Clover is a better company today than it has ever been. We’re breaking records daily right now. Our food has never been better. We’ve never had access to the type of ingredients we’re using right now. Everyday there is something fantastic around the corner, a happy report in my inbox, a beautiful video about the Maine Tomato Sandwich that Lucia made, something fantastic I see when I walk into a restaurant, a customer telling me about how Clover has touched their life. Everything feels like spring. But I’m carrying a sadness in my heart.
We have to say goodbye to Vincenzo and it feels awful. I’ve known this for 2 weeks now. I’ve tried to push reality out of my mind. It doesn’t matter that I don’t want it to be true, it’s there even if I’m trying to focus on other things. And while I’ve been putting off writing this post, I’m not the only one who loves Vincenzo. Many of you reading this have been touched by Vincenzo. I need to share the news.
And darn… now I’m crying a bit as I type.
For those of you who don’t know Vincenzo he was one of our earliest employees. He was a student of Rolando (our chef at the start). They ran into one another on the T when Rolando was coming back from a farmer’s market with supplies for Clover and struck up a conversation. Vincenzo started moonlighting at Clover while he worked full time for the Four Seasons. I would meet him at 5am over at Nuestra (now Crop Circle Kitchen) and we’d load the truck and get the day started. I offered him one of the first salaried jobs at Clover to come run the Dewey Square truck in 2010. He was the head of mobile restaurants for a while. Then ran Kendall Square for 2 years. And most recently he has worked at Clover as an Area Manager and then Production Manager. Enzo has touched a lot of people.
We’re building something complicated and difficult and important and beautiful in creating Clover. Vincenzo has been a part of it all. He is unlike anybody I’ve ever known. There are a lot of people who work to hide who they are, even if subconsciously. Vincenzo never gives you the feeling that’s what he’s doing. He’s 100% himself and it’s liberating and inspiring to be around him.
Vincenzo is leaving Clover to work as an R&D chef for a company called Chew Innovations. They are lucky to have him. I’m sure Enzo will do amazingly wherever he is and we all wish him the best in his endeavors. We’re wishing you the best in your new role Vincenzo!
How lucky we are to have come to love somebody we will miss so dearly.
