Corner Table Talk

"My father said that when you look at the cultural traditions of people, the European cultural tradition is a generation makes a mask. They put it up on the wall, put a glass box around it, and they point to it and say that's the greatest mask that's ever been made. The African tradition is every generation makes their own mask. So what we see with this constant creativity, this constant improvisation is a very human, African, homo sapiens tradition of not taking something and classicizing it to the point that nothing can be created beyond it and the generations after just have to kneel. It's about moving the culture forward."  Raoul Roach

My guest is Raoul Roach, the son of the iconic and internationally revered jazz musician, Max Roach. Born in 1924, Max was firmly entrenched in activism, civil rights, and the social justice movement of the sixties and seventies. As a result, growing up, Raoul had a strong interest in social activism, being exposed to and mentored by some of the most pivotal black figures of that period, including Maya Angelou, Sonia Sanchez, Amiri Baraka, and Alvin Ailey.

Born and raised in New York City by age fifteen, Raoul was cutting his teeth working for his legendary dad, first as an office assistant, a roadie, and eventually Max's road manager, before ultimately producing several of his concerts.

As a 40-year upper echelon executive of the music industry, Raoul has worked with the biggest names in entertainment from Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, and Anita Baker. Raoul helmed the successful turnaround of Jones's Qwest Records as the organization's co-executive director.

Raoul also co-founded and pioneered Harry Belafonte's social justice entertainment enterprise, Sankofa.org, as the organization's co-executive director along with Gina Belafonte. Raoul executed the recruitment of artists and celebrities such as; Usher, Jay Z, Beyoncé, Jesse Williams, John Legend, Common, Dave Matthews, Carlos Santana, Michael B Jordan, T.I., and many more in coordination with grassroots organizations and activists to produce, films, music videos, social media campaigns, PSA’s, concerts and major festivals. These initiatives raised resources for non-profit organizations as well as awareness to impact social movement and social justice.

Currently, Raoul is coordinating along with his siblings Max Roach 100, an 18-month international centennial celebration of his father's music and life that includes film, documentaries, social media, concerts, exhibitions, new and previously unreleased recordings. Experience the groundbreaking sounds of bebop pioneer and virtuoso composer Max Roach, whose far-reaching ambitions were inspired and challenged by the inequities of the society around him. "American Masters – Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes" premieres Friday, October 6 at 9/8c on PBS.

HOW WE MOVE

Stay tuned to the end of the guest interview when international speaker, writer and diplomat Ambassador Shabazz (daughter of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz) spends a few moments unpacking the discussion and highlights some of the interesting people, places and things that have her attention.  

Instagram: @Corner Table Talk  and @Post and Beam Hospitality

LinkedIn: Brad Johnson

E.Mail:  [email protected]

For more information on host Brad Johnson or to join our mailing list, please visit: https://postandbeamhospitality.com/

Theme Music: Bryce Vine

Corner Table™ is a trademark of Post & Beam Hospitality LLC

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"It's hard to hire female chefs. It's hard to hire African American chefs because there's just not as many people interested in it, which I'm like, yeah, and that's why we need to promote it, and that's why we need to give them opportunities far beyond what might seem reasonable because we want them to be the heroes so everyone else can look up to them.  Then we can actually bring real diversity into our kitchens."  Curtis Stone

Curtis Stone is one of the busiest chefs in the country between running his restaurants, appearing in countless television shows like Top Chef Masters (host), Netflix's Iron Chef, and Fox's Crime Scene Kitchen (judge), being a New York Times best-selling author of six cookbooks, and growing Kitchen Solutions, a collection of top-selling and best-reviewed cookware on HSN.

Obsessed with food from a young age, Curtis credits his mom and grandmother as his cooking and baking mentors. Following his passion, he began his culinary career as an apprentice at the Savoy Hotels five-star restaurant in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia. Three years later at the age of 21, he moved to Europe and sought out Britain's most celebrated chef (often referred to as the first celebrity chef), Marco Pierre White, to further his education and classical training for eight years. During that time, he was approached to co-host a television show, Surfing the Menu, traveling around Australia visiting food producers and cooking their produce. The show caught the eye of US producers that led to another television gig, Take Home Chef, and a subsequent move to the US settling in Los Angeles.

