Maître d’ Diaries

Is it possible to age into rather than out of the business? As we gain experience and perhaps take on leadership roles within our restaurant groups, is the concept of work life balance even viable for chefs and restaurant managers? Our guest Arnold Rossman is an industry legend and a veritable posterboy for longevity in restaurant operations. Arnold has over forty five years of experience in all facets of the food & hospitality industry. He’s worked as dishwasher and busser, cook and server, maître d’, ops director, executive chef and everything in between. Arnold arrived in NYC in 1977 during the summer of the Son of Sam, worked at Empire Diner and Danceteria in the days of disco, in San Francisco for great chefs including Jeremiah Tower, Traci Des Jardins, and Bradley Ogden, at the legendary women-owned La Tulipe in New York, and on the hot line at Le Cirque his second day at the job. Join us for a delightful conversation that includes: ~ Arnold’s story of getting his big break in the kitchen of at Le Cirque with almost no experience ~ His philosophy that service is a gift~ The importance of taking the high road ~ What he learned about intention from cleaning spinach~ The power of anticipation~ The time one of the mirrors fell down (with guests underneath it!) at Balthazar~ Why he wants to be the one to throw out any drunk person or give someone the Heimlich maneuver ~ How the pandemic pause helped him readdress the essential matters in his life~ Why he became the Director of Mirth at Pastis~ Starstruck moments including meeting the great food writer Elizabeth DavidAnd be sure to stay on until the end when he shouts out a list of OG FOH legends who have mentored and inspired him throughout his career.

People get into the hospitality business from all different angles, and it's not uncommon for someone to start as a host or a bus boy to make a little extra cash and end up on a totally different career path than they expected. Our guest Alexandra Tierno Payard Morris started with a B.S. in marketing and advertising from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), and fairly early on moved from advertising into restaurant work, events, and ownership.Alexandra is the founder and owner of Tastings, a luxury catering company that started in New York City has ,across the country, and now even to our beloved Paris. Alexandra is a model of excellence in everything she does, and her career path reflects the nimbleness that working front of the house can foster in a person. Join us to hear about: ~ Alexandra’s shift from advertising to restaurants~ What it was like to work at the original Restaurant Daniel ~ The importance of having (female) mentors~ Growing a business organically~ Bringing a breathwork ritual to her team~ The Golden Rule~ Patisserie Payard’s Instagram moment before the era of cell phones~ Alexandra's early memories of Lutece and La Grenouille~ The importance of maintaining close relationships with current and former employees

You meet the best people working in restaurants! Case in point, this episode’s guest, Tatiana Mejia, maître d’ at Michelin-starred Francie in Brooklyn, and a dear friend. Folks come to restaurant work via all different paths, many of us finding the right balance of physical activity, mental engagement, social interaction, and reliable income in a place we didn’t originally imagine ourselves belonging. One of the mission’s of Maître d’ Diaries is to share our love for the vocation of taking care of people through hospitality. To shine a spotlight on how the work of serving and hosting can be a satisfying, fulfilling, and fun way to make a living. Listen in to hear: ~ What it was like to be maître d’ at the landmark Tavern on the Green (600+ people a night, 1,200 for brunch, in case you didn’t know!)~ The similarities and differences between working retail and restaurants ~ How working FOH can develop people skills and build community~ About crying in the coat check–the FOH version of crying in the walk-in~ How a weekly sauna ritual helps Tatiana sweat out the stress of the work week~ Her current favor savory martini

You meet some of the best people in the restaurant business. Folks like our guest Olivia Salomon, a server at Le Veau d’Or in New York City, who find joy and satisfaction taking care of other people and helping create memorable experiences for them. Whether it’s a warm welcome at the door or a server with a wonderful tableside manner, someone who is called to the work and does it with care can really make a difference in how we feel at the end of the day. The word restaurant derives from the French word for restoration. A place where you can restore your body with sustenance. And perhaps now more than ever, restaurants are places where we can revive our spirits and sense of well being. At their best, good restaurants feed our need to connect with other humans. All the more so if our server or maitre d’ is someone who’s passionate about spreading joy and love and positivity in the world.Listen in to our chat with Olivia to hear about: ~ How she figured out Pete Wells was coming in and then what happened~ The importance of mentorship and how we can support the Next Gen~ Why she loves the Danny Meyer 51% philosophy ~ How to hold the work of serving so it’s empowering rather than demeaning~ The difference between being a server and a maître d’~ The unexpected joy to be found taking care of older clientele~ Why kindness is the life hack Olivia wants everyone to know about~ How to deal with challenging personalities at the door

