Sean’s tools of the trade (from top left): vintage die-cast model of a London taxi; cuff links; custom Tricker’s brogues; antique “Greedy Gulper” large cup and saucer; Leatherman tools (two sets of pliers with an extension and assorted bits); silver wallet chain.

Sean Kavanagh-Dowsett
restaurateur

WHAT’S NINE-TO-FIVE LIKE FOR YOU?
Being in the restaurant and retail businesses with my wife means that our life is not run on a nine-to-five schedule. Part of the excitement is not knowing what the day might bring us from one moment to the next.

MOST REWARDING PART OF YOUR JOB?
One rewarding aspect of the job is that to date we have had over 20 members of our staff meet their life partners through Tea & Sympathy (including me and my wife), as well as at least 30 customers. We like to say that the children from these unions are made of Tea & Sympathy ingredients.

ANY TRICKS OF YOUR TRADE TO SHARE?
Attention to the details that matter is very important. When we started A Salt & Battery in 1999, we found that the basic potato used by fish-and-chip shops in the UK wasn’tavailable in America, so we spent three months finding the perfect potato with which to make the Great British chip here in New York. This attention to ingredients has always been at the core of Tea & Sympathy and A Salt & Battery.

WHEN DO YOU WEAR A SUIT?
Whenever possible. Sometimes at work it’s not that practical, especially when I have to fix a drain or an oven. I always like to wear a good suit on social occasions too (I have a reputation of being a bit of a dandy when I get the chance).

STYLE ICON?
James Bond—he always looked sharp no matter what. I remember seeing a Bond movie as a boy in which he was captured and brought aboard the villain’s vessel whilst wearing a diving dry suit, which he removed to reveal an impeccable white dinner jacket and bow tie underneath. The audience in the cinema spontaneously burst into applause, and I was immediately struck by how cool that was.

ANY HIDDEN TALENTS WORTH REVEALING?
I have a separate career on the side where I do voice-overs for commercials and documentaries. It’s something I fell into years ago, and I like that it gives me an opportunity to do something completely different.

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