Corner Table Talk

One Mother’s Day, Yvonne Durant's life took an interesting turn while dining with her twin sister, Yvette, at the popular restaurant, The Cellar, on NYC's Upper West Side. "My eyes started to wander across the room to the front of the entrance. When a flash of orange [jumpsuit] caught my eye. I remember thinking Harry Krishna and going back to my salad. I think Yvette whispered 'Miles Davis just came in.'" recalls Yvonne. What ensued was romantic, frantic, and unforgettable.

In her audio memoir, Quite the Contrary, On Life, Work, and Loving Miles Davis, Yvonne vividly portrays a unique coming-of-age story as a trail-blazing career woman who was determined to design her course and succeed on her terms while maintaining her sanity in life, work, and love including an intimate account of her love affair with jazz legend, Miles Davis. It’s a rare glimpse into the life of That Girl or Mary Tyler Moore from an African-American perspective.

Yvonne was one of the few Black women writing ads for major brands in the ‘70s and ‘80s, beginning her career in New York City. Ultimately, she won a position at a global ad agency in Milan, Italy. While her career was exciting, it was a challenge to be self-defining in a Mad Men world that had little experience with or respect for Black experience.

Join host, Brad Johnson and long-time friend, Yvonne, as they recall the shared experience of NYC's Upper West Side in the 80's, Yvonne's interest and expertise in etiquette, her pioneering career journey as a copywriter and Audible editor including her experience in Milan, Italy. Yvonne provides an insightful look into her relationship with Miles that provides a peek into what it's like dating someone so creatively gifted and a celebrity as well as the moments that made it so special. Join us at the corner table!

Play Audio Book Trailer
Photo Credit: Audible Originals, LLC

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Making plant-based dishes fun and indulgent while honoring Southern foodways through the lens of her beloved Virginia childhood memories, Chef Shenarri Freeman, aka “Shenarri Greens,” is Executive Chef of Cadence, a plant-based restaurant with Southern soul in New York’s East Village. Chef Shenarri, a 2022 James Beard Award nominee - Emerging Chef, fully embraced veganism in 2017 as a means of putting her health first and taking control of her well-being. The result was a dramatic physical and mental transformation.

At Cadence, her Southern Fried Lasagna salutes the fact that this Italian dish is a staple in many Black households, including her family’s while growing up, as it is a shortcut to cooking during long work weeks. Chef Shenarri’s Palm Cakes are a love letter to the salmon cakes her mother served for breakfast, and her Smoked Grits are an affectionate nod to her grandmother, nicknamed the “Queen of Grits.” In fact, Chef Shenarri’s earliest memories are of sitting in her grandma’s lap and snapping pea pods while her grandma did her hair.

Cadence is part of Overthrow Hospitality, a mission-driven, plant-based restaurant and bar group founded by Ravi DeRossi, who is also Co-Founder of Death & Company, and a 2022 James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurateur. With its motto “Eat. Drink. Start a Revolution.,” it is reimagining drinking and dining in New York through inclusivity, sustainability and compassion.

Join host, Brad Johnson and Chef Shenarri as they discuss why this rising star adopted veganism and the health benefits. her views on plant-based meat substitutes like Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger, her determination when faced with new challenges, and Shenarri's career journey balancing her ethos with the compromises needed to helm a successful restaurant. 

Photo Credit: Sen Floyd Productions

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Instagram Corner Table Talk  and Post and Beam Hospitality

LinkedIn Brad Johnson

Medium Corner Table Media

E.Mail  [email protected]

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

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

© Post & Beam Hospitality LLC

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Brad Johnson turns over his hosting duties to guest host, James Beard nominated reporter for Eater Los Angeles, Mona Holmes, who turns the proverbial table on Brad Johnson to find out more about this career restaurateur and entrepreneur, along with his recent endeavor as podcast host of Corner Table Talk.

His career started in the mid-seventies at his father, Howard's legendary NYC Upper West Side restaurant called The Cellar and spots like the Twenty Twenty restaurant and cabaret, where he partnered with superstar songwriter, producers, Valerie Simpson, and the late Nick Ashford. Johnson also opened the New Orleans style hotspot Memphis in New York, before moving to Los Angeles in the late eighties.

