A year ago an old chef-friend, Robert Ribant, asked my advice as he opened his own restaurant.  As much as he tried and as much as I tried to assist, the under-financing of the venture, the size of the restaurant, a name (Café MeiMei {the name of Robert’s dog}) that to most diners signified an Asian spot (subsequently changed to Café Ribant which only furthered the confusion), the open kitchen generating heat into the dining room, the difficulty in finding staff to stick it out while business grew, inexperienced backers, and Robert’s idea to cook 4-star food in a tiny kitchen at very reasonable prices all conjoined to bring down the curtain after less than a year of operation.  It, once again, brought home the fact that did not matter how creative, inspired, and interested a chef might be – it does take more to make a restaurant work.  All young cooks should take heed!