New York based food and art collective
POPULARITY
2 episodes with Ghetto Gastro
3 episodes with Ghetto Gastro
5 episodes with Ghetto Gastro
2 episodes with Ghetto Gastro
2 episodes with Ghetto Gastro
2 episodes with Ghetto Gastro
2 episodes with Ghetto Gastro
2 episodes with Ghetto Gastro
2 episodes with Ghetto Gastro
This week on Cooking Issues, Dave Arnold welcomes award-winning writer and cultural strategist Osayi Endolyn for a deep dive into the intersection of food, history, and storytelling. Known for her work on Rise with Marcus Samuelsson and Black Power Kitchen with Ghetto Gastro, Osayi shares insights on the creative chaos of book collaborations, the power of narrative in food culture, and why restaurant back offices are the most depressing places on earth.Other key topics:• The Salisbury Steak Deep Dive – Dave uncovers the bizarre origins of the 1950s TV dinner classic, tracing it back to Dr. James Salisbury's 19th-century obsession with muscle pulp and all-meat diets. Turns out, his theories were as questionable as his taste in food.• Restaurant Back-of-House Horror – Osayi and Dave break down the stark contrast between the guest-facing hospitality experience and the grim reality of most restaurant back offices: dimly lit, airless spaces that resemble a prison guard station more than a workplace.• The Art of Book Collaborations – From managing big personalities to balancing creative control, Osayi discusses what it's like to shape the voice of culinary icons while making sure her own perspective stays intact.• Popcorn Science – The crew debates the ultimate popping method, from Dutch oven techniques to the magic of Amish heirloom kernels. Plus, Dave reveals a game-changing sugar-lectin blend for perfect homemade kettle corn.• The Wisdom of Indigenous Food Systems – Osayi challenges the Western idea that food knowledge is a constant progression, arguing that many indigenous cultures already had it figured out centuries ago—before industrialized agriculture muddied the waters.• Tamale Fights – Nastassia goes on a tirade about the masa-to-filling ratio in tamales, declaring that anything but a meat-heavy filling is a failure. Osayi offers a more diplomatic take, but acknowledges that most places do skimp on the good stuff.• Coming Soon: Creole & Quail – Osayi previews her upcoming book with chef Nina Compton, a journey through the flavors of St. Lucia, New Orleans, and the broader Caribbean diaspora.Plus, Dave rants about overpriced popcorn salts, the absurdity of early diet culture, and why breaking into cars isn't what it used to be. All that and more, this week on Cooking Issues! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sometimes, the universe just doesn't want you to make a dish. You hand-pick all your ingredients, do your chopping and dicing and mixing, pull out your go-to cookware and … the stove won't light.This food metaphor is meant to soften the blow of there not being a full podcast this week. Ann and Tarik were in the studio with their rundown of food news all set to go, and then our fancy audio equipment did the equivalent of the stove not lighting. So we did what any great chef does in this situation: Scrap the five-course meal you had planned and make a decent salad.Most of what you'll hear in this salad-ified episode comes from HYFIN's Megan Matthews — one of the DJs providing the “sound” half of our upcoming SoundBites event Feb. 27. She has the good fortune to be paired with Centraal Grand Café & Tappery's Rebecca Berkshire, who welcomed Megan into the kitchen for a chat about what they both have cooking for the big night (tickets for which are on sale now).Tarik also didn't want to miss an opportunity to talk about another cookbook that caught his eye recently: Black Power Kitchen from Ghetto Gastro. The Bronx-based culinary collective put together 75 recipes — mostly plant-based — that blend cultural heritage with innovative cooking techniques. Strong Back Stew, Triboro Tres Leches and their version of a classic bodega chopped cheese are just a few examples of what you'll find in these pages, which include way more than just recipes. The photography is incredible (there's nothing like a great good photo), plus they fold in original artwork and essays that draw the connections among food, community and Black excellence.
