{"id":389239,"date":"2022-01-04T04:17:39","date_gmt":"2022-01-04T01:17:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/one-chef-finds-silver-lining-in-covid-lockdown\/"},"modified":"2022-01-04T04:17:39","modified_gmt":"2022-01-04T01:17:39","slug":"one-chef-finds-silver-lining-in-covid-lockdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/one-chef-finds-silver-lining-in-covid-lockdown\/","title":{"rendered":"#One chef finds silver lining in COVID lockdown"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;<strong>#One chef finds silver lining in COVID lockdown<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<div class=\"inline-module inline-module--columnist inline-module--author\">\n<div class=\"inline-module--author__img\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"76\" height=\"69\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jennifer-gould.png?w=76&amp;h=69&amp;crop=1\" class=\"attachment-nyp_columnist size-nyp_columnist\" alt=\"Jennifer Gould\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jennifer-gould.png?w=152 152w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jennifer-gould.png?w=114 114w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jennifer-gould.png?w=76 76w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jennifer-gould.png?w=38 38w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jennifer-gould.png 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 76px) 100vw, 76px\"\/>     <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The pandemic has devastated the restaurant industry and the new Omicron wave continues to darken the picture, but there have been some bright spots for a lucky few.<\/p>\n<p>For Chef Franklin Becker, business is good \u2013 and the growth has been life-changing after the 52-year-old met his new wife, Melissa, 51, on a dating <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a> a month before lockdown. She now works with him on new business development.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have mixed feelings about the pandemic. I wish it never happened. Many people lost their lives. But it also shed light on what is important in life \u2014 family, community and friends,\u201d Becker said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Business also accelerated for Becker. During the pandemic, Little Beet \u2014 a chain of healthy fast-food eateries that Becker founded in 2013 \u2014 closed\u00a0some locations while its parent company, Aurify Brands,\u00a0gobbled up\u00a0Le Pain Quotidien\u00a0and\u00a0Maison Kayser\u00a0assets. \u00a0 Becker\u2019s online healthy grocery store, Hungryroot.com, also grew at an \u201caccelerated\u201d pace. It\u2019s now valued at $750 million and set to go public, Becker tells Side Dish.<\/p>\n<p>Now, Becker has also cooked up two new restaurants that are slated to open this spring \u2014 an Upper East Side seafood spot, Uptown Trout, and an \u201cold school\u201d American chophouse-style eatery, The Press Club Grill, by Herald Square, Side Dish can reveal exclusively.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnfortunately the pandemic devastated our industry,\u201d Becker said. \u201cIt created a tremendous number of supply-chain issues, which led to higher costs for goods, which will lead to higher costs for the customers \u2013 along with labor shortages, and endless other issues.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/franklin-becker-melissa.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"Franklin and Melissa Becker\" class=\"wp-image-20702744\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/franklin-becker-melissa.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/franklin-becker-melissa.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Chef Franklin Becker met his wife, Melissa, just before the pandemic hit, and they now work together.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.glenandcompany.com\">http:\/\/www.glenandcompany.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He was able to secure a \u201ccore\u201d team and keep them on board through the height of the pandemic thanks to an innovative new profit-sharing plan and other incentives. Also, he said, \u201cI was able to grab opportunity when it presented itself and go after locations and different things that other people didn\u2019t have the means to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Becker\u2019s F. Becker Hospitality has partnered with Seasoned Hospitality\u2019s Stephen Loffredo and Tora Matsuoka to open Uptown Trout and the Press Club Grill.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Until 2012, Becker helmed Catch, Lexington Brass and the now shuttered Abe and Arthur\u2019s, as executive corporate chef for the EMM Group, now known as the Catch Hospitality Group.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Now his own seafood restaurant, Uptown Trout, will focus on local seafood. The 2,500-square-foot restaurant will seat 72 people and open inside the revamped Franklin Hotel, at 164 East 87th St., in late April or May.<\/p>\n<p>The hotel never had a restaurant, so the entire buildout is from scratch.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe pandemic slowed down construction. We\u2019re putting in an entire kitchen and restaurant,\u201d Becker said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the Press Club Grill is slated to open by June. The 9,000-square-foot space takes up two floors and will seat 180 guests inside the Martinique New York hotel at Broadway and 32nd Street.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"682\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/010322franklinbecker1MATT.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=682\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20703446\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/010322franklinbecker1MATT.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1364 1364w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/010322franklinbecker1MATT.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1022 1023w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/010322franklinbecker1MATT.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=682 682w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/010322franklinbecker1MATT.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=341 341w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/010322franklinbecker1MATT.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px\"\/><figcaption>Uptown Trout is moving into the The Franklin hotel.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Matthew McDermott<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The concept, Becker said, is \u201cold-school\u201d New York, continental American, with some theatrical tableside prepared dishes \u2014 like steak Diane, steak tartare and ceasar salad, as well as some seafood.