Delancey

A Man, a Woman, a Restaurant, a Marriage

By: Molly Wizenberg

Narrated by: Caroline Shaffer

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 cream-making. So when Brandon decided to open a pizza restaurant, Molly was supportive—not because she wanted him to do it but because the idea was so far-fetched she didn't think he would. Before she knew it, he'd signed a lease on a space. The restaurant, Delancey, was going to be a reality, and all of Molly's 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 until—in the heat and pressure of the restaurant kitchen—she realized that she hadn't been honest with herself or Brandon.

With 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.

©2014 Molly Wizenberg (P)2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Very Interesting!

I found Molly on her podcast "Spilled Milk'" I was intrigued by this story. If you have ever wondered what it's like to start a restaurant, you will love this story.

Nice food memoir

I enjoyed listening to this story of a woman and how she was part of helping to realize her husband’s dream of opening a restaurant. The food sounds delicious and the description of the culture of the restaurant would make me try it, if it wasn’t completely across the country from me.

Reads as super pretentious

I wanted to really enjoy this book but it never seemed like anything more than name dropping and self congratulatory. It was not interesting or entertaining.