The Line

On today’s show, I welcome Lucas Sin, Eater Young Guns Class of 2019 and Forbes 30 under 30 and the chef/partner in Junzi Kitchen. Lucas opened his first restaurant when he was 16, in an abandoned newspaper factory in his hometown of Hong Kong with the help of friends and support from his family. While obtaining a degree in the Cognitive Science and English departments, he also hosted a popup out of his dorm and cooked at multiple restaurants in New Haven. In the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute he met his future Junzi Kitchen business partners and incubated the concept. In 2015, Junzi kitchen opened in New Haven and now has 3 additional locations in New York City. The company also has a new concept called Nice Day, which was born out of the pandemic and is focused on honoring classic American-Chinese classics. Nice day is currently incubating inside of a Junzi location, while they plan to launch its own brick and mortar location soon. In this episode we talk about pop-ups, not knowing what goes into opening a restaurant, the rapid growth of Junzi Kitchen and the past present and future of American-Chinese food.

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On today’s special episode of theLINE, recordings from a single day in May following FIG - a collective of social justice-oriented members of the food community  - talking about their efforts to feed people during the COVID-19 crisis. You will hear from one of the founders of FIG about the group came to be and how this food relief program began, a farm partners donating product, a chef who’s own restaurant is closed and is now handling delivery logistics, a catering company that lost all its business that is now producing hundreds of meals a week for those in need, a volunteer delivery driver finding joy during COVID while heading to a drop-off, and a leader at a community organization whose members are recipients of these FIG made meals. 

Photo Courtesy of Food Issues Group 

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On today’s episode we speak with Nic Jammet one of the three founders of Sweetgreen. The company the three friends started over a decade ago as a simple 500 square foot salad shack in Washington D.C. Since then it has grown to become a powerful brand with over 100 locations and a market value well over 1 billion dollars. The conversation was framed almost entirely through the lens of Pre and Post COVID as we spoke about the early growth of Sweetgreen, partnering with your best friends, innovation and technology in the context of a fast casual restaurant and what the future may hold for his company.

Photo Courtesy of Sweetgreen 

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In this special COVID-19 episode, audio recordings from some of the hospitality frontline workers that are going to work every day to feed our country. In what feels like a constant flow of insurmountable moments when day to day reveals a new crisis, these kitchens are doing what they do best - cooking to feeding communities. Featuring voices from around the country - Samantha Fore in Lexington, Jose Salazar in Cincinnati, Janet Kirker in Chicago, Nadine Bailey-Joyner in Washington D.C., Maiko Kyogoku in New York and Leo Robitschek and his team in New York . 

Photo Courtesy of Maiko Kyogoku

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On today’s episode we welcome Benjamin and Max Goldberg the co-owners of Strategic Hospitality in Nashville. The brothers operate and run properties all over Nashville including Merchants, The Patterson House, The Catbird Seat, PinewoodSocial, The Band Box located in First Tennessee Park, Bastion, Henrietta Red, Downtown Sporting Club, and The Party Line. In a very short time Strategic Hospitality has grown into a nationally recognized organization and pre-COVID employed nearly 500 people. In addition to their extensive civic involvement and business accolades, the Goldberg brothers have been nominated for the James Beard Foundation Awards for Outstanding Restaurateur 5 times over the last 6 years.

Photo Courtesy of Danielle Atkins

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On today's episode -  an interview with Dan Meiser and Chef James Wayman partners in 85th Day Food Community, a restaurant group in Mystic Connecticut that employs over 100 people and encompasses Oyster Club, Grass & Bone, and Engine Room. Oyster Club has earned regional and national attention, having been named the “Best Upscale Restaurant in CT” by the Connecticut Restaurant Association and one of the “Best Oyster Bars in America” by Travel & Leisure Magazine. We talked extensively about the crucial changes they've made to their businesses in order to have their busineesses survive this crisis. Dan is also chairman of the Connecticut Restaurant Association and speaks to some of the larger issues facing the state and the industry overall.

