 00:10:59.759 --> 00:11:02.080 All right, so what's Steve is at University of Rhode Island? 00:11:02.159 --> 00:11:03.200 No, or is he at Bentley though? 00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:03.919 No, Steve went to Bentley. 00:11:04.080 --> 00:11:04.799 Oh, Bentley, so that's where you mean. 00:11:04.960 --> 00:11:06.320 Steve's from Rhode Island, but he went to Bentley. 00:11:07.279 --> 00:11:07.519 Right, right. 00:11:07.600 --> 00:11:08.159 I remember now. 00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:08.559 All right. 00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:12.559 So do you like as a kid, do either of your parents cook in the house? 00:11:12.720 --> 00:11:14.080 My mother was a very good cook. 00:11:14.240 --> 00:11:15.360 What's the best dish she made? 00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:17.519 You know, her Jewish cooking was very good. 00:11:17.759 --> 00:11:19.360 Brisket and lima beans? 00:11:19.679 --> 00:11:21.600 She used to make a dish that I hated. 00:11:21.840 --> 00:11:23.039 Not pacha or something like that. 00:11:23.200 --> 00:11:26.000 No, she used to make a side dish of mushrooms and lima beans. 00:11:26.080 --> 00:11:26.639 Oh, I've had that. 00:11:26.879 --> 00:11:29.919 And as a kid, that was the only two foods I did not like. 00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:32.080 I pretty much liked everything growing up. 00:11:32.240 --> 00:11:38.080 But mushrooms and lima beans to me were the most disgusting things in the world, which now I think that dish I'd probably like. 00:11:38.559 --> 00:11:40.240 Because there's nothing I don't like now, really. 00:11:40.480 --> 00:11:40.720 Wow. 00:11:41.200 --> 00:11:43.360 So she made the like traditional salt. 00:11:44.000 --> 00:11:47.600 But then she but then she was made things like she grew up in a kosher home. 00:11:47.679 --> 00:11:50.720 Her father was Max was orthodox, started a temple, you know. 00:11:50.799 --> 00:11:54.559 Oh, she was not orthodox, but she was still culturally very Jewish. 00:11:54.799 --> 00:11:59.679 But she would make like baked stuff shrimp, stuffed clams, things like that, and they were great. 00:11:59.840 --> 00:12:03.039 I still haven't had a bakey stuffing nearly as good as my mother's. 00:12:04.080 --> 00:12:05.279 So she would eat shellfish. 00:12:05.440 --> 00:12:05.840 Oh yeah. 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:06.559 Okay, oh yeah. 00:12:06.720 --> 00:12:08.639 So you were conservative, but you would still eat shellfish. 00:12:08.879 --> 00:12:10.799 I know, but uh, we were it was more cultural. 00:12:11.440 --> 00:12:12.879 Well, I guess that would fall into cultural anyway. 00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:15.440 But you went the you went to Yom Kippers uh ceremony. 00:12:15.919 --> 00:12:16.399 Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:12:16.480 --> 00:12:19.679 Yeah, no, we'd have great seders, great, you know, we did all that stuff. 00:12:20.080 --> 00:12:21.840 But you'd eat a hamburger, a cheeseburger. 00:12:21.919 --> 00:12:22.240 Oh yeah. 00:12:22.399 --> 00:12:22.799 Yeah, yeah. 00:12:22.879 --> 00:12:23.360 Okay, yeah. 00:12:23.519 --> 00:12:23.840 All right. 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:25.039 So so she made that. 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:28.720 What um I mean, she bought ham cold cuts, if I recall. 00:12:29.360 --> 00:12:31.120 All right, so that's funny you say cold cuts. 00:12:31.360 --> 00:12:32.480 You ever heard the word cold cuts? 00:12:33.279 --> 00:12:33.679 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:12:33.759 --> 00:12:34.159 That's so funny. 00:12:34.399 --> 00:12:34.799 Lunch meat. 00:12:34.879 --> 00:12:35.200 That's what I'm saying. 00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:36.639 That's what the working class says. 00:12:36.960 --> 00:12:38.080 They say lunch meat, yeah. 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:41.279 So she would make that lunch meat is a step above a slim gym. 00:12:41.440 --> 00:12:42.159 A slim gym. 00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:43.600 Uh um, what did you never heard of that? 00:12:43.679 --> 00:12:44.559 Yeah, you know a slim gym. 00:12:44.799 --> 00:12:48.480 So so tell me about the um, so how often would would she do

Sunday dinners? 00:12:48.559 --> 00:12:52.080 Was there a I don't remember Sunday dinners like you know, as a thing. 00:12:52.240 --> 00:12:53.759 Friday night dinner was a big deal. 00:12:53.919 --> 00:12:54.559 That was the shopping. 00:12:54.960 --> 00:13:03.919 Yeah, and it wasn't a again, it was not a you know, she'd like the candles, we'd have dinner, and you had the typical roasted chicken or or um brisket, etc. 00:13:04.320 --> 00:13:09.360 So you did that and um and and your dad's a CPA, but did he have his own practice or was he in a bigger? 00:13:10.159 --> 00:13:13.919 He started in a kind of a smaller practice, which grew into a very large practice. 00:13:14.000 --> 00:13:15.519 I don't know if you ever heard of Bloom Shapiro. 00:13:15.759 --> 00:13:15.919 Yeah. 00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:18.320 So it it it turned into that over the years. 00:13:18.639 --> 00:13:19.360 Oh okay. 00:13:19.440 --> 00:13:20.080 So he did that. 00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:24.000 So so nobody, anybody involved in hospitality or a restaurant? 00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:24.399 Nothing. 00:13:24.639 --> 00:13:25.519 No, they were hospitable. 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:27.840 Hospitable, but not in like in an official capacity. 00:13:28.159 --> 00:13:29.840 There was always a seat empty at my mother's table. 00:13:29.919 --> 00:13:31.600 So people I should say empty. 00:13:31.759 --> 00:13:34.320 If there was someone who was not had a place to eat, they were coming. 00:13:35.039 --> 00:13:36.480 And your friends would come over and she'd feed them? 00:13:36.879 --> 00:13:39.360 I mean, it was never like, oh, we're having dinner, you gotta go home. 00:13:39.519 --> 00:13:39.759 Right, right. 00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:41.120 Or having dinner, do you want to stay? 00:13:41.279 --> 00:13:41.679 Right, it's right. 00:13:41.759 --> 00:13:46.879 It's always that sort of like I always say it's almost like the Jews and the Italians are very similar in that sense. 00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:48.720 Like the the joke is right, Italians are happy to. 00:13:49.039 --> 00:13:50.080 Who's got better food though? 00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:50.879 Oh, the Italians. 00:13:51.120 --> 00:13:51.600 It's not even close. 00:13:51.759 --> 00:13:52.480 Oh, it's not even close. 00:13:53.279 --> 00:13:54.080 Oh, it's not even close. 00:13:54.399 --> 00:13:57.360 You know, we we kind of end at bagels and locks as far as been really good. 00:13:58.000 --> 00:13:59.759 After that, it's you know, we lose big time. 00:13:59.919 --> 00:14:00.639 We lose big time. 00:14:00.720 --> 00:14:01.200 That's correct. 00:14:01.279 --> 00:14:04.159 It's it's we the kosher the kosher food now. 00:14:04.240 --> 00:14:05.840 I know Rabbi, you know Rabbi Gopin. 00:14:05.919 --> 00:14:06.080 Sure. 00:14:06.240 --> 00:14:06.399 Right? 00:14:06.480 --> 00:14:09.279 He comes here and beats with me off the he stops by the visit? 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:11.039 He comes by gonna write him a check. 00:14:11.120 --> 00:14:12.159 He's probably waiting right out the door. 00:14:12.799 --> 00:14:14.159 I love him, but you can't outlast him. 00:14:14.240 --> 00:14:15.039 He can't outlast him. 00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:16.960 He comes and he comes and he sends his menu. 00:14:17.039 --> 00:14:24.720 I told him the police stop sending every Friday they knock on the door and they get all the flustered because the girls are wearing a dress and they walk in and then Don't try to shake, don't shake his hand. 00:14:24.879 --> 00:14:25.360 Don't shake his hand. 00:14:25.519 --> 00:14:31.120 No, he's okay, but like the uh then I try to have the uh the other people, I say to them, I said, I want to read some old tests, some New Testament with you. 00:14:31.200 --> 00:14:31.840 And they're like, We can't. 00:14:31.919 --> 00:14:33.679 And I'm like, I'll read the old testament, we'll be the new testament. 00:14:33.759 --> 00:14:35.519 I give them a hard time, but the young kids. 00:14:35.600 --> 00:14:40.000 But oh yeah, so he has me to an event, and the kosher food has come a long way. 00:14:40.080 --> 00:14:40.879 Like it's delicious. 00:14:40.960 --> 00:14:44.639 Like they have it catered by, I forgot who caters it now, maybe Yossi, you know, Yossi. 00:14:44.879 --> 00:14:45.600 I know of Yossi. 00:14:45.919 --> 00:14:47.120 I know he's a kosher caterer. 00:14:47.279 --> 00:14:49.679 When you're in town, go get his food, order it. 00:14:49.759 --> 00:14:52.240 It's it's more of like um it's Israeli. 00:14:52.480 --> 00:14:54.480 Yeah, yeah, I would love to love it. 00:14:54.720 --> 00:15:00.639 It's like, you know, uh like almost like like shawarma with uh these like Mennonite, I think, potatoes. 00:15:01.039 --> 00:15:01.519 And it's good. 00:15:01.679 --> 00:15:02.240 It's fantastic. 00:15:02.559 --> 00:15:03.039 Does he have a kid? 00:15:03.120 --> 00:15:04.080 Does he have a takeout type thing? 00:15:04.320 --> 00:15:05.120 Yeah, so mostly takeout. 00:15:05.200 --> 00:15:05.919 He caters, he does things. 00:15:06.080 --> 00:15:07.759 Nobody has like a Uber Eats, does it? 00:15:07.919 --> 00:15:08.720 Yeah, in Windsor. 00:15:09.039 --> 00:15:13.039 He has a couple of tables in there, but it's mostly uh delivery to West Hartford. 00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:20.399 Um and so I I was impressed because as a kid I remember like you know, kosher food, even if it was Italian or whatever was, it was always awful. 00:15:20.559 --> 00:15:21.919 And so now it's gotten better. 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:22.879 They've they've gotten better. 00:15:22.960 --> 00:15:23.840 But you're right, the Italian. 00:15:24.159 --> 00:15:25.279 There's no reason it can't be good. 00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:26.639 There's no reason it can't be good. 00:15:26.879 --> 00:15:28.399 But you know, it's you know, it's sushi, right? 00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:30.480 It's Japanese food, so it's it's gonna be good. 00:15:30.559 --> 00:15:33.519 But the uh but the uh but Italians for sure have the best. 00:15:33.840 --> 00:15:36.720 I think they may

