16 DECEMBER 2019
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IN THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS, many spend their
waking hours hard at work in a kitchen or dining room.
But during a time of year that’s about spending quality
time with family and loved ones, that mandate can
prove to be a real challenge. That’s why this month, we
turned to some of our favorite chefs and restaurateurs
to ask how they take a beat to celebrate, reflect, and
care for their teams during the busiest (and sometimes
most stressful) time of the year. —OSET BABUR
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Sharing Season How chefs ring in
the holidays with their teams
2018 F&W Best New
Chef Julia Sullivan at
her Nashville restau‑
rant, Henrietta Red
“We celebrate with 12 days of cookies for
staff meal, leading up to Christmas. Our
pastry chef also decorates the restaurant
with gingerbread. This year she made a
lighthouse, complete with oyster boats!”
—JULIA SULLIVAN
(HENRIETTA RED, NASHVILLE)
“Last year, we booked a private
studio and got tattoos, had a
snack feast, and braided each
other’s hair. This year, we
rented an old movie theater for
a private screening of Mean
Girls. I love having the chance
to let my team relax, eat well,
and do something totally out
of the ordinary. In 2018, Golden-
rod recruited our community
of customers and staff to
donate enough items for a local
family to really have a special
holiday season. It was one of
the most special experiences
I’ve had.”
—ANGELA GARBACZ
(GOLDENROD PASTRIES,
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA)
“This year, we combined the
annual Southern tradition of
cooking black-eyed pea dishes—
some dating back to the Civil
War—with the Italian tradition
of Feast of the Seven Fishes
to cook up one massive, Italy-
meets-the-South family meal
for our staff, served outdoors
under the stars. It’s a time for
us to come together as a team,
to reflect on the past year, and
look ahead to new beginnings—
all while eating a good meal, of
course!”
—JANINE BOOTH &
JEFF MCINNIS
(MI’TALIA KITCHEN & BAR AND
ROOT & BONE, MIAMI)
“We have the tradition of making
homemade gingerbread houses
at the restaurant in December
and inviting the children of Don
Angie’s staff to participate in
making and decorating along
with their parents. We also
decorate the kitchen with lights
and other holiday decor for the
winter holidays to keep it feeling
festive and do a Secret Santa–
style gift exchange for any staff
that wants to participate.”
—ANGIE RITO &
SCOTT TACINELLI
(DON ANGIE, NEW YORK CITY)
“We always have a family-style
feast at Peach Farm in Boston’s
Chinatown. We’re notorious
for ordering enough food for at
least 20 people, even though
the team is only 8 or 10. We go
all-out with the large-format
items: whole king crab, twin
lobsters, surf clams, frog legs,
and all the noodles and spicy
vegetables.”
—CONOR DENNEHY
(TALULLA, CAMBRIDGE,
MASSACHUSETTS)
“For one week in December last
year, we let our staff take over
our dessert cart with tradi-
tional, nostalgic pastries that
reminded them of home. Hits
included apple crostata, choco-
late mousse cake, cornbread,
and triple-berry cheesecake.”
—CLAUDIA MARTINEZ
(TINY LOU’S, ATLANTA)
“We have our team help collect
canned foods and clothing
to make a team-wide holiday
donation to a rotating group
of charities. Once the holiday
season winds down, we like to
host a fun, nonalcoholic staff
event (that ends with a feast
of sorts!) as a special way to
welcome everyone back and
reconnect.”
—MATT ABDOO
(PIG BEACH, NEW YORK CITY)
“This past holiday season, we
gathered at Minneapolis’
Troubadour Wine Bar for the
Queerdo drag show, drank
bottles of Bardo’s surplus wine
supply, and ate delivery all eve-
ning, from tacos to Chinese.”
—REMY PETTUS
(BARDO, MINNEAPOLIS)
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