Corner Table Talk

Hospitality projects have to hit the right notes, engaging all the senses, to resonate. Over several decades, pioneering restaurateur David Rabin has morphed his talents into becoming an architect of the hospitality experience. His reputation and involvement in some of the most popular and memorable restaurants, clubs, and bars in New York City along with his broad network and uncanny ability to remember faces, names and details uniquely equip him to create elevated places with the right mix of talent, aesthetic, great food and drink, and diverse clientele.  

David's current roster of projects include the recently-opened Sona, with partner Maneesh Goyal and creative collaborator Priyanka Chopra Jonas (wife of Nick Jonas), embodying the flavors and glamour of India;  Skylark, a Midtown Manhattan rooftop bar and event space with amazing views including the Empire State Building; Jimmy, the rooftop bar with panoramic city views, and Veranda, helmed by Michelin Chef George Mendes, both located in Modernhaus SOHO; American Bar, serving Continental classics in Greenwich Village;  The Lambs Club, with its powerhouse clientele and renowned Chef Geoffrey Zakarian; and The Dorsey in the Venetian Hotel, voted Best Bar in Las Vegas by Conde Nast Traveler;  with several other projects in the works.

He is currently on the Executive Board of the Times Square Alliance and the Board of Directors of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, of which he was formerly the president. He also served on the Executive Board of NY Cares for 20 years. 

In this episode, long-time friends and former business partners, David and host Brad Johnson converse about how NYC life has changed during COVID, the reemergence and energy of New Yorkers in restaurants and bars, lack of hospitality workers and recruiting bonuses, restaurateur insights into the alchemy of hospitality spaces and teams, how diversity comes naturally to him, and learning to trust your instincts. 

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

E.mail: [email protected]

 

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John Bryant, the energetic, supremely self-assured, and prominent thought leader on financial inclusion, economic empowerment and financial dignity, is an entrepreneur and philanthropist who has built more than 40 organizations, entities and companies including Operation HOPE, the largest non-profit financial literacy and economic empowerment services organization in the country with 1,200 offices, and the Promise Homes Company, the largest for-profit, institutional quality, minority-controlled owner of single family rental real estate in the country. You might recognize him as a frequent contributor on CNBC Squawk Box.

Five former U.S. presidents have recognized John's work, and he has served as an advisor to three U.S. presidents from both political parties. He has received hundreds of awards and citations for his work including Oprah Winfrey's Use Your Life Award, and the John Sherman Award for Excellence in Financial Education from the U.S. Treasury. Additionally, Operation HOPE and Bryant are a permanent part of the Smithsonian AFRICAN-American Museum in Washington, DC.  John is also the author of the best-selling books Up from Nothing, The Memo, How the Poor Can Save Capitalism, and Love Leadership.

In this episode, John and host, Brad Johnson, discuss John's humble beginnings and how his positive, astute game plan began his journey to building wealth; the guiding principles to wealth creation including financial literacy, family structure and resiliency, choosing your environment, understanding the difference and value of self-esteem vs. confidence, the importance of role models, and the relentless pursuit and discipline required to gain financial freedom; his mentors along the way; and his mission to help those in underserved communities to recognize and channel their untapped GDP, entrepreneurial brilliance and latent prosperity into realizing the American Dream.

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

E.mail: [email protected]

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Born, raised and living in Harlem, Musa Jackson, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Ambassador Digital Magazine, is also known as "The Harlem Ambassador", a title bestowed in a feature piece in NYC's Uptown Magazine (2015). A man of many talents, Musa has spent decades representing his beloved community. Musa can be seen in the new award-winning, documentary directed by Questlove chronicling the untold story of the Harlem Cultural Festival in the summer of 1969, Summer of Love (available on Hulu). 

Musa began his career as a pioneering Black male model, discovered by the beauty editor of GQ magazine in 1983, which led to world travel and a host of valuable connections.  He modeled for GQ, Vogue, New York Fashion of the Times magazines and walked the runways in Paris and Milan for Jean Paul Gaultier. Musa was the first Black male model to appear in a national mainstream campaign, for The Gap. 

Musa has written an award-winning screenplay, co-produced fashion shows for Diane Von Furstenberg, Carolina Herrera and Betsy Johnson, special events such as Nona Hendryx's 1st visual media art show, Lena Horne's 100 Birthday Tribute and the classic film, Claudine 45th Anniversary Tribute and wrote a social column "My Uptown World" for Uptown Magazine. Currently, he is the CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Ambassador Digital Magazine, featuring some of the most diverse, influential individuals in the culture. 

In this episode, Musa and host Brad Johnson, a long-time friend, discuss Musa's career trajectory and some of the defining moments, his humble beginnings and dedication to the community he grew up in, how his eye for fashion and style were honed, the motivation behind starting his own magazine to celebrate diverse people of his generation, and the story of how Musa became involved in Questlove's Summer of Soul. 

