Corner Table Talk

A man of many pursuits, Walt "Clyde" Frazier, the legendary NBA Hall of Famer with the distinction of being one of The Top 50 NBA Players,  led the NY Knicks franchise to its only two championships (1970 and 1973).  Today, as the color commentator for the Knicks on the MSG Network, he delivers solid sports analysis and well-seasoned talking points courtside while being a fan favorite for his rhyming rhetoric and trademark bold, retro fashion style. 

The eldest of nine children, raised in the racially segregated Atlanta of the 1950s, Mr. Frazier learned leadership early on between helping to care for his siblings, quarterbacking his high school football team, and strong family values instilled in him. He pursued basketball after realizing there were no professional black quarterbacks.  As co-captain of the Southern Illinois University basketball team, Walt led the team to victory in the 1967 NIT Championship. 

Drafted 5th overall by the NY Knicks, Walt was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team during the 1967-68 season. He went on to become a 7-time NBA All-Star and posted one of the greatest performances in NBA playoff history during Game 7 of the 1970 NBA championship series, beating the LA Lakers. The game is recognized by many as the greatest game seven ever played. 

Aside from sports broadcasting, Walt splits his time between NYC and St. Croix where he runs a gentleman's farm and manages several rental properties he owns. For nine years, he was a partner with Ark Restaurants in Clyde Frazier's Wine and Dine restaurant . Unfortunately, the restaurant recently closed permanently due to COVID. Mr. Frazier has written eight books, with the latest focused on health and fitness, eating healthy, exercising regularly and practicing yoga. Early in his career, he formed The Walt Frazier Foundation, and has generously supported youth mentoring and education for 50 years.

Host Brad Johnson, as a native New Yorker, was a teenager and idolized Walt when he played for the Knicks. Listen as Walt and Brad discuss Walt's upbringing and early motivation to succeed, what advice his Knicks teammates shared with him as a rookie, his love of the Caribbean and a description of a typical day as a gentleman farmer.  Hear how he earned the nickname "Clyde", the beginning of his love for fashion, as well as his transition from arguably being the best player in the Knicks franchise history to his life after basketball, and how he manages his life post-career. 

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Ramon Hervey II, a model of resiliency and entrepreneurship, spent the last four decades journeying through multiple facets of the entertainment industry providing services in public relations, executive producing, artist management, live event production and brand consulting. 

Ramon began his career in public relations gaining valuable experience working as an executive at Rogers & Cowan, one of the entertainment industry’s oldest and most prestigious public relations companies, and Motown Records, before starting his own firm, Hervey & Company. The list of those he's worked with reads like the "Who's Who" of entertainment including Bette Midler, Richard Pryor, Natalie Cole, George Benson and Herb Alpert.
 
Hervey eventually expanded into artist management with rock n' roll icon Little Richard as his first client in the mid-80s, followed by recording star/actress (and future wife) Vanessa Williams, and multiple Grammy Award-winning songwriter/ producer and recording artist, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, along with a host of other award-nominated and award-winning actors, musical acts, comedians, as well as world class athletes, Muhammad Ali and Bruce Jenner (aka Caitlyn Jenner).

Ever the entrepreneur, Hervey produced multiple live music events and helmed the Los Angeles-based music production/club entity, R & B LIVE productions, which he created in 1991 with partner, Bill Hammond. During the four-year span of the live club venture, Hervey produced over 160 shows featuring the industry’s most celebrated R&B, contemporary jazz, gospel and rap/hip hop artists and musicians such as Stevie Wonder, Prince, Lenny Kravitz, Chaka Khan, The O’Jays, The Ohio Players, and Al Jarreau.

Join Ramon and host Brad Johnson, as Ramon offers sage advice to the younger generation, gives credit to some of the ground-breaking individuals who advanced black culture to a mainstream audience, and discusses how he adapted his business plan to the changing needs of an industry. He tells the story of how he met his ex-wife, Vanessa Williams, during a turbulent time in her blossoming career. Finally, as someone who spent their entire adult life around fame, Ramon discloses his upcoming book project, titled "The Fame Game," where he uses case studies to position fame as a reward and tool, rather than the destination.

