You may remember him as the heavy-handed money-man in the uncomfortably real reality series “The Restaurant” featuring the petulant pan-handling chef Rocco Dispirito. Jeffrey Chodorow agreed to sit down with The New York Times “Dining Out” section to talk about his growing empire. Why I ask?
Accompanied (and prodded) by his publicist, Mr. Chodorow struggled to convince the writer that he in fact is a “foodie,” and not just the money man who once served time in prison. One line: “…sounding vaguely distressed as he picked at a dumpling with a fork. “You know how they say, ‘I’m a lesbian trapped in a man’s body?'”
This obviously was an attempt for Mr. Chodorow to either feed his ego, be taken seriously and/or mend the reputational hit he took with “The Restaurant.” It didn’t work, in spite of the nice things respected restaurateurs Drew Nieporent and Danny Meyer had to say. If only they were the only ones quoted, this story might have satiated Mr. Chodorow’s appetite for positive attention.