Corner Table Talk

With affordable housing reaching crisis levels, Ken Lombard, having led numerous successful real estate investments and business ventures that fostered economic improvement and urban renewal in underserved minority communities throughout the United States, is on a mission to improve lives and strengthen communities through innovative solutions that start with quality affordable housing. 

In November, 2021, Ken joined Bridge Housing as CEO. Bridge is a leading nonprofit developer, owner and manager of affordable housing in California, Oregon and Washington. With his previous C-suite positions in organizations including Seritage Growth Properties (NYSE: SRG), MacFarlane Partners, Capri Capital Partners and Capri Urban Fund, Starbucks, and Johnson Development Corporation with partner Earvin "Magic" Johnson that brought entertainment complexes, coffee houses, restaurants, and retail centers to minority communities in more than 65 cities and 17 states, Ken is a well-respected businessman and visionary who believes passionately in inclusion and providing opportunity to others. 

Listen in as Ken and host, Brad Johnson, discuss Ken's mantra of not accepting the status quo and contemplating the possibilities, speaking up when you see inequities or lack of representation, being a good listener absorbing information, and using finesse once you're invited into circles of influence and capital. Throughout his career, he is often the only African American in the room and we learn where his self-confidence, family history of uplifting others and civil rights activism played into his career as well as where his interest in real estate began. From a broader perspective, Ken is an advocate of African American entrepreneurship and ownership, offering his vision of his responsibility and others who have achieved success to reach back and provide opportunities to entrepreneurs and businesses in the African American community while, in return, requiring their commitment to hard work and integrity.

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

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Philly-raised and Harlem-based, Earl Monroe is a Hall of Fame basketball player voted one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history along with being 1968 Rookie of the Year, a four-time NBA All-Star and a member of the 1973 New York Knickerbocker Championship team. After a successful career in basketball, Earl spent more than 30 years in the entertainment business, producing off-Broadway musicals and running his own record and publishing company.  He won the coveted Peabody Award for producing the critically acclaimed documentary "Black Magic", which helped launch the ESPN series, “30 for 30,” and the ESPN 10-part series, “Basketball, A Love Story”. As a restaurateur, Earl was involved with two restaurants, The Commissary and The Earl Monroe Restaurant/River Room.
 
With two honorary Doctorates, Earl is a frequent motivational guest lecturer, and authored two books, his autobiography, “Earl The Pearl, His Story,” and a self-help book, "Getting Back In The Game."  He now runs Reverse Spin Entertainment Group, a entertainment, sports and consulting firm. His most recent venture is the opening of the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball Charter School, in the Bronx, NY. In addition to the basic high school curriculum, the school is focused on the supporting roles around basketball such as operations, facilities management, broadcasting, journalism, and digital media.
 
Join Earl and host, Brad Johnson, as they discuss Earl's tremendous basketball career including his time at Winston-Salem State College, the impact of Coach Clarence 'Bighouse' Gaines, adapting to a new role when joining the NY Knicks, and the relationship he has with his teammates to this day. We learn about Earl growing up in Philly where his grandmother ran a speakeasy next door to his house, and the violent incident he witnessed that caused him to shun violence his whole life. With giving back as one of his guiding lights, Earl discusses his namesake basketball school including the opportunities, support and people involved that are making a difference. 

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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 email: [email protected]

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Chef Joe Randall, a national treasure and master craftsman with over 55 years of experience, is referred to as the "Dean of Southern Cooking". He and his close friends and colleagues, Edna Lewis, Leah Chase, Patrick Clark, along with the late Hercules, George Washington's enslaved cook, were honored at the Smithsonian Institute of National Museum of African American History and Culture, where his cookbook "A Taste of Heritage: the New African American Cuisine" and his 40-year-old colander are on permanent display. 

In the late 90s, he adopted his signature uniform trimmed with handwoven Kente cloth from Ghana, as a show of pride in his rich heritage. Chef Joe has been a faculty member of four universities sharing his talent, experience and enthusiasm teaching students the craft and systems of restaurant excellence. Eventually, he created the "Chef Joe Randall Cooking School" where he preached the gospel of authentic southern cuisine to two generations during its 16-year tenure. He has multiple honors, founded the Edna Lewis Foundation to commemorate her contributions, and was a founding board member of Southern Food Alliance. 

