Weekly Welcome

Claire is a Filipino-American bar owner of Hunky Dory in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Named after the name of a David Bowie album (one of her favorites), Hunky Dory is not your typical bar with brightly painted walls and lots of lights throughout the space. Originally, an all-day cocktail bar, coffee shop, and restaurant; Claire explains to us how she’s pivoted and indefinitely decided against returning for indoor dining.

Elizabeth Yee is the owner of Tonii's Fresh Rice Noodle in Manhattan's Chinatown. We sat down with Elizabeth to share her family's origin story and connections to Chinatown as well as the importance of family legacy. From Send Chinatown Love: "Opened in October 2019, Tonii’s specializes in the Cantonese dim sum classic cheung-fun, otherwise known as rice noodle rolls. The small eatery on Bayard Street offers a wide variety of Hong Kong-style breakfast foods that make for a quintessential element of the Chinatown experience." Join the Send Chinatown Love Food Crawl, more information available at: https://www.sendchinatownlove.com/food-crawl.html.

Hasung Lee is the newly promoted Chef de Cuisine at Atomix. Previously he was the opening Sous Chef for Atomix after he had traveled the world working in the best kitchens such as Gramercy Tavern in NYC and Geranium in Copenhagen. Upon opening Atomix, he set a professional benchmark on obtaining 2 stars from The Michelin Guide. Within just a year and a half, Atomix was able to garner the stars. By the time New York had to go on pause, Chef Hasung was already working on a new menu for the season along with a tremendous lineup of collaborations with world-class restaurants. 

Arni Cabantingan is an Assistant Sommelier at Atomix. Previously, she was a Server at The NoMad Restaurant (when Chef Daniel Humm and Make It Nice had still operated the concept). Now, 6 months later after New York went on pause, we circle back to see how Arni has spent her time and how she feels about returning to work (if and when we can).

Marc Rodriguez, Bartender at Atomix, continues the TABLESIDE series. Born and bred in Brooklyn, NY and from working at a pizza shop to becoming a lead bartender at a 2 Michelin-starred restaurant in NYC, Marc has had quite a journey in hospitality. We check in on his tenure pre-COVID, how the previous 6 months has been for him, and his outlook on the industry.

Jinah Rhee, Project & Events Coordinator for Atoboy & Atomix, shares the inside story on how their newest brand, Atonae, came to be. It is the name of the merchant place of various goods, including food items, branded merchandise, and limited edition artist collaborations. It remained a dormant idea in the process of establishing both restaurants, but resurfaced as a creative outlet during the unexpected hiatus of restaurants onset by COVID-19. Through its projects and products, Atonae hopes to provide positive, creative energy for not only creators & their partners, but also for their consumers.

Ahris Kim, General Manager of Atoboy, shares stories of navigating through the pandemic via offering for the first time delivery and takeout, as well as her outlook on the restaurant and the industry at large. 

Tableside brings you behind the scenes of restaurant staff and their stories of why they got into the industry, pre-COVID service memories, the last day of service, and their overall outlook on the current climate and uncertainty that lie ahead. For the first edition, we are collaborating with Atoboy & Atomix.

Alice Liu's family runs Grand Tea & Imports. From SCL "Since 2006, ‘Grand Tea Imports’ has been a Chinatown staple for folks looking for unique tea blends, spiritual goods, and niche Chinese cultural items. Whether you have questions about Buddhist symbolism or curious on Chinese teas and their provenance, Alice and her family have all the answers." More information about Send Chinatown Love is available at: https://www.sendchinatownlove.com.

The third and final episode in a three-part series FRIENDS & FAMILY with Ben, Arnold, & Dan features Sakura Yagi, COO of T.I.C Restaurant Group (Hasaki, Hi-Collar, Cha An, Rai Rai Ken, Sobaya, Curry Ya, Otafuku, Sake Bar Decibel, Shabu Tatsu, Sakagura) and Erina Yoshida, COO of Yoshida Restaurant Group (Shuraku, Angel's Share, Village Yokocho, Sunrise Mart, Pan Ya, Japan Village, Wakuwaku, Oldies, Kuraichi, Kyo Ya).