One of my favorite parts of the job is attending friends-and-family nights. Most of the time, I see restaurants while they’re still under construction, so those events are often my first chance to experience the finished space, try the food, and see everything come together. It’s rewarding to celebrate alongside everyone who helped bring the restaurant to life and see the project finally open its doors.
How would you describe your design style?
I try to recreate and preserve the visual character of the city. I spend a lot of time looking at historic photographs and documentation, and as a sign painter, I feel a responsibility to help maintain the visual language that makes New York feel like New York. At the same time, every project is a partnership. The goal is to create something I’m proud of while also making sure it properly represents the business.
I encourage clients to look at historic photos of their building and neighborhood. New York has incredible archives that show what these places looked like decades prior, and those images often provide inspiration for signage today. Sometimes the best solution is simply adapting something that already worked fifty years ago and giving it new life.
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How do you position your work in the age of AI-generated design and inexpensive digital graphics?
What makes sign painting special is that it’s deeply human. Almost everything I do is made by hand, and that creates a natural connection to restaurants, where chefs are also making things by hand everyday. Hand-painted signs have soul. They’re not perfect, and that’s exactly what makes them special. The same is true of a great meal. You can tell that a real person made it.
Many of my clients want to communicate that they value things made by people. Even if it costs more or takes longer, a hand-painted sign demonstrates care and craftsmanship. That’s especially important in fine dining, where every detail matters. Hiring real artisans signals that level of attention to customers