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[Ambient music plays.]

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Michael Anthony: "I got lucky."

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"I did not see this chapter in my life coming."

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"Maybe that was a lesson in life ..."

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"That, as we grow older, sometimes

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we become a little less receptive to surprise changes in our lives."

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"The day I showed up here, I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge."

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"I was thrilled to see it firsthand."

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"There was no turning back. I've been here since."

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"During my time as a student in Bloomington, I most definitely

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"did not know that I wanted to work at a restaurant and become a chef."

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"And the openings that I achieved through

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"studying languages at Indiana University gave me an introduction to a world

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"that I wouldn't have had, you know, had I pursued a much more tactile approach to working."

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"With a little hindsight, I think that a lesson learned

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"from the path that I took is that, if you continue to follow your heart,

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"boy, it's surprising how many interesting things you might find."

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"Walking in the door every day,

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"you feel a sense of responsibility to uphold all the work that was done before us."

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"I've been here for 12 years now,

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"and you learn something new every day."

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"Gramercy Tavern is -- each and every day, with every dish and every gesture -- a story."

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"It's a story that we're telling. It's supposed to be unique to this place, and hopefully unique to this specific time."

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[Music grows more energetic.]

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"You cannot hold back."

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"It's such a big and busy and beloved restaurant that there's no hiding."

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"Of all of the things that I learned as a university student, I love the fact that

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"I learned to polish my reading, writing, and speaking skills."

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"Every single day that I work in a restaurant, the way in which we are able to process information ..."

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"... the way in which we communicate that and share it with people ...

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"is the essence of who we are and how successful we become."

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[Music fades away.]