Yannick Benjamin's closing piece about Contento in The NY Times moved me so deeply that I feel compelled to share how much this brilliant man has contributed to both our community and the world. Heroes truly walk among us.

Here are a few highlights from The NY Times Article.

The New York Times ranked Contento twice among the 100 Best Restaurants in New York City and the Michelin Guide gave  its sommelier award, I had to say goodbye to my talented staff and lifelong dream of owning a restaurant. 

I get why independent restaurant owners can’t afford to do the right thing by all their employees, especially those with long-term medical needs or disabilities. I’ve used a wheelchair since 2003, when I was paralyzed in a car accident, and cannot pay for it without private insurance. My chair costs about $13,000 out of pocket, some $6,000 of which gets reimbursed by my provider. In a comically dark turn, my insurer doesn’t cover the wheels.

During our last six months at Contento, as we crunched numbers to try to keep the lights on, I had to make gut-wrenching decisions. When reservations were sparse, we had to let people go. Against my values as a business owner, we would tell the second bartender to clock out early or rely on one dishwasher instead of two. This affects how people live. My staff members aren’t nameless, faceless statistics. They’re people I hired, mentored, valued and admired. I’d met their roommates and their children. They supported me and mourned with me when my dad died this year.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/28/opinion/resturant-workers-health-care-crisis.html

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