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The legendary Suzanne de Passe, Co-chair of de Passe Jones Entertainment with her business partner, Madison Jones, is  an entertainment business executive and award-winning producer and writer.
 
Raised in Harlem, the daughter of Jamaican parents, Suzanne’s upbringing was filled with strong family values and an eclectic range of experiences from private school to international travel and exposure to the arts. Her belief in herself blossomed and through a chance encounter with the iconic Berry Gordy, Suzanne began her career at Motown Records as Creative Assistant where she became instrumental in signing and developing a number of artists including: The Jackson Five, the Commodores, Teena Marie, Thelma Houston, Stephanie Mills, Rick James, and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.
 
Subsequently, Mr. Gordy promoted Suzanne to President of Motown Productions, the television and film arm of the company, where she executive produced and wrote, among others: MOTOWN 25: YESTERDAY, TODAY FOREVER followed by MOTOWN RETURNS TO THE APOLLO, both winning Primetime Emmys for Best Variety Show. 
 
Suzanne has served as Executive Producer of a number of highly acclaimed mini- series and television shows including LONESOME DOVE, THE JACKSONS: AN AMERICAN DREAM, THE TEMPTATIONS, SISTER SISTER, SMART GUY, ZENON: GIRL OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY and it’s two sequels, along with SHOWTIME AT THE APOLLO for five seasons. She was nominated for an Oscar for co-writing the screen play, LADY SINGS THE BLUES and, in addition to her two Emmy Awards, she is the recipient of a Golden Globe, 5 NAACP Image Awards, 3 Peabody Awards and a number of other awards and honors.
 
Join Suzanne and host, Brad Johnson, as they discuss her journey from Harlem to Hitsville to Hollywood; the reverence she has for Berry Gordy and Ruth Bowen, both mentors in her career; the limo ride that changed her life; what traits she feels contributed to her success; the need to celebrate all parts of black culture on screen, the lack of diversity in institutional Hollywood, particularly the authority to greenlight; and how people are becoming their own networks for entertainment content. Join us!

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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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In 2020, Dawn Davis, took the reins as editor-in-chief of Bon Appétit along with Condé Nast's other food brands including Epicurious, Healthyish, and Basically, across digital, video, OTT, social and print platforms. In doing so, she made history as the first woman of color to hold this position.  Acknowledged as "a book world star" by the New York Times in their coverage of the appointment, Dawn's editorial vision is directing a new chapter at the 65-year-old publication. 

Each year in October, Bon Appétit celebrates the "Hot Ten", a list of America's Best New Restaurants in its Restaurant Issue. This year, under Dawn's guidance, the Restaurant Issue was redefined and is reflective of the times. The issue honors "the restaurants, people and organizations that gave us hope with a brand-new awards list, Heads of the Table." The issue celebrates the resilience, variety of food, and the people who make them run, the ones that sprang up or pivoted during the pandemic to help their communities and others in the industry who needed it most, from giving opportunities to the formerly incarcerated to feeding neighbors. 

Dawn spent decades as an accomplished publisher and author, with a passion for food and culture. Her prolific publishing career at 37 Ink, a Simon & Schuster imprint, included bestselling and award-winning titles: Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thomas-Spires, winner of the 2019 Whiting Award; the National Book Award finalist, Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave; Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar; and several New York Times bestsellers , including Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For by Susan Rice; The Butler: A Witness to History by Wil Haygood, later becoming a major motion picture directed by Lee Daniels; The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae that helped pave the way for her tv show, Insecure; and I Can't Make This Up by Kevin Hart. Her time at HarperCollins, overseeing the Amistad imprint, resulted in publishing numerous well-known, highly acclaimed authors, including Edward P. Jones, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Known World; Attica Locke, author of Black Water Rising; and Chris Gardner, author of The Pursuit of Happyness, that also became a major motion picture starring Will Smith.

Her passion for food culture is exhibited in the first cookbook she acquired, Recipe of Memory: Five Generations of Mexican Cuisine by Mary Lau Valle and Victor M. Valle, and was nominated for two Julia Child Cookbook Awards and a James Beard Award. As an author, Dawn wrote If You Can Stand the Heat: Tales from Chefs and Restaurateurs profiling some of the most dynamic chefs of the times including Edna Lewis, Bobby Flay, Anthony Bourdain, Michael McCarthy, Patricia Williams and Linda Rodriguez.