Today, Los Angeles-based Curtis' Michelin-starred restaurants include Maude in Beverly Hills named for his paternal grandmother serving refined, seasonally-focused Southern Californian cuisine, and Gwen Butcher Shop & Restaurant in Hollywood named for his maternal grandmother where he partnered with his brother, Luke Stone, to create an old-world, European-style butcher shop and an elegant restaurant using fire-based cooking techniques. 

Please join me, your host, Brad Johnson, and Curtis on Corner Table Talk as we learn more about what motivates him beyond creating beautiful and delicious food, sharing his philosophy and knowledge, and how he directs his actions to bring joy and create a positive community around him.

HOW WE MOVE

Stay tuned to the end of the guest interview when international speaker, writer and diplomat Ambassador Shabazz (daughter of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz) spends a few moments unpacking the discussion and highlights some of the interesting people, places and things that have her attention.  

Instagram: Corner Table Talk  and Post and Beam Hospitality

LinkedIn: Brad Johnson

E.Mail:  [email protected]

For more information on host Brad Johnson or to join our mailing list, please visit: https://postandbeamhospitality.com/

Theme Music: Bryce Vine

Corner Table™ is a trademark of Post & Beam Hospitality LLC

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"My journey has really been following the path throughout the African diaspora, on five continents, chasing the knowledge of essentially how through slavery, Africa changed the global culinary conversation."  Alexander Smalls

Alexander Smalls began his illustrious career as a restaurateur in the nineties and furthered my appreciation for low-country cuisine when he opened Café Beulah, his first restaurant with its butter-toned walls displaying framed sepia-toned family photos.  That's how I remember that room, it was elegant and it was beautiful. Alexander, of course, was an immaculate host. 

Prior to his restaurant career, after starring in Porgy and Bess performing at the Houston Grand Opera, where the production and Mr. Smalls won a Tony and a Grammy, he reluctantly left that stage telling the New York Times in 2020, "an operatic career was my dream, but I was not able to break that glass ceiling as an African American male." 

Alexander reinvented himself as a chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author, winning a James Beard Award for Between Harlem and Heaven. Several restaurants followed, including Minton's and The Cecil in Harlem, created with the rising culinary talent JJ Johnson. Using African inspiration to create a global table, the restaurant was crowned Esquire Magazine's "Best New Restaurant of the Year" in 2014.

Inspired by his world travels tracing the African diaspora's cooking techniques and culinary foodways, Alexander's newest venture is Alkebulan, the first dining hall in the world showcasing and celebrating African food. With locations in Dubai and London, he plans to bring the concept to multiple cities. 

Please join me, your host, Brad Johnson, in welcoming Alexander, who has emerged as one of the most important voices in the African-American culinary journey, to Corner Table Talk. 

* * *

Instagram: Corner Table Talk  and Post and Beam Hospitality

LinkedIn: Brad Johnson

E.Mail:  [email protected]

For more information on host Brad Johnson or to join our mailing list, please visit: https://postandbeamhospitality.com/

Theme Music: Bryce Vine

Corner Table™ is a trademark of Post & Beam Hospitality LLC

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"What we saw right away, and I would say that to anybody who engages in the fantasy of going into the restaurant business, in the end, it is not about the concept, it's about the people that work with you, work for you. Because if we didn't understand it was about the people, we would have died with one restaurant. I don't care how good your concept is."  Rick Rosenfield

Who doesn't like pizza? Whether a folded, oily, gooey slice consumed while standing at almost any pizza shop in New York City or at Mozza in LA where Nancy Silverton found a way to make pizza new again, this staple of the American diet is not showing any sign of slowing. My guest, Rick Rosenfield, certainly knows his way around a conversation about pizza. 

In 1985, this southside Chicago native and former federal prosecutor and defense attorney, teamed up with friend, Larry Flax, left their law practice in Los Angeles, and launched California Pizza Kitchen as an affordable, upscale pizza concept. Their first location  on Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills, put the West Coast in the national pizza conversation and through their own ROCK hospitality culture - respect, opportunity, communication, kindness - they quickly grew to 250 locations in the US and abroad.

Stepping down in 2011 from leadership at CPK when it was acquired by a private-equity firm, Rick recently announced plans to return to the restaurant world with the introduction of ROCA, a specialty, Roman-style, street food pizza take-out and delivery concept, now open in Pacific Palisades and soon to open in Marina del Rey, on the west side of Los Angeles. Using premium toppings and a three-day cold fermented dough allows for the dough to appear thick like focaccia but light and airy on the inside. When reheated, it's crisp but still light and airy. 