Italians are probably top five of cuisine in the world, I think. 00:15:36.960 --> 00:15:37.679 I think it's one easily. 00:15:37.919 --> 00:15:38.480 You think it's one? 00:15:38.720 --> 00:15:42.159 Yeah, I mean, especially the for something you could have often. 00:15:42.559 --> 00:15:42.799 I guess. 00:15:43.039 --> 00:15:44.159 You can't get another enough attack. 00:15:44.399 --> 00:15:44.879 That's true, right? 00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:47.440 You could have uh chicken franchise or chicken parm every night. 00:15:47.600 --> 00:15:48.720 A scar scarp? 00:15:48.879 --> 00:15:49.440 A chicken scarp. 00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:50.159 That's your scarp. 00:15:50.320 --> 00:15:51.200 That's my favorite one to make. 00:15:54.399 --> 00:15:55.679 I love a veal parm. 00:15:56.559 --> 00:15:57.440 You know what's funny? 00:15:57.600 --> 00:16:00.480 I grew up, veal parm was like the dish. 00:16:00.879 --> 00:16:02.639 And then people started eating chicken parm. 00:16:02.720 --> 00:16:04.799 I go, what a crappy imitation of veal parm. 00:16:05.840 --> 00:16:06.399 Chicken's better. 00:16:07.039 --> 00:16:08.240 I think chicken parm is better. 00:16:08.639 --> 00:16:12.399 Have you gotten the veal parm bone-in at Viron Rondo Asteria? 00:16:12.559 --> 00:16:13.360 I've never been there. 00:16:13.519 --> 00:16:14.399 You have to go there. 00:16:14.639 --> 00:16:15.200 Do you know him? 00:16:15.440 --> 00:16:15.600 No. 00:16:16.799 --> 00:16:17.840 I think I met him years ago. 00:16:18.559 --> 00:16:22.240 If you have time, you're driving, listen to the podcast he did here to just see the numbers. 00:16:22.960 --> 00:16:25.279 The guy's so admirable from what I've witnessed from afar. 00:16:25.519 --> 00:16:26.320 He's a lovely man. 00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:27.039 He's amazing. 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:29.600 And his backstory is interesting about his mother in Greece. 00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:36.240 And he said to me, he, you know, when he came on, and I said, There's no way, you know, and Mother's Day, there's 3,200 covers. 00:16:36.639 --> 00:16:38.879 I said, You I said, there's no way your food's any good. 00:16:38.960 --> 00:16:40.240 I said, I said it to him right to his face. 00:16:40.399 --> 00:16:41.919 I said, There's no fucking way you can do that. 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:43.200 He goes, You come and tell me your food. 00:16:43.440 --> 00:16:43.919 Are you telling me? 00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:45.679 I came in and said, Your food's delicious. 00:16:45.759 --> 00:16:47.600 He's got two 5,000 square foot kitchens. 00:16:47.759 --> 00:16:49.919 It's it's everything I've heard about him, it's great. 00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:52.399 You know, in the summer, uh, you know, I'm in Florida all winter. 00:16:52.559 --> 00:16:54.080 In the summer, I live in Old Saybrook. 00:16:54.240 --> 00:16:54.320 Okay. 00:16:54.399 --> 00:16:55.840 So And there's no to eat down there. 00:16:55.919 --> 00:16:56.240 Nothing to eat. 00:16:56.559 --> 00:16:57.120 No, no, there is. 00:16:57.360 --> 00:16:58.320 There's five places. 00:16:58.559 --> 00:16:59.200 Four, maybe. 00:16:59.840 --> 00:17:00.240 He knows. 00:17:00.399 --> 00:17:00.799 He goes. 00:17:01.120 --> 00:17:03.120 But uh, well, the best place to eat is at my house. 00:17:03.200 --> 00:17:04.880 But or Grano Orso in Essex. 00:17:05.200 --> 00:17:06.640 Grano Orso is very good. 00:17:06.720 --> 00:17:08.799 And uh there's, you know, Liv's is really good. 00:17:09.119 --> 00:17:10.079 Liv's is so solid. 00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:16.480 I've eaten probably in Liv's That's your place more than any restaurant other than Max restaurants in my life. 00:17:16.720 --> 00:17:17.279 Liv's is good. 00:17:17.359 --> 00:17:18.480 I like Lives Because he's there twenty. 00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:19.519 I've been there about 20 years. 00:17:19.599 --> 00:17:21.359 He's been there about the same time. 00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:24.160 And John's a uh very good chef. 00:17:24.319 --> 00:17:25.279 Um I like Lives. 00:17:25.440 --> 00:17:29.519 But every time we rent a place down there, and we're always like, No, it's you've got to go to New Haven or Essex. 00:17:30.319 --> 00:17:31.279 Or Cafe Rudier. 00:17:31.599 --> 00:17:32.079 Delicious. 00:17:32.240 --> 00:17:32.559 Delicious. 00:17:32.720 --> 00:17:34.640 Yeah, so there's a handful of very good places. 00:17:35.599 --> 00:17:37.440 And um, what are we talking about? 00:17:37.519 --> 00:17:38.720 The veal the veal of the chicken. 00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:39.680 Yeah, the veil of the chicken. 00:17:39.839 --> 00:17:41.279 So Ron, so it's Oh, by Rondo. 00:17:41.599 --> 00:17:43.519 That is about two hours away from where I buy them. 00:17:43.839 --> 00:17:44.079 Yeah, yeah. 00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:44.640 It's really good. 00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:46.799 I don't care how good it is, I'm not making the two hours. 00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:49.440 It's it's very, it's very, very good. 00:17:49.599 --> 00:17:50.559 So, all right, let's go. 00:17:50.640 --> 00:17:53.839 So you go to Bentley, and um what are you doing after Bentley? 00:17:54.160 --> 00:17:57.920 So I graduate Bentley with a a solid 2.1 average. 00:17:58.160 --> 00:17:58.880 Sounds like my college. 00:17:59.119 --> 00:18:03.519 And the and the job market when I graduate, you know, if you're not, it wasn't a great job market. 00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:12.880 And if if you didn't have great, you know, grades or whatever, you know, the the people that were coming to this campus to recruit weren't very interested in me. 00:18:13.119 --> 00:18:13.279 Right. 00:18:13.359 --> 00:18:14.480 And what and what year is this? 00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:15.359 Uh 80. 00:18:15.519 --> 00:18:16.000 81. 00:18:16.240 --> 00:18:16.720 81. 00:18:16.799 --> 00:18:17.119 Okay. 00:18:17.359 --> 00:18:21.039 Only because I I took an extra year to really get a better education. 00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:21.599 Okay. 00:18:21.759 --> 00:18:21.920 Right. 00:18:22.079 --> 00:18:22.240 Right. 00:18:22.319 -->

00:18:23.680 So better known as the five-year plan. 00:18:24.079 --> 00:18:24.640 The five-year plan. 00:18:24.960 --> 00:18:27.039 So you're 81 and you move back here? 00:18:27.279 --> 00:18:34.319 I um, yes, I moved back here, and I spent all my high school college years working in restaurants. 00:18:34.640 --> 00:18:40.559 So I kind of doing what, busing or busing, waiting, bartending, dishwashing, everything. 00:18:40.880 --> 00:18:49.920 How important, you know, Anthony Bordoon used to say like those the people that have that experience used or like you you you gain a module or a gear that's so important for the rest of the world. 00:18:50.160 --> 00:18:50.799 There's no question. 00:18:51.039 --> 00:18:56.000 It's uh it's the that foundation of knowing every spot in the kitchen. 00:18:56.160 --> 00:18:58.799 It it get it makes you just the knowledge and the experience. 00:18:58.960 --> 00:19:00.960 But just but even if you're gonna be a lawyer, whatever you're gonna be. 00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:01.519 The best. 00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:02.160 The best, right? 00:19:02.240 --> 00:19:03.839 Because you better than any internship. 00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:09.200 Right, because you work with people there that are either, you know, that are you're trying to make them happy, but they can be nasty. 00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:13.839 You're you Well, it's the people you work with and the people you work for, meaning the the guest. 00:19:14.079 --> 00:19:14.400 Right. 00:19:14.559 --> 00:19:14.720 Right. 00:19:14.799 --> 00:19:15.200 So right. 00:19:15.279 --> 00:19:17.200 It's a great or the employer and the employer. 00:19:17.359 --> 00:19:20.400 You learn to deal with some, you know, brick of an owner or a great owner. 00:19:20.720 --> 00:19:21.359 Or a great owner. 00:19:21.440 --> 00:19:21.599 Yeah. 00:19:21.680 --> 00:19:26.319 So right, so you would encourage uh kid parents to encourage their kids to do that once in their life? 00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:30.079 I had a good friend whose son was going to Yale and was getting some internship. 00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:32.960 And I said, have him wash dishes for a summer. 00:19:33.839 --> 00:19:35.759 And he thought it was crazy and he never did it. 00:19:35.920 --> 00:19:37.039 Now he's a judge or something. 00:19:38.240 --> 00:19:38.720 No, but right. 00:19:39.279 --> 00:19:40.799 But he could he still could have used that. 00:19:41.039 --> 00:19:42.160 Right to learn how to do that. 00:19:42.559 --> 00:19:43.680 A little grit in your life. 00:19:43.839 --> 00:19:44.799 Yeah, no, for sure. 00:19:44.960 --> 00:19:49.519 Did you, did you, so did you ever you did you ever make it to the kitchen or do we always in front of the house? 00:19:49.680 --> 00:19:53.519 No, I went after after a couple years of screwing around here working, yeah. 00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:55.680 My brother sends me an article. 00:19:55.920 --> 00:19:57.359 I guess he was worried about me. 00:19:57.599 --> 00:19:59.440 He sends me an article from New York magazine. 00:19:59.839 --> 00:20:02.000 Did he, like, mail it like he cut it out and sent the thing? 00:20:02.160 --> 00:20:02.960 So it had to be. 00:20:03.039 --> 00:20:04.160 I mean, that's the only way to do it. 00:20:04.319 --> 00:20:05.519 He couldn't even fax it then, probably. 00:20:05.839 --> 00:20:06.480 Couldn't fax it then. 00:20:06.559 --> 00:20:07.119 Well, it probably has to be. 00:20:07.200 --> 00:20:07.680 No, but I remember this. 00:20:07.759 --> 00:20:09.200 Somebody sent me an article once when I was a kid. 00:20:09.279 --> 00:20:10.960 I remember it came like folded up and cut out. 00:20:11.359 --> 00:20:16.559 So it was in New York magazine, and the title of the story was So You Want to Open a Restaurant. 00:20:17.119 --> 00:20:26.240 And one of the things in the story was this school in New York called the New York Restaurant School that was a small kind of um, I'll call it avant-garde, cooking school. 00:20:26.400 --> 00:20:26.720 Okay. 00:20:27.279 --> 00:20:29.920 And I said, This is for me. 00:20:30.640 --> 00:20:31.200 I'm going there. 00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:33.519 And I talked my parents into giving me enough money. 00:20:33.759 --> 00:20:35.759 I don't think it was particularly expensive. 00:20:36.640 --> 00:20:39.119 I have my father's partner, Yodi. 00:20:39.440 --> 00:20:42.000 Yudi is Yoddy Shapiro from Boom Shapiro. 00:20:42.559 --> 00:20:45.599 Gives me a ride to the city because his daughter at the time, I think, was in law school. 00:20:45.759 --> 00:20:46.000 Okay. 00:20:46.160 --> 00:20:51.279 They dropped me off at the 92nd Street Y, where I live for about eight months. 00:20:51.519 --> 00:20:52.000 Wow. 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:56.000 Dormitory style at 20, I was probably 24 by then. 00:20:56.160 --> 00:21:00.559 And you're living dormitory style with a hundred bucks in your pocket? 00:21:00.960 --> 00:21:01.279 If. 00:21:01.519 --> 00:21:02.000 If if. 00:21:02.400 --> 00:21:02.640 Wow. 00:21:02.880 --> 00:21:07.759 So I'm living in this dormitory, and everyone in the my floor, you know the 92nd Street Y? 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:08.319 I don't. 00:21:08.400 --> 00:21:12.160 It's a it's a cultural center in New York, and it's really the Jewish why. 00:21:12.319 --> 00:21:12.720 Oh, I see. 00:21:12.799 --> 00:21:16.720 But you don't have to be Jewish, it's but they do all kinds of lectures and stuff like that. 00:21:16.960 --> 00:21:23.759 So it's a it has some prestige in the world of whys, and if you're New Yorkers, all know it because they'll have all kinds of cultural things. 00:21:24.160 --> 00:21:25.359 Even though it's a Christian organization. 00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:26.559 But this is a Jewish Y. 00:21:26.880 --> 00:21:27.759 Oh, a Jewish Y. 00:21:27.920 --> 00:21:28.000 Yeah. 00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:30.880 So it's not the YMCA, it's JCC or something. 00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:32.640 I get it was called the 92nd Street Y. 00:21:32.720 --> 00:21:33.119 I don't know what the. 00:21:33.920 -->

00:21:36.400 Maybe it was the Y and then they took it out or they took it over or something. 00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:36.880 I don't know. 00:21:36.960 --> 00:21:37.839 I don't know that history. 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:38.559 Oh, interesting. 00:21:38.640 --> 00:21:43.279 Um, but I did run run the elevator once with uh Well Fraser, which was Wow. 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:44.799 In between women. 00:21:45.759 --> 00:21:52.319 So um oh, so my floor is all podiatry students because there's a local podiatry student. 00:21:52.480 --> 00:21:59.759 So I spent about eight months there with my little cubicle of a bedroom, um, showers and toilets that are. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:01.200 Um communal. 00:22:01.279 --> 00:22:01.839 Oh gosh. 00:22:02.079 --> 00:22:04.640 I don't think I said, and I'm a social person. 00:22:04.960 --> 00:22:08.319 I don't think I said two words in that building for eight months. 00:22:08.480 --> 00:22:08.720 Wow. 00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:10.000 I had nothing to do with these people. 00:22:10.079 --> 00:22:11.039 They were all doing their thing. 00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:11.440 I'm there. 00:22:11.519 --> 00:22:12.079 I'm coming. 00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:19.920 And I'd get there at 10 at night, 11 at night, with a couple cocktails in me, sleep, and leave at you know eight in the morning to go to school. 00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:21.039 And where was school? 00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:21.680 Downtown? 00:22:21.839 --> 00:22:23.519 It was on uh 32nd Street. 00:22:23.599 --> 00:22:23.920 Okay. 00:22:24.079 --> 00:22:25.920 Or um, where's Macy's? 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:26.640 33rd? 00:22:26.799 --> 00:22:28.559 33rd in like no, not 30rd. 00:22:28.640 --> 00:22:29.519 Whatever, whatever street. 00:22:29.759 --> 00:22:31.519 I've been out of New York so long I can't remember now. 00:22:31.599 --> 00:22:32.640 But it's, you know, it was in that area. 00:22:32.880 --> 00:22:33.519 Right near Macy's. 00:22:34.079 --> 00:22:34.880 Near Penn Station. 00:22:35.039 --> 00:22:35.279 Yeah. 00:22:35.519 --> 00:22:35.759 Okay. 00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:36.079 Yeah. 00:22:36.240 --> 00:22:36.400 All right. 00:22:36.480 --> 00:22:38.720 So you're Macy's you're going back and forth, taking the subway. 00:22:39.279 --> 00:22:39.359 Yeah. 00:22:39.519 --> 00:22:39.839 Yeah, right. 00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:40.000 Yeah. 00:22:40.160 --> 00:22:40.799 Taking the subway. 00:22:40.960 --> 00:22:41.279 You're doing. 00:22:41.599 --> 00:22:44.880 And I have about five pieces of clothing. 00:22:45.119 --> 00:22:45.519 Wow. 00:22:45.680 --> 00:22:50.480 A pair of jeans, a pair of black jeans, a couple t-shirts, and a you know, a couple and a coat. 00:22:50.640 --> 00:22:53.039 A couple some coat I bought at a thrift store. 00:22:53.759 --> 00:22:54.240 Very cool coat. 00:22:54.319 --> 00:22:54.960 Kind of window pane. 00:22:55.599 --> 00:22:56.160 Oh, that's awesome. 00:22:56.240 --> 00:22:57.200 And you're learning to cook. 00:22:57.359 --> 00:23:02.720 I'm learning to cook and I'm