WHO (THE HELL) IS MICHELE LAMY? Michèle Lamy, connector of people, ideas, influences, subcultures. Entrepreneur, visionary, style icon, band leader, curator, polymath octogenarian. All nubby silver rings, kohl-shadowed eyes, gold-plated teeth and Berber-esque tattoos. Born in Jura, France in 1944, Lamy has lived many lives, from cabaret dancer to defense lawyer, fashion designer, and in 1990s Los Angeles, restaurant and nightclub owner—the perfect milieu for her innate ability to throw a fantastic party. Lamy is perhaps best known as the business partner and muse of her husband Rick Owens—these days she's focused on producing his line of furniture, imposing and minimalist, carved from huge slabs of rare veinless marble or assembled from plywood, bronze and moose antlers. Though “artist” is how many might describe her, she considers herself a storyteller. With her incredibly receptive and fearless spirit, she is a conduit of art and nurturer of ideas (“Lamyland” is the catchall she uses for her eclectic output). Forward-looking with a can-do attitude, Lamy has always been plugged into the heart of culture and in kinship across generations and disciplines, working with artists such as A$AP Rocky, Christeene, Ghetto Gastro, Marina Abramović, Juergen Teller, Kim Kardashian, and Jordan Wolfson.
Courtney Carter, founder of Carter Media Group (CMG), a leader in building story-driven and innovative brands. CMG partners with luminaries such as Liza Koshy and Ghetto Gastro, while Courtney serves as the executive producer for the successful series "LIZA ON DEMAND." Previously, Courtney worked at Creative Artists Agency and ESPN, where she excelled in digital talent packaging and sports management, respectively. She is also an active board member for several organizations and founded the non-profit Ally2Action in 2020, focusing on accelerating racial reconciliation. "Life With Mikey" is a dynamic podcast hosted by Mikey Taylor and Michael Michalov. Mikey Taylor, a former professional skateboarder turned real-estate-investing mogul, dives into the world of money, business, and culture. Drawing from his unique journey from skating the streets of LA to managing over $200 million in real estate, Mikey offers insightful discussions on achieving financial freedom and navigating the complexities of modern business. Michael Michalov boasts a robust 25-year journey in the financial services and real estate sectors. After college he quickly climbed the ladder in the banking industry, eventually becoming the Vice President of Retail, overseeing more than 200 locations, and managing a team of 1,075 employees. His knack for operational efficiency in banking and real estate is unparalleled. In 2014 Michael pivoted to becoming an entrepreneur and launched a financial advisory practice. This venture, which he successfully sold after three years, led him to an exciting opportunity as both a Partner and the COO at COMMUNE. With his extensive experience in operational management, financial advisory, and real estate, Michael is well-equipped to delve into a diverse array of captivating subjects.
The guys talk Vegas fun facts and learn more about some of the services offered there, Hawk reviews movie trailers
FROM THE DINNER TABLE STRAIGHT TO YOUR EARS THIS WEEK'S GUESTS ARE NONE OTHER THAN NEW YORK'S FINEST CULINARY ARTISTS: GHETTO GASTRO
Team Embrace, after weeks of research, comes back to the topic of Gun Violence. The guys go back through the questions brought up in the previous discussion and continue to find discoveries. Moral reads off several resources in place to help prevent gun violence and heal from it. The ShoutOut goes to Ghetto Gastro (@ghettogastro) and more... If you would like to dive into the resources talked about SOME are listed here: Street Smartz Over Safety https://streetsmartzoversafety.squarespace.com/ Drums No Guns Foundations Richmond Peace Education Center https://www.rpec.org/ Child Savers https://www.childsavers.org/services/childrens-mental-health-services/ Follow to join the Conversation on IG @embrace_podcast
Jon Gray and I met last May on the Chanel Connects podcast. We spoke about family, our cookbooks, Ghetto Gastro, collaborating with creative partners, food activism, and more. Today, I'm happy to say, the tables are turned and he is my guest on Ruthie's Table 4. For more information, recipes, and ingredients, go to: Web: https://rivercafe.co.uk/Instagram: www.instagram.com/ruthiestable4Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/therivercafelondon/ For any podcast enquires please contact: willem.olenski@atomizedstudios.tvSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode of 92NY Talks, join the culinary collective Ghetto Gastro — including Jon Gray, Pierre Serrao, and Lester Walker — behind the critically acclaimed cookbook Black Power Kitchen for a discussion with James Beard Award winning chef Sophia Roe about the relationship between food, ancestry and the narratives that shape cultural landscapes across the globe. The conversation was recorded on July 26, 2023 in front of a live audience at The 92nd Street Y, New York.
