DelcoReviewSpring2017 - 12

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Be Nice...
March, 2017. I had the distinct pleasure
of attending a Commencement Ceremony
on the 12th of March, 2017, where
my son, William Lochetto (pictured),
Culinary Arts, graduated from the
Restaurant School at Walnut Hill
College. The ceremony was held in the
Irvine Auditorium at the University
of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Irvine
Auditorium is a performance venue
designed by the firm of prominent
Philadelphia area architect Horace
Trumbauer and built 1926-1932. The
Auditorium is notable for its nearly
11,000-pipe Curtis Organ, the world's
22nd-largest pipe organ (by ranks),
originally built for the Sesquicentennial
Exposition of 1926 and donated to the
university in 1928. The building was
opened in May, 1929.
A persistent but untrue campus
legend holds that the building was a Penn
architecture student's design project that
received a failing grade. He was forced to
give up architecture to go into business,
where he amassed a fortune. Years later,
he made a major bequest to the university
in his will, but only on the condition that
his project be built.
The venue on this 12th of March was
filled with talent and enthusiasm, the
atmosphere electric! At the conclusion of
the ceremony, I left overwhelmed with
a great sense of pride. The greatest joy
of all, certainly, was my son's smile at
accomplishment and the inspiration of two
quotes recited that with hope, he will carry
with him through his career..."Success
is a journey not a destination" and the
other, simply, "Be nice!"
"Success is a journey not a
destination" ...The journey of life does
not end with one success or one failure,
with each we learn something valuable
as life throws challenges towards each
of us. We apply this "lesson in life" to
new challenges and opportunities as
we continue our journey and quest for
knowledge and new experiences.
"Be nice!" ... Spoken by featured
guest speaker, Jeff Benjamin. After having

12 | Spring 2017

Submitted by Tracy E. Price, Editor

been bitten by the hospitality industry
bug in his junior year of high school,
speaker Jeff Benjamin spent the better part
of the next decade managing high-level
corporate employees and executive dining
operations. During his time in the Big
Apple, Benjamin met and became friends
with Chef Marc Vetri, a Philadelphia
native who was also working in the city at
the time. When Vetri decided to return to
Philadelphia to open his own restaurant,
he enlisted Benjamin to be his general
manager.
In 1998, Vetri and Benjamin opened
Vetri Ristorante, an intimate fine dining
restaurant in Philadelphia's Center
City neighborhood. With Vetri's bold,
contemporary Italian cuisine and
Benjamin's thoughtful service style and
finely curated beverage program, Vetri
was an instant hit that earned universal
acclaim. Within two years of its debut,
Vetri received the Philadelphia Inquirer's
highest restaurant rating and Benjamin
was made a partner; this dynamic duo has
been rolling along ever since.
With Vetri and Benjamin at the helm,
the Vetri Family has grown to a total of

eight critically lauded restaurants - Vetri,
Osteria, Amis, Alla Spina, Lo Spiedo
and Pizzeria Vetri (with locations in
Philadelphia, Austin, TX and Washington,
D.C.). Throughout the years, Benjamin's
attention to detail has demanded that all
operations standards are met and remain
intact, with his vigilant eye ensuring that
the signature Vetri Family philosophy and
experience is always upheld for guests and
employees alike.
Outside of the restaurants, Benjamin
is a committed philanthropist. In 2009,
he and Vetri created the Vetri Community
Partnership. The organization's signature
initiative, "Eatiquette," is a school lunch
improvement program that currently
serves the Philadelphia and Austin
areas. Additionally, Vetri and Benjamin
are the founders of the "Great Chefs
Event," which brings together scores
of the country's greatest chefs to raise
money and awareness for the pediatric
cancer charity, Alex's Lemonade Stand
Foundation.
In March of 2015, Benjamin published
his first book, "Front of the House:
Restaurant Manners, Misbehaviors &
Secret," which pulls back the curtain to
depict all of the behind-the-scenes details
that go into an evening out, from staff
training and systems to the proper way to
deal with boorish over-imbibers, guests
who steal tableware, and the inevitable
amateur expert aka "wannabe sommelier."
"Have you encountered a snafu,
a situation marked by errors or
confusion? What are you going to do?"
"Be nice!" states Mr. Benjamin, inspired
by "a cheesy 80s movie," Road House,
starring the late Patrick Swayze. In Road
House, Swayze plays Dalton the Cooler
(head bouncer) brought in to clean up a
tough, road house bar. In his "infamous"
speech, Dalton talks to the staff about
how to handle angry customers. As
anyone in any business of service is
aware, anger can be a trigger for many.
It creates an immediate psychological
reaction in the recipient, and that reaction
is different for everyone. While there are
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