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Michael Lomonaco, former executive chef of Windows on the World - the restaurant at the top of the World Trade Center, joins James O'Brien to commemorate the 25th anniversary.
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0:00
Michael, thank you so much for joining us today on what, I mean, is obviously for you a unique moment
0:07
There are two elements to my first question, really, because the fact that you were essentially on your way upstairs to the restaurant
0:16
when you decided to stop an optician on the ground floor to get your glasses adjusted
0:20
puts you in that extraordinary position of having missed it by a wafer of fate, as it were
0:28
And then, of course, what happened subsequently. So I thought I'd start with a nice, easy question
0:33
How has it changed you? Well, that is a good question. Well, of course, you know, it changed my life from the minute all of this happened
0:48
And but I think it gave me the resolve to continue in the restaurant industry to be, you know, as a chef to continue
1:02
Really with a mission to honor the memory of my friends and colleagues who who perished on that day and to do that in New York City, where I was born and where I've always worked
1:14
but the compassion that we feel for others shouldn't just come at the loss of their lives
1:23
The compassion, the kindness that we show others, particularly in the workplace
1:30
a very high-pressure workplace like a restaurant, I think that we need to show people compassion
1:37
throughout our relationship with them. And I think that it just really focused me on the individuals lost and the lives that we cherish
1:51
Can you take us back to that morning and the realization that something utterly extraordinary was happening
2:02
Something unfathomable, really, because I presume the brain goes into a sort of denial mode or something when the evidence starts reaching your eyes and ears. Yeah
2:12
Well, you know, the majority of people were seeing this live on television all over the world
2:19
And those of us in the street had no idea what was happening
2:24
Now, I was in the building. I was in the concourse level, which is just below both towers
2:32
There was a shopping center. So I was in that concourse level
2:37
And I felt the building shake. but I had no, I didn't have any idea what that could have been. And I, you know, the subway
2:48
our subway, our metro ran really adjacent to the, that whole lower level concourse level. And I
2:56
thought that can't be the subway. And even when I got outside, the visual before me was of the fire
3:03
engines right on the street. We had a firehouse that was directly across the street from the
3:09
World Trade Center. And I saw the fire engine out. So I thought, okay, there's a fire
3:14
And then the sky was littered with paper. There was just like confetti floating down. So this is
3:23
all very, you know, disconcerting, very confusing. That was my, those were my first images. And it was
3:30
it was really, it took, because of where I was physically, geographically, I was south of
3:38
south, I was south of building two, which, which was the second building to be hit. So I was south
3:46
of building one, and building two. So I had no idea of the impact, where there were other people
3:53
in the street who were north, and could see what had happened. So I, you know, really had no idea
3:58
and it was minutes that had gone by before someone said a plane struck the building
4:07
Did you believe that? I couldn't believe it because, you know, I spent my, my office was on the 106th floor
4:14
and I saw planes, aircraft going by all the time. And it just didn't make sense to me because, you know, this was
4:23
there were flight paths around there because of an airport that was not too far away in New Jersey
4:30
So it just, it didn't make sense. None of it made sense. James, until I heard
4:35
I heard the second plane coming in. And as I heard that, as I heard the sound
4:43
I looked up and saw the impact of the second plane. And then I knew exactly what was happening
4:48
I knew exactly that there was no accident. There was nothing accidental that had happened
4:55
but there was something quite deliberate and evil. And at that point
5:01
the scale of the imminent death toll became clear as well I mean you know that many many people are not going to get out of that building alive I don think anyone ever imagined
5:14
the buildings would collapse. Right. So when you see the impact and when you see the damage to the building
5:26
and you see the fire, you know that there there will be there will be people who will be lost but the idea that the
5:37
buildings would collapse i i don't think it occurred to anyone until still to this day people
5:43
say things like that but um you know that they they evap where i was in the concourse lever they
5:52
were very swift in evacuating us very swift you know they it was really within 90 seconds
5:58
they were i was out of the building so you know there were pill there were people coming out of
6:04
the buildings from the lower floors for that period of time before the collapse and do you
6:11
remember the collapse or is it is it blurred with footage that you will have seen subsequently and
6:18
and replays or do you remember the the physical real actual moment you know i i was heading
6:25
And after the first impact, I actually went to look for a phone to call my wife and to call the owner of the restaurant
6:33
And I did. I found a phone, street phones, pay phones. They don't even exist anymore
