It's been a big year for chef Gio Osso and his new restaurant, Virtu Honest Craft. The restaurant was nominated for the James Beard Award Foundation's "Best New Restaurant" award in February -- and that's on top of a heaping pile of love from local and national media alike. You'd think the chef would be drowning in résumés from cooks and servers wanting to work at one of the city and country's hottest restaurants right now. But that's just not true.
"It's been really difficult," Osso says. "We've been here less than a year, and there's been a lot of turnover."
And Osso's not alone. Restaurant owners and chefs have been telling me for months that finding good people is harder than ever. Everyone has their own ideas about why, but it seems they all agree that the number of people with dedication and drive -- for both the front and back of the house -- is dwindling.