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Chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken are the owners and operators of the Border Grill restaurants which they began in 1985. They also operate BBQ Mexicana, a fast casual concept with two Las Vegas locations, and Socalo which opened in late 2019 in Santa Monica. Mary Sue serves on the boards of both Share Our Strength and the James Beard Foundation and she was previously selected to join the U.S. State Department on the American Chef Corps to promote diplomacy through food in Pakistan, Malta, and Italy. Susan Feniger sits on multiple boards in LA including the L.A. LGBT Center and co-founded Chefs Collaborative. In 2018, they were the recipients of the fourth annual Julia Child Award from The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, marking the first women to be honored. And also that same year, the duo received the 2018 Gold Award from the Los Angeles Times for culinary excellence and innovation in Southern California.

Photo by Bart Nagel

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In 2005, just months after they graduated from Kendall College of Culinary Arts in Chicago, Christine Cikowski and Josh Kulp founded Sunday Dinner Club a sort of dinner party-ish experience that has grown into a community dining space holding multiple dinners per month. In 2013, after eight successful years of running their sort of underground concept,  they decided to open their first true brick and mortar restaurant launching Honeybutter Fried Chicken in Avondale Chicago. The restaurant opened with goals beyond profitability: living wages, paid parental leave, and health insurance for staff.  Josh and Christine have always been strong advocates and community leaders. Josh was selected to participate in a James Beard Foundation Chef’s Policy Boot Camp and has spoken in congressional briefings regarding issues relating to restaurant wages and paid sick time. Christine is the chef chair of the Step Up Women’s Network and they both were part of the Mayor’s Task Force for Working Families, which successfully spurred earned sick time legislation within the City of Chicago. They both joined me from their respective homes in Chicago. A quick note that at times the audio quality isn’t the greatest so you’ll hear a bit of static and distortion during a few points in the interview. 

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In this episode, more stories from chefs and owners still processing what has happened to their businesses since the emergence of COVID-19. Stories of worry about the future and the hope for survival. Stories of energizing the industry to come together and fight for its own existence. 

Audio from:

Aktar Nawab, Chef and Owner - Alta Calidad - NYC, New Orleans, Omaha @altacalidadbk @chefaktar

Max Katzenberg & Greg Baxtrom - Co-Owner and Chef/Co-Owner - Olmsted and Maison Yaki Brooklyn @olmstednyc @nyhospcoalition 

Brent Kroll - Owner Sommelier - Maxwell Park Washington D.C. - @btkroll @maxwellpark_shaw @maxwellpark_navyyard

Camilla Marcus Restaurateur - Westbourne NY - @camilla.marcus @westbourne @roar.ny @indprestaurants 

Whitney Otawka - Chef - Greyfield Inn - Cumberland Island, GA - @greyfieldinn @whitneyotawka

Nate Adler - Owner - Gertie - Brooklyn NY - @gertienyc @natejackadler @leeinitiative

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Across the nation, restaurants, bars, and cafes sit dark and quiet. Owners are unsure if they will ever be able to re-open and hundreds of thousands have lost their jobs as millions have self isolated at home. This week on The Line, hear from several chefs and restaurant owners from around the nation in their own words about the last week of their personal and professional lives and the impossible and life changing decisions they’ve had to make during the evolving COVID-19 crisis. 

Stories from: 
Steven Satterfield - Chef/Owner Miller Union Atlanta @millerunionchef

Alex Raij Founder, Chef, Owner Txikito, El quinto pino, La Vara, Saint Julivert Fisherie NYC @alexraij 

Andy Hollyday Chef/Co-Owner Selden Standard Detroit @chefandy42

Dave Mancini Chef/Owner Supino Pizzeria Detroit @supinopizzeria 

Hannah Jacobs Co-Owner Babydudes Brooklyn @babydudes 

Dan Kluger Chef/Owner Loring Place NYC @dan_kluger

Marina Michelson Co-Owner Paper or Plastik Cafe @paper_plastic

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