Delancey: A Man, a Woman, a Restaurant, a Marriage

Synopsis

In this funny, frank, and tender memoir, the author of the New York Times bestseller A Homemade Life and the blog Orangette recounts how opening a restaurant sparked the first crisis of her young marriage. When Molly Wizenberg married Brandon Pettit, he was a trained composer with a handful of offbeat interests: espresso machines, wooden boats, violin-building, and ice creammaking. So when Brandon decided to open a pizza restaurant, Molly was supportivenot because she wanted him to do it but because the idea was so far-fetched she didnt think he would. Before she knew it, hed signed a lease on a space. The restaurant, Delancey, was going to be a reality, and all of Mollys assumptions about her marriage were about to change. Together they built Delancey: gutting and renovating the space on a cobbled-together budget, developing a menu, hiring staff, and passing inspections. Delancey became a success, and Molly tried to convince herself that she was happy in their new life untilin the heat and pressure of the restaurant kitchenshe realized that she hadnt been honest with herself or Brandon. With evocative photos by Molly and twenty new recipes for the kind of simple, delicious food that chefs eat at home, Delancey is a moving and honest account of two young people learning to give in and let go in order to grow together.