Delancey: A Man, a Woman, a Restaurant, a Marriage

by Molly Wizenberg

When Molly Wizenberg married Brandon Pettit, she vowed to support him and work with him to make their hopes and dreams come true. Even when Brandon's enthusiasms-building a boat, constructing a violin, and opening an ice cream shop-turned out to be nothing more than passing ideas, Molly stayed by his side, supportive and optimistic.

So when Brandon decided to open a pizza restaurant, Molly was certain it would join the boat, the violin, and the ice cream shop on his list of abandoned projects. Before she knew it, he'd signed a lease on a space. The restaurant, Delancey, was going to be a reality, and all of Molly's assumptions about her married life were about to change.

The two partners gutted and renovated the space, built their own furniture, hired staff, and passed health inspections. When their restaurant turned out to be a success, Molly tried her best to convince herself she was happy in their new life. But that was before Halloween night, when she was forced to admit she hadn't been honest with herself or Brandon.

With twenty new home kitchen recipes and evocative photos by Molly, Delancey is a moving and honest account of how two young people learned to give in and let go in order to strengthen their bond and receive something more.

• ISBN10: 1451655096
• ISBN13: 9781451655094
• Publish Date: 8 May 2014 (first published 6 May 2014)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 256
• Language: English

Reviews

[Beth C.]

I am familiar with Molly Wizenberg's blog Orangette, but I have never read her first book. Nor have I ever been to Delancey to eat. My primary interest in this book was as part of a book club. Having said that - I found that I really enjoyed it. Her style of writing is sort of like sitting down with a slice of pizza and a beer and having long conversations.

Delancey is a pizza place in Seattle, and this is the story of the birth of that restaurant. It's also the story of the crisis the owners went through when it became apparent that the restaurant was actually going to be a reality. Running a business can be an all-encompassing way of life, and running a restaurant even more so. That makes it difficult when one partner is excited and the other...well...is not.

I didn't try any of the recipes, as there really aren't many and I was more interested in the story. I probably will get around to it at some point, but I was just enjoying reading. I will say that the next time I get to Seattle, I will look forward to visiting Delancey and feeling like it's a place where "everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came.".