02/23/2026
Change is good. Choosing you Urban Olive and Vine honors Carol. You are her legacy. Many people leave monetary things…she left you too soon but her heart beats with yours. Her light still shines through you. You may not see it above the noise but she is there. I chose things over my store - my daughter, my hubby(ish), my health and much more and it was the best decision I have made in a long time. You are braver and stronger than you know. ❤️
I have some news for you, and hopeful news for me.
URBAN WILL BE TEMPORARILY CLOSING.
Yes, I said temporarily. Not permanently.
Do not pay attention to any rumors you have heard because I have no idea where those rumors have come from. I'm surprised and or humored by some of them cuz they are things I have never said. I am the one that knows what's going on with me, my life, and our restaurant and I am the one that knows what I am trying to do about our business and my life.
Over the last couple of months things have gone downhill faster than I expected. My physical health has taken some hits, and my mental health has followed. Many of you have read pieces of that story, but not all of it. There are additional health issues and decisions I need to face, and the weight of these 16 months has caught up to me in ways I can’t ignore anymore.
Grief changes you. Losing Carol changed me in ways I’m still trying to understand. Her illness, the months in the ICU, losing her, and these past 10 months of learning how to exist without her — it has torn me apart. I don’t say that lightly. I’m exhausted. I have nothing left to give the way I used to.
Carol and I poured over 13 years of our lives into this place, 8 as the owners. Our plan was always to work hard, build something meaningful, and eventually move onto the next stage together. That didn’t happen the way we, or I, imagined. And coming to terms with that has been its own heartbreak.
Urban has always been more than a restaurant. Carol ran everything outside of the kitchen. She was the steady one. I’m a chef — that’s what I know. Doing all of this alone has been overwhelming, and lately it’s affected not just me, but the people around me and the business itself.
Because of that, I’ve made the decision to step away. I have to figure me out.
Urban will temporarily close this week after business on Saturday February 28th, while I focus on my health and figure out what the next chapter looks like. I don’t know exactly what that chapter will be yet, but I do know I can’t keep going the way I have been. My staff has known for a while, and a few select people around me. I had to get some things in order before I made it public.
I’m not asking for input or advice, and I’m not looking for a flood of opinions on what to do next, with my life or my business, or take in offers to manage or purchase the business. I can’t carry that right now. I have a small circle helping me navigate the future of Urban, and that is going very well, and that’s all I need now.
Now for the hopeful part:
Over the last couple of months, I’ve realized that stepping away this year wasn’t just a possibility — it was necessary. What I didn’t expect was how quickly that clarity would come. When I made the decision, less than 3 weeks ago, I felt something I haven’t felt in a long time: relief.
There have been some positive conversations about what Urban’s future could look like. Nothing is set. Nothing is guaranteed. But the current direction things are going has given me some hope and peace about our business.
And if that’s not how it unfolds, I will still know we gave it everything we had all these years.
I’m going to do what I can to drive Urban into the best hands possible. For now, I’m choosing my health. I’m choosing to breathe. I’m choosing to survive this current state I am in.
Thank you to the Hudson community for being with us the last 13 years, and especially the last 8 as owners of Urban. It has meant more than you know.
I have lots and lots of updates coming every day this week. You don't need to guess. Please don't comment that you think you know what's going on or you have inside information. And at the same time, if you do know something, because you have heard it from me, please refrain from speaking out about it. I would really appreciate it if I can update everyone throughout the week and give you all of the answers from the horse's mouth . All of your questions will be answered. At least questions about Urban going forward. My life, I still have to figure out.
I love and miss Carol so much. 😪💔
How I've been taking care of myself has not shown that love to her. Change is necessary.
I think that all of you sharing this post would help get the word out. I would appreciate it.
Please help me keep Carol's memory alive and help me help her help others by donating to the Carol Trainor Memorial Fund.
http://paypal.biz/caroltrainormemorial