Listen in as Dawn and host, Brad Johnson, discuss some of the featured people, stories and recipes in the October issue of Bon Appétit: The Restaurant Issue, along with a variety of other topics including: Dawn's journey that led to publishing, some of her favorite Martha's Vineyard places to visit; reflections from time spent in Nigeria; the significance of a high-profile restaurant going meatless; expanding the dialogue around African American cuisine's contribution to American cuisine; her cookbook collection; and stories about the interesting chefs she included in the book she authored. Join us!

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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/

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Preston Clark, the son of the James Beard award-winning and one of the most influential and renowned African America chefs in the culinary arts, the late Patrick Clark, is an accomplished chef and rising star in his own right. His father was the opening chef of Keith McNally's Odeon Restaurant, and later helmed McNally's Café Luxembourg and Tavern on the Green. So it did not come as any surprise that Preston would follow in his footsteps.

Brooklyn-born and the eldest of five children, Preston's upbringing was very food-centric. His parents met in culinary school and his mom, Lynette, involved the children preparing the weeknight family dinners while his dad was working in the restaurant. Sundays were special family affairs with church followed by Sunday dinners where everyone was involved in the cooking. Around the age of 10, Preston began accompanying his father to work. Through his father, who learned from his father who was a chef before him, cooking with passion and work ethic was a way of life. Sadly, when Preston was 16 years old, his father passed away.

Not  to be derailed from his culinary journey, Preston graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 2002 before working for some of the top chefs in the country including Jean Georges Vongerichten, Charlie Trotter, Marcus Samuelsson, and Michael Lomonaco. In 2011, he opened El Paseo with Sammy Hagar and Tyler Florence, that landed on the San Francisco Chronicle's "Top Ten New Restaurants 2011", "Top 100" in San Francisco lists and Preston being honored as a "Rising Star Chef", along with being a semifinalist for the James Beard Rising Star Award.

A few years after returning to New York City, with accomplishments earned, Preston landed the Executive Chef position with Mercer Street Hospitality's Lure Fishbar, a neighborhood institution in the heart of Soho, where he continues to hone his craft today as well as being responsible for the other two locations in Miami, and the recently opened Chicago location. He is known for his emphasis on bold flavors, beautiful presentation and fresh ingredients.

In this episode, Preston and host Brad Johnson discuss his parent's influence and particularly his father's culinary influence, family values and life growing up, his passion for making and sharing delicious food with people, his love of music, and thoughts about keys to success. His pedigreed culinary background opened the door to opportunity, but his ability to persevere, be disciplined, and accomplish are evident in his journey where performance is judged on a daily basis. Join us!

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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]

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This week's guest is the amazing, down-to-earth Holly Robinson Peete who you might recognize from her acting roles but has evolved through her personal experience into being a voice for her father, her son, and her community to become one of the most trusted advocates for consistent and reliable education, outreach and support for both Parkinson's and autism.

Through Holly's father, Matthew Robinson, who served as producer and portrayed the original beloved character of 'Gordon' on the iconic children's program, "Sesame Street", Holly was exposed to the entertainment industry first-hand when as a four year-old, she appeared on television opposite her father. She knew at a young age that entertainment was her calling.

Born in Philadelphia and raised in Los Angeles from the age of 10, Holly completed her undergraduate studies at the prestigious Sarah Lawrence College where she majored in Psychology and French. She spent her junior year studying abroad at Sorbonne University in France and became fluent in the language. Soon thereafter, with an introduction from her mother,  powerhouse talent agent Delores Robinson, she landed a part opposite the newcomer Johnny Depp on the hit series, "21 Jump Street" and then went on to star in many other successful tv series including "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper" and  "For Your Love". Holly has also been in thirteen Hallmark movies and, in early 2021,  starred in the mystery mini-series, "Morning Show Mysteries" on Hallmark's Movies and Mysteries channel. 

