Photo by George Harris
Award-winning chef, hospitality industry advocate, restaurant consultant, and beloved culinary personality, Vincent Tropepe has been setting the restaurant scene on fire for the past two decades with his one-of-a-kind approach, understanding, and intimate relationship with ingredients that spans a variety of cultural denominations. These rare twenty-five nationally recognized certifications, in addition to his numerous degrees in the culinary arts, have made him a culinary giant in his field.
It is no surprise that Chef Tropepe has reached the level he has from working in some of the most respected kitchens from the age of 19. Alaine at the Essex House, SD26, Mr. K’s, The Rainbow Room, and the 21 Club are just a few places that were lucky enough to have him grace their kitchens. Tropepe was also the per diem Executive Chef aboard Air Force One for a total of 14 domestic flights for President Bush and Obama.
The two words that ring loud and clear from people that know both the man and the chef are authentic and modest. Although I will admit, I was somewhat nervous to interview the chef, by the time the interview was over, those two words were extremely accurate.
Tropepe, known for his no nonsense approach both inside and out of the kitchen in his sophomore literary work, holds little back. During lockdown, he put his time to good use as he wrote SLAUGHTERED: How Inconsistent Lockdowns Collapsed the Hospitality Industry During COVID-19.
“Day after day, I was watching one bad decision being made after another. And I simply couldn’t handle it anymore. The people making the decisions weren’t affected by the outcome, but if they would have been affected, their decision making would have been most likely different,” Tropepe said.
“The hospitality industry suffered the most casualties. As more and more time passed, I couldn’t understand why a qualified person from the industry did not write a book. Nearly twenty thousand books were published on the subject of COVID-19, but not one dedicated to the hospitality industry,” Tropepe said.
From politician’s hypocritical behavior, to the infringement of civil liberties and the concept of free enterprise, Chef Tropepe covers every base in his fifteen-chapter book.
“This was a very challenging book to write for a number of reasons. To start, I am not a political person. I have my views, and I am a very diplomatic and an independent thinker. It’s my belief that good policies know no political party. So, to write a book on a subject that collapsed my industry and that was so politicized was without doubt a challenge. Second is that COVID-19 isn’t over. We have seen a wide variety of variants and a new variant stemming from South Africa just recently. It sort of feels like this constant dark cloud over us,” said Chef Tropepe.
“There are a lot of unanswered questions and a lot of questions purposely unasked in my opinion. I believe that Dr. Fauci is not being as forthright as he should be and many things just make little sense. It’s a shame because for all the losses—the loss of life, jobs, careers, businesses—the truth is we will never get a full truth. We will be told the information that the powers that be want to tell us, and the American people deserve the unaltered and uncompromised truth. I can not make that happen, but what I can and did do was present the unaltered truth about what transpired in the hospitality industry. All I can do now is hope I did my part well enough,” concludes Tropepe.
And in fact he did. Chef Tropepe’s balanced and bipartisan approach shines through the entire book. The hospitality industry and those that dine and enjoy the many outlets of the hospitality industry should read this book and for sure this book will act as a bible that memorializes what transpired in hopes that the same mistakes don’t happen a second time.
SLAUGHTERED by Chef Vincent Tropepe is available exclusively through Barnes and Noble.
