I wrote this book by myself, for myself. All views are my own and don’t reflect those of the owners or staff at Marigold.

As a hospitality consultant who works with restaurants and hotels all over the world, this experience was unlike any other. I wanted a record of what it was like to run a restaurant during a global pandemic. I wanted to remember the challenges we faced, the decisions we made, the failures we experienced and the successes we enjoyed.

Furthermore, I took thousands of photos with my phone over those months. At the time, I snapped shots to share with the Marigold community through social media and newsletter. I see now the photos capture the raw conditions and emotions of the time. Not only the exhaustion, uncertainty, stress and frustration but also the camaraderie of a small but mighty restaurant family and the sheer tenacity of its owners. More than 100 photos taken during the lockdown and shortly thereafter animate the pages.

This book offers a peek behind the curtain of what it was like to run a restaurant during one of the most tragic periods of modern history. You’ll get to know Marigold and the seven members of the Marigold family – Sofie, Domenico, Doris, Libby, Pablo, Rafiq and myself – who kept it going during extraordinary times. I hope that reading it will give you a greater appreciation for the people who run these businesses, the servers and the dreamers alike.