Our Interview with Ina Yalof

04/26/18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDUZZPixlE

Our interview with Ina Yalof  Our family has been repairing and restoring family heirlooms for 65 years.  Steven still cares for some of the same watches his grandfather serviced years ago.  Caring for those pieces is a profound responsibility not only because they cannot be replaced, but also because of the deep sentiment that is attached to them.  Often we find ourselves listening to the reasons why that particular watch means so much.  We get to know the original owner and all those who inherited the piece and its story.  That is the treasure for us.  It is the part of our work that never gets mundane, it's always extraordinary.   This is why Steven felt it was so important to feature our customers on our YouTube channel.  So many of the stories are so interesting and meaningful, they beg to be shared beyond the scope of our counter.  One day Steven came home and asked that I do some research on his next interview, author Ina Yalof.  I had no expectations, but one quick Google search turned into hours of engrossing reading about her and her amazing work.  She is a prolific author who has explored a huge variety of subject matter throughout her career- everything from medicine to aging, spirituality and beauty.  I felt like I was getting to know her by reading her work.  I began to see her as someone with questions, who methodically and professionally found her own answers.  What was most striking about her work was her ability to embrace the whole story, to examine more closely all the moving pieces, to shine the light on the background players rather than just the star in a way that makes the entire picture deeper and more meaningful.  In her latest book, Food and the City: New York's Professional Chefs, Restaurateurs, Line Cooks, Street Vendors, and Purveyors Talk About What They Do and Why They Do It, she does not just focus on the celebrity chef or restaurateur.  She talks to the line cooks, the street vendors, the waiters - everyone who has a hand in making up the culinary life of New York.  She sees the value in the stories that may seem smaller at first, but with the right voice are rich and captivating.  By the day of the interview, I was more than excited to meet this fascinating person who I envisioned so vividly from her work.  She far exceeded my expectations.  Steven told me, "From the minute you meet her, you'll feel like you've known her all your life. She has something about her that just makes you comfortable."  He was right.   We talked for hours. It felt like sharing the morning catching up with an old friend.   Watches are a link to the past.  We can almost touch the old moments as we watch the same hands carefully count each new second.  It was a privilege to listen to Ina tell the story of her watches.  She is born storyteller and her love story is one you will not want to miss.