In this week's episode of Honest Retail, we chat about the topics and headlines that are capturing our attention. Cameron McCarthy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronkennethmccarthy/ Taylor Foxman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-foxman/ Carlton Fowler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlton-fowler-63069478/
In this episode, food visionaries unite: Ruthie Rogers, the legendary chef behind The River Café in London, talks to Jon Gray, Co-Founder of the Bronx-based collective Ghetto Gastro. They discuss their recent cookbooks which challenge accepted conventions - from photography and recipe instructions, to the availability and distribution of fresh ingredients. Both are committed to community and are champions of collaboration, focused on the intersection of culture and food, their legacies, and the power of partnership.
Black Business Month: Ghetto Gastro --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/andrea-lashea/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/andrea-lashea/support
The hosts discussed a celebrity foodie's new glitzy brand of $10/box pasta, the debut of a black-owned and gastronomic-inspired brand of toaster pastries at Target, French's sweet limited-time partner and a brief recap of the recently held 2023 Tales of The Cocktail convention. Also featured is the latest edition of Special Ops with Andrew Guard, in which the operations expert shares his take on both opportunities and challenges that are impacting new and emerging beverage and food companies. Show notes: 0:40: A Refreshing Take On “Tales.” Giada x Olive Garden. NYC Peeps, We're Calling In A Favor. – John and Mike returned from their respective visits to Southern California while Ray got back from New Orleans and discussed trends and takeaways from bar hospitality and spirits event Tales of The Cocktail. The hosts reacted to Giada De Laurentiis' foray into CPG and the debut of French's mustard-flavored Skittles (it's a TikTok thing) and chatted about founder visits to the office and a few new brands, including Ghetto Gastro. 28:17: Special Ops with Andrew Guard, Vol. 3 – In the third installment of our regular series with Guard, the Right Coast Brands founder reflects on products featured in BevNET's New Beverage Showdown 25 competition held in June, why mushrooms have become the “it” ingredient and how they're incorporated into new foods and beverages and innovative concepts that he and his team are bringing to life, including a kava-based drink and a refreshing hard tea. Brands in this episode: Saint James Tea, Lyre's, Ritual Zero, Bosscal Mezcal, El Tequileno, Glenmorangie, Johnnie Walker, Giadzy, Barilla, Prince Pasta, French's, Skittles, Nuttin Ordinary, Wehl Plant Drops, Ghetto Gastro, Gunna Drinks, Chubby Snacks, Bashi, Cape Tide Hard Tea
AJ Holiday & TamBam Cohost, Ghetto Gastro Interview, Body Shaming In The Workplace and More!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We're digging back through the Wine Face episode cellar to revisit a few of my favorites — like this one:Jon Gray from Ghetto Gastro came by the studio to talk about his Bronx-based food collective Ghetto Gastro which is taking the world by storm. We tasted through some fall entertaining wines, talked about growing up in New York, swapped ideas & explored his extensive travel notes. Bronx to the world, the world to the Bronx!Hosted and Executive Produced by Helen Johannesen.Produced by Dear Media.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Through his abstract paintings, the Miami-born, Brooklyn-based artist José Parlá explores themes ranging from memory, gesture, and layering, to movement, dance, and hip-hop culture, to codes, mapping, and mark-making. Coming up in Miami in the late 1980s and early '90s, Parlá spent his adolescence and young adult years steeped in hip-hop culture and an underground scene that involved break dancing, writing rhymes, and making aerosol art. The art form still manifests, in wholly original ways, in his abstract works, which, while decidedly of the 21st century, extend in meaning and method back to ancient wall writings and cave drawings.On the episode, Parlá talks about his recent near-death experience with Covid-19; his activism with the collective Wide Awakes; and how his large-scale murals at locations including the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Barclays Center, and One World Trade Center trace back to his early days of painting elaborate wall works with aerosol.Special thanks to our Season 7 sponsor, Van Cleef & Arpels.Show notes: [07:37] Rey Parlá[11:45] Ciclos: Blooms of Mold[12:19] Augustin Parlá[13:13] Curtiss School of Aviation[14:05] José Martí[16:20] “Phosphene” series[18:27] “Polarities” series[18:32] “Breathing” series[23:25] Wide Awakes[23:26] For Freedoms[23:29] Hank Willis Thomas[23:31] J.R.