Jessica Muszynski

I’ve worked all the different aspects of the front of the house, um, man I’ve done dishes, but I’ve never done anything cooking-wise so it would be something that I would love- ’cause I just- I wanna learn everything about, you know, the restaurant and the hospitality industry, so I think it would help me round out and, you know, see it from a different perspective.

– Jessica Muszynski

New Jersey native, with an Italian and Hungarian background, waiter/bartender Jessica Muszynski offers a unique take on the food industry and how it has evolved over the years. She discusses the importance of hospitality within the industry as well as how her extraverted nature plays a role in the work she does. The death of Anthony Bourdain weighs heavy on Muszynski’s heart, as well as many other food industry workers that she knows, which leads to the discussion of mental health within the industry, support systems for workers who are struggling, and substance abuse problems in kitchens. Muszynski offers insight into her, and a few contemporaries’, process of opening their new restaurant, Palm & Pine, in the French Quarter. She hopes that this restaurant will give her an opportunity to get even more familiar with the industry and demonstrate how important hospitality is within restaurants.

Bibliographic citation for this interview:

Muszynski, Jessica. Jessica Muszynski Interview. Interview by Carrie Ledlow and Tara Simons. Videorecording, transcript, November 14, 2018. Service Industry Collection. Documentary and Oral History Studio, Loyola University New Orleans. https://vimeo.com/305070935

For more information about the Documentary and Oral History Studio’s interview collections and their use, please contact studio director Justin A. Nystrom. This interview and all related material including text and images are © 2018 Documentary and Oral History Studio, Loyola University New Orleans.