Restaurant owner documents the hidden stories of immigrant kitchen workers who power america’s food industry

New York restaurateur Marc Meyer is shining a spotlight on the often-overlooked workers who form the backbone of America’s restaurant industry. In his new book “Voices from the Kitchen,” Meyer chronicles the personal journeys and daily struggles of immigrant staff members who keep his restaurants running, revealing stories that are rarely heard by diners enjoying their meals.

The book adds fresh perspective to a long-standing reality in American food service that the late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain frequently highlighted. Bourdain was vocal about the restaurant industry’s dependence on immigrant labor, arguing that these workers not only filled positions that many US-born citizens avoided, but often performed them with greater skill and efficiency. “The bald fact is that the entire restaurant industry in America would close down overnight, would never recover, if current immigration laws were enforced quickly and thoroughly across the board,” Bourdain told the Houston Press in 2007.

Meyer’s documentation project comes at a time when immigration policy remains a contentious national issue, while the food service sector continues to grapple with labor shortages and workplace challenges. By giving voice to the experiences of immigrant kitchen workers, Meyer aims to humanize a workforce that remains largely invisible to consumers, despite being essential to an industry that employs millions of Americans and serves as a cornerstone of the nation’s economy.