In 1997, Holly and her husband, former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete, formed the HollyRod Foundation, inspired by her father's courageous battle with Parkinson's disease, with the mission to help improve the quality of life of people with Parkinson's. HollyRod's mission expanded to provide support and resources to those affected by autism after her eldest son was diagnosed.  Most recently, the Foundation opened RJ's Place Vocational and Family Support Services Center in Los Angeles to provide training and job opportunities for young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as well as support services to their families free-of-charge.

In this episode, Holly and long-time family friend, host Brad Johnson  share memories of Holly's journey, her upbringing and arrival in LA as a child, meeting her handsome star quarterback husband and how 21 Jump Street launched her acting career. She also discusses forming of the Hollyrod Foundation including the good work it's doing and it's well-known annual fundraising event, travel abroad with Magic Johnson, LL Cool J and Samuel Jackson families this summer and, finally, how she balances her busy life! 

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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]

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Often people remark how they would love to open a restaurant and from the outside looking in, there is an understandable appeal. After all, having a home court to greet old friends, meet new ones, celebrate special occasions, and moving around the room in charge, can look glamorous at times. But behind-the-scenes, what does it take to be a restaurateur operating at a higher level? This week's guests, Michael Vann and Alvin Clayton , both restaurateurs, self-made, and with careers in the fashion industry, provide a glimpse into the world of hospitality from a restaurateur's point of view.

After working as an executive with Lord & Taylor in New York City, Chicago native Michael Vann pivoted to the hospitality industry starting as general manager at B. Smith's restaurant, working with the legendary B. Smith in the late 80s. From there, his entrepreneurial spirit inspired him to develop, own and operate several restaurants in New York City including the renowned Shark Bar, serving upscale soul food in the 1990's. Michael is currently in the process of establishing new locations for his most recent concept, Smitty & Mo's, a very popular fast casual restaurant.

Alvin Clayton is a Trinidad-born restaurateur, artist, and model. He and his wife, Gwen, are the owners and operators of the award-winning Southern and Caribbean restaurant, Alvin and Friends, located in New Rochelle, New York. Alvin's restaurant career started in the famed and ground-breaking Los Angeles restaurant, Georgia, helmed by Brad Johnson which had several celebrity investors including Denzel Washington, Norm Nixon, Debbie Allen, and Lou Adler. Alvin is also a self-taught artist whose work exudes bright, bold colors of life in the African experience. His work has been featured in the Smithsonian Institute of African-American Art, several films, and most recently, a virtual political show, Unapologetically Me. Among his art patrons are Ken and Kathy Chenault, New York University, Denzel Washington, Blair Underwood, Hill Harper, CCH Pounder and Lorraine Toussaint, to name a few. Alvin has also had an illustrious modeling career and recently signed with the world-renowned IMG Models.

In this episode, with decades of experience in the same industry, host Brad Johnson sits down with Michael and Alvin to discuss their journeys, how they started in the hospitality industry, what made being a restaurateur the right fit for them, how they find the strength to carry on during trying times, what direction they are taking going forward and the future of the industry.  Join us! 

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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]

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Summertime nostalgia for most people includes ice cream and so it is only fitting that this week's guest is Lokelani Alabanza, a pastry chef by training, and the founder of Saturated Ice Cream, her own brand of plant-based, hemp-derived CBD ice cream made in Nashville, Tennessee. She creates beautiful flavors like Sweet Potato Gingersnap, Juneteenth, and Sunflower Butter Stacciatella, that spur the imagination while educating consumers about African American culinary history. 

Lokelani’s professional journey started at the New England Culinary Institute. From there, her love of food took her around the world. Starting in Denmark for her first kitchen job to her time working as a private chef in Japan, her travels expanded her palate and refined her ability to create incredible food. 

It was in Los Angeles, under the tutelage of renowned pastry chef Elizabeth Belkind, that Loke’s passion for pastry cooking was ignited. There, she worked with Dahlia Narvaez and Nancy Silverton at the James Beard award-winning restaurant Campanile, before landing in Nashville, as Culinary Director for Hattie Jane’s Creamery. Lokelani’s time there grew her passion for ice cream, expanded her experience (while at Hattie Jane’s, she created over 300 flavors), and her love of integrating nostalgia into her cooking. 

