Famed Chef Vivian Howard Brings a Vending Fridge to Raleigh | Eater Carolinas

"When chef Vivian Howard announced the temporary closure of Chef and the Farmer in Kinston, North Carolina, after 16 years, it left a huge void for fans and industry folks wondering when the PBS star would reopen. Howard has been rethinking the restaurant model in response to staffing and sustainability challenges—she lost talented cooks who wanted daytime hours and a better work–life balance, and she recalls that for the first ten years the restaurant was only open five days a week so the team could count on two days off. Her hope when she does reopen is to operate Thursday through Sunday and rely on Viv’s Fridge to keep delivering chef-driven cuisine to people without filling seats; even when eating items like tomato pie or sausage biscuits with rosemary gravy from off-site outlets, “you can taste us in it.”" - Jenn Rice