Johnson made his Los Angeles debut opening the famed Roxbury in 1989 that had such an impact on club and nightlife culture, and was immortalized in the 1998 cult classic film starring Will Ferrell, A Night at the Roxbury. Following Roxbury, Brad opened Georgia in 1993 with a diverse group of partners including former Laker, Norm Nixon, Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy, Lou Adler, Connie Stevens and model turned restaurateur, Alvin Clayton. In 2012, Brad opened Post & Beam  in a historic black neighborhood in South LA that has evolved into a LA Times Gold Award-winning (2020), James Beard-nominated national finalist for Restaurant of the Year (2022).

During the pandemic, Brad launched a podcast after feeling the need to record diverse voices and their stories in an authentic way. The podcast, Corner Table Talk, is focused on Food + Drink + Culture and has featured an amazing range of guests including Ta-Nehisi Coates, Chef Marcus Samuelsson, Fab Five Freddy, and Regina King.

Johnson’s writing has been published in various publications including Oxford American (Spring Food Issue 2021: Peasant Food), James Beard Foundation, and Eater LA.

Having bussed tables, pulled out chairs for countless guests over the years, shaken many hands, struggled through slow nights, and co-hosted Oscar parties, learn about Brad and his journey into the restaurant business following in his father's footsteps, opening his first restaurant borrowing "street money" and his experience creating culturally significant and diverse restaurants.

Photo Credit: Frank Louis Photography for Ambassador Digital Magazine

Please follow @CornerTableTalk

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

For questions or comments, please e.mail: [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The actor, Clifton Powell has appeared in over 100 feature films and television shows with some of his most memorable roles being in major movies such as Clifton's role as Ray Charles' longtime band manager and friend, Jeff Brown, in Ray (for which he received an NAACP Image Award nomination), or as Cutty, with his cold whispering taunting of Lorenz Tate in the cult classic, Dead Presidents, or Selma, and Clifton's portrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King. Once you watch Clifton Powell on the screen, you do not forget him.

Sharing the same hometown as Marvin Gaye, host Brad Johnson has known this Mayfair Northeast, Washington, DC native since the late eighties, when they crossed paths in Los Angeles at the start of Clifton's career. Over the years, in his interactions with Clifton, he's the same humble, cool, warm and engaging person he was then. That's not to say he hasn't grown with Hollywood, fatherhood, marriage, age, and life experience, we're all constantly evolving, aren't we?

Brad has been looking forward to sitting down and reconnecting with his friend, Clifton Powell. In this episode, they discuss how Clifton's career has taken him places he never would have imagined despite not having a plan, his journey into an acting career, his experience hitting rock bottom 8 years ago and how it was the best thing that happened to him. Clifton connects Dr. Martin Luther King's The Drum Major Instinct speech to life in Hollywood and the danger of fame while also sharing some thoughts about "The Slap" and his son, Clifton Powell Jr. dating Sasha Obama.  Join us at Corner Table Talk!

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

For questions or comments, please e.mail: [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the way to Cleveland, Ohio to continue earning his chemistry and physics degree after his university in Senegal shut down due to student strikes, a young Pierre Thiam was waylaid in New York City having been robbed of his father's savings within one week of arriving. His introduction into New York City's restaurant world, borne out of necessity for survival and to avoid sharing the unfortunate news with his father, was where he found his calling.    

Today, Chef Pierre Thiam is a celebrated chef, restaurateur, award-winning cookbook author, lecturer, and entrepreneur. Born and raised in Senegal, he is known for his innovative cooking style, modern and eclectic, yet rooted in the rich culinary traditions of West Africa. He is the chef and owner of critically acclaimed Harlem restaurant, Teranga, which serves fast-casual West African fare directly sourced from farmers in the region. Recently, he moved to the Bay Area to raise his family.

