From 9/11 ruins, a restaurant's new spirit

The spring rolls are made with Maine lobster and minted sweet potatoes. But there was another ingredient central to their preparation: tears - of grief, perseverance, and finally relief.

They trickled down Antonine Lindor's cheeks one afternoon this week before the tasty appetizer was served to a select few diners at Colors restaurant.

This new upscale eatery is a dream come true of the surviving staff of the renowned Windows on the World, the restaurant that once commanded a view of all New York before it was destroyed on 9/11. And Ms. Lindor, a single mother who works as a cleaner here just as she did at Windows, is filled with emotions as tender and complex as the flavors on the plates she helps clear away and wash. That's in part because she and the other 50 or so staff also own this elegant place.

"I never thought that what happened would ever have happened," she says of the restaurant's opening, her English halting with a gentle Creole lilt. "But God let this happen, which is why I now feel so very happy."

From the grief and fear that rose with the smoke from the rubble of the World Trade Center, the surviving Windows workers decided to build a better future. Seventy-three of their co-workers were killed. And the 350 that survived all lost their secure, good-paying union jobs. With the economy also in disarray, more than half were still unemployed more than a year after the attacks. Many found solace, and one another, at the Restaurant Opportunity Center (ROC-NY), which was set up by a local union and foundations to help unemployed restaurant workers in the aftermath of the attacks.

There, former Windows workers like Lindor began to meet twice a week. It was like a family reunion and support group mixed into one. As they talked about the difficulty of finding a job, let alone one where they could make a decent wage and get a bit of respect, the idea of starting a worker-owned cooperative began to take shape. Such cooperatives are common in Italy and other European countries.

Lindor was working part time as a home health aide and house cleaner but still wasn't making enough to support her two boys. Her phone was even cut off. She thought the cooperative was a great idea, but not very realistic. Her opinion began to change, however, as she watched about 40 Windows workers start a catering business. She kept contact with them, but they didn't yet have a job for her.

By the summer of 2003, with the help of the ROC-NY and a $500,000 grant from an Italian food cooperative, the Windows workers dedicated themselves to creating their ideal restaurant. After more than two years of work, Colors was set to finally, formally open Thursday night. It is both a tribute to their 73 co-workers who were killed and an experiment designed to provide a model of elegance and equanimity. The workers are determined to earn a star or two for their service and cutting-edge international menu, which is inspired by favorite family recipes from the workers, who come from more than 22 countries (thus the name Colors and the massive map of the world that dominates the long, mahogany-lined dining room).

The kitchen and work areas are also ergonomically designed to protect the sous-chefs, runners, and dishwashers from the burns and injuries common in the high-pressure world of first-class kitchens. And the day-to-day operations are managed in a way that everyone has a say - from Lindor, whose job is to dust, scrub, and clean without being seen (if at all possible), to chef Raymond Mohan, who's charged with turning the employees' family fare into haute cuisine.

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