6:38
But at that time, there was still a few around. And I made those phone calls
6:43
So, you know, minutes are going by. And then I headed back to the buildings
6:48
I headed back to the World Trade Center campus. you know in 1993 at the bombing i had very clear images memories of people coming out
7:00
of the buildings and they were covered with soot and i i don't know why but i was going back to the
7:06
building to be able you know i had people who were working that morning i knew there were people
7:11
in the kitchens in the restaurants and i thought you know if i could help at the plaza level if i
7:18
could be of any help but it was then that the second the second plane struck and I stayed
7:28
away from the immediate area of the World Trade Center in other words within I was within a block
7:36
of within a street and I I walked north so that I could see I walked north so that I could see
7:44
what happened to Tower One. And so I was there as there were, you've seen the images of so many
7:52
people in the streets. So I was there and had a clear view of the first collapse. And at that
8:02
point, the police and, you know, really told every, you know, people started running north
8:07
from that collapse covered with with with the dust of the collapse and and that was just like
8:14
a cloud of that's that it looked like smoke but it was the dust of the collapse was billowing out
8:21
at street level so everyone started to run i ran north but there is that unbearable image of
8:29
some people waving a white tablecloth from the window of your restaurant from windows of the
8:36
world did you see that yourself did you yeah well that's that was really the reason I walked north
8:43
was I wanted to see what had happened you know I wanted to see what had happened to tower one
8:48
my tower the north tower and I could look up and see that you know that impact zone and above it
8:55
I could see you know I could see the building the smoke the fire and it was there that I saw people
9:04
waving napkins. You know, this was quite a high altitude, but the tablecloths were the image that really stayed with me
9:15
It was very clear in my memory. And they were your colleagues that were holding those tablecloths
9:23
and your guests as well. 79 employees lost that day and 91 guests at Windows of the World
9:31
I almost apologize in advance for this question, but I don't think the English language has a vocabulary to phrase it more sensitively or more intelligently
9:41
How do you process something like that? It took a long time
9:48
I mean, when you think about this, it, you know, we went into, you know, you have to keep moving
10:03
I don't mean physically, but, you know, the next day we were trying to identify who was missing
10:08
We had no idea you know really we gathered together through networking through the telephone you know calling people on that very night to the next day there would be a meeting and there were 150 people who gathered in another
10:24
restaurant in midtown manhattan to try to sort it out to see who was missing you know and um
10:30
who was working that day and but personally because you're asking me a personal question
10:37
You know, I had two, in my living room, I had two towers of CDs, you know, compact discs at that time, music, my music collection
10:51
I could not look at those two towers. I could not look, I did not, and I'm a music lover, could not listen to music for a month
11:02
I was in mourning, but I was trying to keep myself together because I know that other people needed me to be there for them
11:16
And did you reflect much, either then or subsequently, on the near-miss element of your own experience, on that fateful decision to pop into the opticians instead of hopping straight in the elevator and getting up to the restaurant
11:32
You know, I was always I've always been a very early to the kitchen and work through the day and late at night leave
11:42
That was my schedule was I was there at eight, eight fifteen every day and and and leave at 10 or 11 at night
11:49
And what I had an appointment on that very day, I had a 12 noon appointment
11:56
They gave me an appointment the week prior. Come at 12 noon and we'll take a look and see how we can fix your glass, you know, what we can do. And I got there a little bit earlier on that morning because we had an election day in New York on that day. It was primary day. It wasn't a final. It was primary elections
12:17
and so I was early because people don't vote as much as they should I voted and went to work and
12:26
you know it just felt like I can take the care of this right now and I walked in and that
12:32
happenstance that that last that just instead of going straight to the elevator making a right turn
12:39
going into this optometry shop saved my life, changed my life, and the lives of my family and
12:47
everybody that I was friends. It was lucky. It was just a lucky decision. A lot of people have
12:57
different kind of point of view, but it was lucky. And I think that's what helped me get up the next
13:05
day and say, I need to stand up for somebody else. I need to be able to be there for them
13:12
Which brings us to the Windows of Hope Fund that you're so heavily involved in. Tell my listeners
13:18
what that is and what you do. So, you know, the restaurant business is a tough business for so
13:23
many people and it's an entry-level industry. You know, there are so many people in the lower
13:30
economic tier who are working in different levels of the restaurant business as porters or
13:35
