Support Food + Beverage Workers Affected by the Texas Hill Country Floods

Our hearts are with everyone in the Texas Hill Country.

Southern Smoke provides financial relief during the recovery phase of disasters. We’ve committed $150,000 to support affected F+B workers and are prepared to do more. Sysco will match up to $15,000 in donations to amplify our impact.

The Hill Country Relief Fund application will open August 15. For urgent needs like medical or funeral expenses, F+B workers can apply now through our existing relief fund. Our Behind You program also offers no cost counseling to F+B workers.

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Ed
Chef Image
Szymanski
New York, NY /
Dame, Lord's, & Crevette
WHERE WILL I BE COOKING:

Ed Szymanski began his culinary training at Pitt Cue in London (while completing his degree at the London School of Economics) before crossing the pond in 2014 to work at the Spotted Pig. He rose through the ranks of the New York City dining scene, becoming Head Chef of the Beatrice Inn in 2017. In 2018, Ed became the Executive Chef at Cherry Point, where he earned a rave two-star New York Times review. Ed and his partner Patricia Howard started Dame as a pop-up in March 2020. Dame, the brick and mortar seafood restaurant, opened in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village in June 2021. Their second restaurant, Lord’s, an English bistro, opened in October 2022. Both restaurants have garnered a devoted local following and national audience for their casual approach to elevated modern English food. In 2023, he was named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs. In 2024, he was nominated for a James Beard Award as Best Chef in New York. Their most recent restaurant Crevette, a European seafood brasserie, opened in February 2025.