Unreasonable Hospitality - a book pairing

“Service is black and white. Hospitality is color.”

This month’s book pairing is Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara. Part memoir, part business how-to, Will Guidara offers insights that are applicable to everyone, and I mean everyone. His story offers us a new way to think about the work we do and the relationships we have with our friends, family, neighbors and co-workers. Early in the book, he says “Service is black and white. Hospitality is color.” In the age of the service economy, Will Guidara invites us to shift our perspective from service to hospitality in every sphere of our life. If you’ve watched The Bear, I think you’ll love this.

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Unreasonable Hospitality

Smells like: fresh herbs, garlic, heat, seared meat, caramelizad sugar, freshly laundered chef’s coats.

Looks like: bubbles in sparkling wine, candlelight, freshly ironed dress shirts, glittering earrings and high heels.

Tastes like: a perfect manhattan, rich dark chocolate, a medium rare steak, scallops that melt in your mouth like butter, asparagus so perfectly cooked it could be a whole meal itself.

Sounds like: cocktail shakers, the soft hum of restaurant chatter, “behind” and “corner” and “yes, chef!”, laughter somewhere close enough that you can hear it but too far to be in on the joke,

Feels like: a crisp table cloth, heavy silverware, the blush in your cheeks after the first cocktail, the heat of the fire in the kitchen.

Pairs well with: The Bear and Shauna Niequist’s Love Letter to Restaurants

A Love Letter to Restaurants

Favorite quotes:

“Service is black and white. Hospitality is color.”

“It feels great to make people feel good.”

“Tap into their passion and then give them the keys.”

“Adversity is a terrible thing to waste.”

“Always be on the lookout for the legend”

“Nobody knows what they’re doing before they do it.”

Meet me in the comments!

What are you reading right now?

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Writing is how I make sense of the world and is worth doing whether or not I ever make a dime, but at the same time, someone has to keep the kids alive while I write down all the things I’ve been meaning to tell you.

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