Opening the Clam

Restaurant Impresario Jeffrey Chodorow on what it’s like to be a lesbian trapped in a man’s body, er, a foodie trapped in a businessman’s body:

“Let me just say this to you,” Mr. Chodorow said over a table loaded with platters of soft lobster pancakes (“my favorite”) and gooey lamb spareribs. “Unfortunately most people – and we’re sort of changing that now – but most people thought of me as a wealthy investor guy who just invested money in restaurants. A business person who just opened up these mega-restaurants, and it was just about the money.”

“But that was so far from the truth,” he continued, sounding vaguely distressed as he picked at a dumpling with a fork. “You know how they say, ‘I’m a lesbian trapped in a man’s body?'”

Across the table, Karine Bakhoum, Mr. Chodorow’s friend and public relations adviser, dropped a chopstick. “Oh please, please!” she said. “Don’t print that! He’s a foodie.” She turned to Mr. Chodorow. “You’re a foodie!”

“I’m a foodie,” Mr. Chodorow said agreeably. “Trapped in a business person’s body. People say about me, I’d go around the world for the opening of a clam.”