Sisters Ali and Daryl Zweben, both graduates of the prestigious Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, began their hospitality journey long before school.
They are the fourth generation of Zweben’s to take on the hospitality industry by way of their wildly popular blog and Instagram account, The Sisterhood of the Unbuttoning Pants, which was prompted by endless requests from friends for restaurant recommendations.
Having delved into public relations, marketing and, of course, hospitality, the sisters have established themselves as sound contributors to the food world. Their unique voice and on-point-reviews have gained them an impressive following and they’ve become a go-to-resource for all things food, drink and dining in New York and beyond.
Their latest book, New York City Food Crawls: touring the Neighborhoods One Bite & Libation at a Time encompasses their first-hand account of the top restaurants, categorized by neighborhood. Some chapters include Arthur Avenue: The Real Little Italy, Red Hook: The Next Big Thing, Upper East Side: Where to Go for Food Amid the Fashion… and more!
BELLA sat with the fabulous sisters for a fun Getting to Know chat…
How and why did you start in this business?
We both grew up in the restaurant business and went to the Cornell Hotel School, so food and restaurants were always a part of our lives. We started our blog, The Sisterhood of Unbuttoning Pants because our friends were always asking us where to eat, and we wanted to write accessible, witty restaurant reviews that were still informed and intelligent.
Since writing your book, what has been your favorite moment to date?
Writing the book gave us the opportunity to seek out a lot of places that we wanted to try for some time, which was a lot of fun. We feel lucky to be able to promote the book together and have cool experiences like filming live tv side by side. Our favorite moment is probably hearing from unexpected people how much they enjoy the book, and how they’ve discovered new places to go because of it.
As sisters, is it challenging to work together or not?
Ha… Every work relationship has its challenges, but there is no one else we would rather be doing this with.
What do you hope people walk away with from reading your book?
We hope we encourage people to try something new, and dig deeper into all that this amazing food the city has to offer!
Beauty is…
Living life on your own terms and doing what makes you happy. We get a lot of joy from indulging in food and drinks, and sometimes there is beauty in having to undo a button!
We are happiest when …
We have family, friends, bites and booze!
Become a part of the Unbuttoning Pants community!
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unbuttoningpants/
Get the Book: https://amzn.to/2Ho7sDE
Learn more: http://unbuttoningpants.com/book/