WORKHORSE

The former “Mayor of Crazy Town”—executive assistant to restaurateur Joe Bastianich—tells how she got into (and out of) a backbreaking job in a dazzling world.

By day, Reed was a social worker, “helping Brooklyn’s homebound seniors, most of whom were past ninety and in varying states of decline.” In the evening, she dashed to her job at Babbo, one of the most sought-after restaurants in Manhattan. Squeezing her way through the narrow bar area known as the "pickle," she would arrive at the podium, from which she ruled over the seating arrangements of celebrities, foodies, wealthy diners, and anyone else lucky enough to get a table. The intense working conditions created deep bonds among the staff, and Babbo became Reed’s family and home. Still unable to make ends meet, she leapt at the position of assistant to the owner, Bastianich. In partnership with Batali, Bastianich was running a restaurant empire, an import business, a wine company, and a retail operation while also co-hosting MasterChef and constantly traveling the world. Fully engaged by the people, the food, and the glamour, Reed became addicted to her indispensability. With two phones permanently stuck to her hands and no personal life, she did the work of at least four people. By the time she realized her many sacrifices, she was on the job for 17 years and #MeToo had crashed up on the company's doorstep via harassment allegations against Batali. Change was long overdue. "I could get anyone to divulge their deepest fears and most guarded secrets as though asking them for the time, but nobody—nobody knew anything about me,” writes the author. In that light, the candor of this memoir is just one sign of Reed's personal transformation—a long, painful coming-of-age that led her to confront and break patterns that could have made her miserable for the rest of her life.

A generously detailed, juicy restaurant industry tell-all and a cautionary tale for young workaholics.