learning about the taught half the day was cooking, the other half was like restaurant management. 00:23:02.960 --> 00:23:03.039 Okay. 00:23:03.119 --> 00:23:04.079 And how long did you do that for? 00:23:04.240 --> 00:23:05.680 Uh it was like eight months. 00:23:05.920 --> 00:23:06.240 Eight months. 00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:12.319 And then you graduate from I you graduate, and you know how I mentioned I wasn't a great student. 00:23:12.559 --> 00:23:16.319 For the first time in my life, I am the king of students. 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:16.880 Wow. 00:23:17.039 --> 00:23:19.119 I am the class of the school. 00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:20.000 I'm the guy. 00:23:20.319 --> 00:23:20.720 You're the guy. 00:23:21.119 --> 00:23:21.839 You're the Valvictorian. 00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:25.920 I'm Val Victorian of a cooking school with a bunch of special needs kids. 00:23:26.160 --> 00:23:26.559 No, no. 00:23:26.640 --> 00:23:29.279 No, they were actually the people I went to school with were very interesting. 00:23:29.440 --> 00:23:32.480 A lot of them were like recalibrating their careers. 00:23:32.640 --> 00:23:35.440 You know, they were in finance or they were, you know, whatever. 00:23:35.599 --> 00:23:39.680 Yeah, just it was people that were, most of them were a little older going back to school. 00:23:39.920 --> 00:23:40.240 I see. 00:23:40.400 --> 00:23:40.559 Okay. 00:23:40.640 --> 00:23:41.440 So you so you're right. 00:23:41.519 --> 00:23:43.039 So you're the you're the head of the class. 00:23:43.279 --> 00:23:44.079 You found your thing. 00:23:44.319 --> 00:23:46.559 I found my all of a sudden I love school. 00:23:46.720 --> 00:23:48.960 I went from never liking school to loving it. 00:23:49.359 --> 00:23:53.759 But what happens at the end of your um, you know, when you graduate, do they give you did they help you find a job? 00:23:54.000 --> 00:24:00.240 I don't remember if they helped us, but I ended up getting a job in a c I worked in a couple of different restaurants in the city and just loved it. 00:24:00.640 --> 00:24:03.039 Regular, just like basic restaurants, anything? 00:24:03.279 --> 00:24:03.759 No, good place. 00:24:03.920 --> 00:24:06.559 Well, well, the one that I spent the most time was a place called Pesca. 00:24:06.640 --> 00:24:06.799 Okay. 00:24:06.960 --> 00:24:08.400 It was 23 East 22nd. 00:24:08.640 --> 00:24:09.519 That address I can remember. 00:24:11.119 --> 00:24:14.880 And um are you a line cook there? 00:24:15.039 --> 00:24:18.880 I'm a line cook and I'm scheduled to come in like at nine in the morning. 00:24:19.039 --> 00:24:19.359 Okay. 00:24:19.599 --> 00:24:22.640 And I live walking distance to there by coincidence. 00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:25.440 And I would get there at 7. 00:24:26.000 --> 00:24:28.559 And I did that for like a year. 00:24:28.960 --> 00:24:33.599 So my f plan, it wasn't a plan, it was just a work ethic, I guess. 00:24:33.759 --> 00:24:38.960 I'd get there early, before the chef and the sous chef got there, and I'd do all their work. 00:24:39.279 --> 00:24:40.480 And what was the th what was the thing? 00:24:40.640 --> 00:24:42.000 Oh, I'm sorry, I would do all my work. 00:24:42.240 --> 00:24:46.160 So when they got there, I could they'd hand off their source. 00:24:46.480 --> 00:24:47.519 But what motivated you to do that? 00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:48.480 Because I wanted to learn. 00:24:48.559 --> 00:24:49.519 I wasn't there to make money. 00:24:49.599 --> 00:24:50.720 I was making six dollars an hour. 00:24:50.799 --> 00:24:51.039 Oh, right. 00:24:51.119 --> 00:24:52.000 So you were there to learn sous. 00:24:52.319 --> 00:24:52.720 I was there to learn. 00:24:53.119 --> 00:24:53.759 So you did all your prep. 00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:54.640 You did all your prep. 00:24:54.799 --> 00:24:59.200 I did all my prep, made my seafood design and my risotto prep, my pasta prep, all these things. 00:24:59.440 --> 00:25:02.559 But what but but that's that's abnormal behavior. 00:25:02.640 --> 00:25:03.680 And I'm not meaning a bad way. 00:25:04.160 --> 00:25:05.359 No, I think it's exceptional behavior. 00:25:05.599 --> 00:25:08.000 No, it's exceptional, but but but it's it's outside of the norm. 00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:09.279 Most people wouldn't do that. 00:25:09.519 --> 00:25:11.200 They would because it wasn't a job to me. 00:25:11.279 --> 00:25:12.960 It was like it was grad school. 00:25:13.200 --> 00:25:18.160 I see, but what but what what I'm trying to get at is what in your head motivated you to do that? 00:25:18.640 --> 00:25:20.000 Because I was opening a restaurant. 00:25:20.160 --> 00:25:20.720 Oh, I see. 00:25:20.880 --> 00:25:22.319 I'm opening a restaurant in my head. 00:25:22.480 --> 00:25:25.200 I don't know where, when, and how, but I'm opening a restaurant. 00:25:25.359 --> 00:25:26.079 You're opening a restaurant. 00:25:26.240 --> 00:25:27.440 I'm a determined idiot. 00:25:27.680 --> 00:25:27.920 Right. 00:25:28.079 --> 00:25:39.119 No, but but there's always a you know, people that that have built you know very successful businesses, I always find they have this obsession with the business. 00:25:39.279 --> 00:25:47.680 They focus on it, they they don't they it's a singular focus, and you just it's almost it's almost uh it's obsessive is the right word. 00:25:47.759 --> 00:25:55.839 You just don't let go because but that's what also d you know, and that's what drives it to be successful, is because you just put so much effort and you come in the two hours early. 00:25:56.319 --> 00:25:58.319 I was one dimensional, I was so one dimensional. 00:25:58.559 --> 00:25:59.039 One dimensional. 00:25:59.119 --> 00:26:01.119 They see that about musk, all these other people that have done it. 00:26:01.200 --> 00:26:04.079 They're one that they just focus on it like a laser beam and then Rich. 00:26:04.319 --> 00:26:05.039 I'm one of those geniuses. 00:26:05.279 --> 00:26:06.720 No, I no, no, I'm not gonna be able to do that. 00:26:06.880 -->

00:26:07.759 No, I'm just determined. 00:26:07.920 --> 00:26:10.240 And it wasn't it wasn't even thought out, it's just what I was doing. 00:26:10.480 --> 00:26:12.799 But but 99% of people don't do that, right? 00:26:12.880 --> 00:26:16.079 And that's why they're there where they are, and you created an empire. 00:26:16.240 --> 00:26:25.039 And and so I'm just I'm always sort of interested in that, whether it's something that's learned or it's something you're uh born with, or it's a combination. 00:26:25.200 --> 00:26:27.599 Like, why I don't know the answer to that. 00:26:27.680 --> 00:26:31.759 Yeah, I don't know where it came from, but it was kind of the first thing in my life. 00:26:31.920 --> 00:26:32.799 You know, I was still young. 00:26:33.039 --> 00:26:35.920 Do you think some of it is like you're the younger child and have to prove something? 00:26:36.000 --> 00:26:37.119 Is there some of that? 00:26:39.039 --> 00:26:40.480 I no, I don't think so. 00:26:40.720 --> 00:26:42.160 I don't think I was trying to prove anything. 00:26:42.240 --> 00:26:42.960 I just wanted to learn it. 00:26:43.119 --> 00:26:43.759 You want to do a rest right? 00:26:44.079 --> 00:26:49.200 I was so one of my teachers at school, I don't remember his name, but he was uh he was a management teacher. 00:26:49.440 --> 00:26:58.960 And one of the things he told us, one of our responsibilities was to read the New York Times every Wednesday, food section, and the review every Friday. 00:26:59.359 --> 00:26:59.680 Okay. 00:26:59.920 --> 00:27:01.680 So that was my to this day. 00:27:01.839 --> 00:27:03.680 Now it's not set up exactly the same way. 00:27:04.240 --> 00:27:08.000 But I read the New York Times Wednesday like it's my Bible. 00:27:08.319 --> 00:27:08.640 Still. 00:27:08.880 --> 00:27:09.359 Everything. 00:27:09.680 --> 00:27:14.960 Now, Lemon Cup doesn't interest me as much because it's um It's depressing. 00:27:15.200 --> 00:27:15.920 No, no, no, no. 00:27:16.079 --> 00:27:16.880 I'm talking about the food section. 00:27:17.279 --> 00:27:18.559 I'm not talking about the whole paper. 00:27:18.640 --> 00:27:19.039 Oh, yeah, yeah. 00:27:19.119 --> 00:27:19.599 They have other stuff. 00:27:19.680 --> 00:27:20.240 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:27:20.400 --> 00:27:20.799 The food section. 00:27:21.119 --> 00:27:21.599 The other is filler. 00:27:21.759 --> 00:27:22.240 I thought it's whole advantage. 00:27:22.480 --> 00:27:23.359 Phil's is gone, right? 00:27:23.519 --> 00:27:24.000 He's gone. 00:27:24.079 --> 00:27:25.920 Uh but he's writing some articles that are very interesting. 00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:27.200 I just saw the latest one. 00:27:27.440 --> 00:27:37.519 But um, I was just by the way, he has the best review I've ever read in my life, and I read it once a year out loud to my office, and it's the review of um uh what's the guy uh with the spiky hair? 00:27:37.680 --> 00:27:40.720 Um, uh what do you um Guy Fieri. 00:27:40.880 --> 00:27:41.440 Guy Fieri, yeah. 00:27:41.519 --> 00:27:42.880 Guy Fieri's restaurant in Times Square. 00:27:43.279 --> 00:27:44.799 Great entertainer, lousy restaurants. 00:27:45.119 --> 00:27:46.400 It's a hundred questions. 00:27:46.480 --> 00:27:48.319 It's just questions that he asks. 00:27:48.400 --> 00:27:53.599 He's like, Did you feel that the the radiator fluid you served me was actually edible? 00:27:53.759 --> 00:27:54.480 Like you should read it. 00:27:54.559 --> 00:27:57.359 It is it is such a I remember reading it when it came out. 00:27:57.599 --> 00:28:02.000 It literally was, it's the best piece of writing since the I don't know, the the Odyssey. 00:28:02.240 --> 00:28:04.240 It's it's it's so it like leveled him. 00:28:04.319 --> 00:28:10.720 And as Vestors flew him in, he was in Australia at the time, he shows up on Good Morning America, like jet lagged, and he's like, oh no, we're gonna make things better here. 00:28:11.039 --> 00:28:11.920 Because the place is garbage. 00:28:12.079 --> 00:28:12.480 Didn't last. 00:28:12.640 --> 00:28:13.039 Didn't last. 00:28:13.200 --> 00:28:13.839 It didn't last. 00:28:14.000 --> 00:28:19.279 So you get there early, you do your prep work, and then they they it and what what are you doing on the line? 00:28:19.359 --> 00:28:20.480 Are you uh fish or meat? 00:28:21.039 --> 00:28:23.680 Well, I was uh most of the time I was kind of the pasta station. 00:28:23.759 --> 00:28:31.440 Okay, and it was a seafood restaurant, but it was different, it wasn't your you know 30 fish and all this stuff. 00:28:31.519 --> 00:28:33.519 It was very, it was kind of Italian seafood. 00:28:33.599 --> 00:28:33.920 Okay. 00:28:34.240 --> 00:28:35.920 And at the time I thought it was great. 00:28:36.000 --> 00:28:38.720 I'm and I'm thinking the things I learned there to this day. 00:28:38.960 --> 00:28:40.559 I really learned how to make a pasta. 00:28:40.720 --> 00:28:41.359 And I don't mean the new. 00:28:41.680 --> 00:28:43.519 Did you guys did you guys you only use fresh pasta then? 00:28:43.759 --> 00:28:44.720 Back then it was all dry. 00:28:44.799 --> 00:28:45.599 We only used dry pasta. 00:28:45.759 --> 00:28:46.079 Dry pasta. 00:28:46.240 --> 00:28:47.279 We only had one pasta. 00:28:47.359 --> 00:28:50.079 Oh but it was probably 20% of the lunch items. 00:28:50.240 --> 00:28:50.480 I see. 00:28:50.559 --> 00:28:55.839 And we had a risotto and one risotto, and we had the seafood lasagna that was kind of gross, I think. 00:28:56.079 --> 00:28:57.119 Seafood lasagna. 00:28:57.200 --> 00:28:59.119 Um but so I'd have to assemble that every morning. 00:29:01.359 --> 00:29:02.640 Cheese on seafood. 00:29:02.960 --> 00:29:03.759 My thought on that? 00:29:05.200 --> 00:29:06.480 You can't put cheese in this seafood. 00:29:06.640 --> 00:29:07.440 You can't sprinkle a little bit. 00:29:07.519 --> 00:29:08.559 No, Italians won't like you. 00:29:08.799 --> 00:29:09.519 No, no. 00:29:09.920 --> 00:29:14.720 No, Steve and I, Abrams, yeah, we're in