Pierre is the author of three cookbooks including, The Fonio Cookbook, released in October 2019. He has won numerous awards and accolades for his cooking and advocacy.

His company Yolélé advocates for smallholder farmers in the Sahel by opening new markets for crops grown in Africa. The company’s signature product, Yolélé Fonio, a resilient, restorative and nutritious ancient grain, is found in Whole Foods, Target, Amazon, and other retailers across America. 

Chef Pierre and host Brad Johnson  explore a variety of subjects including his journey through the restaurant ranks, the rise in popularity of West African food, his mission to bring the ancient miracle grain, fonio, to America and beyond, and how soul food reminded him of home with its rich flavors, an example of how the culture and food of Africa migrated to the Caribbean and America hundreds of years ago and survives today. We learn why Senegalese President Léopold Sédar Senghor was a hero for Pierre and his belief in "new humanism", which guided his actions when the pandemic struck. Join us at Corner Table Talk!

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Please follow @CornerTableTalk

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

For questions or comments, please e.mail: [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adam Platt, one of America's most beloved food critics, has been the chief food critic for New York Magazine since 2000. The son of a career US diplomat posted to Taiwan, Hong Kong and elsewhere, Adam and his hungry brothers (including actor Oliver Platt) grew up devouring dim sum in Hong Kong, giant platters of Peking duck in Beijing, fresh-baked croissants in Paris and pierogi on the snowy streets of Moscow. Mr. Platt is a graduate of the American School in Japan, Columbia University School of Journalism, and Georgetown School of Foreign Service.

During the course of his career in the magazine business, Mr. Platt has contributed to many publications including Esquire, Condé Nast Traveler and The New Yorker. His writing has been nominated for various awards and he was the recipient of the James Beard Foundation Award for his restaurant reviews in 2009.

Published in 2019, Mr. Platt's memoir, The Book of Eating, Adventures in Professional Gluttony, is a self-deprecating, wildly hilarious and irreverent memoir of a globe-trotting life lived meal-to-meal. Highly recommended!

Join Adam and host, Brad Johnson, for an entertaining conversation around Adam's unusual upbringing traveling and living internationally, his family's embrace of restaurants as a window into culture, and where the term "scowling boiling owl" originated. Sharing his journalistic style and role of the food critic today in a digital world, Mr. Platt provides insights into his profession and the state of the restaurant industry. Join us at the corner table for a fun account of a life well traveled, well fed, and well lived.
Photo credit: Deborah Feingold

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Please follow @CornerTableTalk 

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

For questions or comments, please e.mail: [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hailing from a family of restaurateurs, Cyrus Batchan recently opened Camphor, a French-Indian inspired neighborhood restaurant in the downtown LA Arts District. As the founder of No.8 Hospitality, Cyrus has conceived and operated several nightlife concepts and restaurants including: Lock & Key and Nightshade in Los Angeles; Larrea in Las Vegas; and Skylight Nha Trang and East West Brewing Company in Vietnam.  

Nightshade, now replaced by Camphor in the same location, collected impressive accolades such as ‘Best New Restaurant’, ‘World’s Best Restaurants” and ‘Best Bites/Dishes’ from Robb Report, Eater, Food & Wine, and GQ, among others.

In November, 2021, an LA Weekly article reported that “In the last 18 months, Koreatown Lock & Key bar owner Cyrus Batchan has endured mandatory closures and re-openings, multiple fires and robberies. He’s come face to face with endless insurance company battles as well as the vandals that ransacked and stole everything out of his beloved neighborhood bar including the light fixtures. Still, he says 'the universe is on his side'."

Intrigued by his optimism, international footprint and resilience, host Brad Johnson sits down with Cyrus to learn more about his background, inspiration and experience as a restaurateur. Sharing the same occupational DNA, Cyrus and Brad expand upon the unique yet necessary traits of a successful restaurateur and the meaning of hospitality. Join us at the corner table for a journey into the mind of a restaurateur!

