I had never read the story behind April and her first restaurant, The Spotted Pig. I don’t think it would surprise many in the restaurant biz, but I love when someone so strong is picked from relative obscurity, dropped in a new city, and immediately kicks ass. I still don’t agree with her choice of Roquefort on the burgers, but I love how passionate she is about her choices and cooking in general.
Bloomfield’s enthusiasm is as boundless as her interests are narrow. One day, during a trip to London, she handed me her iPhone and told me to listen. I didn’t hear anything. “Take it in,” she said, putting the phone to my ear, like a conch shell. “It’s just amazing.” She had recorded the gentle hum of conversation in a pub, to use as a sort of lullaby.