Sixteen years ago, for students at the Culinary Institute of America, a core requirement was to complete an 18-week internship at an approved industry site. Multi-Michelin-starred restaurants and glossy legacy publications often topped the list for many. I’d blessedly received an offer from the prestigious Rome Sustainable Food Project in Italy—a victory that was short-lived, as bureaucratic red tape around my work permit ultimately prevented me from going. As a result, I was forced to take a very last-minute internship in upstate New York at one of the oldest restaurants in Saratoga Springs: Jerry’s.
My time there spanned “track season,” which runs from early July to early September. Having known little of horse racing, I was taken by this strange new world of equine royalty. The small, flat city of Saratoga Springs is handsome and well kempt, its perfect public spaces meticulously maintained by a round-the-clock crew. The Saratoga track has been hosting races since 1863, making it the oldest organized sports venue in the United States. The stallion Man o’ War, who is still considered to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, racehorse of the 20th century, was sold there.
