Earlier this month, the midtown restaurant Feast celebrated its 22nd “lap around the sun.”
Doug Levy, chef and owner of Feast, wrote a letter to thank everyone who’s dined at the restaurant, shared memories with his dishes, and simply showed up when times weren’t the easiest.
Instead of paraphrasing the gratitude he shares with his staff and community, here’s what Levy shared online:
“Thank you, guests of Feast, first and foremost. I told the staff the day before we opened that they didn’t work for me; all I did was open a place where people could come and let the crew work for them. Please know that we all appreciate your support over these past 22 years, whether you join us daily, weekly, monthly, or occasionally. Thanks for celebrating your birthdays and anniversaries with us, for letting us be part of your engagements and weddings, your board meetings and memorials. We’re honored to be a part of your orbit, and we extend to you our sincere gratitude.
Thank you, people who’ve worked at Feast. Those of you who’ve come in to cover one another’s shifts, who’ve come in to get a catering job out at two in the morning, who’ve driven to Nogales or Marana or headed out with me to Paso Robles to put out a dinner in winery caves, or who’ve run to the grocery store on your way into work or between the lunch and dinner rushes to grab whatever we were shorted on the produce truck. Thank you for making it seem like things were going smoothly when they weren’t, thank you for working a Saturday night and then coming back in on Sunday morning, and for working when you were stretched impossibly thin.
Thank you, purveyors of Feast. Thanks for driving halfway to Phoenix to pick up the wine that didn’t make the truck in time for a wine dinner, for putting three cases of short ribs into your car, for special ordering the thing that a guest wanted despite the fact that we don’t buy that much other stuff from you. Thanks for taking our calls and texts six hours after your work day is over because that’s when we realize that we sold twice as much salmon as we expected to. Thanks for growing Jimmy Nardello peppers for us when no one else would.
Thank you, colleagues. Thanks for letting us borrow everything from octopus to plastic wrap to Armagnac to a dishwasher. Thanks for swapping stories and warnings about the new rash of rooftop break-ins or counterfeit 50s, and for staying open later than we do so we can grab a bite or a drink after a rough night.
And thank you, family of Doug. I’m always delighted to walk into work, but I can say this: when I pause and breathe for a few moments, and when I thumb through the catalog of memories we’ve made here for 22 years, I’m supremely grateful to all of you who’ve gotten us here. Thanks, everyone, for giving us our 22nd birthday.”
Feast is located at 3719 E. Speedway Blvd. For more information, visit eatatfeast.com.