uh Italy with our wives, Paige and Vicky. 00:29:14.799 --> 00:29:18.240 And we're in this little, I was hoping this story would come up because I love this story. 00:29:18.559 --> 00:29:21.759 Um we're in this little place in Alba. 00:29:22.000 --> 00:29:25.599 Oh and the I think the our server is the owner, I think. 00:29:25.759 --> 00:29:25.920 Right. 00:29:26.079 --> 00:29:27.359 Or it feels like the owner. 00:29:27.519 --> 00:29:30.640 And Paige orders uh spaghetti vangala. 00:29:30.960 --> 00:29:33.440 And she comes out and she goes, Oh, I want to get some parmesan. 00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:36.160 Oh, and she and I go, I go, Paige, don't ask. 00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:40.319 I go, don't ask, and she goes, I want Parmesan. 00:29:40.559 --> 00:29:41.200 And I go, okay. 00:29:41.440 --> 00:29:44.240 First of all, you don't get Parmesan, you get Parmesan or Reggiano or Granicadano. 00:29:44.400 --> 00:29:45.759 Parmesan is American garbage. 00:29:45.839 --> 00:29:46.000 Right. 00:29:46.079 --> 00:29:51.680 So I she finally calls, she calls over the lady and she goes, cheese on fish? 00:29:52.079 --> 00:29:54.319 It was the only English she said the whole time we were there. 00:29:54.799 --> 00:29:58.799 She goes, and she looks at it, she goes, and walks away and brought the cheese. 00:29:59.680 --> 00:30:00.559 But didn't want to. 00:30:00.799 --> 00:30:01.839 Oh my gosh. 00:30:02.000 --> 00:30:06.559 So you're working that whole line, you're making risotto and the pasta. 00:30:06.720 --> 00:30:07.759 And how long are you there? 00:30:08.079 --> 00:30:10.480 And you have to know how to stir risotto because risotto is impossible. 00:30:10.640 --> 00:30:12.880 Well, you're you know, to order, so you make what the way we did it. 00:30:13.119 --> 00:30:14.319 You didn't do a la minute or you had to. 00:30:14.480 --> 00:30:15.920 No, no, you'd pre-make the rice. 00:30:16.160 --> 00:30:16.559 Right, of course. 00:30:16.720 --> 00:30:18.720 So you made it like to 70%, I would say. 00:30:18.880 --> 00:30:20.000 And then you're you fold in the stuff. 00:30:20.240 --> 00:30:25.039 To order your you know, you fold you you saute your fish or what shrimp or clams or whatever it might be. 00:30:25.759 --> 00:30:28.799 Because you've got to have a pot of like 70% there because you couldn't do it otherwise. 00:30:28.880 --> 00:30:29.680 It takes it takes a little bit. 00:30:29.839 --> 00:30:30.240 Yeah, no, no. 00:30:30.319 --> 00:30:34.319 And you could you know, you it took about probably five minutes for each one, I'm guessing. 00:30:34.480 --> 00:30:35.359 It's so long ago. 00:30:35.440 --> 00:30:36.559 It's 40 years ago plus. 00:30:36.880 --> 00:30:37.200 Wow. 00:30:37.519 --> 00:30:38.559 So, all right. 00:30:38.799 --> 00:30:42.559 So you you do that and um you do the risotto, everything. 00:30:42.640 --> 00:30:43.920 How long are you there for? 00:30:44.400 --> 00:30:45.200 Uh about a year. 00:30:45.440 --> 00:30:45.680 A year. 00:30:45.759 --> 00:30:46.960

And then we're what's the next restaurant? 00:30:47.119 --> 00:30:48.960 Well, I was there, I worked at a couple restaurants in the city. 00:30:49.279 --> 00:30:53.839 I worked there, I worked at this place called the Back Porch, which was turdy, turd and turd. 00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:54.799 Turdy, what is that? 00:30:54.960 --> 00:30:55.680 33rd and third. 00:30:56.000 --> 00:30:56.559 33rd and third. 00:30:58.640 --> 00:31:00.079 That was just an average, it was nothing special. 00:31:00.160 --> 00:31:03.200 But Pesco to me was special, and it just I really cut my teeth. 00:31:03.839 --> 00:31:05.039 You call that fine dining? 00:31:05.200 --> 00:31:05.359 Yeah. 00:31:05.440 --> 00:31:05.519 Yeah. 00:31:05.759 --> 00:31:06.720 Oh, what I call yes, yeah. 00:31:06.799 --> 00:31:08.799 It was kind of bistro style, but upscale. 00:31:08.960 --> 00:31:09.519 Very upscale. 00:31:09.920 --> 00:31:11.599 The lunch was actually bigger than the dinner. 00:31:11.759 --> 00:31:14.000 It was the based on the location, whatever it was. 00:31:14.079 --> 00:31:15.359 We got a lot of garment people there. 00:31:15.599 --> 00:31:16.160 But who owned it? 00:31:16.240 --> 00:31:18.160 Was it uh a guy named Eugene Fraccia? 00:31:18.400 --> 00:31:18.880 Fraccia. 00:31:19.119 --> 00:31:20.480 Do you remember Steve brought up somehow? 00:31:20.559 --> 00:31:21.440 Steve brought up that in his. 00:31:22.079 --> 00:31:22.480 Yeah, what is it? 00:31:22.559 --> 00:31:22.960 Who was that guy? 00:31:23.119 --> 00:31:25.759 Eugene worked for me, and I'm not worked for me, I worked for him. 00:31:25.920 --> 00:31:34.160 And he was the owner, and he would come in every morning with a newspaper under his arm, an umbrella, and he was um, how should I say he was a bit feminine? 00:31:34.319 --> 00:31:35.119 Oh, okay. 00:31:35.279 --> 00:31:37.359 Yeah, and a great guy. 00:31:37.519 --> 00:31:40.160 And I was like the only straight guy in this whole restaurant. 00:31:40.319 --> 00:31:40.559 Wow. 00:31:40.720 --> 00:31:44.880 Every the chef was gay, the sous chef was gay, the waiters were all gay. 00:31:45.039 --> 00:31:51.680 This was kind of when AIDS was, you know, ravishing the after I left there, several people passed away. 00:31:51.759 --> 00:31:52.720 And it was very sad. 00:31:52.880 --> 00:31:57.519 Uh, not while I was there, but you know, it must it must have peaked after I left. 00:31:57.759 --> 00:32:06.880 And um, Eugene, I'll never forget, Eugene walks in the restaurant one day, one morning, and I'm like the only guy in the kitchen at the when he comes in. 00:32:06.960 --> 00:32:12.319 And he's got the paper on his shoulder and he goes, Did you read the paper today, Richard Rosenthal? 00:32:13.200 --> 00:32:13.920 I go, No. 00:32:14.000 --> 00:32:20.799 He goes, Do you know that a man was shot in front of um Spark Steakhouse? 00:32:20.880 --> 00:32:20.960 Oh. 00:32:21.200 --> 00:32:21.920 Oh no, I'm sorry. 00:32:22.000 --> 00:32:23.519 It was done a couple days earlier. 00:32:23.759 --> 00:32:31.599 But he's got his paper and he goes, If I knew they were gonna get so much goddamn press, I would have gone up there and dragged that body down to Pesca. 00:32:32.160 --> 00:32:35.599 That was the assassination of uh Paul, was it Castellone or whatever? 00:32:35.759 --> 00:32:36.400 One of the one of the body. 00:32:36.880 --> 00:32:39.920 That was the John Gotti had the the uh had the guy assassinated. 00:32:40.880 --> 00:32:40.960 Exactly. 00:32:41.039 --> 00:32:41.680 That's my recording. 00:32:41.759 --> 00:32:42.319 Paul Castellano. 00:32:42.480 --> 00:32:43.039 Paul Castellano. 00:32:43.200 --> 00:32:44.160 Right in front of Sparks Takeouts. 00:32:44.240 --> 00:32:46.400 And he would have dragged that body all the way to 22nd Street. 00:32:46.720 --> 00:32:47.680 Sparks is still around. 00:32:47.920 --> 00:32:48.559 Not Pesca. 00:32:48.799 --> 00:32:50.000 No, not Pesca, but Sparks is around. 00:32:51.119 --> 00:32:53.839 Yeah, and uh there's still that's you don't hear much about it though anymore. 00:32:53.920 --> 00:32:55.519 Yeah, no, but it that's on that's a good reservation. 00:32:56.559 --> 00:32:59.839 Just like it's just like Luger's or uh uh Del Monaco. 00:32:59.920 --> 00:33:01.359 What's the other place down in Wall Street there? 00:33:01.440 --> 00:33:03.200 The one that's been on Del Monaco? 00:33:03.359 --> 00:33:03.839 Harry's. 00:33:04.000 --> 00:33:04.559 Yeah, Del Monico. 00:33:04.640 --> 00:33:06.079 They have the Del Monico steak was invented there. 00:33:06.400 --> 00:33:08.240 Del Monaco's all the restaurants, all those restaurants. 00:33:08.559 --> 00:33:14.960 And they just bought, and I was in the Times, they just bought the flag that draped Lincoln's casket for their Lincoln room. 00:33:15.119 --> 00:33:15.279 Really? 00:33:17.039 --> 00:33:17.599 Worth every penny. 00:33:17.839 --> 00:33:18.799 You know the numbers they're doing there. 00:33:18.880 --> 00:33:20.799 You know, the Wall Street guys come in and they spend three, four. 00:33:21.279 --> 00:33:21.680 Never been. 00:33:21.839 --> 00:33:22.880 Yeah, that's like a Del Monica. 00:33:23.039 --> 00:33:26.000 They have a really good that Del Monaco steak, but it's just really a ribeye. 00:33:26.160 --> 00:33:27.119 It's a ribeye, right? 00:33:27.200 --> 00:33:30.400 Yeah, but they um so yeah, they they the sparks is still there. 00:33:30.480 --> 00:33:32.960 That's still a big name in in New York for steakhouses. 00:33:33.039 --> 00:33:35.519 That's uh they still I I did Luger's recently. 00:33:35.599 --> 00:33:36.640 A friend of mine got me in there. 00:33:36.799 --> 00:33:37.279 Did you like it? 00:33:37.359 --> 00:33:37.920 Yeah, it was good. 00:33:38.000 --> 00:33:40.880 It was, you know, it's like it's it's but it's like I didn't know it was like a German beer hall. 00:33:41.119 --> 00:33:41.279 Right. 00:33:41.359 --> 00:33:42.720 The tables are all bleached wood, right? 00:33:42.799 --> 00:33:47.440 Yeah, and it's

just like the guys come around, they only take cash or debit card because they don't want to pay the fees. 00:33:47.599 --> 00:33:49.200 Well, they used to take their only their credit card. 00:33:49.440 --> 00:33:51.200 Oh, that yeah, the luger's credit card, yeah. 00:33:51.279 --> 00:33:53.359 But now you can use your debit card, you have to put your pin in. 00:33:53.440 --> 00:33:58.079 But I mean, you know, a rib eye for whatever that stay, the porter house, whatever they bring for four, is$420. 00:33:58.640 --> 00:33:59.359 Worth every penny. 00:33:59.440 --> 00:33:59.839 It's delicious. 00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:02.240 If you got a lot of pennies, it's delicious, it's delicious. 00:34:02.319 --> 00:34:02.880 I thought it was good. 00:34:02.960 --> 00:34:04.720 I love the um that sauce you put on everything. 00:34:04.799 --> 00:34:07.039 You know, that well, that sauce is really not made for the steak. 00:34:07.440 --> 00:34:09.440 The big little green sauce is for the onion and tomato salad. 00:34:09.599 --> 00:34:10.719 Onion and tomato salad, yeah, yeah. 00:34:10.800 --> 00:34:12.719 But you dip your bread in it, you wind up through everything. 00:34:12.800 --> 00:34:13.280 It's good. 00:34:13.440 --> 00:34:17.039 So, all right, so you finish in how do you get from New York to Connecticut? 00:34:17.199 --> 00:34:19.199 Through through Newport, Rhode Island. 00:34:19.360 --> 00:34:20.000 Oh, interesting. 00:34:20.159 --> 00:34:24.159 So, one of my bosses from the One Way Fair, I don't know if you remember that restaurant. 00:34:24.239 --> 00:34:26.000 It's in um Simsbury. 00:34:26.239 --> 00:34:31.119 Old trade station converted into like a upscale hamburger bar. 00:34:31.440 --> 00:34:34.480 It was an institution in Simsbury for 30, 40 years. 00:34:34.639 --> 00:34:35.440 What's there now? 00:34:35.599 --> 00:34:38.320 Um, Plan B was or is there, I don't know. 00:34:38.559 --> 00:34:39.920 I know they bought it a while ago. 00:34:40.079 --> 00:34:40.320 Okay. 00:34:40.719 --> 00:34:43.039 Which broke my heart because I always wanted to get that place. 00:34:43.599 --> 00:34:44.639 But I had the smallest kit. 00:34:44.880 --> 00:34:46.239 The kitchen was the old ticket booth. 00:34:46.400 --> 00:34:46.960 Oh gosh. 00:34:47.199 --> 00:34:49.519 But they had great food for what it was. 00:34:49.760 --> 00:34:50.000 Okay. 00:34:50.320 --> 00:34:51.920 And I really cut my teeth there a lot. 00:34:52.000 --> 00:34:54.079 I didn't, that wasn't part of my story. 00:34:54.239 --> 00:34:58.639 But um spent a lot of summers working there, a year after college. 00:34:58.880 --> 00:35:09.119 So so after I was in New York, Mitchell Uswack, who was one of my mentors, and uh he was opening a restaurant in Newport with two other guys. 00:35:09.280 --> 00:35:13.119 A guy from uh a dentist and a guy from uh Otis Elevator. 00:35:13.280 --> 00:35:13.840 Oh gosh. 00:35:14.079 --> 00:35:18.639 And those two guys were they were good guys, but you know you've heard

