On the morning of September 11, 2001, renowned chef Michael Lomonaco was poised to start his day at the iconic Windows on the World restaurant, situated atop the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Fate, however, intervened when a sudden decision to have his reading glasses repaired saved his life. Lomonaco found himself on the lower levels of the tower when tragedy struck.
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As the executive chef, he had every intention of arriving at the restaurant for what would be an ordinary day. In an unexpected turn of events, he stopped at an optometrist’s office at the World Trade Center’s lower level, hoping for a quick repair. “At 8:15 I walked in and I said, ‘I have an appointment at 12:15, but I really hope you can help me now,’” the now 71-year-old chef recounted. His plea was met with immediate assistance, but while Lomonaco was in the exam chair, his world was irrevocably altered.
At 8:46 AM, hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower, sending shockwaves through the building. “The building shook,” he described. Almost immediately, panic engulfed the space as staff members rushed in to evacuate everyone. Outside the optometrist’s office, Lomonaco first caught sight of a piece of the plane’s fuselage on the ground. When he looked up, he was met with the devastating sight of smoke billowing from the tower, flames consuming the upper floors, and the realisation that his colleagues were in grave danger.
Concern overcame him as he remembered that the restaurant was serving breakfast to over 100 guests that morning, staff members included. Suddenly, a second wave of horror struck as United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower. “By the time I looked up, it was a fireball of an explosion,” he recalled. The emotional impact of the moment left him in tears, overwhelmed by the magnitude of the tragedy unfolding before him.
As chaos enveloped Ground Zero, Lomonaco felt an urgent need to stay near the restaurant, filled with an intense worry for his friends and colleagues working on the 106th and 107th floors. He recalled spotting staff members waving tablecloths out of windows in a desperate bid for help. The situation escalated drastically when the South Tower suddenly collapsed, disappearing in a cloud of dust that engulfed the streets below. “It just disappeared in a cloud of dust that looked like smoke,” he remembered vividly.
In the face of panic and uncertainty, Lomonaco ran a mile north to find his wife, Diane, who had emerged from her building in search of him. Their reunion was both emotional and surreal, and Lomonaco expressed profound gratitude that their timing allowed for their paths to cross amid the chaos. With disbelief, they watched as the North Tower fell, marking a devastating turning point in their lives and in American history.
In the immediate aftermath, Lomonaco learned the grim toll that the events had inflicted on the Windows on the World staff, with 79 employees perishing in the attacks. “There’s a deep sadness,” he told PEOPLE shortly after the tragedy, reflecting on the immense loss experienced by the restaurant community. Despite the heartbreak, he and his fellow industry colleagues felt compelled to take action for the families of the victims.
Together, they established the Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund, aimed at assisting the families of food service and restaurant workers who were killed on that fateful day. With contributions pouring in from individuals and businesses alike, the initiative successfully raised nearly $25 million to support those in need, helping with expenses related to healthcare, rent, and education for the children of deceased workers.
In the years that followed, Lomonaco has continued his culinary journey in New York City, viewing his work as a tribute to those who lost their lives on 9/11. He declined multiple offers to relocate, instead believing that staying in New York was the most poignant way to honour the memory of his friends and colleagues. “I felt from the very beginning,” he explained, “that staying here and working in New York was how I honour and pay tribute to my friends and colleagues.”
Most recently, in a fitting tribute to mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks, Lomonaco opened a new restaurant, Brasserie Cognac Américain, in midtown Manhattan. This venture, like so many others he has embarked upon since, is imbued with a sense of homage and remembrance. “Even now,” he stated, “opening a new restaurant, part of it is really to do this in honour and in memory of my friends, of my colleagues.”
As Lomonaco reflects on his daily work, he is unwavering in his commitment to honouring those who were lost. “I wake up every day with a small mantra to remember them and honour them and honour their memory,” he said, embodying the resilience not only of a chef but of a community that continues to rebuild and remember. A documentary short dedicated to Windows on the World will air on CNN on September 7, coinciding with a poignant moment in history.