Your Table Is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maître D'

by Michael Cecchi-Azzolina

Chefs want their specials sold. Specials make money.

we went to the market to source meat and produce. Rose was absolutely correct. The flavors of the fruits and vegetables were more intense, more complex than what we get here in the States, especially the meat. We visited a butcher he knew and were brought behind the counter and sampled raw slices of beef the butcher had cut for us to taste. Such a different environment: no one was wearing gloves, the butchers handling the meat weren’t afraid to taste it, and no one was getting sick. It was real, natural; there was a beauty in what they were all doing. These people were connected to the animals, their product. It was one, putting forth a gift for us.