F&W Pro

Communal Table Podcast: Why We Must Take Care of Vulnerable Workers

Win Son's Trigg Brown listened closely for guidance from authorities, but it was slow in coming. He took action to protect his team.

By

Kat Kinsman

Updated on April 28, 2020

Chefs and restaurant workers take great care of everyone else, but often they need a little help themselves. Each week, Food & Wine senior editor Kat Kinsman talks with hospitality pros about they manage their business, brain, and body for the long haul. Is there a topic you'd like to know more about or a guest you'd love to hear from? Tell us at fwpro@foodandwine.com or tweet to Kat @kittenwithawhip, and subscribe to the weekly Food & Wine Pro newsletter. Subscribe to the new Communal Table YouTube page and never miss an episode. Catch up on previous episodes here.

Episode 68: Trigg Brown Talks About Why We Must Take Care of Vulnerable Workers

When it became evident that the COVID-19 pandemic was going to hit New York, Trigg Brown had some tough decisions to make. As the chef-partner of Win Son and Win Son Bakery in Brooklyn, he was listening closely for guidance from authorities, but it was slow in coming and he did what he thought was best for his team—including setting up a fund to protect people who were ineligible for help from the government. Brown took time from his intense schedule of prepping for delivery service and being the parent of a newborn to talk with Food & Wine about valuing the people who do the toughest jobs in a restaurant, getting sick himself, and how he distributed the cash to people in an equitable way.

Note: Because the podcast had to be recorded in a less than ideal setup, the sound quality may not be as crisp as usual. We're all doing our best.