Change
There’s this saying in kitchens: “If you’re not moving forward, you’re not moving at all."
I’ve said it myself more times than I can count. But lately, I’ve been feeling the later part of that statement.
Last month, we lost two of our 2 longtime chefs. My collaborators and my left and right hands. That’s a gut punch no matter what. But what made it worse—what stung in a way I didn’t see coming—was how it all went down.
I had set up a stage for our chefs at Smyth. A chance for them to learn, observe, and absorb. I thought I was offering them an opportunity, a gesture of support, a vote of confidence in their growth.
Turns out, while they were staging, they were also taking new jobs.
I was furious. Not just as a chef or an owner, but as someone who believed in the people I was working alongside. It felt like betrayal. Like I’d been played. And yeah, for a minute, I aimed that anger at Smyth, too. It felt like poaching—like one of the restaurants I deeply admire and respect had reached into my kitchen, my heart and taken 2 people I couldn’t replace.
But after sitting with it—turning it over in my head and heart—I realized something:
this is just what change looks like.
It’s rarely neat. It’s never on your schedule. And it usually doesn’t ask for permission.
The truth is, people leave. They grow. They want more or different. And if I’m being honest, that’s something I’ve always wanted for them, too. I don’t want to run a kitchen that keeps people small.
So now the question isn’t what I lost—it’s what I get to build.
New blood means new energy. New minds, new palates, new stories. I’ve always believed in fostering talent, in creating a place where creativity can thrive. Now I get to do it again—with fresh eyes and maybe, a little less fear.
It doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.
But it does mean I’m moving forward.
Change is never easy. But in this business, it’s the only constant. And sometimes, it’s exactly what we need to wake up, refocus, and remember what we’re building—not just who we’re building it with.
Thanks for reading.
—Dan