the story a zillion times, right? 00:35:18.719 --> 00:35:21.199 Like two like executives wanna want to restaurant. 00:35:21.519 --> 00:35:25.679 Unfortunately, they had Mitchell, who Mitchell they all eventually did not get along. 00:35:25.760 --> 00:35:27.199 The business was a huge failure. 00:35:27.360 --> 00:35:27.679 Right. 00:35:27.920 --> 00:35:29.519 Um, and I really learned so much. 00:35:29.679 --> 00:35:33.119 So Mitchell begged me to come to Newport and help open this restaurant. 00:35:33.360 --> 00:35:33.840 From New York. 00:35:34.000 --> 00:35:34.400 From New York. 00:35:34.559 --> 00:35:34.639 Okay. 00:35:35.119 --> 00:35:36.239 He thought I was an asset. 00:35:36.320 --> 00:35:36.480 Right. 00:35:36.639 --> 00:35:37.519 I didn't know that much at that point. 00:35:37.679 --> 00:35:38.639 But what in what capacity? 00:35:39.519 --> 00:35:40.800 I went there as his manager. 00:35:41.119 --> 00:35:43.920 Kind of I would I was second to him running the restaurant. 00:35:44.320 --> 00:35:49.199 But by the time things moved on, sales were so slow in this winter. 00:35:49.679 --> 00:35:52.239 You know, it was so I ended up cooking, I did everything there. 00:35:52.400 --> 00:35:52.639 Okay. 00:35:52.800 --> 00:35:55.440 But I learned more than I've ever ever could have learned in school. 00:35:55.599 --> 00:35:56.400 You know, what not to do. 00:35:56.639 --> 00:35:57.280 I learned everything. 00:35:57.360 --> 00:35:59.519 I learned how to, first of all, budget. 00:35:59.599 --> 00:36:07.599 And the budget was not like on paper, it was like, okay, we're gonna do 12 lunches today, we can spend like 300,$3 on food. 00:36:07.840 --> 00:36:08.079 Right. 00:36:08.639 --> 00:36:09.280 Right, right. 00:36:09.440 --> 00:36:12.800 So you do that, and that goes belly up, and then what? 00:36:12.960 --> 00:36:15.760 Uh end up coming back to Hartford with a plan to open a restaurant. 00:36:16.079 --> 00:36:17.840 So now you're ready and you're 20. 00:36:18.400 --> 00:36:20.880 I am well when I open, I'm 29. 00:36:21.280 --> 00:36:21.519 Okay. 00:36:21.760 --> 00:36:22.320 Almost 30. 00:36:22.400 --> 00:36:23.760 Like uh a couple months before. 00:36:25.679 --> 00:36:26.639 Move back home. 00:36:27.199 --> 00:36:28.400 No, my wife and I had to. 00:36:28.480 --> 00:36:29.039 Oh, you're married already. 00:36:29.360 --> 00:36:30.880 Sorry, I got married a little before that. 00:36:31.119 --> 00:36:31.280 Okay. 00:36:31.440 --> 00:36:33.760 We got married in uh New York, but we were living in Newport. 00:36:34.000 --> 00:36:34.960 Oh, girl from New York? 00:36:35.119 --> 00:36:38.480 She was from uh Westchester, met her in New York when I was in culinary school. 00:36:38.639 --> 00:36:39.039 Oh, I see. 00:36:39.119 --> 00:36:42.400 I mean, I was a huge uh draw guy living at the 92nd Street. 00:36:42.480 --> 00:36:42.880 Why? 00:36:43.519 --> 00:36:44.719 With a pair of black sneakers. 00:36:45.039 --> 00:36:45.679 She saw potential. 00:36:45.840 --> 00:36:49.599 I got a black, you know, she's very smart, but I'm not sure what she was doing. 00:36:50.000 --> 00:36:50.800 Was she a restaurant person? 00:36:50.960 --> 00:36:51.840 No, she was in advertising. 00:36:52.000 --> 00:36:52.639 Oh, in advertising. 00:36:52.719 --> 00:36:52.800 Okay. 00:36:52.880 --> 00:36:53.440 So she's doing that. 00:36:53.519 --> 00:36:56.159 You meet in New York, and you convince her to go to Newport with you? 00:36:56.480 --> 00:36:59.599 Um I guess I'm trying to think if we were engaged yet or not. 00:36:59.760 --> 00:37:00.719 We must have been engaged. 00:37:00.800 --> 00:37:00.960 Okay. 00:37:01.119 --> 00:37:04.880 And she went there and she got a good job in Providence with a good ad agency. 00:37:04.960 --> 00:37:05.039 Okay. 00:37:05.119 --> 00:37:05.679 So she was okay. 00:37:05.920 --> 00:37:06.800 It worked out well for her. 00:37:06.880 --> 00:37:07.119 Yeah. 00:37:07.280 --> 00:37:08.000 My job was great. 00:37:08.079 --> 00:37:08.719 I mean, it was hard. 00:37:08.800 --> 00:37:12.559 I worked basically from Monday morning to Saturday night straight. 00:37:12.880 --> 00:37:13.199 Okay. 00:37:13.519 --> 00:37:14.880 So Sunday was my day off. 00:37:15.039 --> 00:37:16.800 And Monday was a restaurant day there. 00:37:16.960 --> 00:37:17.119 Yeah. 00:37:17.280 --> 00:37:17.440 Okay. 00:37:17.599 --> 00:37:18.880 Well, especially when you're running a restaurant day. 00:37:18.960 --> 00:37:19.760 When you're running, you have to do it. 00:37:19.920 --> 00:37:20.320 But it's right. 00:37:20.559 --> 00:37:27.199 So you go from Monday to Saturday and So I know I spent my first two years, I spent two years in Newport until I got fired. 00:37:28.079 --> 00:37:34.079 I don't think I saw the ocean other than what you could see from my I was not on a sailboat, I was not on the beach. 00:37:34.400 --> 00:37:39.280 So you see that, and then you uh you get fired, and you and you have kids at this point? 00:37:39.440 --> 00:37:41.360 I only got fired because Mitch got fired. 00:37:41.440 --> 00:37:41.599 Oh. 00:37:42.079 --> 00:37:45.039 And then somehow one thing left, I was Mitch's boy. 00:37:45.119 --> 00:37:47.840 Uh so it was I was doing a good job, I think I was doing a good job. 00:37:48.159 --> 00:37:50.159 But the restaurant failed miserably after us. 00:37:50.880 --> 00:37:52.880 Do you then try for something else there or do you come back here? 00:37:53.119 --> 00:37:53.519 I didn't know. 00:37:53.599 --> 00:37:56.559 I spent about a month or two getting unemployment, right? 00:37:56.800 --> 00:37:57.599 Which was so much fun. 00:37:57.760 --> 00:37:59.039 Right, because then you were able to go to the beach. 00:37:59.199 --> 00:37:59.280 Yeah. 00:37:59.599 --> 00:38:03.840 I remember sitting on the beach with uh, I think Steve was there also, Vicky and a couple other people. 00:38:03.920 --> 00:38:09.039 And I go, first of all, we're figuring out what time we were going to pick up our unemployment check

on Monday. 00:38:09.280 --> 00:38:14.320 And I remember saying the problem with being doing nothing is you don't know when you're finished. 00:38:15.760 --> 00:38:16.960 That's a good line. 00:38:17.280 --> 00:38:22.559 So you you you do that, and um, are you sort of plotting the restaurant open? 00:38:22.880 --> 00:38:25.119 I'm planning to go back to Hartford, open a restaurant. 00:38:25.199 --> 00:38:31.679 I've got my mother agreed to give me some money that she sold Capitol Candy building. 00:38:31.920 --> 00:38:38.079 Her father was Max, sold a building that was Capit, which was a wholesale candy and tobacco business. 00:38:38.320 --> 00:38:42.079 So she inherited a little bit of money, which she was willing to loan to me. 00:38:42.239 --> 00:38:51.360 She was willing, she's willing to give it all to one of the most I think my father was a not against it, but it was clearly Well, your father was a CP, so he knew it's literally the worst gamble you could do is invest. 00:38:51.840 --> 00:38:52.960 So he was he was very supportive of it. 00:38:53.199 --> 00:38:53.280 Right. 00:38:53.360 --> 00:38:54.079 And would you agree, right? 00:38:54.159 --> 00:38:56.320 Like if like just statistically the worst. 00:38:56.480 --> 00:38:59.039 The worst thing to do is like you rest in a restaurant, you might as well go to the casino. 00:38:59.199 --> 00:39:00.000 You might as well go to the casino. 00:39:00.159 --> 00:39:00.719 Or be a professional. 00:39:01.039 --> 00:39:03.280 Professionally, it's that it's that rare that it'll succeed. 00:39:03.440 --> 00:39:04.639 But we see a lot succeed here. 00:39:04.800 --> 00:39:05.039 Yeah. 00:39:05.199 --> 00:39:05.920 A lot of great wrestling. 00:39:06.320 --> 00:39:08.559 We do, we do, right, that have been here 25 years. 00:39:08.639 --> 00:39:08.719 Yeah. 00:39:08.880 --> 00:39:14.800 So you you go and uh and and so how does it and is it does it come about the name Max? 00:39:14.880 --> 00:39:18.159 Because obviously your mother's father, and he was the one that left her the money. 00:39:18.239 --> 00:39:19.840 Is it like a tribute to him? 00:39:20.400 --> 00:39:21.440 Yes and no. 00:39:21.599 --> 00:39:24.960 Okay, yes, is the the the the political answer. 00:39:25.199 --> 00:39:32.960 So um, we're gonna call the restaurant we're um in this neighborhood, South Green, which no one really knew it as South Green. 00:39:33.360 --> 00:39:35.360 Near the, you know where the original restaurant was? 00:39:35.440 --> 00:39:36.880 It was where peppercorns is? 00:39:36.960 --> 00:39:37.119 Yes. 00:39:37.280 --> 00:39:38.719 We're a block south of that, right? 00:39:38.800 --> 00:39:42.239 Okay, so um Dino worked for me for a little while. 00:39:42.400 --> 00:39:42.800 Oh, yeah? 00:39:43.039 --> 00:39:44.320 Everyone worked with me for a little while. 00:39:46.159 --> 00:39:48.159 I haven't been there in years, so Dino's a great chef. 00:39:48.320 --> 00:39:48.800 Great chef. 00:39:49.039 --> 00:39:49.599 Great chef. 00:39:49.760 --> 00:39:51.119 Uh, and a great guy. 00:39:51.519 --> 00:39:59.760 Um, so um oh, we're going to call it South Green Kitchen and Bar, and a little bit modeled after the Soho Kitchen and Bar in New York. 00:40:00.079 --> 00:40:04.400 We're gonna have the first restaurant to really specialize in wines by the glass. 00:40:04.639 --> 00:40:07.199 And we had a Crouver system we were purchasing. 00:40:07.440 --> 00:40:08.320 It was a different brand. 00:40:08.400 --> 00:40:14.880 A guy at a Providence um forgot what it's even called, but it was a a kind of a cooler version, in my opinion. 00:40:15.119 --> 00:40:15.280 Okay. 00:40:15.440 --> 00:40:17.280 You know, Crouvenet is a wine dispenser. 00:40:18.159 --> 00:40:27.679 Um and as I'm doing all the um planning with you know, architects, wine salesmen, you know, everyone. 00:40:27.920 --> 00:40:29.119 How much money did you have to spend? 00:40:29.360 --> 00:40:30.079 Total of 300. 00:40:30.239 --> 00:40:30.800 You had 300. 00:40:30.960 --> 00:40:32.480 Because we borrowed 200 from the bank. 00:40:32.719 --> 00:40:34.800 So a total of three, so 100 from your mom. 00:40:34.960 --> 00:40:35.840 And 200 from the bank. 00:40:36.079 --> 00:40:36.639 200 from the bank. 00:40:36.719 --> 00:40:37.599 And this is what year? 00:40:37.840 --> 00:40:38.960 1986. 00:40:39.760 --> 00:40:40.480 We opened it in 86. 00:40:40.800 --> 00:40:41.599 That's a lot of money. 00:40:41.760 --> 00:40:42.800 It was a lot of money then. 00:40:42.880 --> 00:40:43.440 It's a lot of money. 00:40:43.519 --> 00:40:45.840 By today's standards, we spend that on bank. 00:40:46.159 --> 00:40:47.920 Today's standards, that's probably three million bucks. 00:40:48.079 --> 00:40:49.840 Uh, I don't know how the probably. 00:40:49.920 --> 00:40:50.079 Yeah. 00:40:50.239 --> 00:40:51.360 But that's what it would cost to do it. 00:40:51.519 --> 00:40:58.000 So that's so you so so you're doing that, and you're you're how long does it take you to find the space and get everything built out? 00:40:58.239 --> 00:40:59.199 I found the space. 00:40:59.360 --> 00:41:00.800 Um, I was very lucky. 00:41:00.880 --> 00:41:04.320 The guy that owned the building, um, David Case. 00:41:04.719 --> 00:41:05.039 Okay. 00:41:06.320 --> 00:41:07.199 Yeah, great guy. 00:41:07.280 --> 00:41:08.400 And he was developing the building. 00:41:08.480 --> 00:41:10.400 I don't think he had any other tenants who were interested. 00:41:10.559 --> 00:41:11.679 So he's like, here, these kids we've got to be. 00:41:11.840 --> 00:41:18.559 So he but he was uh and he was a good partner in this project in a way, not a financial partner, but um he believed in us. 00:41:18.880 --> 00:41:27.519 So we did the restaurant, and uh, as we're getting back to the name, as we're planning it, I'm getting such a lukewarm feeling from everyone with my name. 00:41:27.920 --> 00:41:30.960 You know, they're all going, Oh, South Green Kitchen Apartment. 00:41:31.519 -->

