Category Archives: Weekly Column

The third season of the Hulu original program, “The Bear” will air this week. If you’re unfamiliar with the series, it’s an intense, frenetic, high-paced show about disfunction, passion, commitment, growth, failure, and success. Or more succinctly, it’s about the restaurant business. “The Bear” tells the story of a Michelin-starred chef who returns home toContinue reading “The Bear Truths”

By the time this column is published Father’s Day will be several days in the rearview mirror. That may be the case when it comes to the calendar, but I’m still basking in the afterglow of that fine day. There was nothing monumental, or out of the ordinary, that happened this Father’s Day. At leastContinue reading “Father’s Day 2024”

This month kicked off my 44th year in the restaurant business. The first seven years were spent working for other people. Mostly as a server while I worked my way through college. But for the past 37 years I’ve owned restaurants. I love my line of work and consider myself overly blessed to have aContinue reading “For the Love of Fish”

BROOKLYN— Growing up I had relatives in New York. My maternal grandmother and grandfather lived here for 10 years or so. He worked on Madison Avenue for the entire decade of the sixties. My first visit here was as a three-year-old in 1964 during the World’s Fair. I don’t remember any of it other thanContinue reading “Big Apple Birthdays”

CHICAGO— No one would ever accuse me of being a creature of habit. Other than my morning breakfast routine, I have managed to live a life free from getting pigeonholed into repetitive activities. There aren’t too many places I visit on an annual basis. For the past quarter of a century my wife, two kids,Continue reading “My Kind Of Town”

The view from my desk is inspirational. I’ve been in the same office for 27 years. There are no windows, but I have surrounded myself with things that inspire me and things that I love. There are a lot of photos of family all over the room. There are also a lot of photos ofContinue reading “My Top 25 Cookbooks”

QUEENS, NEW YORK— After 62 years, and millions of miles logged, I have learned that travel is about one thing— connection. I am jet-lagged, tired from lack of sleep and sitting up in bed in a dark room in an airport hotel in New York after a flight cancellation wrecked my homeward-bound itinerary. I’ve beenContinue reading “Travel Connections”

LIVERPOOL— I am midway through a 10-day tour of England and Scotland with a group of 26 Americans. All have travelled with me before. For a few of them it’s their seventh trip as my guests. They are a stellar crew and I have become friends with all of them before this current journey started.Continue reading “A True Magical Mystery Tour”

My advice to upcoming graduates: You are a few years away from beginning your professional life, but you are only weeks away from planning for it. The decision you make about your professional life should be the easiest decision you ever make — your career should be about one thing: passion. It’s not about moneyContinue reading “RSJ’s Advice to Upcoming Graduates 2024”