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Becker says he is taking his inspiration from the city itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s old New York meets new New York,\u201d Becker said. \u201cHerald Square was the center for the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>paper world \u2014 it was a place where sports and entertainment met. The restaurant will draw back to old sensibilities, when dining was a little more sophisticated, when you could bump elbows in the same dining room with a heavyweight fighter and musicians from nearby Madison Square Garden,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/raw-bar-rendering-1.png?w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20703462\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/raw-bar-rendering-1.png 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/raw-bar-rendering-1.png?w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>A rendering depicts the raw bar coming to Uptown Trout.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The menu will draw on his industry experience over the years. And it will also be an homage to his mother, who died less than two weeks ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe made the best matzoh ball soup, with homemade <em>kneidlachs <\/em>[a type of dumpling], and that will also be on the menu,\u201d Becker said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Last year, Becker also opened a 5,000-square-foot marketplace food hall by Columbia University\u2019s West Harlem campus, designed by architect Glen Coben. The complex includes a full-service Spanish tapas restaurant, Oliva, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ny.eater.com\/maps\/restaurants-open-new-years-day-nyc-2022\">just named the best New Year\u2019s Day brunch spot by Eater<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>During lockdown, Becker also launched 100 Pleats, a foodie app he hoped would be like an Uber for chefs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>******************************************<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/IMG_1762.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"An intimate bar\" class=\"wp-image-20702757\" width=\"617\" height=\"410\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/IMG_1762.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1230 1234w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/IMG_1762.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=923 925w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/IMG_1762.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=615 617w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/IMG_1762.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=308 308w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/IMG_1762.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 617px) 100vw, 617px\"\/><figcaption>The West Village\u2019s Dante is opening at Pearl Alley.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A restaurant that shut down during the pandemic, Upper East Side staple, T-Bar, has found a new home nearby on East 60th St., between Park and Lexington Avenues. It expects to open early spring, says Tony Fortuna, T-Bar\u2019s owner with partner Derek Axelrod.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In other opening news, Masalawala, at 365 Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn\u2019s Park Slope \u2014 from restaurateur Roni Mazumdar and Chef Chintan Pandya \u2013 will open next month.<\/p>\n<p>The 2,500-square-foot spot will have an additional 700-square-foot backyard. There will be 55 seats inside. The eatery will feature foods from their hometown of Kolkata, India, along with an upfront retail market selling spice blends and other specialty Indian products.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-nypost-medium-post\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"322\" height=\"483\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/IMG_1761.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=322\" alt=\"Winter decor with logs and Christmas greenery\" class=\"wp-image-20702749\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/IMG_1761.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=644 644w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/IMG_1761.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=483 483w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/IMG_1761.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=322 322w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/IMG_1761.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=161 161w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/IMG_1761.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 322px) 100vw, 322px\"\/><figcaption>Dante\u2019s seasonal pop-up is appearing at the South Street Seaport.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>There\u2019s also Momoya SoHo, at 47 Prince Street, from owner KwangHo Lee and head sushi chef\/partner Watura Makai, which will also open in February. The 3,000-square-foot bi-level space at the corner of Prince and Mulberry will feature a first-level with a wine and sake bar with cocktails by Alex Ott, and a 12-seat sushi bar that seats 30. Upstairs will seat an additional 30 people. There will also be around 55 outdoor seats.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In addition, Dante, the beloved West Village restaurant and bar \u2014 named the best bar in North America in 2019 and 2020 \u2014\u00a0 is opening its seasonal pop-up,\u00a0 Dante Winter House, at Pearl Alley on Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport. That\u2019s in addition to its Aspen cocktail pop-up at The Snow Lodge.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Now Dante Winter House will have a coffee bar, as well as the Dante Bar, with its signature cocktails, including boozy coffee and hot smoked toddy all served in mobile cups, along with the Negroni Bar.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There will also be two food trucks \u2014 one serving flatbreads, like the Verde, with spicy lamb sausage, mozzarella and arugula, and the Bianco, with pancetta, leeks, provolone and thyme, while another is centered around affogatos.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Dante Winter House pop-up, which launched Monday, is 10,500 square feet and comes with 230 seats, plus 10 at the bar.\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/01\/03\/one-chef-finds-silver-lining-in-covid-lockdown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#One chef finds silver lining in COVID lockdown&#8221; The pandemic has devastated the restaurant industry and the new Omicron wave continues to darken the picture, but there have been some bright spots for a lucky few. For Chef Franklin Becker, business is good \u2013 and the growth has been life-changing after the 52-year-old met his&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":389240,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/sized-franklin-becker.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[123038,120464,22512,71970,88416],"class_list":["post-389239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-1-3-22","tag-omicron-variant","tag-restaurants","tag-side-dish","tag-south-street-seaport"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=389239"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389239\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/389240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=389239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=389239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=389239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}