I still have the photographs from the first time I went to Parker’s. My mom, dad, a boyfriend (whom it turned out didn’t deserve the meal) and I went to celebrate my 19th birthday. I can recall with Pavlovian hunger the rack of lamb I enjoyed; our waiter, whose distinctively flamboyant inflection on “yummy” has permanently entered our family lexicon; and how happy I was that everything was fresh, local, seasonal and organic. (This was the beginning of my own love affair with organic products, which has lasted far longer than the boyfriend.)
When I first learned that Parker Bosley would hang up his apron, I was beyond disappointed. As it turns out, I’m in good company — several local chefs named Parker’s as the restaurant they were most sad to see close. “Parker [Bosley] is iconic,” says Jill Vedaa of Saucy Bistro. “I just loved his food and I loved the way he did things, he really took the time.”
