The Gourmet Recipe For Helping Survivors

By Josh Tyrangiel

As chef-owners of the trendy Manhattan restaurants Beacon and Ouest, Waldy Malouf and Tom Valenti like to keep things simple--and expertly cooked. Following the attack on the World Trade Center, they felt compelled to turn that tried and true approach to a different sort of nourishment. Windows on the World, the renowned restaurant atop the north tower, was gone, and with it a staff of 73, from dishwashers and busboys to managers and accountants. "We knew that a lot of them were at the lower end of the pay scale," says Malouf. "And we knew immediately that there were families and children who were going to need some help."

A benefit was suggested, but the two men ruled it out as too complicated and too much like a party. "It occurred to me I could do something immediate," says Valenti. "Open my doors and give away the house." Valenti and Malouf started working the phones, each calling three chefs, who passed the word to nine more, and so on. Participating restaurants would donate at least 10% of their Oct. 11 take to the Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund. The proceeds would go to the families of the estimated 250 restaurant workers in both towers who had perished.

At least 4,000 restaurants and nearly 1 million diners turned out, raising more than $4 million as of last week. But Malouf estimates that 60% to 75% of the restaurant workers who died were undocumented immigrants. The real challenge will be getting the benefits to their families. But, says the determined Malouf, "we will take care of them." For expert conjurers, it's that simple.

--By Josh Tyrangiel