One of the most accomplished chefs in the country returns to center stage this week as Jonathan Benno has just opened his Leonelli Taberna in New York City, the first of three planned Italian concepts he'll launch this year. Andrew, who's neighbors with Jonathan in the suburbs of Westchester County, paid him a visit during construction back in May to discuss the projects, the challenges of new openings, the first stirrings of his love of cooking and Italian food, and his time at such restaurants as Daniel and Craft, and as the opening chef of Per Se and then Lincoln Ristorante.

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THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.

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Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.

For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.

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