Photographed by Mimi Ritzen Crawford in New York City
Between his numerous restaurants and entrepreneurial endeavors — City magazine, Tasting Table and EBOOST — John McDonald hosts a small army of interns. Lucky for them.

John McDonald
EBOOST, Co-Founder

Advice I give to interns…
When you’re on the job, focus — really focus. If you’re checking your phone all the time or surfing the internet instead of looking for things to do, you’re going to lose out at the end.

The best interns always…
Ask a lot of questions but manage to make them good.

If I could intern anywhere I’d intern…
At Apple’s design department, the secret one.


Nick Wachs
University of Colorado Boulder, Student

This was my dream summer job because…
The EBOOST team is one of those rare organizations that exhibits new-age professionalism and provides an innovative entrepreneurial atmosphere. What college intern wouldn’t be interested?

The most important thing I’ve learned so far…
Take advantage of great opportunities! Most great internships don’t last forever, so I need to squeeze everything I can out of this experience. I have gained insightful knowledge on a new brand’s identity, learned what it takes to manage a startup and made some valuable new relationships.

The best thing about being an intern…
The people! When you work with such a cool product, you are bound to encounter some great personalities.

Read more features from our Intern Issues, past and present.