A Restaurant Without Barriers

Lidia visits Contento, the East Harlem, NY restaurant of sommelier Yannick Benjamin. Paralyzed in a car accident, Benjamin’s restaurant is barrier-free for those with disabilities. He also co-founded Wheeling Forward, a nonprofit that supports and empowers people with disabilities, as well as Wine on Wheels, a sister program that raises awareness and funds for disabled people in the wine industry.

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Contento is a "barrier-free" restaurant – made accessible for people with various disabilities - blind, deaf, intellectual disabilities, wheelchair, etc. Tables are spaced far apart and the bar is at a low height for people in wheelchairs, menus are available in Braille, they offer adaptive forks and knives, etc. It’s also located at the border of a rich neighborhood and a poor neighborhood, and the dishes are priced to be accessible for most. The restaurant gives him an opportunity to challenge other obstacles in the hospitality industry, including inclusive hiring practices and reasonable pricing. "We think food and wine should be equitable for all."

After being paralyzed, sommelier Yannick Benjamin left the hospital feeling lucky. He says, "I had so much privilege and fortune and luck having family and friends supporting me." He has seen others who weren’t so fortunate. "Many didn’t have the resources to be able to go back to their homes, and instead had to go to nursing homes, and that seemed incredibly unfair."

View photos of Lidia's visit to Contento Restaurant in East Harlem

A longtime sommelier at the University Club of New York, Benjamin is currently focused on Contento, a restaurant in East Harlem. During the pandemic, when Yannick was forced to delay the opening of his restaurant, he took the opportunity to explore wineries nearby – in Maryland, Vermont, Virginia, Long Island, upstate New York – and it inspired him to add an "East Coast terroir" category on his wine list. There is also a "wines of impact" category, with wines made by people with disabilities and BIPOC and wineries that focus on social impact.

Working in partnership with Alex Elegudin, a friend he made in the hospital who was also paralyzed, Benjamin has founded Wheeling Forward, a nonprofit that supports and empowers people with disabilities. Benjamin and Elegudin also launched an offshoot called Wine on Wheels to raise awareness and funds for people in the wine industry with disabilities.