Mike Cioffi - Dishes and Dispatches from the Catskill Mountains

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

From Mike: My life is full of examples of good things come to those who wait or, more accurately, those not looking for it, and when I got an email out of the blue from our editor Jenn Sit it proved true once again. Thank you, Jenn, for seeing the potential in our little restaurant before we did. Big thanks to Sara and Chris for the hard work you put into the birth of this book, along with Johnny and Charlotte for some of the best photos and laughs of any cookbook project ever. Thank you to the rest of our stellar team at Clarkson Potter, including Ian Dingman, Stephanie Huntwork, Mark McCauslin, and Heather Williamson.

The Phoenicia Diner success story is not based on a single person; its been built on the backs of the people who worked to get it off the ground, local guests who supported us during the early years, and those who took the job and leap of faith of working here when its future was seriously clouded in mystery.

Credit should go to the concept builders including our social media guru Holley Atkinson, our gifted branding/logo creator Gabriele Wilson, and our consultant Olivia Tincani and Jason Wood for our amazing opening menu. My deep gratitude goes to the local restaurant owners, Marybeth and Devin of the Peekamoose Restaurant, Michael Koegel of Mamasboy Burgers, and Jack Zamor of the Arkville Bread and Breakfast, who took the time to pass along their wisdom about restaurant life.

To the longtime FOH staff who took a chance on me and are still helping me learn the business: Charlene, Mona, Lisa, Nicole, Amber, and Thomasina. The rock-solid BOH who grind it out no matter the difficulty, heat, or outlandish food request: Humberto, our egg machine, who must hold an unofficial record for perfectly cooking sunny-side up eggs thousands of times over a busy weekend, and Jsus, who can magically do the work of three people in the kitchen as well as fix the plumbing and repair equipment, all the while with a smile on his face. A special thank-you to Mel, our first chef and kitchen manager, who helped figure out how to go from 150 covers a day to 5 times that on a busy summer weekend. These people are the soul and backbone on which the Phoenicia Diner built its reputation and deserve more credit than they ever receive. I cant manage a day without guidance from Christine Gonzalez, who has the catchall phrased job of Project Manager, which means everything that falls through the cracks. And finally a special thanks to our General Manager Courtney Malsatzki for her deep sense of style and caring, which come through in everything she does, and her uncanny ability to remain calm and collected when all seems like chaos to me. Courtney and her staff, especially her assistant, Daisy, make the Diner hum along like a well-oiled 1962 chrome-plated machine.

And to the local folks in Phoenicia, New York, who welcomed and supported us when we opened through some rough service days when we would run out of bacon or coffee because we simply could not keep up, or who volunteered to help move some equipment or dig a foundation. There are so many of you, including Dolly, Pam and Eddie, Honey, and George the local police officer who also is more of a foodie than even I am. Kenny along with his wife, Naomi, are my de facto godparents on all things local and mountain-based. Kenny even found me once on the side of the road after my motorcycle and I missed a curve. I was still dazed and confused as he drove up with his dump truck and called an ambulance, even followed it to the hospital to take me home after some patchwork to my leg. David and June, who were some of our first customers, would constantly encourage me to not take any criticism personally. David, especially, since he was kindred soul who was a chef back in NYC and knew all I was going through in the early days and would calmly joke about how insignificant some customer complaint about burnt toast was in the grand scheme of things. David has since passed, but I still conjure him up in difficult moments to make me laugh. There is Donna and Harold, who came in a few times each week to support us. Harold, sadly, has also passed on, but Donna still arrives each week to order any veggie dish of the day and catch up on the news with me.

Finally, to my family: My love for our two daughters, Ryan and Logan, is bottomless. These two spent months prior to our opening listening to me obsess over color samples and branding ideas and, after opening and twelve-hour days, volunteering to work at the Diner on weekends bussing, running, and cashiering when they both had more pressing things to do (like schoolwork or hanging out with friends). What can I say to my wife and childhood sweetheart who threw her support behind an outlandish project, not because it was a good idea (it wasnt at the time) or had a solid business plan (I had none), but solely because it was something that would reinvigorate my spirit. That is the kind of selfless act that can only be repaid with undying love and gratitude. I have an endless supply of each for her.

From Chris: My culinary skills and stylistic leanings have been influenced by every single hustling cook, rock-star dishwasher, big-named chef, and big-dreaming sous I have ever worked alongside, and I owe you all a warm plate of gratitude garnished with much respect. A grand thank-you goes to the whole Phoenicia Diner crew, especially Humberto and Jsus, for picking up my slack while I figured out how to scale down recipes built to feed a large army of urbanites famished from tramping through the woods and swimming in the holes. Much appreciation is also due to Mike and Helene for reviving the Diner and giving me the chance to make my mark on what will surely be a long and successful run. Calvin and Eliza, you have managed a miracle by somehow shrinking my life until it feels like little more than babyworksleep, while at the same time expanding my world infinitely with just a laugh or the simple word More? I will always be grateful that you helped me trim away the excesses and find true abundance. And Sara, you are a true superwoman. How can a normal mortal find the time to write a cookbook while publishing and touring for another book and teaching university classes and feeding, cleaning, wrangling, and loving the twins and keeping me on task and tending to our garden and stocking our pantry and freezer and, and, and.I will always be in your debt, and Im glad youve given me a lifetime to pay it back.

From Sara: Cookbooks are much bigger projects than they appear from the outside. My sincere thanks to the small army of recipe testersespecially the immaculate Jenn Andersonwhose ability to meet deadlines and finicky-ness kept us on point. Thanks to Mike Cioffi and Helene Banks for giving Chris the opportunity that began the Upstate chapter of our life. To Jenn SitI liked you immediately, and Ive liked you more with each subsequent interaction: youre a straight shooter, a calm presence, and a true professional. Its a pleasure to write for your keen eye. To the entire team at Potter, thank you for your vision and your hard work; its a real privilege to be an author on your list. To Johnny and Charlotte Autry, we were lucky to get in while your stars were rising, and I have no doubt that soon youll outshine us all. To the friends, family, neighbors, caregivers, and babysitters (especially Danila Monteiro, nanny-cum- tia extraordinaire) who helped me get back to work after Cal and Eliza were born, and bolstered me as I figured out how to become a working mom, know that there would be no bylines without you; my gratitude knows no bounds. Speaking of Cal and Eliza, Im sorry your dad and I werent home more during that summer of 2018, when this project ramped up and work stole too much of our attention. That summer taught us a lot about life, work, and family, and helped us figure out how we wanted to raise you both. Know that lifes most important lessons rarely come easy. And finally, thanks to Chris, with whom Im on this crazy journey every day: my modern lover, the donkey to my zebra. Your hoodie and cooking may have first caught my attention, but youve kept my heart.