A Restauranteur's Path to Innovation and Advocacy

Located on the bustling corner of King Street and Avenue of the Americas in New York City, the women-owned King serves up seasonal food influenced by southern Italy and France. It was the brainchild of Annie, Clare de Boer, and Jess Shadbolt, partners she met through her Brearley network in London, where she was working in finance and developing her culinary interests in her spare time. From pop up supper clubs to cold-emailing chefs for stage opportunities— unpaid internships to gain hands-on experience in a restaurant— Annie juggled multiple hats until she and her partners were ready to return to New York City to launch their own restaurant. With Annie taking on front-of-house duties and wine recommendations, and Clare and Jess in charge of culinary creations, King launched in 2016. They have garnered rave reviews from Grub Street to New York Times and Bon Appetit, and were named to Food & Wine's 2018 Best New Chefs list. Yet nothing could have prepared the trio for what the last year would bring. 

When New York City finally allowed restaurants to convene outdoor dining, Annie's business partners were stranded overseas and on maternity leave. She had to navigate regulations from multiple city government departments and ever-changing New York State guidelines to construct outdoor dining structures, while prioritizing staff health and safety. When King's planned reopening coincided with protests seeking justice for George Floyd, having a celebration during a time of national grief and trauma did not feel right. She made the decision to delay reopening and instead donated proceeds from its launch event to a BIPOC-centered community farm and education center. 

When King reopened for outdoor dining and COVID-19 vaccines were not yet developed, staff safety was Annie's top priority. "There is nothing normal about running a restaurant in a pandemic," she shared. "When I asked my team to come back to work, I did so with the full knowledge that they either had no choice by tot work, or they were doing so because of their love and loyalty to King. I don't take either lightly." 

Read the full story in our annual report.