Silver Iocovozzi

CHEF AND OWNER, NENG JR.’S

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SURPRISED YOURSELF IN YOUR WORK?

A lot of people cry at the restaurant. I’ve worked in a lot of restaurants—I’ve never experienced such high levels of emotions from customers. I feel really lucky.

DESCRIBE A RECENT CROSSROADS AT WHICH YOU FOUND YOURSELF.

I was six months into the restaurant when my dad passed away. He had been sick with ALS [amyotrophic lateral sclerosis] for many years, and I had a feeling he would pass away during my first year open. I had to work through my grief and still am.

““A lot of people cry at the restaurant. I’ve never experienced such high levels of emotions from customers. I feel really lucky.””

WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE, WHAT WERE YOU KNOWN FOR?

I have always left things everywhere. Losing one shoe (“Silver One-shoe”) and wearing everyone else’s clothes.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS YOUR BIGGEST CONTRIBUTION TO CULTURE?

I opened my restaurant in a primarily white town to make a space of comfort and celebration and try my hardest to do it with a moral compass. Kitchens are some of the worst work environments to exist; I have done my best to change that with my team. The most meaningful interactions I’ve had are with other Filipinos or transsexuals who feel like they have found a place of their own—because they have!