On a recent afternoon, Lois Freedman, co-CEO and president of Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s renowned restaurant group, was busy overseeing the final touches at the new ABC Kitchens in Dumbo, Brooklyn. The restaurant was mere weeks from opening, and she had meticulously guided months of renovation, hand-picking everything from delicate glassware at eBay auctions to charming furniture from antique flea markets.
Now, her focus was on assembling and training the seventy new front-of-house staff members. “It’s like being a casting director,” she remarked with a smile. “Experience isn’t my top priority; I’m looking for personality above all else.”
For Freedman, this is far from her first foray into launching a culinary venture. She stands as the quiet architect behind the vast Vongerichten empire. For an incredible thirty-nine years, she has been Vongerichten’s steadfast partner, tirelessly opening one successful restaurant after another. The impressive tally now stands at sixty establishments globally, with fourteen gracing New York City alone.
“Jean-Georges was destined for greatness regardless, but it’s hard to imagine his journey unfolding quite the same way without Lois,” observed writer Amy Fine Collins, a longtime diner and admirer.
Despite her monumental impact on the fine dining scene, a career in high-end cuisine wasn’t an obvious choice for Freedman, who grew up in Queens. “Our meals were often canned or frozen,” she shared. “It was all about convenience, not healthy eating.” She inherited a meticulous nature from her mother, a homemaker who passed away from lung cancer when Lois was eighteen. After her father, an insurance salesman, remarried and moved on, Freedman found herself largely navigating life independently.
“I learned to rely on myself for everything,” she explained. “I had to work my way through school; there was no luxury of a safety net.”
She explored various academic paths, attending Queens College, the School of Visual Arts, the Fashion Institute of Technology, and the New School, initially envisioning a future as an artist or filmmaker. Her true calling, however, emerged at the French Culinary Institute (now the International Culinary Center). During her studies, she often walked past Lafayette, a new establishment in the Drake Hotel, captivated by the daily menus posted by its promising young Alsatian chef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
In 1986, Freedman applied for a kitchen position at Lafayette. She began as a commis, handling basic tasks like vegetable peeling. Over time, she advanced to poissonnier, where for five years, she expertly prepared hundreds of seafood dishes nightly.
“My arms were constantly covered in burn marks,” she recounted. While she enjoyed the demanding pace, she clarified, “It wasn’t about my passion for cooking; it was about mastering speed and precision.”
When Jean-Georges Vongerichten launched his own restaurant, Jo Jo, in 1991, Freedman joined him, transitioning from the kitchen to the front of house. Located on 64th Street, Jo Jo quickly became a hotspot, attracting supermodels, actors, celebrated literary figures, and influential editors.
For many years, Lois Freedman was the person to call for a reservation. She possessed an uncanny ability to recognize everyone, from neighborhood regulars to A-list celebrities (who, coincidentally, were often also neighborhood regulars). Her most memorable encounter? Spotting the real-life Betty Boop, Essie Fleischer, and her husband, Max, who lived nearby. “She had big, round blue eyes,” Freedman fondly recalled.
“You need to know how to engage with Martha Stewart, and you need to know how to engage with Taylor Swift – that’s Lois,” shared Michael Flutie, a model, talent agent, and a devoted regular at Jean-Georges’s restaurants who grew close with Freedman.
Vongerichten’s groundbreaking emphasis on seasonality is now recognized as a pivotal element in a broader movement that transformed American dining. His culinary innovations—like infused oils, delicate vegetable broths, and interactive open kitchens—are so prevalent today that their pioneering origins are often overlooked. “I mean, the molten chocolate cake is such an ubiquitous menu item now that no one would even think about where it started,” Ms. Collins remarked.
However, Vongerichten attributes many of the profound shifts in his approach as a chef to Freedman’s insightful “vision.” He recounted, “When I first began cooking at Lafayette, our cuisine was very creamy, very buttery, very rich. In France, restaurant cooking aimed to create dishes you couldn’t replicate at home, but Lois always reminded me, ‘Nobody cooks at home here.’”
“I believe she carved out a significant space in a business where women often went unrecognized,” Flutie stated. “She thrives on challenges. She is incredibly driven, works exceptionally hard, and expects the same dedication from everyone around her.”
As Vongerichten’s culinary footprint expanded, Freedman played a crucial role in re-envisioning the entire dining experience. “I wanted to bring the exceptional service found uptown, but infuse it with a more casual, relaxed vibe for our downtown establishments,” she explained.
Above all, Vongerichten expressed deep admiration for Freedman’s impeccable taste, and the invaluable fact that she “always tells it how it is.” He fondly quipped, “I like to have ‘Madam No’ next to me.”
The demanding world of restaurants, however, left little room for personal life. “I woke up one day and realized I forgot to have kids,” she candidly admitted. Ultimately, Freedman chose to adopt. Her daughter, Arju Frankie Freedman, born in Nepal, is now eighteen and preparing for college applications this fall.
Even today, Freedman maintains an exceptionally busy schedule. Beyond her executive responsibilities, she has taken to painting watercolors of the fresh produce featured on the menu for the new ABC Kitchens. She’s averaging two vegetables a day – a vibrant cauliflower here, a delicate radish there.
She firmly believes that every detail, both obvious and subtle, contributes to an outstanding restaurant experience. “Food is just one component; you leave a restaurant with a feeling,” noted Luigi Comandatore, Freedman’s co-CEO. “It’s an exchange of energy – the lighting, the waiter’s demeanor, how we discuss the food. And that emotional resonance? That’s all Lois.”