The staff that reads together…

Ris Lacoste worked 24/7 for 14 months when she opened her namesake restaurant, Ris, in Washington, D.C. When the chef-owner finally took a much-deserved Mexican vacation, she lugged along 12 books and read nonstop. “I was so inspired when I came back, that I wanted to turn everyone on to reading. Since I had a new team, I felt I could positively influence them through the books I chose,” she says. 

Lacoste set up a lending library of sorts in the restaurant, choosing food-related books such as Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and The Food of a Younger Land by Mark Kurlansky “that can teach the staff how I think about food. I want to provoke thought and get them as passionate about food as I am, then pass that passion on to guests,” she explains. She purchases 20 copies of each book and everyone from a line cook to hostess is encouraged—but not required—to read as much as they’d like.

“It’s been very rewarding to hear their reactions to the books,” Lacoste relates. “One of the waitstaff was even quoting passages during our pre-dinner meeting.”