00:41:32.159 Like no one. 00:41:32.320 --> 00:41:34.320 So we're in a meeting with the architects. 00:41:35.119 --> 00:41:42.880 We're getting closer opening, but we're um we're getting closer, and I said, No one seems to like this name. 00:41:43.199 --> 00:41:44.800 And they go, We don't really like it either. 00:41:45.039 --> 00:41:45.840 I didn't want to tell you, right? 00:41:46.159 --> 00:41:46.400 Right. 00:41:46.559 --> 00:41:54.639 So we start talking about names, and somehow I get to there was a restaurant, uh Wolfgang Puck had a restaurant in LA called Spago. 00:41:54.880 --> 00:41:57.519 No, well, Spago, but he had Chinois on Maine. 00:41:57.679 --> 00:42:00.880 Okay, and it was kind of an Asian French concept, I guess. 00:42:01.119 --> 00:42:02.480 And I had that in my head. 00:42:02.559 --> 00:42:05.039 I go, how about Rich on Maine? 00:42:05.840 --> 00:42:08.159 And then I think, how about Max on Maine? 00:42:08.400 --> 00:42:10.639 Because yeah, alliterative exactly. 00:42:10.800 --> 00:42:12.320 And um, everyone at the table. 00:42:12.639 --> 00:42:14.239 And it rhymes with sex, so like that's the thing. 00:42:15.039 --> 00:42:17.199 I'm sure your wife will tell you like the ad agency, that's a thing. 00:42:17.280 --> 00:42:20.320 Like uh well, uh, she wasn't a creative, she was more in the sales part. 00:42:20.800 --> 00:42:25.519 But um she uh everyone at the table goes, Max on Main. 00:42:25.679 --> 00:42:29.119 I loved it, like was an immediate yeah, like that's it, it was the complete opposite. 00:42:29.280 --> 00:42:32.480 And you changed the name at the table, and Max, of course, your grandpa. 00:42:32.639 --> 00:42:40.159 Yeah, so it you know, I could you know have the bullshit story I was honoring my grandfather, which I was, I was but but but but you were in a way because that's what came into your head. 00:42:40.320 --> 00:42:42.159 But if his name wasn't Moisha, it wouldn't have worked. 00:42:42.239 --> 00:42:42.480 That's correct. 00:42:42.639 --> 00:42:43.519 Moisha on Maine. 00:42:43.679 --> 00:42:44.239 Right, you know. 00:42:44.400 --> 00:42:45.679 So Max on Main, that was it. 00:42:45.840 --> 00:42:46.480 That was the name. 00:42:46.719 --> 00:42:50.960 So and for the first two years, we never had a sign because we didn't, it was too late to get a sign. 00:42:51.039 --> 00:42:53.119 Oh and we later built a beautiful sign. 00:42:53.360 --> 00:42:53.840 Beautiful sign. 00:42:54.000 --> 00:42:55.519 I was so proud of the fact we didn't have a sign. 00:42:55.679 --> 00:42:56.320 Who did your sign? 00:42:56.480 --> 00:42:58.239 Oh did you ever use uh Lauren? 00:42:58.480 --> 00:42:58.960 Lauren Rosa. 00:42:59.199 --> 00:43:00.480 Oh Lauren, he was on the pod. 00:43:00.639 --> 00:43:01.920 Oh, he was, he's a great guy. 00:43:02.079 --> 00:43:03.519 Oh my god, the best sign guy in the world. 00:43:03.679 --> 00:43:04.400 Best sign guy in the world. 00:43:04.880 --> 00:43:06.960 Never made a penny on any sign he made. 00:43:07.760 --> 00:43:08.320 He does. 00:43:08.400 --> 00:43:12.800 He came in, he did our sign here, and he's doing some new signage because we've got some new space over here. 00:43:12.960 --> 00:43:14.960 And um, I became good friends with him. 00:43:15.199 --> 00:43:17.519 You know, we have a sign here here, and he looked at it. 00:43:17.599 --> 00:43:18.559 He's sitting there during the thing. 00:43:18.639 --> 00:43:19.599 I said, What are you looking at? 00:43:19.679 --> 00:43:21.039 You keep looking over here at this thing. 00:43:21.199 --> 00:43:24.239 He goes, That thing is three-eighths of an inch off. 00:43:24.320 --> 00:43:25.199 I said, What are you talking about? 00:43:25.280 --> 00:43:27.679 He gets up, he's like, Give me a piece of paper and he marks it. 00:43:27.760 --> 00:43:29.519 Sure enough, it's three-eighths of an inch off. 00:43:29.599 --> 00:43:30.159 He can see it. 00:43:30.239 --> 00:43:32.480 He's like, I'm taking this whole thing down. 00:43:32.559 --> 00:43:36.719 And I said, Well, you need a we gotta get a police officer because it was tinted, you couldn't see it. 00:43:36.800 --> 00:43:38.159 He goes, You gotta bring his truck. 00:43:38.239 --> 00:43:39.760 He's like, We're not getting any permits. 00:43:39.840 --> 00:43:41.599 He goes, I'm gonna come here before anything opens. 00:43:41.920 --> 00:43:42.719 I fuck these permits. 00:43:42.800 --> 00:43:46.719 We're gonna he drives, he comes here with his truck and he gets up on a lift and puts the thing in the room. 00:43:46.880 --> 00:43:47.920 Oh, it's a great sign guy. 00:43:48.079 --> 00:43:48.719 Great sign guy. 00:43:48.800 --> 00:43:49.280 He is amazing. 00:43:49.519 --> 00:43:50.719 He's a great guy, a great guy. 00:43:50.800 --> 00:43:52.639 Yeah, he's a he's a mench. 00:43:52.719 --> 00:43:55.119 Um uh that's so funny that you used him too. 00:43:55.360 --> 00:43:56.159 So you do that. 00:43:56.239 --> 00:43:57.519 How long are you at that location? 00:43:57.679 --> 00:43:58.719 We were there for 10 years. 00:43:58.880 --> 00:43:59.519 10 years, yeah. 00:44:00.239 --> 00:44:07.039 when our lease was getting so w they wanted us to move to um where Frank's was in City Place. 00:44:07.280 --> 00:44:10.400 Oh yes where we are now was Frank's was there. 00:44:10.480 --> 00:44:10.719 Yes. 00:44:10.960 --> 00:44:15.599 And we got approached by the building and said we want you to take over Frank's space. 00:44:15.679 --> 00:44:17.039 And Frank was still open. 00:44:17.840 --> 00:44:21.519 And I said, I'm not gonna be the guy to put Frank out of business. 00:44:21.679 --> 00:44:24.719 Frank was an institute you know he was an icon in Connect Hartford. 00:44:24.880 --> 00:44:27.599 Yeah yeah and he was a great guy and his son Frank Jr. 00:44:27.760 --> 00:44:32.880 was a very nice guy who I didn't know either of him well but I said I'm not gonna be the guy to put them out of business. 00:44:33.199 --> 00:44:36.719 I said if something happens call me. 00:44:37.039

--> 00:44:39.119 But until then I have nothing to do with it. 00:44:39.519 --> 00:44:45.920 And sure enough I don't remember it was a year later or two years later they closed and they called us and one thing led to another we moved there. 00:44:46.079 --> 00:44:53.280 And you moved there and that's through you could and it was really on our tent or at least kind of it happened to work congruently. 00:44:53.599 --> 00:44:55.119 Oh I see so you go there. 00:44:55.440 --> 00:45:04.000 So we did we changed the name from Max to Max on Main to Max Downtown because we weren't on Main Street and we also were kind of changing the concept a little bit. 00:45:04.239 --> 00:45:12.559 We we really were an American bistro we said we can't do this food with that many seats without making it a little simpler. 00:45:12.719 --> 00:45:18.000 So we kind of took the the bistro menu and combined it with a chop house menu. 00:45:18.159 --> 00:45:31.840 I see so we knew that if we sold a lot of steaks steaks are about quality of meat and obviously cooking technique's important too but it's not you can cut a lot more steaks and you can margin on steak could be high. 00:45:32.159 --> 00:45:35.599 Well depending on the price of beef margin's high the percentage is lousy. 00:45:35.840 --> 00:45:39.199 Oh I see I see right and of course the beef prices gotten worse. 00:45:39.360 --> 00:45:42.480 Right because the beef prices are out of control still but the prices are out of control. 00:45:42.559 --> 00:45:55.280 You know the retail price of a steak in a restaurant now is often 70 70 to 100 bucks yeah I mean in heart I don't know what I mean going there tonight I'll but I think a New York strip is probably around 700 questions do they drop a check on you? 00:45:55.599 --> 00:46:23.519 Um they should um so the so you still my favorite restaurant I was just there uh three weeks ago before a show with uh with the guy who trains us it was fantastic it was what I love about Max downtown and it always is is it and I'm I want to ask you about this it never misses oh they missed I never seen it miss because we all miss at times I just have never had it I've never seen it miss. 00:46:23.599 --> 00:46:26.960 It just is you know who's the best basketball player in the world right now? 00:46:27.039 --> 00:46:38.320 I don't know there's so many great ones Steph Curry does not shoot 100% no that's true like Michael Jordan right he only shot 20% if you bet over 300 you're you go to the Hall of Fame. 00:46:38.480 --> 00:46:48.800 Right and that's a third of the time exactly so you know the the hopeful part for a restaurant is when we make our hopefully little mistakes a certain amount are noticed by the guest. 00:46:49.119 --> 00:46:53.119 Right well that's what Steve says right the customer isn't always right but they're allowed to be wrong. 00:46:53.440 --> 00:47:01.679 Absolutely that's the truth right you try to say that was his line well he said it we stole we stole it from the Ritz Carleton still for the Ritz Carleton okay that's fine. 00:47:01.920 --> 00:47:07.920 Good place to steal from but but yeah like it it just it doesn't so when do you go from Max Downtown to okay and what's next? 00:47:08.000 --> 00:47:09.280 Is it Maximia Max Amoria? 00:47:09.519 --> 00:47:13.920 Maximia was be was after before Max Downtown and so was Amore. 00:47:14.400 --> 00:47:14.559 Really? 00:47:14.719 --> 00:47:30.719 So we opened the economy was getting a little funky right and um this location Avon came up the guy that owned the building Herb Galinsky was a friend of my father's and Herb was a a real character great guy old school developer. 00:47:31.760 --> 00:47:37.920 He had a Howard Johnson's there that he tore down and was building that small kind of the one on 44 there. 00:47:38.239 --> 00:47:43.440 Yeah where they're not there anymore they just left they just moved right yeah quit uh but they're opening a Max Burger there. 00:47:43.599 --> 00:47:43.920 That's right. 00:47:44.079 --> 00:47:46.880 Yeah so we went there and Herb was a great guy. 00:47:47.039 --> 00:47:59.199 But my father who I don't think I heard swear three times in his life says to me Herb is an old dear friend of mine but if you think he won't fuck you every chance he gets he will you don't know Herbie. 00:47:59.519 --> 00:48:04.480 And he said that with admiration almost it wasn't like Herb was a bad guy but he's he's a real estate guy. 00:48:04.639 --> 00:48:13.039 You know right he's he's got an incentive and you have a developers I used to do uh before I was a divorce lawyer I was at a big finance firm and I did workout work like failed loans. 00:48:13.119 --> 00:48:23.599 Yeah and an old like workout guy told me I forgot the guy's name but he said a developer is a guy that will dig up the bones of his dead mother and sell the bones to buy flowers for a prostitute. 00:48:23.920 --> 00:48:27.519 Well I wouldn't put herb in that classification about developers. 00:48:27.760 --> 00:48:27.920 Right. 00:48:28.000 --> 00:48:55.760 He said dude you know and and that guy had a great relationship with herb and his son-in-law uh Eric Spongin had a great relationship with him so I don't want to so but he says to you hey you should bring your magic there one thing led to another we opened Maximia which was a very casual Italian we were the first guys to do wood burning pizza I used to love when you walk in there that smell was intoxicating garlic does the new place have the same smell uh I've only been there once um and I can't answer that question but it's a great looking restaurant and the food was delicious. 00:48:56.000 --> 00:49:03.039 Okay so we probably have a better exhaust system better it's so good you go in there and it felt so like cozy and yeah so when does that open what year? 00:49:03.199 --> 00:50:15.920 That opened in uh about five years later so maybe 91 91 we opened in 86 and it's a huge success right away ridiculous you can't get it you can't get away