In this episode, Lokelani and host Brad Johnson discuss her exposure to world travel, her rise in the restaurant industry to become a pastry chef with mentorship from renowned pastry chefs, and how she learned to perfect her ice cream making skills. After being laid off during COVID, Lokelani explains the decision to start her own business and why she decided to make plant-based, CBD ice cream as well as create unique, monumental flavors honoring African American heritage as she wrote about in an article titled A Monumental Flavor for the Oxford American Food Issue - Spring 2021.

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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]

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For there to be a well-balanced society, how important is access to affordable, nutritious, and convenient food? This week's guests, Sam Polk, Founder & CEO, and Chef Bryce Fluellen, Executive Director, Social Equity Franchise Program, of the ground-breaking company, Everytable, say it's a human right and they're on a mission to help transform the food system. Founded in 2016, Everytable is a multi-channel, fresh-prepared food business blending grab-and-go storefronts, a subscription delivery service, SmartFridges, and institutional food service, all supplied by a central kitchen with meals priced according to neighborhood income. 

A former hedge fund trader, Sam left a successful career on Wall Street to follow his heart to fight food injustice and inequality in America. He wrote a book titled For the Love of Money described as "part coming-of-age, part recovery memoir, and part expose of a rotten, money drenched Wall Street culture" (Salon). In 2013, he founded a non-profit called FEAST (formerly Groceryships) to address food-related problems in South LA by helping family food providers make choices through nutrition education, cooking classes, free produce, and support groups. A few years later, Sam founded Everytable, a social enterprise, with the help and the backing of food-forward investors like Kimbal Musk, Maria Shriver, Gwyneth Paltrow, TOMS Social Enterprise Fund, W.K Kellogg Foundation, Annenberg Foundation and The California Wellness Foundation.

Chef Bryce has fought for food justice and social equity for more than 20 years developing and implementing strategic programs at Starbucks, Magic Johnson Enterprises, and the American Heart Association to drive systemic change to benefit underserved populations and communities. In his current role with Everytable, he is responsible for a franchise model that invests directly into marginalized entrepreneurs of color by providing the opportunity to open Everytable stores with zero upfront capital or net worth.

In this episode, host Brad Johnson and the Everytable execs discuss their personal journey and passion for helping other people, the designation "food desert" and its impact on communities, and the origins of the current food system in the U.S. including its debilitating health consequences.  Working towards solutions, Sam and Chef Bryce explain the opportunities they have created for people in the community to achieve the American Dream with Everytable's Social Equity Franchise Program, and the hope behind Everytable's mission for everyone, everywhere to have access to nutritious, fresh food at affordable prices.

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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]

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Behind the mega-talent and incredible career, Debbie Allen is a multi-layered dynamo of wisdom, guidance, discipline and generous spirit. She has spent a career creating opportunities, breaking down barriers, and helping others find their purpose and passion, a North Star. In the words of Shonda Rhimes, "She put people of color on television and displayed them in ways that they hadn't been seen before. She told stories that hadn't been told before. She gave people opportunities who hadn't been given opportunities before."   

Debbie's hard-work, determination, talent and versatility is evident in the three Emmys, a Golden Globe, five NAACP Image Awards, the Olivier Award, the 10 Academy Awards ceremonies she has choreographed, a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame as well as being a 2020 Kennedy Center Honoree, the nation's Highest Artistic Award.

In 2001, she and husband, ex-NBA All-Star Norm Nixon, opened the Debbie Allen Dance Academy (DADA) and eventually moved it to South LA. Its principles are based on the belief that arts education defines discipline, creativity, and self-confidence, empowering young women and men, whether they pursue a professional performing arts career or not. Soon DADA will be housed in the new and spacious Rhimes Performing Arts Center, helmed by Debbie, with state-of-the-art studios and robust programming including dance, acting, music, writing, cirque technique, hair, makeup, and lighting design. It will also house The Debbie Allen Middle School for the Arts.

In this episode, host Brad Johnson and Debbie discuss her accomplished parents' influence; strong family relationships; when she first knew she wanted to be a dancer; the generational influence of the tv-series, Fame; the fulfillment of creating DADA and its new home; and the importance of teaching the arts and its impact on young people, among other topics.
Photo Credit: Emily Schur 

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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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