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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/

E.mail: [email protected]

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In 2012, restaurateur Brad Johnson and Executive Chef Govind Armstrong opened a neighborhood restaurant, Post & Beam, in South LA. Formerly a Golden Bird Fried Chicken location, the building was taken down to the studs and rebuilt as a handsome free-standing building with mid-century modern inspired design, serving California soul food. It quickly gained notoriety locally and nationally for bringing quality food and ambiance, Chef Govind's sophisticated but approachable cuisine, and Brad's brand of hospitality to a neighborhood that, at the time, was often referred to as a food desert.

In 2020, Post & Beam was awarded the prestigious LA Times Gold Award, honoring
"culinary excellence and expanding the notion of what Southern California cooking might be. The award celebrates intelligence and innovation, brilliance and sensitivity to aesthetics, culture and the environment."

Chef Govind is a fixture in the LA dining scene. At 13 years-old, he began as an apprentice at the original Wolfgang Puck's Spago in West Hollywood. His training was furthered at the three-star Michelin restaurant, Arzak, in San Sebastian, Spain, before returning to Los Angeles to specialize in California cuisine at many notable restaurants including City Restaurant, Postrio, Campanille, and Pinot Hollywood, before starting his own chain, 8oz. Burger, and partnering with Brad on Post & Beam and Willie Jane restaurants. He is currently Executive Chef and Director of Operations at The Lobster, one of the highest-grossing restaurants in LA, located at the entrance to the Santa Monica Pier. 

Born in Oakland, raised on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Chef John Cleveland knew good food prepared with care and quality. In 2017, he joined the Post & Beam team to further his culinary career, after falling in love with the restaurant on date nights with his wife, Roni Cleveland, a native of South LA. As a math and actuarial sciences major in college, along with his previous entrepreneurial ventures, passion and talent as a chef, John was a quick student. In 2019, Chef John and Roni, ambitious and capable, took over the restaurant to carry on the legacy of Post & Beam, battling and thriving through the pandemic and all. 

In this episode, this band of brothers discuss the meaning of their collaborative experience at Post & Beam, their motivations for wanting to work with each other, personal stories of taking risks to further careers, the experience of operating a restaurant through the pandemic, the challenges of re-opening, the energy and attitudes of the customers now dining out, and the LA food scene.   
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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/

E.mail: [email protected]

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Currently filming and starring opposite Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible 7 (2022) and Mission Impossible 8 (2023), Esai Morales’ robust acting career, starting in the early 80s, includes performing in more than sixty tv shows and sixty movies. 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he heard his mother's conversations as a union activist, involved with the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, from an early age. Over the years, Esai has advocated for countless charities and causes including literacy, environment, health, immigration, arts funding, and social justice causes. He currently serves on the Board of Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and was recently a candidate for president of SAG.

Esai, a self-proclaimed foodie, believes that food is critical to health which provided interesting conversation and common ground to be uncovered in this episode with host Brad Johnson.  Topics of conversation included spending time in Puerto Rico enjoying his cultural roots, how to talk yourself down from the feeling of envy in the world of glamour and fame aka Hollywood, philosophy about life and the meaning of success, appreciation for failures, his process for evaluating what food to eat and the value of detoxing, and the message of Fast Food Nation.

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Winner of the 2018 James Beard Award "Best Chef: South" and one of Food and Wine magazine's Best New Chefs 2017, Chef Nina Compton is the chef/owner of award-winning Compère Lapin and Bywater American Bistro in New Orleans where she creates robust dishes that meld the flavors of her Caribbean upbringing and love for French and Italian cuisine, while highlighting the Gulf and Louisiana's beautiful indigenous ingredients. 

Nina, daughter of Sir John George Melvin Compton, the first prime minister of  St. Lucia, grew up surrounded by the ocean, flavors and beauty of the Caribbean. She was inspired to cook and share meals at family gatherings that lead to her dream of becoming a chef. Nina worked her way up in kitchens in St. Lucia and Jamaica before deciding to attend The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. 

Upon graduation, Nina began her professional journey at the Michelin-starred restaurant, Daniel in NYC, working and continuing her culinary education alongside world-renowned chef/ restaurateur Daniel Boulud and his team. In the years that followed, Nina furthered her career in Miami eventually becoming Chef de Cuisine at Scarpetta restaurant located in the Fontainebleau. 

After competing on BRAVO's acclaimed cooking competition show, Top Chef where she was a finalist and voted fan favorite, an opportunity lured her to New Orleans allowing her to open her own and critically-acclaimed restaurant, Compère Lapin, with husband/restaurateur Larry Miller. 

In this episode, Nina and host Brad Johnson discuss her culinary influences and journey, growing up in St. Lucia as the Prime Minister's daughter, her family's activism for education, how she maneuvered through the uncertainty of the pandemic, her core philosophy of leading by example with humility and executing at a high level, and the mission bequeathed to her by Leah Chase, the Queen of Creole Cooking.

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Legendary actor, Danny Glover, has built a reputation for powerful onscreen performances such as in The Color Purple and Lethal Weapon series. He has been nominated multiple times for Best Picture, personal Emmys, won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor in a film, To Sleep with Anger, honored with the NAACP President's Award, multiple Image Awards and Ace Award for his work in the HBO movie, Mandela.  

