Yannick Benjamin was born and raised in the heart of New York City. His parents immigrated from France and worked in the hospitality business. Over his formative years, he also developed an affinity for the restaurant/hospitality industry, and at age 13 decided to dedicate his life to it.
Yannick worked in his early years at Le Cirque, Jean-Georges, Felidia and Atelier at the Ritz Carlton. In 2003 he was in a car accident which left him paralyzed from the waist down. Driven to continue working in the field he loved, now from a wheelchair however, he has blazed a trail for others to follow. In so much, Yannick is a co-founder and director of development for Wine on Wheels, an organization that helps recently disabled people.
Earlier this year, Benjamin and partners opened the barrier free restaurant Contento (in East Harlem, New York), with the ethos and tagline “accessible for all". Among the things which make it just that are menus which help the visually impaired, and tables and sections of the bar which are designed specifically for wheelchair users.
Yannick was kind enough to carve out some time from his busy schedule to join me on this week's QuadCast.