I had a bank loan that um I had a$300,000 bank loan that number came up again and um at the time a friend of mine was the ex-banking commissioner and he said go to them you'll negotiate that loan all the banks are so screwed up right now you'll get you'll get it for 10 cents on the dollar oh you mean negotiate off like you've got give them 30 000 bucks and they'll walk away right didn't exactly go that way okay but I did pay it off I got like 10% off all right but I talked so I talked to this FDIC guy he says you know we want to pay off the loan uh we're having trouble we have some cash and he goes I've been to your restaurant you're fucking so busy I can't believe it so it didn't really it didn't really work but we did uh pay off the loan so we paid off you know maybe we got 10% off and we were sitting on cash I said let's get rid of the loan so you knocked that out so then what comes then what comes next which right Maximori which was somewhat of a bigger sister to Maximia. 00:50:16.079 --> 00:50:16.400 Where was that? 00:50:16.480 --> 00:50:33.920 It was at Glastonbury oh the Glastonbury one that's right okay I know and that was a huge success my opening chef there was Billy Grant and Billy was great we had co-chefs Billy and John Stout not Stout Stowe John Stowe I think that's his last time Billy was there. 00:50:34.000 --> 00:50:41.840 Wow Billy was Billy worked for me at Max Lemain Billy I think was my first podcast guess Billy is I didn't listen I looked to see I knew you were friendly with him. 00:50:41.920 --> 00:51:08.480 Yeah yeah yeah Billy see that Billy's a Billy's the first one yeah yeah he's does he do this all the time yeah he goes yeah oh but and and he recently cooked at my house because I was doing uh Oscar his sous chef at the or executive chef at Grant he um at the at BRICO you know I I said to him I'm having a uh I want to do a housewarming party you know and he's like I've never catered at someone's house said oh you'll be fine so he came over and he said to Billy Billy I've never worked at someone's house before could you help me? 00:51:08.559 --> 00:51:18.880 So Billy called me he's like you mind if I come I'm like mine like sure so he came and uh you know Billy Billy's working like a like a 60 year old without a pension he literally is I don't think he has a pension. 00:51:18.960 --> 00:51:53.519 No no but he's really he might have a he might have a couple million in his fine but like he me just he's on the line he's Billy is if there's one guy Billy and I we don't talk a lot but we'll get he'll send me a text every once in a while he goes dude I just had a dream last night that you're in it again and he gets these dreams like once every couple months or you know whatever and he you know he says I don't get it he goes and he says and we have a little love fest back yeah oh he's the best he's but he's literally I go in there and I see him down there and he's got you know there's 300 cover they're going crazy and he's working it like like crazy and like Billy what are you doing? 00:51:53.840 --> 00:52:11.039 You know what that's what he does he loves it great at it he's great at it he's amazing he just he just can still you know he even uh you know he even still he cares like he said to me he was cooking at my at my stove and I you know was he was asking me about I I used to represent a lot of restaurants like restaurant chefs before I did only divorce work. 00:52:11.199 --> 00:52:21.519 Well they all get divorced so they all get divorced they used to all get for a while like I would even do like first time DUI work when I was just starting out and uh so I had so many chefs that owed me barter because they didn't have any money. 00:52:21.679 --> 00:52:24.719 He's you know young sous chefs they're like they don't have three grand for a way or whatever. 00:52:24.800 --> 00:52:27.599 So they're like I'm like how about you do two dinners at my house like yeah no problem. 00:52:27.679 --> 00:53:18.960 So on Mondays we'd always have like somebody coming over to cook you know but he like you know he said to me he was like uh uh I don't think he'll mind me saying this but he was like cooking whatever and I was telling him oh yeah you know Max opened a big place he's like you think that's gonna impact Brico I'm like first of all why do you care but he this is baby but we can impact Brico we can't impact Brico is you can't impact it you couldn't do anything I've never tried to impact it but you can't impact it you can't I said Billy you could like you could you could murder a dog in front of that place and like in people like Trump no no right no right shoot someone on Fifth Avenue it's true but it's he's it's impenetrable right and it's a perfect I mean the New York Times called it a perfect restaurant it's a great I haven't I have not eaten there in several years it's so good but I don't eat in West Harvard very often and if I do I usually at Max and he um he's a great chef a great restaurant he's got great people there he's he's the best he um and then eventually you do Trouble Kitchen. 00:53:19.360 --> 00:53:27.760 Trouble Kitchen was um 98 uh no I think it was yeah it might have been 98. 00:53:28.000 --> 00:53:45.840 Okay so yeah Trouble Kitchen and then Max Burger of course well max fish was before Max Burger I think I'm lost the track now and then Max and then Max Burger but when you Yes Max Fish was next and then Max Catering Max Catering Oyster Bar opened in I think uh 99. 00:53:46.079 --> 00:55:14.159 And then and Max Catering Max Catering was more like 15 years ago you should see the check I wrote to you this summer for my 50th birthday at that winery oh my gosh we had Max Catering ran it and did like the main the the liquor the the the raw bar I had over 350 guests and then I had Tyler Anderson had a station Billy Grant had a station uh Scott Miller had a station of birthday oh it was crazy and uh and uh Prasad you know Prasad of course he did a station

doing lamb chops in a tent or chef Prasad oh like uh yeah it was an insane party but uh yeah the if you have a 55th I want to be invited you will it's crazy we had we had drag queens we had people on stilts we had three tattoo artists doing real tattoos it was the craziest party people still talk about it and I remember like Sammy said to me um you gotta go pick up a bank check for Max's and I said how much is it and I was like oh no that's our marketing budget for a year but it was worldwide sounds like it was good marketing oh uh hunter yeah he they it was insane it was fantastic um but I what what is the um you know so what is the your view on like why was your restaurant and your you know you built this you know legacy obviously I know that you've been bought out of it now but you built all of that and and and it's been wildly successful the food's good at all the places what's the what do you attribute the success to well I didn't build it by myself no of course as you know yeah and all the guys I built it with are the ones running it so it's not the transition was very easy no but you were the leader. 00:55:14.719 --> 00:56:07.440 I was the leader but they you know one of the things we really promoted was a true entrepreneurial spirit in each restaurant and and that's why we had ten and eleven restaurants not a hundred you know and not that I ever had a goal to do a hundred um I really had a goal to do one and then a second but we always a lot of our success in my opinion came from the fact that we treated each restaurant like it was our first we never said oh we're really good at seafood when we open in uh Glastonbury it'll be so easy we like started all over again you know we started getting into the different equipment you could get we never duplicated what we were doing we kind of said we tried to progress and get and but each restaurant we wanted to have a little bit of its own a little or a lot of its own identity depending on what it was. 00:56:07.599 --> 00:56:17.280 You know when you open Max Burger you didn't want it obviously to be anything like the oyster bar but when we opened the oyster bar when we opened Fish we wanted to be like the oyster bar but we didn't want it to be identical. 00:56:17.440 --> 00:56:19.199 Oh I forgot oyster bar too that's another good one. 00:56:19.440 --> 00:56:20.880 That's been a pretty successful place. 00:56:21.119 --> 00:56:38.719 Yeah that's is you know my my son I who's 11 now I started him young on oysters and he like that's a mistake it's a and sushi Wall Street Journal just did a big thing about this he goes I I take him to like omakase places in New York and like we're we go down to Orlando recently and he looks up and he's like Dad I want to go to this place. 00:56:38.800 --> 00:58:03.119 It's a Michelin star omakase place in Orlando it's three seven how to read in yeah I told him how to read in to the 6 right he doesn't want you know he's not a chicken nuggets kid he wants like you know he was like dad can we go uh sushi and we go there and he's like can we do omakase tonight and I'm like I yes you know like he likes the he likes the good stuff but it's uh yeah like uh the oyster place he goes they cap you now at two dozen per person when it's buckshack so that's enough that's enough I agree he but he clears those out in six minutes you know it's like whatever but does he put cocktail sauce on no as he wants he wants naked briny northeast oysters love it right he doesn't like uh we was I've never put cocktail sauce on an oyster mouth we were just in London I was in London with him to go see Arsenal play and he we went to the uh borough market and they have these oysters from like the you know the coast of Iowa that's a cool place so cool and he he got an oyster that was like this big and it was like a pound and a half and it was like what was a big he took it right down he took it right down but yeah he loves the briny big oysters did they have that thing with the cheese where they spot we did that the red cleat sandwich the rat clean they took it over the boiled potatoes they did you could get it over potatoes or on a sourdough uh I think we had it in the potatoes they have that in New York too they do it in like uh they there's two markets there the Bryant Park market they you can get that there too but we did it we did it in Burrow Market we did at the oyster we did the Dubai strawberries with the chocolate I got so sick after eating after spending the day afternoon there. 00:58:03.199 --> 00:58:05.840 Oh because you eat so much I think I just got a little bug or something. 00:58:06.000 --> 00:58:22.239 Oh okay yeah yeah we went to the the Burrow in the same night we w we had lunch there you know daytime we're there with I think I had the whole family and um at night we were going to Jamie Oliver's restaurant the one that had the uh I don't remember the name of it was the number was something he was taking like ex cons. 00:58:22.639 --> 00:58:39.679 Oh yeah kids maybe and we're eating there and I think I had a little bit of an upset stomach I think I went to the bathroom during my dinner there because I was enjoying the dinner and I wouldn't leave I think I went to the bathroom like 11 times within a two hour gosh that's not good. 00:58:39.920 --> 00:58:49.199 My wife looks at me and says and you're gonna eat I go I'm in this restaurant how do I not eat what we went to we were there I took them to Carbone and my hot take is it's not that good. 00:58:49.440 --> 00:58:50.239 You took the what? 00:58:50.480 --> 00:59:17.039 Except the Carbone oh in New York well no London the new one in London uh never been to Hana Carbone's it's it was it was mid as the kids say these days it was I I'm not hearing other than the original I've never heard great things yes you know whatever like I could make a better spicy regatoni frankly I really could it's not that hard it's not that hard it's tomato paste and some Calabrian chili I don't

think it's and you can make it in two minutes it's not good but it was it was it was fine but it was to me it was a lot of sizzle it wasn't it it was very expensive. 00:59:17.280 --> 01:00:02.800 Yeah I had not been to one I I still want to go but I we went to this other place called piranha which was insane it turns into a nightclub at night and like in the middle of there's a DJ on the floor and you're like in the middle of it all the waiters got up on the tables and we're dancing and it's like fancy it was fine it was it was uh it was pretty good we just had that experience in Orlando we went to this Greek place that was insane they did the waiters and they throw they throw a napkins so loud and of course we brought my the youngest who is on the spectrum and so she's got sensitivity to noise and my wife was looking at me like what the fuck we did my grandpa she loved it though she usually wears earphones we didn't bring them because we didn't think it was going to be crazy but she was totally fine because she was watching the people throw stuff she's like this is the best ever dad so I don't know it was good um but but getting back to that so you tried to do be new but what about the overall philosophy? 01:00:02.960 --> 01:00:11.679 Like what like what what what do you think if you could attribute this success to one philosophy what do you think it would be well I don't know if I could really answer that. 01:00:11.760 --> 01:00:14.480 I mean it's always hospitality is the the the easy answer. 01:00:14.800 --> 01:00:41.199 But what we used to always train our people and especially in a new restaurant we'd you know I'd take a little grease pencil on a on a whiteboard and I divide I'd say what percentage do you think the food is in this restaurant for success and you got food service and atmosphere and I and the thing I used to push really was the food has got to go for about forty percent okay instead of thirty three. 01:00:41.440 --> 01:00:41.760 Okay. 01:00:42.639 --> 01:00:54.480 And and and the service has got to go for 40% and the atmosphere is going to go for 40% which will give you 120% because one of those is going to miss every night. 01:00:54.880 --> 01:00:57.039 And they're all going to miss at certain moments. 01:00:57.519 --> 01:01:04.880 The food is not going to be as hot as it should be or it's not right that medium or steak is going to be a little closer to medium. 01:01:05.039 --> 01:01:05.199 Okay. 01:01:05.360 --> 01:01:09.599 Or the whatever it is, the pasta is not as El Dente as it should be. 01:01:10.159 --> 01:01:17.760 But if the service is so good if the service hit the 40% number you don't notice that the pasta wasn't as good as it could have been. 01:01:18.159 --> 01:01:27.199 And if the atmosphere the lighting is good the music vibe the everything so if everyone tries to outachie the other third we make up for it. 01:01:27.920 --> 01:01:30.559 So it's so it's all those elements is kind of the first answer. 01:01:30.880 --> 01:01:33.360 It's you know it's it's food it's service it's atmosphere. 01:01:34.159 --> 01:01:43.039 I see and so if you strive that way uh then if something misses you can still a great server makes up for a meal that you don't notice it. 01:01:43.280 --> 01:02:00.239 Oh right because but if your server is not attentive then you notice the food a little more oh interesting and don't get me wrong you never want to compromise on anything No no no right but things don't always shit happens in everything you're cooking you're cooking it happens in your law firm and it happens right in a school it happens slips. 01:02:00.320 --> 01:02:07.119 Yeah that slips interesting all right couple final questions um best temperature to eat a steak at or does it depend on the steak? 01:02:07.440 --> 01:02:14.480 It definitely depends on the steak so um but I I'm a for myself yeah I'm a rare but not very rare. 01:02:14.800 --> 01:02:15.679 Not black and blue? 01:02:15.920 --> 01:02:24.480 I like I like a black and when I say black man I like a charred steak it's got to have a crispy leathery exterior. 01:02:24.719 --> 01:03:07.840 So you'll do a rare yeah wow I gotta I gotta try it I just I went to Texas one time I spent some time there doing on my old job and I had a sat down with a guy an old banker and he said um cut off its horns wipe its ass and put it on a plate and I was I don't like it that rare my mother must say my mother loved a rare very rare meat very I saw a guy in it there's a restaurant I think it's closed it was in um maybe it didn't close it in the Bellagio it was um Jean-Georges von Garichton it's a French Asian uh oh well because he had a famous steak shot in there yeah yeah it's right and he would the guy would come in and we were there and he the guy the waiter told me about him he would take a rare prime rib and he put this much horserad on it like literally this much and he'd sit there eat it rare. 01:03:08.079 --> 01:03:10.239 I couldn't put it so you don't you like it well done or something? 01:03:10.400 --> 01:03:12.719 No I don't like prime rib I think I'm no a a steak though. 01:03:12.800 --> 01:04:34.239 No I eat medium uh medium rare yeah you know except the hanger steak I want more or a skirt steak eye a ribeye is not great real rare either no because you gotta render the fat down you got to get it a little rendered and you got to get you know that that part of the the the decal part yeah yeah yeah you know it needs a little more time it needs more time but it you're right because like like a filet like a uh like like a New York strip I love a New York strip medium rare that's fine but I like a true medium rare yes but most people's medium rare is medium that's right no no no I want it like a true steakhouse medium rare cool pink center exactly right right okay so that's the best way to uh the best way to eat it what is um and if you're in I know you don't like fast food but it what is your McDonald's order if you

