Chris’s Short Take: The End of an Era… the Start of Another

Yono Purnomo.  The name is synonymous with the highest quality fine dining north of New York and has been for decades.  The venerable Chef and his lovely wife Donna have been the heartbeat of philanthropic events and organizations since they bought the 21 Club back in 1982.  The Culinary Cornucopia for their scholarship fund is an event I was humbled to be asked to take part in a few years ago, this is a picture of the entire crew that night, a fabulous time for all involved. 

The Albany Chef’s Wine and Dine for the Arts is arguably the biggest and best-known culinary event of the year here in Albany, and it was the Purnomos brainchild from the start.  Now all that is changing.  Enter Dominick Purnomo, son of Yono and Donna, who is taking over the business as his parents step away for a well-deserved retirement.  If you’ve been to dp An American Brasserie or Yono’s you’ve seen him, because he, like his parents before him, has become the life’s blood of Purnomo Hospitality.  And he cuts a striking figure in his impeccable suit as he greets his guests and guides them to their table.  (Let’s face it, the guy makes 007 look a bit unkempt,…)

I too took over a family business a long time ago, under different circumstances, and I can feel the exhilaration, and trepidation in all this, but Dominick is the perfect, if not only, man for the job.  On to the next chapter…