John Winterman came of age in restaurants ranging from Charlie Trotter's in Chicago to Gary Danko in San Francisco, to a near-decade as a front-of-house maestro in Daniel Boulud's empire. After successfully launching and shepherding his Bâtard through its first five years in Tribeca, John was close to launching his independent New York Brasserie Francie in Brooklyn, with chef-partner Chris Cipollone (formerly of Piora in lower Manhattan), when the shutdown went into place.

On this episode, John discusses how the current situation has and hasn't impacted his and Chris' plans, his uniquely positive outlook, and how they're using the yet-to-open restaurant to fundraise for the industry.

Our thanks to S.Pellegrino for making these special reports possible.

LINKS

Andrew Talks to Chefs official site

Chefs, Drugs, and Rock & Roll (Andrew's latest book)

Francie  website

Francie fundraising page 

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.

We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. 

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.

Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!