In addition to his acting career, Mr. Glover has been a tireless warrior fighting for social and economic justice. For his advocacy related to access to health care and education programs in the USA and Africa, he has received multiple honors including a DGA Honor, and a Doctorate of Humane Letters for his humanitarian efforts with organizations such as the United Farm Workers, UNITE HERE, The Algebra Project, and Black AIDS Institute. 

Earlier this year, Mr. Glover traveled to Birmingham, Alabama to help mobilize support for Amazon warehouse's 5,800 predominately Black workers in their efforts to form a union. In June, 2019, Mr. Glover testified before a subcommittee of the House Judiciary at the Capitol in Washington, along with Ta-Nehisi Coates and Sen. Cory Booker on the HR 40 bill (read transcript here), which ultimately passed, to form a commission to study the effects of slavery and search for possible avenues for reparations.  

In this episode, Mr. Glover and host Brad Johnson discuss the roots of his activism, his parents' journey from the Deep South to San Francisco during the Great Migration, words of wisdom he shares with students including the parallels today with the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, and his views on gentrification, reparations, finding justice and impassioning the next generation to recognize their role in creating history. 

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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

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Melba Wilson, "born, bred and buttered in Harlem", proudly represents her NYC neighborhood as a successful African-American woman in the restaurant and catering business. She is the owner of one of the most influential soul food restaurants in the city, aptly named Melba's, along with Melba's Catering and Melba's Mussels. As an author, Melba wrote Melba's American Comfort: 100 Recipes from My Heart to Your Kitchen. She is the first woman and person of color to hold the position of President of the Board of the New York Hospitality Alliance and as such, is deeply involved in advocating for a fair and equitable regulatory environment that removes barriers to entrepreneurship and job creation in the hospitality industry. 

Melba is well recognized for her achievements receiving numerous awards for entrepreneurship, family recipes and her own recipes. She won an episode of Food Network's Throwdown with Bobby Flay  featuring her 96-year-old grandmother's recipe for Fried Chicken and Biscuits. Melba is actively involved in giving time, being active on boards, supporting the community and various charitable causes along with a variety of tv appearances. During the pandemic, Melba was featured on a CBS 60 Minutes episode that created a pool of funds allowing Melba to give back to support staff and the community in various ways. 

In this episode, Melba and host Brad Johnson cover a range of subjects including her strong family connection and pride in her heritage, the role of food in creating an environment of love and story-telling, hospitality as being in the business of making others happy through food, the opportunities to serve throughout the pandemic, her philosophy of faith plus deeds and perseverance equals results, the value of the roller coaster journey through life and her love of Harlem.

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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

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Tracee Ellis Ross, longtime friend of host Brad Johnson, sits down for a multi-faceted conversation about perseverance through uncertainty in the entertainment industry, systemic issues, creating space and opportunities for others, the experience of hosting the Democratic National Convention, the necessity to show up civically, her belief in naming and claiming frames for context, the importance of bringing wholeness to a character, her superpower in moving feelings, and the importance of laughter.

Ross is a multi-award winning actress, singer, television host, producer, director and entrepreneur. She is best known for her lead roles in the television series Girlfriends (2000-2008) and Black-ish (2014-present). In her role as Rainbow Johnson on Black-ish she earned six NAACP Image Awards and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Television Series Musical or Comedy. In 2019, the series Mixed-ish premiered, a prequel spin-off of Black-ish co created by Ross.

Under her production company, Joy Mill Entertainment, Ross recently signed a multi-year deal with ABC Signature to produce content across all platforms. Joy Mill Entertainment, housed at the Disney Television Studios, is committed to amplifying multi-layered stories that reframe assumptions about how people see themselves and each other. 

Ross also serves as the CEO and Founder of PATTERN, an award-winning haircare brand she created for the curly, coily and tight-textured masses, has taken the industry by storm since its launch in 2019.

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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

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Ta-Nehisi Coates, with his skillful writing and thoughtful analysis, has emerged as one of the most important voices of our times. In this episode, Ta-Nehisi and host Brad Johnson discuss his upbringing, the deep reverence he holds for black institutions, the strong desire for sense of place and home, his sense of freedom in myth writing, the professional distance needed to write about certain people, allowing a book to be written on its own terms, his love of the djembe drum, and thoughts on economic inequality. 

Ta-Nehisi is an award-winning author and journalist. He is the author of the bestselling books, The Beautiful Struggle, We Were Eight Years in Power, The Water Dancer, and Between the World and Me, which won the National Book Award in 2015.

As a journalist with a career spanning over two decades, he's written for numerous publications including The Washington City Paper, The Village Voice, The New Yorker and The New York Times. As a National Correspondent for The Atlantic, he penned numerous articles and essays, including the National Magazine Award-winning 2012 essay Fear of a Black President and the influential June 2014 essay The Case for Reparations. 

Ta-Nehisi will soon add screenwriter to his list of credentials. He is currently writing the screenplays for the upcoming films Wrong Answer, Superman and the film adaptation of his first fiction novel, The Water Dancer. 

While his successful run writing Marvel's Black Panther ended in April 2021, he continues to write Marvel's Captain America. 

He is currently in his fourth year as a distinguished writer in residence at NYU's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. 

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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.