Over the next 50 minutes he dangles one leg over the chair's arm, a black canvas, high-top shoe moving like a metronome. Melman holds forth on maturing and the peace of mind it brings. Of late, it is a theme to which he returns often. If this sounds like someone who has entered the next phase of his life, that is, indeed the case. But don't think for a moment that Melman is bowing out.
Competitive fires burn as brightly as ever.
Melman never has been interested in being the biggest or the richest, just the best, always pushing to stay a step or three ahead of the competition. Danny Meyer, chief executive officer of Union Square Hospitality Group, New York City, says Melman is as tenacious as he is generous. Rich is an extraordinarily competitive gentleman,'' says Meyer, who patronized LEYE restaurants as a college student. Later, he sought career advice from the college dropout. And we never worked for him.