dishwashers or waiters and cooks are not highly paid. And we, a small group of us, two other chefs
13:45
the owner of the restaurant, a manager, we, three days later, we sat and talked about
13:52
we needed to do something for those families, the food service workers, the hospitality workers
13:58
Those families who were left behind without their, you know, without without they were left behind without the person who was earning the living in the family or at least contributing
14:11
It was just terribly distressing. You know, the restaurant world so often comes together to have fundraisers and charitable organizations oftentimes lean on us because the restaurant is at the heart of a community
14:29
So we created within a week a charitable organization. It was, you know, registered with the government as a charitable organization, a 501c3
14:41
That's what we call it here. and windows of hope family relief fund was meant to
14:47
what could we do for the families what were the three most important things well
14:53
emergency aid emergency funds health insurance which is a very american problem and education
15:01
for the children what are they there for so many of them had children that they've left behind
15:06
they were there to send their kids to school and we gathered people from the industry the restaurant
15:14
industry in new york and within a week we had 75 people at a meeting and this is where it comes to
15:19
you because you know there were once we started talking about this the world of food got behind us Restaurants in Great Britain in Switzerland in Italy in Japan in Latin America around the world began to raise money for our food service worker family
15:41
And we raised nearly $25 million over the next two years. And we had 252 family members, 150 families
15:54
There were 102 food service workers who were lost on that day
16:00
And we were able to help them in the immediate need. And then over the last 20 years, it's been a scholarship fund
16:07
And it's helped the families who wanted to send, to go back to, spouses went back to school to kind of re-educate themselves
16:18
And so it was family members and children. And until today, the last two are in graduate school today, who are finishing up in the next 12 months, their graduate education
16:28
So, you know, we were able to do this. And that was the most fulfilling aspect was being able to help the families and stay, you know, stay part of their lives, that their Windows family was still connected to them
16:45
That was my that was my next question, in a way. You've kind of answered it. How much you were able to witness the difference that the charity's money made. You can actually see the results, the benefits that these people have enjoyed
17:01
There's a marvelous book that was written about five years ago by a writer by the name of Tom Roston
17:09
And he wrote a book about windows, about the history. It's called The Most Spectacular Restaurant in the World
17:17
And now CNN has produced a film called Top of the World
17:22
and top of the world is a short documentary about the history of the restaurant from the very opening
17:29
in 1976 and that year 25 years ago would have been our 25th anniversary and that restaurant
17:38
would be 50 years old today and you know the people who work there 50 years ago still are
17:46
attached to each other in a way because it was such a special experience. And we, in my time there
17:53
in 1997, until the end of 2001, until the end, until that tragic day, we were had 450 people
18:02
working there. And they came from all over the world. We had people, we had 65 different languages
18:09
that were spoken there. It was an amazing experience. And I think there was such a connective
18:15
fiber that has stayed strong because it was a unique restaurant at a unique time that ended
18:22
in such a tragic way that bonded us. Finally, Michael, I'm speaking to you on Thursday. My
18:30
listeners will hear this conversation on Friday. So I'll ask you, if I may
18:35
what you will be doing tomorrow. So for me, me um 9 11 is a sacred day uh so uh i spend time in prayer and meditation not to sound too
18:51
you know but i really spend time alone and it's quiet time uh there are you know i know i know
18:58
colleagues who are having a reunion or having a chance to meet together and i know that they will
19:03
weep together. But for me, it's time to be alone. And I take it as a very solemn day
19:12
Only the families of the victims can go to the memorial ceremony. And I always spend time
19:21
at the memorial, watching, viewing this on television. But actually tomorrow, So unlike any other year, I have an interview, a television interview here
19:37
But the interviews are important, the opportunity to talk to you, because now you know people that I've known
19:46
Now you think of my Windows colleagues. You think of the people who worked in the restaurant
19:52
And there were nearly 100 civilians who were there for a private event that day, and quite a few of them were from Great Britain. So I think of them as well, because Great Britain was very, very important to New York City in the aftermath of this
20:10
You sent firefighters You sent police And they spent a period of time here
20:19
Supporting our fire and police departments So we have a great kinship between New York and London
20:25
Michael, you honour the memory of your colleagues And of your guests
20:31
And of course of everybody who died on that day And I'm very grateful to you for finding some time to talk to us
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