As a student and teacher of hospitality all his life, Chef Joe, and host, Brad Johnson, walk through some of the unique history and Chef's attempts to elevate the visibility of African Americans in the culinary industry. We hear first-hand knowledge of cooking with the legendary Edna Lewis, Leah Chase and Patrick Clark, all trailblazers in the culinary world. Chef Joe also explains the complicated relationship that African Americans have with the hospitality industry, being pigeonholed into cooking "Soul Food", and the impact of not being recognized as contributors to American cuisine over the years. He implores young people seeking a culinary career to go the extra mile in order to know your craft and rise in the industry. Recognizing that opportunities are opening up, we applaud this trailblazing, warm, kind spirit so generous with his wisdom and guidance, fighting for his community and highlighting other's success over a lifetime. 

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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.

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The esteemed James Beard Foundation (JBF) navigated shifting tides over the past few years as restaurant culture, including toxic work environments and reprehensible behavior, came into sharper focus. To their credit, ongoing calls for diversity and inclusion led to the cancellation of the annual James Beard Awards in 2020 and 2021 to allow for a period of self-examination, an internal audit, and changes to the policies and procedures of the Awards, the equivalent of the Oscars in the culinary world.

With a passion for cultural inclusiveness, Liberian-born and New York-based Dawn Padmore joined JBF as Vice President of Awards in 2021, having had extensive experience in culinary events and a decades-long history of working with the James Beard Awards. In her role, Dawn works with the volunteer committees, JBF staff, and trustees to shape the future of the Awards, including the 2022 Awards to be held in June 2022.

Prior to joining JBF, Dawn gained extensive experience as part of teams conceptualizing and producing culinary events and festivals such as the New York City Wine and Food Festival and Harlem EatUp!, an annual festival of food and culture that showcases the talents of Harlem-based and nationally acclaimed chefs and personalities. During COVID, with the festival canceled, Dawn served as producer on a one-hour televised Harlem EatUp! fundraising special on ABC7 New York.

Listen as Dawn and host, Brad Johnson, discuss the revitalized and more equitable James Beard Awards' focus, policies, categories and application process (Open Call deadline is 11/30/21). Dawn's enthusiasm is encouraging and reflects a commitment to accessibility. We also learn a bit more about this upbeat and affable woman who immigrated from Liberia during a coup d'état, the draw to New York City, her career path leading to her position with JBF, and her other talent as an accomplished, classically trained soprano who was invited to sing at the inauguration of the Republic of Liberia’s President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first female African president, and performed for Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Bishop Desmond Tutu.

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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.

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Ambassador Nicole Avant, the high-level political powerhouse, former ambassador to the Bahamas, philanthropist and wife of Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, began her career in the music industry before getting involved in politics supporting the campaigns of candidates like Harold Ford, Jr. and President Barack Obama, in his run for the Senate and presidency .  

Nicole grew up in Beverly Hills, the daughter of Clarence Avant, the former chairman of Motown Records and entertainment industry mogul known as "The Black Godfather", and Jacqueline Avant, former Ebony Fashion Fair model and philanthropist. With social and business skills learned from her parents, a degree in Communications, and her savvy instincts, she became the co-chair for the Obama presidential campaign in Southern California raising millions from entertainment, business and philanthropic circles. 

Nicole produced the critically acclaimed and award-winning documentary, “The Black Godfather” for Netflix, directed by Reginald Hudlin, charting the exceptional and unlikely rise of her father,  a rainmaker in music, film, TV, and politics. Appearances in the documentary include Bill Withers, Quincy Jones, Muhammad Ali, Hank Aaron, and Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, to name a few. The film was nominated for several prestigious awards including being named one of the Top 5 Documentaries of 2019 by the National Board of Review. 

Most recently, Nicole joined George Clooney and a host of Hollywood A-listers to partner with the Los Angeles Unified School District to found The Roybal School of Film and Television, part of an effort to drive transformational change and access to jobs across the entertainment industry for students from underserved communities. 