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Please follow @CornerTableTalk 

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

For questions or comments, please e.mail: [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Franklin Sirmans, the Director of the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) advocates that art can significantly contribute to personal and societal wellness. Located on Miami's beautiful Biscayne Bay, PAMM's mission is to promote artistic expression and the exchange of ideas advancing public knowledge and appreciation of art, architecture, design, reflecting the diverse community of its pivotal geographic location at the crossroads of the Americas. Through a Miami lens, the museum aspires to be the very best at presenting art from Latin America and the Caribbean, modern and contemporary, inclusive of the African diaspora.

Franklin started his career writing for hip-hop oriented magazines before his early life experiences led him to the art world as a career. Since joining PAMM in 2015, Franklin has overseen the acquisition of more than a thousand works of art and pursued his vision of PAMM as “the people’s museum.”  Prior to his appointment, he was the department head and curator of contemporary art at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) from 2010 until 2015.  

Join Franklin and host, Brad Johnson, for an intriguing and expansive conversation around the curation, ambassadorial and fundraising role of a museum director as well as the uniqueness created by PAMM's location in Miami. Hear Franklin's view of Jean-Michel Basquiat's works posthumous rise in popularity and value as well as other exhibits that broaden our views and experiences. Throughout the conversation, he articulates how art plays a wellness role in our lives including personal development, community building and inclusion in a global conversation. Join us at the corner table for a fascinating journey into the art world!

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Please follow @CornerTableTalk 

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

For questions or comments, please e.mail: [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adam Platt, one of America's most beloved food critics, has been the chief food critic for New York magazine since 2000. The son of a career US diplomat posted to Taiwan, Hong Kong and elsewhere, Adam and his hungry brothers (including actor Oliver Platt) grew up devouring dim sum in Hong Kong, giant platters of Peking duck in Beijing, fresh-baked croissants in Paris and pierogi on the snowy streets of Moscow. Mr. Platt is a graduate of the American School in Japan, Columbia University’s School of Journalism, and Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. 

During the course of his career in the magazine business, Mr. Platt has contributed to many publications including Esquire, Conde Nast Traveler and The New Yorker. His writing has been nominated for various awards and he was the recipient of the James Beard Award for his restaurant reviews in 2009. 

Published in 2019, Mr. Platt's memoir, The Book of Eating, Adventures in Professional Gluttony, is a self-deprecating,  wildly hilarious and irreverent memoir of a globe-trotting life lived meal-to-meal. Highly recommended!

Join Adam and host, Brad Johnson, for an entertaining conversation around Adam's unusual upbringing traveling and living internationally, his family's embrace of restaurants as a window into culture, and where the term "scowling boiling owl" originated. Sharing his journalistic style and role of the food critic today in a digital world, Mr. Platt provides insights into his profession and the state of the restaurant industry. Join us at the corner table for a fun account of a life well traveled, well fed, and well lived.

Photo credit: Deborah Feingold

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Please follow @CornerTableTalk on Instagram and Facebook

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

For questions or comments, please e.mail: [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bryant Terry is a James Beard Award-winning food activist, chef, educator and the author renowned for his efforts to create a healthy, equitable, and sustainable food system. "A large part of my mission...is to move Afro-diasporic food focus from the margins closer to the center of our collective culinary consciousness and to put its ingredients, cooking techniques, and flavor profiles into wider circulation," says Bryant.

Bryant is currently the chef-in-residence at the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco, where he creates programming that celebrates the intersection of food, farming, health, activism, art, culture, and the African Diaspora. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post and on CBS This Morning and on NPR's All Things Considered. San Francisco Magazine included Bryant among the 11 Smartest People in the Bay Area Food Scene and Fast Company named him one of 9 People Who Are Changing the Future of Food.

Join Bryant and host, Brad Johnson, as they discuss his grandparents' agrarian roots and pride in their cultural food, as well as where he first learned about veganism and food activism. Learn the significance of the Sankofa bird and Bryant's quest to explore Black foodways around the world through divergent voices in Bryant's book, Black Food. We also hear his views on food justice and empowering people in the community to be a part of the solution as well as the importance of intergenerational communication passing on best practices. Join us at the corner table!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.