Please join me, your host, Brad Johnson, in welcoming and learning more about Rick, a true legend in the restaurant industry, to Corner Table Talk. 

* * *

Instagram: Corner Table Talk  and Post and Beam Hospitality

LinkedIn: Brad Johnson

E.Mail:  [email protected]

For more information on host Brad Johnson or to join our mailing list, please visit: https://postandbeamhospitality.com/

Theme Music: Bryce Vine

Corner Table™ is a trademark of Post & Beam Hospitality LLC

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Everything is in a cycle, and the cycle is dictated by the audience's needs and wants, the studio's needs and wants in terms of the financial bottom line, right? Those two very evolving organisms are always trying to sync into the right gear. So, I don't worry anymore because it always comes back around. You're in this long enough, you just go, all right, this is a cycle, it'll come back around."  Stephanie Allain

Stephanie Allain of Homegrown Pictures, is a prolific film and television producer dedicated to creating content by and about women and people of color with authentic stories, depictions, and representation. She began her career in the mid-80s as a reader at the elite talent agency, CAA, a job that required reading scripts and books submitted to the agency and providing coverage of the material, often the first barrier for further consideration and development. 

In her next position at Columbia Pictures, as one of only two African-American readers,  a young USC student found his way to her under the guise of interest in a job. Instead that student, John Singleton, pitched her Boyz in the Hood and the rest, as they say, is history. Stephanie worked with John Singleton on five movies: Boyz N the Hood (1991), Poetic Justice (1993), Higher Learning (1995), Hustle & Flow (2005) and Black Snake Moan (2006). She also produced Something New, Peeples, Beyond The Lights, Dear White People, French Dirty, Burning Sands, Juanita and Really Love. Her work has been nominated for numerous awards with wins from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, Film Independent Spirit Awards, NAACP and others. A few of her projects currently in production include her first documentary Untitled Billy Preston, and a limited series for HBO, Sula by Toni Morrison.

Amid a brilliant career, Stephanie became the first black woman to co-produce the Academy Awards (2020) and made history again by becoming the first woman of color to be named as President of the Producer's Guild of America (2022). Please join me, your host, Brad Johnson, on Corner Table Talk with this inspiring woman and Hollywood powerhouse.

* * *

Instagram: Corner Table Talk  and Post and Beam Hospitality

LinkedIn: Brad Johnson

E.Mail:  [email protected]

For more information on host Brad Johnson or to join our mailing list, please visit: https://postandbeamhospitality.com/

Theme Music: Bryce Vine

Corner Table™ is a trademark of Post & Beam Hospitality LLC

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"I have to say at some point I did have to see that resume. There was a point where if you were a newcomer, I had too much to do. I had people come in my office. When I got on a little further into the business. Rodney King came to my office because he wanted me to do a project with him. Sweetest, kindest, nicest man you ever wanna meet. Those kind of adventures, have filled my life. But Brad, you do know me also, that if nobody's there, I will talk to a chain link fence."  Dolores Robinson

Dolores Robinson may not be a household name, but I can assure you she is Hollywood royalty. A youthful 86 years of age, Dolores has been defying the odds her whole life. Finding herself single in 1974, she packed up her two kids into a green Volvo station wagon and headed west from Philadelphia to California to start a new life. 

College-educated, she accepted a job as a receptionist in a talent agency, quickly working her way up to a full-fledged agent. Just two years later, she founded her own management company, Dolores Robinson Entertainment, and became a trailblazing talent manager and power player who made her name when there were few women, much less women of color, with any influence on the business side of showbiz. She helped launch the careers of Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, Jada Pinkett Smith, Tea Leoni, Emilio Estevez, Mariska Hargitay and, of course, her own daughter, Holly Robinson Peete. The Personal Managers Hall of Fame inducted Dolores in 2017 acknowledging her as the first black female manager in film and television.

Dolores may be recognizable to some after appearing on Hallmark Channel's Meet the Peetes, a reality show with her family, Holly Robinson Peete, husband Rodney Peete, and one of my all-time favorite people on the planet, son Matt Robinson, along with her grandchildren. 

I asked Dolores to join me, your host, Brad Johnson, on Corner Table Talk to talk about her life, career, and share some of her wisdom from 40-plus years spent in the City of Angels. 