Listen as Nicole and host, Brad Johnson, discuss her upbringing in Beverly Hills, her mom's emphasis on education, art and history including celebrating the heroes and victories in black culture. Nicole shares the incident of adversity when she was very young that became the initial inspiration behind making "The Black Godfather."  She describes her thoughts meeting the Obamas and we learn about her daily practice of positive mindfulness and paying it forward through service to others including some of her philanthropic efforts to give access to underserved youth. 

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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.

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In 2015, having experienced the lack of food media coverage of South Los Angeles' emerging food scene, host Brad Johnson, the restaurateur behind Post & Beam in South LA, took a chance at getting a response and contacted Sam Sifton at the New York Times to somewhat playfully bring attention to the situation. Sam took the message to heart resulting in the article, "A Belle Epoque for African American Cooking" by Jeff Gordinier, which stated "a new generation of black chefs and cookbook authors has been reinventing, reinterpreting and reinvigorating what’s thought of as African-American food."  

A child of Brooklyn and a graduate of Harvard University, Sam started his career as a freelance reporter while working as a public-school teacher in New York. Eventually he landed at the New York Times and has served in a number of leadership positions including food editor, national news editor and culture editor, and was for a number of years the newspaper's restaurant critic. He is the author of three cookbooks: "Thanksgiving: How to Cook It Well"; "See You on Sunday: A Cookbook for Family and Friends"; and "The New York Times No-Recipe Recipes Cookbook." Today, Sam is an assistant managing editor at The New York Times, responsible for the coverage of culture and lifestyle, and the founding editor of New York Times Cooking.

Join us to hear how Sam and Brad, as well as their fathers, could have crossed paths many times in their lives having shared similar experiences, despite being from different backgrounds. Sam discloses where his education began for culturally diverse food, people and the ritual of gathering to share meals. We learn about the role of inclusion, truth and storytelling as he describes his thoughts on the power of the New York Times to make us better. A truth-seeker and bridge-maker, Sam's desire to welcome diversity shines through. 

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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.

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In October, David Chang the ever-evolving icon-chef, media creator, and founder of Momofuku returned to the screen in the Hulu documentary series “The Next Thing You Eat,” to speak with scientists, foodies, and chefs about how the food industry is innovating to address issues of climate change, health, food scarcity, and more. He also released his second cookbook,  Cooking at Home: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Recipes (And Love My Microwave) written with Priya Krishna, a food reporter for The New York Times and contributor to Bon Appetit and The New Yorker among others, and the author of the best-selling cookbook, Indian-ish.  

Since opening Momofuku Noodle Bar  in New York City in 2004, David has been honored  with six James Beard Awards, including Outstanding Chef, a GQ Man of the Year Award and was included on the Time 100 list of influential people. His cookbook, Momofuku, and his memoir, Eat a Peach, are New York Times bestsellers. In 2018, David founded Majordomo Media and launched The Dave Chang Show podcast. He is also the host of two Netflix original documentary series, "Ugly Delicious", and "Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner".

Join the thought-provoking conversation between David and host, Brad Johnson, as they discuss David's recent move from New York to Los Angeles accompanied by a change in diet, the future of food and the independent restaurant, rethinking cultural stereotypes, and how David changed course on a failing noodle bar that propelled him to success.  David and Brad go deep on cultural differences, letting your work speak for itself, the food issues we face in the world and what we should be doing to address them along with David's most recently published no-recipe cookbook and Hulu series focused on the future of food and the impact of the choices we make.  

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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.

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As the World Series is upon us, Adam Katz, one of the top-tier Major League Baseball (MLB) agents, and host, Brad Johnson, sit down to talk baseball. Adam rose to prominence as an agent in the 80's and 90's representing four of the league's MVP award winners: Sammy Sosa (1998), Ken Caminiti (1996), Mo Vaughn (1995) and Willie McGee (1985). Adam joined Wasserman’s Team Sports group in 2006 and currently serves as Executive Vice President and Co-Managing Executive of Baseball. 

