Where it all began:
“I started working at Time Out New York when I arrived to the city out of college. That was my first real job, and I landed in the editorial section of the magazine. I really would have taken any position, because I loved the magazine.
“I started reviewing bars and restaurants, the small ones that no one wanted to take, and writing about them for the magazine. I worked my way up and became the head food writer there four years later. I developed all this knowledge of the city's food and beverage scene. I was really lucky to land that position right away, because it was kinda glamorous and you got to dine out secretly and write these reviews. I didn't really know what I was doing but I just learned on the job. It was fortunate I started that way, because I was able to see what worked in the city and what didn't.”
How her first venture came to be:
“I fell in love with this little street in Chinatown called Doyers Street. I thought it would be cool to do a speakeasy cocktail bar on it, because it's in a lot of films. It’s one of those magical, kinda mysterious Chinatown streets. I started meeting with Chinatown brokers, and I would say, ‘Can you find me something on Doyers street?’, and they were like, ‘no, no you'll never get anything on that street.’ Four years later, this broker called me, and said she could get me this spot on Doyers street! I borrowed some money from my twin sister, we took cash advances on our credit card and signed the lease. I had no idea what I was doing! We just figured it out.”
Why she believes in risks:
“I started by taking a risk, having a vision. No one had done anything in Chinatown, so the rents were really cheap. It just turned out to be a really big success right from the beginning. New Yorkers love a secret, they love finding things and being in the know. It was this word of mouth thing that blew up!”