Photo Credit: Hallmark Channel

* * *

Instagram: Corner Table Talk  and Post and Beam Hospitality

LinkedIn: Brad Johnson

E.Mail:  [email protected]

For more information on host Brad Johnson or to join our mailing list, please visit: https://postandbeamhospitality.com/

Theme Music: Bryce Vine

Corner Table™ is a trademark of Post & Beam Hospitality LLC

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Miami has always been a unique place, right? In comparison to the rest of the states.  I feel like I'm in a different country and it's just so Caribbean, it's so island. So  the city is special in that way. Today there's this boom and the energy has shifted toward culture. And when I say culture, a cultural perspective of Miami being showcased as much as Latin culture is known here in the city. So that's been very exciting to see from  a food and beverage, perspective."  Jamila Ross

While we have had a fair number of well-known guests on our program, part of our mission is to also talk to people you may not know yet, but we think you will soon.

In fairness, the dynamic duo on the show today, Jamila Ross and Akino West, are not total strangers to media coverage. Their wedding in 2021 during the height of the pandemic was covered in the New York Times Style section. Attention as a budding hospitality power couple began buzzing in 2018 where they purchased a building in Miami's historic Overtown to open their first venture, the cool, chic, 22-room bed and breakfast, The Copper Door that captured the attention of Vogue. 

Akino and Jamila West met as culinary students at Johnson and Wales in North Miami, and both possess impressive culinary pedigrees. Jamila worked in management as part of the LA-based hospitality group, SBE, and Akino as a chef in esteemed kitchens such as the local Miami institution, Michael's Genuine, and as an intern at the three-Michelin-star restaurant, Noma, in Copenhagen, Denmark. Noma has been ranked as the number one restaurant in the world for multiple years.

In 2021, the couple opened Rosie's, a brunch focused pop-up restaurant, serving a feel-good, soul food brunch with subtle Italian nuances and classic techniques. It became a huge hit. Recently, Rosie's found a permanent home in the hip-insider Miami neighborhood, Little River. I can tell you from having experienced Akino's food and Jamila's skilled and detail-focused hospitality, these are two people to watch.

Join me, your host, Brad Johnson, along with these two talented entrepreneurs making a name for themselves and illuminating the way forward for the next generation, on Corner Table Talk. 

 * * *

Instagram: Corner Table Talk  and Post and Beam Hospitality

LinkedIn: Brad Johnson

E.Mail:  [email protected]

For more information on host Brad Johnson or to join our mailing list, please visit: https://postandbeamhospitality.com/

Theme Music: Bryce Vine

Corner Table™ is a trademark of Post & Beam Hospitality LLC

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"When I do anything, I like to break all the bricks. What was here before Lincoln Center was old San Juan Hill, a very affluent or a very popular Afro-Caribbean, Afro Latino area. It just spoke to me. It was like, I'm supposed to be here. I'm supposed to revive the stories of the people and give a voice to the inaudible and that's what the restaurant does. It tells a story of New York, but not the New York that I guess the affluent think of. For me, it's the story of immigrants, it's Puerto Rican it's Dominican, it's Jamaican, it's Nigerian, Senegalese, like all these things for me made New York special."  Kwame Onwuachi

As a 40-year veteran of the restaurant industry, it gives me so much pleasure to see the mainstream recognition and opportunities for success afforded to the talented generation of people of color pursuing careers in hospitality. This group of entrepreneurs and chefs is making a name for themselves illuminating the way forward for the next generation.

My guest, Kwame Onwuachi, has racked up a pretty impressive list of accolades including one of Food and Wine's Best New Chefs, Esquire Magazine’s 2019 Chef of the Year, and The San Francisco Chronicle said that Kwame was the most important chef in America. That's a big title and quite an accolade. He is also the creator of the Family Reunion, an annual multi-day event that takes place in Middleburg, Virginia and celebrates diversity in the hospitality community.

In September, 2021, Kwame hosted the esteemed James Beard Awards having previously won the Rising Star Chef of the Year award in 2019. He is also the author of a memoir, Notes from a Young Black Chef, that is being adapted into a feature film. Raised in New York City, Nigeria, and Louisiana, Kwame most recently opened Tatiana restaurant at Lincoln Center in New York City.

Join me, your host, Brad Johnson, and Kwame as we learn more about this young talent on Corner Table Talk. 

