One of the restaurant community's most admirable attributes is its collective generosity. Here's an example: When news got out that Coup d'etat chef Tommy Begnaud was seriously injured in late March after being hit by an unlicensed and uninsured drunk driver, the team at Travail Kitchen & Amusements put out an all-points bulletin among its eating-and-drinking brethren, then set aside a date (Sunday, May 17) for a fundraiser in their Robbinsdale restaurant.
"[Tommy] had a GoFundMe me page set up by friends," said Travail's Megan Leafblad. "We were going to contribute to that and then thought we could throw a party, have a good time and raise a bunch more money. It was clear that his lost income and healthcare costs, etc., would far exceed the GoFundMe."
Throw a party, indeed. The roster of chef, bartender and restaurateur participants reads like a Who's Who of the Twin Cities dining landscape, including:
Jesse Held and Kim Tong of Borough/Parlour and Coup d'etat and the upcoming Monello/Constantine
Brian Werner of Heyday
Adam Gorski of La Belle Vie
Travis Serbus of Lyn 65 Kitchen & Bar
