At the Front of The House | Tocqueville By David Gerlach December 7, 2005

Jo-Ann Makovitzky may be the first person to greet you at Tocqueville, the restaurant she owns and runs with her husband, chef Marco Moreira -- but the sweetest gal in the room is Francesca, the couple's three-year old daughter who likes to wander through the room and greet the customers. "She knows how to behave in a restaurant," Ms. Makovitzky says.

Francesca isn't the only source of pride for this mother. She also beams about her other offspring: Tocqueville. "When I refer to Tocqueville, it is its own thing. It's this huge child that we all work for on a daily basis trying to get it reach its potential," she said.

And all the focus is working. Later this month, a new, larger Tocqueville will open just a few doors down from the current address. The original restaurant's trapezoid-shaped dining room has proved too small to handle the loyal following that has grown since the place opened in 2000.

"Imagine a Saturday night and waiting for six-top to turn and they are all waiting to go to the bathroom," she said, venting the frustration of having only one restroom. The new space will have four -- and also 25 more seats in the dining room.

Ms. Makovitzky is a restaurateur who feels such frustrations deeply. She has her hands in every aspect of the operation, from greeting guests to answering the phone to shaping the restaurant's stylish interior. And her attention to detail is evident at all times. Without blinking Ms. Makovitzky snaps from the conversation when she notices that a server has leaned against a light switch dimmer. She hustles away; the lighting is reset and then she falls back into conversation.

After graduating high school, this uber-owner studied at the Culinary Institute of America and cooked at Le Caravelle. But it was the front of the house that beckoned. After taking a job at Dean and Deluca (where she met Mr. Moreira), she learned the management ropes at Park Avalon. Simultaneously, she went into the catering business with Mr. Moreira, who already had a successful sushi-catering company, Marco Polo Caterers.

While a romantic spark lit fairly quickly between the pair, Ms. Makovitzky says "I think he immediately thought, 'I'm going to go into business with this girl." Their collaboration proved lucrative and they eventually opened a storefront catering operation in 1999 at the current address. Shortly thereafter a restaurant was born.

Stop by Tocqueville and there's a good chance you'll find Ms. Makovitzky She gets to the restaurant every day by 10 a.m. and can leave anywhere from 6:30 to midnight. The couple has a 15-year lease at the new space and the catering arm continues. Does she hope her daughter turns to a restaurant career in the future? It seems the wheels are already in motion.

© 2009 david gerlach | contact: davidgerlach at yahoo dot com