GIfts for Page, Pisto, Kincaid, Newsom, Dornenburg and Bourdain

Per yesterday´s blog the holiday gift giving continues to my fellow restaurateurs across the country.

Tom Fritz, Sr. — An anniversary banner year.

Heather Ahn- May your project come to fruition. May your dream become that small organic drive thru in a great Westchester location.

Charles Bain — Peace and serenity throughout 2007.

Chef Jesus, Judy´s Cafe— May your omelets always be fluffy, may your potatoes be crisp, may your crab salad be fresh.

Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page- A month of relaxation on a quiet beach without book signings, blogs, or cameras. Time to sit and ponder future projects having to do with book signings, blogs and cameras. Moments to enjoy each other's company.

Nancy Brunner- A week away from the bustle of the busy Swiss Hotel kitchen. Possibly between New Year ´s Day and January 10.

Mario Batali — A closet full of colorful clogs.

Charlie Palmer — An occasional walk in Healdsburg square filled with peace and pleasant thoughts.

John Toulze- A very large ladder, a bucket, some paint, and a very happy home.

Robert Kincaid — May your days be filled with adventure, your nights with dining rooms full and the moments in between with thoughts of Palm Beach.

John Pisto — Still yet another location.

The Sabu Shake Family, Chris, Sabu Jr., Tene, Benji, David and Angelo- A healthy and prosperous 2007 and a record week between Christmas and New Year´s.

Mike Briones- Brightness and light throughout the New Year. A bar back that continually gets the lipstick of the glasses, the smudges off the cups and keeps the well full.

Jamin- A tip cup overflowing with big bucks, good will and a free drink ticket at Matrix.

Rob Goldberg- Luck at his new position at Auberge.

Mayor Gavin Newsom — One of the few people I know who sought a job that makes the restaurant business look like child´s play. To the Mayor I give a night working the rope, at a busy restaurant, possibly the Balboa Café. His duties include greeting people, listening to complaints, solving problems faster than they could possibly take place. Continually in demand by customers who need something in a moments notice, Newsom will need to multi task running the dining room and kitchen staff since the kitchen manager called in sick. The demands call for consistent pleasantries, a continual smile, agreeing with customers no matter how rude or pretentious and never evoking the least amount of frustration. Wait, those are the identical requirements you need to be mayor. OK- Gavin gets a peaceful week, sitting on the hook, at JG Melon with Feldman, DeBetz, and Flay.


Dahlia Graham- As he Human Resource Director of Royal Caribbean, Dahlia gets a week of vacation where she doesn´t have to evaluate service.

Anthony Bourdain- A trip to a resort domestic, say Aspen, where he can feast on steak, potatoes and vegetables. A break from the rats eye, snake tail and monkey brains would do wonders for his system.

Carol DuFour- A week minus staff problems, calls from servers, managers, or recruiters.

Randy Burks - A New Year's Eve with full capacity reservtions, stratospheric wine sales, and a winning year.

Cindy Pawlcyn — A gangbuster year with schools of customers chatting about the great food, service and ambiance at Go Fish.

Ruggero Gadaldi — A visit from The Sopranos to your famous Last Supper Club.

Hallie Harron — A healed knee, a relaxing month in Costa Rica, and a windsurfing lesson on the Bay. A box of ceramic ducks for your bookshelf in France.

Alvero - A long vacation for your boss.

Pascal Rigo — A few more locations to complete the Frenchification of San Francisco. A cornichon factory.

And finally, a Merry Christmas to everyone who reads this blog. May your Christmas be joyous. May your business be booming. May your family be healthy. May your staff be passionate and professional and may you always take time to remember why you became a restaurateur.

Merry Christmas.