go today you know uh today if I went today I mean traditionally there's a quarter pond of cheese okay um I'm trying to think any modifications no okay I gotta figure it out I get extra onions and pickles well I would certainly not mind that I love onions on a burger you know caramelized or raw both both not together not together no raw is my go-to okay but the one of the better burgers I've ever had it it's it's been touted for years is the uh Red Hook Tavern in Brooklyn that's like the one the best burger in New York it's so and I've never been to Red Hook but they have a place in SAG and I go there by boat once in a while and they're burgers so I I had it there and they do their burgers so simple. 01:04:34.559 --> 01:04:35.760 Is it an aged beef? 01:04:35.920 --> 01:05:28.159 I I think so because the one I love in New York is monettas that has that age it's very similar I never had monettas but I've seen it the meat the beef itself is special but they cook it I I don't know if they even if it's all done on a griddle it might be a little bit of um um I can't think of what they cook it in water um oh steamed cook it in water you know um I can't believe I can't think of the name of it when they put it like in plastic and they Oh sous vide sous vide exactly so I think they um I'm getting old I don't know if they sous vide or something because it's cooked so perfectly medium rare through it's like you know it's an inch and a quarter of it on a grid or whatever they're doing they get it right but they do a a slice of griddled onion b beneath the burger and it's griddled but it's it's what I would call au point which is a French cooking term for cooked to a point. 01:05:28.480 --> 01:05:34.400 To a point which is the way you want in my opinion that's how you want chicken it's cooked but just cooked. 01:05:34.719 --> 01:05:41.199 It's not it's not dry it's still juicy it's not pink but it's just past that pink chicken. 01:05:41.360 --> 01:05:49.199 Yes you know and pink chicken people get and they get so schemed like I'll just cut around that little pink part because the rest of it's so perfect. 01:05:50.000 --> 01:05:53.360 You want it you almost you want it like the pink just disappeared and pull it off. 01:05:53.599 --> 01:05:55.920 So my I so my McDonald's orders definitely fries. 01:05:56.239 --> 01:05:59.280 Fries yeah the fries are good nothing on them uh salt. 01:06:00.000 --> 01:06:00.960 And hopefully they put a lot on. 01:06:01.599 --> 01:06:01.760 Yeah. 01:06:01.920 --> 01:06:07.280 But I you know, I haven't had I don't think I've had McDonald's fries or a burger in several years. 01:06:07.519 --> 01:06:07.840 Several years. 01:06:07.920 --> 01:06:09.599 Okay, that's uh but if I needed to go, you know. 01:06:10.079 --> 01:06:10.639 Quarter powder. 01:06:11.280 --> 01:06:12.159 The quarter powder with cheese. 01:06:12.239 --> 01:06:13.920 That's definitely not the Big Mac. 01:06:14.239 --> 01:06:14.880 There's nothing for me. 01:06:15.519 --> 01:06:16.960 That extra piece of bread is stupid. 01:06:18.000 --> 01:06:18.320 Stupid. 01:06:18.559 --> 01:06:23.280 You could get the you can have the quarter pounder at a patty and add the Big Mac sauce. 01:06:23.599 --> 01:06:23.840 Probably. 01:06:24.400 --> 01:06:25.760 And lose the ketchup in the mustard. 01:06:25.840 --> 01:06:26.880 I like the ketchup mustard. 01:06:26.960 --> 01:06:27.280 Oh, you do. 01:06:27.760 --> 01:06:29.199 I'm the opposite of Steve, by the way. 01:06:29.360 --> 01:06:33.840 To me, ketchup is the even though there's nothing I put it on other than a hamburger. 01:06:34.000 --> 01:06:34.159 Right. 01:06:34.320 --> 01:06:34.800 And fries? 01:06:35.039 --> 01:06:35.440 Maybe fries. 01:06:35.599 --> 01:06:35.679 Yeah. 01:06:36.400 --> 01:06:38.800 If the fries sometimes Steve loves ketchup and everything. 01:06:38.880 --> 01:06:40.079 I think I no, he hates it. 01:06:40.159 --> 01:06:40.719 Oh, he hates it? 01:06:40.960 --> 01:06:41.679 He's never had it. 01:06:41.840 --> 01:06:42.960 Oh, I'm thinking of my friend Stefan. 01:06:43.039 --> 01:06:43.360 I'm sorry. 01:06:43.440 --> 01:06:45.039 No, and I so I like it there. 01:06:45.280 --> 01:06:45.760 Oh, that's right. 01:06:45.840 --> 01:06:47.280 He's the one who says he'd never had it in the five years. 01:06:47.519 --> 01:06:47.920 Never had it. 01:06:48.000 --> 01:06:48.719 I begged him to try it. 01:06:48.880 --> 01:06:49.280 He won't pay it. 01:06:49.440 --> 01:06:52.159 And his son Wyatt, who's like I treat, think of as my nephew. 01:06:52.239 --> 01:06:52.480 Right. 01:06:52.719 --> 01:06:53.679 Same Michigan. 01:06:53.920 --> 01:06:54.880 They won't, they won't touch it. 01:06:55.039 --> 01:06:55.360 No. 01:06:55.679 --> 01:06:58.400 I go, you're missing out on the greatest condiment in the world. 01:06:58.559 --> 01:06:59.119 It is the greatest condiment. 01:06:59.199 --> 01:07:01.039 And would you agree Heinz has it nailed? 01:07:01.280 --> 01:07:02.559 There's no other one that I know of. 01:07:03.360 --> 01:07:04.719 You guys serve Heinz and Max's, right? 01:07:04.880 --> 01:07:05.119 Of course. 01:07:05.280 --> 01:07:07.440 They fuck around with that like Kensington shit, these fancy. 01:07:07.760 --> 01:07:08.159 I've never had it. 01:07:08.800 --> 01:07:10.639 I heard Kensington's good, but I never had it. 01:07:10.719 --> 01:07:13.440 But if you you have hunts, to me, your restaurants is all. 01:07:13.519 --> 01:07:14.079 I judge you. 01:07:14.320 --> 01:07:14.960 I have a rule. 01:07:15.119 --> 01:07:18.239 If I walk into a restaurant and they have hunts ketchup, I'm gone. 01:07:18.400 --> 01:07:18.719 I'm gone. 01:07:18.800 --> 01:07:19.119 I'm gone. 01:07:19.360 --> 01:07:20.079 I also have a rule. 01:07:20.159 --> 01:07:22.480 If you use battered French fries, you're out. 01:07:22.639 --> 01:07:23.440 Oh, the coated? 01:07:23.760 --> 01:07:24.079 The coated. 01:07:24.320 --> 01:07:25.119 Oh, they spray it with some. 01:07:25.599 -->

01:07:27.039 Well, it just to stabilize it or something. 01:07:27.679 --> 01:07:28.400 Potato starch, I guess. 01:07:28.719 --> 01:07:30.079 Can't cut your fries, charge me an extra dollar. 01:07:30.239 --> 01:07:32.960 And if you're gonna serve frozen ones, I can deal with that if they're good. 01:07:33.119 --> 01:07:33.519 Just charge them. 01:07:33.679 --> 01:07:34.159 Just cook them right. 01:07:34.480 --> 01:07:38.480 Charge me more for the f-like with Helen downstairs at Sally and Bob's room, they were getting a fryer finally. 01:07:38.559 --> 01:07:40.000 And I said, listen, can I beg of you? 01:07:40.079 --> 01:07:40.960 I'm in the building. 01:07:41.199 --> 01:07:43.599 Spend, charge a dollar more, get hand-cut French fries. 01:07:43.760 --> 01:07:44.480 They're delicious. 01:07:44.639 --> 01:07:47.360 People love good fries that are real, that you know, whatever. 01:07:47.440 --> 01:07:48.880 And she did, and they're the best fries. 01:07:49.119 --> 01:07:51.760 There were there's when I came in this morning, there was a line of people waiting. 01:07:51.840 --> 01:07:52.320 Oh, yeah, it's good. 01:07:52.400 --> 01:07:52.960 It's good, but they're free. 01:07:53.119 --> 01:07:55.679 I used to go to Sally and Bob's years ago when the the Ziki zoned it. 01:07:55.760 --> 01:07:56.000 Oh, right. 01:07:56.079 --> 01:07:56.960 Uh with Sally and Bob's. 01:07:57.039 --> 01:07:59.519 I want them to rename it Helen and Caesars, but they think they'll lose business. 01:07:59.599 --> 01:08:00.880 But everyone knows Helen and Caesar. 01:08:01.119 --> 01:08:01.679 Oh, it's fine. 01:08:02.159 --> 01:08:02.960 You know, it's been there forever. 01:08:03.199 --> 01:08:03.519 I don't know. 01:08:03.679 --> 01:08:05.519 Well, listen, thank you so much for doing this. 01:08:05.679 --> 01:08:10.400 I've um wanted to have you in for a while, and I've been asking Rich to uh Steve to facilitate this. 01:08:10.480 --> 01:08:12.559 And so uh He didn't facilitate it, by the way. 01:08:12.719 --> 01:08:13.119 Oh, he didn't? 01:08:13.519 --> 01:08:13.920 I don't think so. 01:08:14.000 --> 01:08:19.439 I think he was a number, but in there just to make an introduction to say that it's cool to come in and he never told me he even did the podcast. 01:08:19.600 --> 01:08:20.079 Oh, he didn't? 01:08:20.399 --> 01:08:23.039 I listened to it after we um Oh you saw it after we made a day. 01:08:23.520 --> 01:08:24.880 So uh yeah, so thank you so much. 01:08:25.039 --> 01:08:25.600 This is great. 01:08:25.680 --> 01:08:33.359 I love learning about this and um and and how um somebody with a singular focus has made so much success. 01:08:33.520 --> 01:08:34.880 What are you doing to keep busy now? 01:08:35.039 --> 01:08:35.840 I play a lot of golf. 01:08:36.000 --> 01:08:36.560 You're a golf guy. 01:08:36.640 --> 01:08:36.800 Okay. 01:08:36.880 --> 01:08:37.760 I'm a golf guy. 01:08:38.239 --> 01:08:40.399 I was at one point I was pretty damn good. 01:08:40.560 --> 01:08:40.800 Yeah. 01:08:40.960 --> 01:08:42.399 Something's happened in the last two years. 01:08:42.560 --> 01:08:43.600 Are you like a scratch golfer? 01:08:43.680 --> 01:08:44.479 No, I was never a scratch. 01:08:44.560 --> 01:08:46.399 I was the lowest I've ever been is about a six. 01:08:46.560 --> 01:08:46.800 Okay. 01:08:46.960 --> 01:08:47.920 But I'm a 10 right now. 01:08:48.079 --> 01:08:48.319 Okay. 01:08:48.560 --> 01:08:52.720 But you know, if you were a lawyer and you went from a six to a ten, yeah, well, it's the opposite not. 01:08:53.279 --> 01:08:54.560 It's not it's backwards. 01:08:54.800 --> 01:09:00.720 You know, if you were a 10 as a lawyer, like 10 out of 10, you'd be, and all of a sudden I go, Rich Rocco's a six now. 01:09:01.199 --> 01:09:03.760 That's how it feels as a six handicap going to a ten. 01:09:04.239 --> 01:09:06.319 I I think I'd I'd be a fun guy to go golfing with. 01:09:06.479 --> 01:09:08.800 I wouldn't golf, I would just sit there and like tell jokes and hang out with you guys. 01:09:09.840 --> 01:09:10.399 I'm just not interested. 01:09:10.720 --> 01:09:11.279 We need some guys. 01:09:11.359 --> 01:09:14.720 Yeah, like I just go around and like Would you swear once in a while to take the pressure off of me? 01:09:15.039 --> 01:09:15.920 I drop the C word. 01:09:16.159 --> 01:09:18.000 I mean, I say bad stuff, yeah. 01:09:18.079 --> 01:09:21.119 Yeah, you can use the C word on the golf course as long as you're with all men. 01:09:21.279 --> 01:09:21.760 With all men. 01:09:21.840 --> 01:09:23.920 And the you know, it's funny, the British, because my buttons are. 01:09:24.000 --> 01:09:25.600 Oh, they would know how to use that word beautifully. 01:09:25.840 --> 01:09:26.479 It's like shit to them. 01:09:26.640 --> 01:09:27.840 They use that word beautifully. 01:09:28.399 --> 01:09:29.279 So I use it all the time there. 01:09:29.359 --> 01:09:32.720 So I and I tell I tell Ryball jokes and stuff, so uh, I have a golf guy. 01:09:32.960 --> 01:09:33.520 What was that show? 01:09:33.600 --> 01:09:34.800 Uh Succession? 01:09:34.960 --> 01:09:35.439 Sucession? 01:09:35.520 --> 01:09:36.399 Oh, yeah, I haven't watched that. 01:09:36.479 --> 01:09:36.800 Is that good? 01:09:37.039 --> 01:09:37.359 Very good. 01:09:37.600 --> 01:09:42.239 But the guy who's the the father, I don't know the actor's name, but he was the the matriarch. 01:09:42.319 --> 01:09:44.960 Oh or pa uh patriarch, yeah. 01:09:45.279 --> 01:09:45.760 Patriarch. 01:09:46.000 --> 01:09:49.039 Um he used the C word better than anyone I've ever heard. 01:09:49.359 --> 01:09:52.239 Oh, it's uh It didn't make it didn't make a sentence without it. 01:09:52.399 --> 01:09:53.039 Oh no, I love it. 01:09:53.119 --> 01:09:53.520 So good. 01:09:53.600 --> 01:09:54.560 Well, thank you so much. 01:09:55.359 --> 01:09:56.159 Pleasure, enjoy this. 01:09:56.399 --> 01:09:57.039 Absolutely, it was great. 01:09:57.199 --> 01:09:57.920 Great getting to know you.