Fasten your seat belts for a spirit-driven ride through NYC modern cocktail culture with the beloved, legendary, Sarah Morrissey who worked on the front lines of the cocktail revolution in New York from almost the beginning. Recorded one Saturday over bagels pre-service at Le Veau d’Or, where Sarah’s the AGM and Bar Manager, if you don’t already have the pleasure of knowing Sarah, you’ll feel like you do after joining us for our chat. One of our main purposes at Maître d’ Diaries is sharing stories and preserving the incredible history of our ever evolving F&B business. During this episode you’ll get a comprehensive overview of all things cocktail, learn what a Sasha Bar is, and stroll down the streets of early 2000-2010’s New York City, past the legendary speakeasies and cocktail lounges that started it all, many of which are sadly closed, each of which played an important role in the way spirit culture has evolved in the 21st century. And you’ll meet some of the major innovators in the bartending world who directly impacted what we now experience as standard when we go out for a cocktail. Sarah epitomizes the amount of hard work, enthusiasm, and devotion to information acquisition required to work in beverage at a high level restaurant or bar. Her knowledge of all things spirits–and insider information about how the city’s most popular bars are run–is matched only by her incredible warmth and the down-to-earth genuine affection and appreciation with which she welcomes every guest she comes in contact with. You’ll also hear about Erica’s new favorite gin–just in time for the upcoming G&T season. Cheers!

Maître d’ Diaries is a front of the house industry podcast designed to build community with other dining room professionals, foster pride in the art of hospitality, share stories from the front lines, facilitate conversation among OG restaurant folks and the Next Gen, and address the very real challenges that are facing the industry we love. We are delighted to introduce you to Sabrina Marte, an up-and-coming FOH star who has recently taken on the position of maître d’ at NoHo Hospitality’s Bar Primi in Penn Center. Sabrina is one of those people who lights up a room and exudes a welcome at the door that embraces each guest as they cross the threshold. While she may be what some people call a natural, you’ll learn that she also puts an enormous amount of thought into how she executes hospitality. Listen in on our chat to hear about:~ How she got into the business~ Who inspires her: shout outs to Sean Prinz, Inta Erglis, Trisha Devila, and Justin Sievers!~ All the love she has for NoHo Hospitality~ How what managers remember about us can make all the difference~ Pretty much the weirdest guest interaction you’ve ever heard ofYou’ll end up feeling that the future of hospitality is in good hands!

Paris Pryor has been hearing about Maître d’ Diaries since long before we launched. In fact, her passion for the business and for hearing stories about restaurants past and present helped inspire our inception. Erica and Paris met while opening the Michelin-starred Francie in Williamsburg, Brooklyn during the pandemic and became fast friends. (Although some have asked if they are really mother and daughter!)Paris has experienced, accomplished, and learned quite a bit in the decade since she arrived in New York City in 2015, when she started moonlighting in the hospitality industry while pursuing her passion for theater at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Maybe her roots in the dramatic arts explain why she has one of the most sparkling dining room and tableside presences you’ll ever see. Very quickly, Paris was inspired by the vibrant excitement of her new stage, which has become a rewarding vocation and career.Paris got her start with USHG and participated in the reopening of the iconic Union Square Cafe, one of NYC most renowned and successful restaurants. Her first post as a kitchen server/food runner ignited her passion to learn more and she quickly moved up to private dining captain. Before long Paris was invited to join the pre-opening team at Manhatta, where she was restaurant manager.Listen in to hear about:~ How she teamed up with John Winterman and Chef Chris Cipollone to open Francie, and got the dream opportunity to work with and learn from NYC wine legend Raj Vaidya~ The unparalleled service and dining experiences she had at Cafe Carmellini & Restaurant Daniel~ The "disconnect of wanting to be connected" and why she thinks taking pictures in restaurants should be mostly 86ed~ How she established the reputation as the most loyal employee by trekking through the snow in the pandemic to deliver fried chicken to a certain famous personage

Dante and Erica look back at 2024 and the holiday season in NYC. We talk about our aspirations for 2025, the physical challenges of doing a job that has us on our feet most of the day, what it’s like to do a restaurant brand refresh in a popular 15 year old restaurant, and what it means to have a purge party. Listen in for Dante’s reaction to the news that Maître d’ Diaries has a YouTube channel, what’s new for Season 3, and Erica’s current obsession with what the runway to 60 looks like. You’ll also get a preview of some of the guests for Season 3.