In New York wine industry circles, Yannick Benjamin is known as one of the top sommeliers. He learned his trade as a youth at places like Jean-Georges and Le Cirque. His work in hospitality took on new meaning in 2003 when he was in a car accident at the age of 25 and was paralyzed from the waist down.
After receiving a sommelier certification the following year, Mr. Benjamin began to put some of his energy into supporting other people with disabilities. He and a friend, Alex Elegudin, started the nonprofit Wheeling Forward, which offers a variety of services and programs. Another not-for-profit, Wine on Wheels, grew out of it, with Mr Benjamin using his connections to help raise money and “raise awareness in the hospitality industry that people with disabilities should be treated with respect and dignity”.
In 2021, Mr. Benjamin put his vision to the test by opening Contento in East Harlem with his friend George Gallego. The restaurant quickly became known as a model of dining accessibility, with modifications for wheelchair users, Braille menus and adaptive cutlery.
Mr. Benjamin, 46, was raised in Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan by French immigrant parents and last year opened Beaupierre Wines & Spirits in the neighborhood with his wife, Heidi Turzyn Benjamin. The couple lives in a two-bedroom apartment in the Concourse section of the Bronx with their dog, Amélie.
EARLY WAKE UP I like waking up in the morning. From about 04:30 to about 8:30, I am free from any kind of stress. It’s the time I own. I don’t have to worry about a phone call or anything like that. The first thing I always try to do in the morning — I have one of those little timers — I try to practice the “pomodoro” method. I’ll put it on for about 20, 25 minutes. I go straight to my fridge, drink a glass of water, electrolytes, brush my teeth. Then I go straight into what I call my own form of meditation.
ANCIENT TEXTS I am a big practitioner of Stoicism. Weekends are my time in the mornings to read. I often read many books: “The Reasons of Epictetus”; I read a lot about Marcus Aurelius. I love everything from Seneca. I will point out a lot of their stuff.
What is key for me is to write to myself in the same way that Marcus Aurelius did in the book Meditations. When he wrote this book, he wasn’t really writing it for others to read – it was a diary for himself. It’s a way of self-improvement, of questioning: “Wow, Yannick, why are you upset because the elevator broke down?” Or, “Was it really necessary for you to snap at this person?” Just ask yourself and make sure you get into good habits.
ADAPTIVE TRAINING Sundays and Saturdays are the days I like to really push my workouts to the limit, push myself. At least over an hour of cardio, which is my arm – the equivalent of a Peloton bike, but only for someone who’s upper body only, because I’m paralyzed, right? I make an adaptive leap. I do my adaptive burpees. I go to Access Initiatives, the health and fitness center, to see my colleague and friend George Gallego [the founder]. We’re going to do the New York Half Marathon [on Sunday] together. We’ve done a bunch of marathons together, full marathons. He is also my partner in Contento restaurant.
STRATEGY SESSION We love going to Contento. it’s closed on Sunday and it’s just nice to be in your own little place. We love to talk about what’s happening in the nonprofit world, what our next goals are. But also let’s talk about the restaurant.
I mean, there are ups and downs, there are downs. Especially at this time, the restaurant business was a bit challenging. Fortunately, we don’t have high overheads. we’re a small venue so that’s good. But we realize that we are in a city of 26,000 restaurants. And one day you’re like a cool kid and the next you’re kind of forgotten.
NOTRE DAME I usually like to pass by the church of Notre Dame. If there’s no Mass, I sit there and just do a little meditation, being quiet – more of a gratitude for all the good things in my life. I like the feel of the church. It brings me great joy to go there to find that peace.
One of my favorite quotes is from “Sound of Metal”. It’s about someone who’s deaf, and in one of the scenes he says, the world can be a damned hard place, but it’s those moments of stillness — that’s the closest thing to the kingdom of God, and those moments of stillness won’t never betray you. We need these moments just to get some clarity. Because we know we’ll be back in the rat race the next day.
FANCY CHICKEN One of my favorite restaurants is a place called Benoit. I might go there, have a little brunch or lunch with a friend. And I always like to arrange a good, solid meeting with someone I haven’t spoken to in a while. Usually, it’s about Wine on Wheels and what the future holds. Their grilled chicken is the greatest thing on earth.
WINES AND SPIRITS I am comforted by the fact that I was able to open a store in the same building where I was born and raised. Most people are sometimes traumatized. They just want to leave the place they grew up. And I understand that. But in my case, what an opportunity to be so close, next to my sister who lives one building above, to see my nephews all the time. My mom always comes down and brings me food. I’ve had some rough breaks in my life, but at the end of the day, I’m one of the luckiest people on earth.
MOM SPECIALTIES I know it’s not everyone’s taste, but I always say my mom is a maestro of organ meats. He will do either kidney, liver or something like tripe. It’s so good. It always surprises me. And then we catch up, and as you can imagine, we have a lot to talk about because my father just passed away. But he’s in a great mood. He is one of the strongest people I have ever met.
WINE WITHOUT JUDGMENT I really don’t drink that much even though I’m in the wine industry. It’s the one night of the week that I can actually have a glass of wine and not analyze it or judge it and just enjoy its simplicity, its stimulation. Me and my wife, we just enjoy each other’s company. And with our little dog, Amelie, we watch whatever’s on TV, have a nice chat and just keep things very simple. We really don’t talk about politics. We’re just talking about nothing, but nothing is great sometimes.
Sunday Routine readers can follow Yannick Benjamin on Instagram at @yannickbenjamin.
