Chef Flynn McGarry Talks Cove, His New Restaurant

Cove, chef Flynn McGarry ’s new restaurant, emerged from a relatable New York reality: real estate.

“Two and a half years ago, we were nearing the end of our lease at Gem and kind of had to start thinking, what am I gonna do next?” says McGarry, seated in the airy dining room at Cove a few weeks before its public opening. Gem, the fine-dining tasting menu restaurant that he opened at the age of 19, and sister bar Gem Wine, have since closed — making way for the young chef’s next chapter.

“I took some time to reflect on what I really wanted to change from Gem, what I thought could be better,” adds McGarry, now 26, who still runs his design and cafe concept Gem Home in NoLIta. “And really landed on this idea that we needed more space, we needed more flexibility, we needed these things to