* * *

Instagram: Corner Table Talk  and Post and Beam Hospitality

LinkedIn: Brad Johnson

E.Mail:  [email protected]

For more information on host Brad Johnson or to join our mailing list, please visit: https://postandbeamhospitality.com/

Theme Music: Bryce Vine

Corner Table™ is a trademark of Post & Beam Hospitality LLC

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Remember, 1992 was the year that Naughty by Nature had a huge song called O.P.P. It was a megahit. Jonathan [Editor-in-Chief] asked me if I wanted to write an article about Treach from Naughty by Nature. I was like, heck yeah. He didn't tell me that Albert Watson was shooting the cover, the famous photographer Albert Watson, and he didn't tell me that my story was gonna be the very first cover story for Vibe Magazine."  Kevin Powell

Finger on the pulse is often used to describe someone who has the ability to read the ongoings of culture, synthesize the information, and in the case of my guest Kevin Powell, write, speak, produce, and publish work that chronicles our collective experience.

Many people remember him from the early nineties in the MTV series, The Real World, where he was an original cast member. I became aware of Kevin when he joined Quincy Jones as a senior writer and part of the editorial team at the startup and groundbreaking Vibe Magazine. Since then, Kevin is the author of fifteen books including his new collection of poetry, Grocery Shopping with My Mother. In the works is a biography of Tupac Shakur, utilizing Kevin's treasure trove of interviews and conversations, several gathered while a senior writer at Vibe, and his first documentary film, titled "When We Free The World," about healthy manhood vs. toxic manhood, about fathers and sons. 

Following in the footsteps of Toni Morrison and Nikki Giovanni, Kevin is a writer in residence at Prairie View A&M University in Texas for the 2022 - 2023 school year. As a highly involved human and civil rights activist, he is a leader in the movement to redefine manhood away from sexism and violence; has a deep responsibility to mentorship and development of people of every age as agents of change; and is committed to voter education and empowerment.

Kevin is a longtime proud resident of Brooklyn, New York and it was great catching up with him. Join me, your host, Brad Johnson, and Kevin as we honor one of the most celebrated political, cultural, literary, and hip-hop voices in America on Corner Table Talk. 

* * *

Instagram: Corner Table Talk  and Post and Beam Hospitality

LinkedIn: Brad Johnson

E.Mail:  [email protected]

For more information on host Brad Johnson or to join our mailing list, please visit: https://postandbeamhospitality.com/

Theme Music: Bryce Vine

Corner Table™ is a trademark of Post & Beam Hospitality LLC

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I been honest

I've had my heart broken like promise

I been decolonizing my closet

I been intentional with my dollars

I been

 

I been learning boundaries

I been done with jobs payin hourly

I been thinking a lot more while I'm showering

I been putting my 10,000 hours in

I been thinking bout ownership

I been thinking bout how nah I don't really think I want the sh*t

I been thinking bout meaning

I been thinking bout us 

I been thinking bout freedom 

 

I been thinking bout loyalty 

I been loving more openly 

I been collecting more royalties

I been flourishing whether or not you notice me 

Excerpt from I Been by Def Sound  Watch video

Anybody who has lived in Los Angeles, loves music and quality programming, is aware of KCRW, the listener supported NPR station that streams worldwide. They play an eclectic mix of music that often can't be heard anywhere else. As a fan of the station, I love what they do. I've discovered so many artists and new music there. One day, I heard a track by my guest. I was really taken by the flow and the lyrics of what I was hearing. The track titled I Been is by Def Sound, hip-hop artist, published poet, and designer with his own line of clothing.

Born and based in South Central Los Angeles, Def describes the music as a synthesis of hip-hop and his Afro-Latino roots using music and poetry as a healing mechanism while weaving together a tapestry of triumph, levity, ancestry and power.

As an extra special treat, my son, multi-platinum recording artist and songwriter, Bryce Ross Johnson aka Bryce Vine, agreed to join me on the podcast as co-host in between tour dates. Together we spoke with Def about being a young artist, Los Angeles, life, and art.

Join me, Brad Johnson, for this inspirational conversation exploring the story and rise of Def Sound as he pursues his dreams.

* * *

Instagram: Corner Table Talk  and Post and Beam Hospitality

LinkedIn: Brad Johnson

E.Mail:  [email protected]

For more information on host Brad Johnson or to join our mailing list, please visit: https://postandbeamhospitality.com/

Theme Music: Bryce Vine

Corner Table™ is a trademark of Post & Beam Hospitality LLC

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.