In his almost 40 years representing over 200 players, he has finalized roughly 600 major league contracts, many of them market-setting, for players from over 15 countries. His experience across different markets is unmatched in the industry. Adam's clientele is a diverse roster of over 40 Major and Minor League baseball players, including Hanley Ramirez, Jeff Samardzija, Kenley Jansen, Kenta Maeda, Yulieski Gurriel, Billy Hamilton, Bartolo Colon, Jose Quintana, Yasmani Grandal, and Lourdes Gurriel, as well as representing Aaron Boone throughout his career as player, broadcaster, and manager of the New York Yankees. Adam is included in Forbes Sports Agents 2020 list with over $640 million in contracts and is consistently ranked as one of the top baseball agents.

Join Adam and Brad, long-time friends, as they discuss the business of being a sports agent in baseball, what it entails, the skill set that has worked for Adam, the value of mentorship in his career, and what it was like testifying to Congress about performance-enhancing drugs sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with Sammy Sosa. On a more personal note, we learn about Adam's background, values instilled in him, how he found his way into the industry, his connection to Bill Withers, and how LL Cool J allegedly once stole his date. 

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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.

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JJ Johnson is a James Beard Award-winning chef, TV personality and author best known for his barrier-breaking cuisine informed by the Caribbean flavors of his upbringing. Chef JJ’s signature cooking style combines culturally relevant ingredients and classical technique with a global point of view.

At FIELDTRIP,  his made-to-order rice bowl shop that debuted in 2019, Chef JJ highlights rice as a hero ingredient and showcases it in recipes sourced from around the world. FIELDTRIP’s first outpost opened in Harlem and has since grown to two additional locations including Rockefeller Center and Long Island City. As one of the only fast casual restaurants on Esquire’s “America’s Best New Restaurants” list in 2020, FIELDTRIP utilizes sustainable ingredients and ethically sourced vegetables and proteins, creating an accessible, flavorful, and diverse dining experience. The brand’s motto, "Rice is Culture,” was born out of Chef JJ’s belief that rice is the universal ingredient that connects us all and can be found at the center of the table in almost every community.

Chef JJ is a Mastercard Ambassador and a television host on Just Eats with Chef JJ available on most cable networks.

Join Chef JJ and host, Brad Johnson, as they discuss the inspiration behind Fieldtrip and its menu, the process in choosing a first location in Harlem, and the blending of cultural flavors in composed bowls and its beverage program, his views on expansion plans, choosing locations and concerns as New York City fights to bring the economy back. As a voice for change, Chef, a talented writer, shares his thoughts on the article he wrote for Esquire magazine, "If You're Saying Black Lives Matter, Then Spend Your Money at Black Businesses" including how to better support the efforts of minority entrepreneurs and businesses to uplift them to expand opportunities for his generation and the next.

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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.

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Keith L. Black M.D., named one of the “21 Most Important People of the 21st Century” by Esquire Magazine, is among an elite group of neurosurgeons in the world who have performed more than 8,000 brain tumor operations. The precision of his surgical skill enables him to remove tumors that often have been considered inoperable.

Not satisfied to merely remove difficult brain tumors, Dr. Black’s greater goal is to obliterate brain cancers and find cures for debilitating neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Since founding the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute and the Department of Neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Black has had many significant scientific and clinical achievements, gracing the covers of Time ("Heroes of Medicine") and Newsweek magazines in honor of his and the team's accomplishments. He has written hundreds of research articles, presented his findings at over 500 national and international meetings including invited talks at TEDMED and Google’s “Solve for X” lecture series, and received multiple patents for his novel scientific innovations.

Join the down-to-earth, humble and incredibly informative Dr. Black and host, Brad Johnson, as they dive into wide-ranging topics including advances in the fight against cancer, Alzheimer’s and dementia, living with viruses, and the use of scorpion venom in brain surgery. Hear how Dr. Black approaches medical research, what makes a “great” vs. “okay” scientist, the mystery of the brain, applying his passion and the rewards of his calling, the relationship between science and spirituality, and finding balance in his life.

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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.

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