[23:35] Wildcat Ebony Brown[24:28] “The Awakening”[32:04] “It's Yours”[34:17] Snøhetta[34:45] Ghetto Gastro[36:50] Craig Dykers[36:55] José Parlá's Studio[38:20] James B. Hunt Jr. Library[38:22] “Nature of Language”[38:47] Far Rockaway Writer's Library[56:56] “Brothers Back to Back”[59:51] “Parlá Frères”[01:00:03] Hurricane Andrew[01:00:12] Savannah College of Art and Design[01:01:32] New World School of the Arts[01:01:51] Mel Alexenberg[01:02:29] “Combine” by Robert Rauschenberg[01:06:29] “Gesture Performing Dance, Dance Performing Gesture” at BAM[01:06:30] Barclays Center mural[01:06:32] “One: Union of the Senses” at One World Trade Center[01:06:33] “Amistad América” at the University of Texas at Austin[01:12:08] Gordon Parks fellowship
Keyaira Miller, Lead Business Partner at Target, brings a broad set of Retail experiences and expertise spanning over 16 years within the areas of Buying, Sourcing, Product Development and Brand Management. Keyaira is a Lead Business Partner on the Merchandising Vendor Development Team at Target Headquarters. In her current role, she is responsible for sourcing, connecting, growing and amplifying emerging diverse and/or women owned brands to support Target's merchandising strategies and drive inclusive assortment for Target's diverse guests. Her notable and most recent work includes helping curate Target's Black History Month Assortments, Tabitha Brown's Limited Time Apparel and Food launches and Target's Activation booths and programming at Essence Fest in New Orleans. Keyaira has a passion for retaining and growing brands, allowing them to reach their fullest potential by empowering them with the right foundational tools, partners and resources in hopes that it creates a space to fuel generational wealth and drive economic vitality and equity. Prior to Target, Keyaira was at Amazon Fashion, leading the Women's Product Development team within Private Brands. Much of what Keyaira loves is involved with collaboration and connection. Assembling a team with gifts different than mine, who shine in ways I don't have, has been both inspiring and crucial to my success. Keyaira is a 2002 Graduate of West High school in Waterloo, IA and has degrees from The University of Northern Iowa and The Academy of Arts University. Keyaira currently resides in Waterloo with her loving husband and 10-year-old old son. Here's what we covered on the episode: How I met Keyaira when she was speaking at a panel at The Black and Brown Summit, a local event I attended in earlier this year, and I wondered how a girl from Iowa got to work with brands at Target Keyaira shares that at an early age she was always was interested in fashion, and was fascinated by how fashion worked She knew that the University of UNI had a great fashion and textiles program and the program showed her the familiarity she needed to know to get the opportunities she wanted Initially, she was interested in the buying part of fashion and she got her first opportunities by networking and cold calling, as this was before the opportunity By building up her network, working in retail in high school, she got her first opportunity in the field at Target in Minneapolis Melissa and Keyaira shared the same experience of not having an awareness of big fashion brands like Louis Vuitton or Manolo Blahnik growing up in Iowa until we saw Sex and the City Keyaira used her experience working at Victoria's Secret when she was younger and worked as an intern for Von Maur How she got laid off from Target after a few months during the recession, but they called her back shortly after Knowing Yourself, Knowing Your Wealth, and Knowing the Shelf Why it's important for Keyaira to equip the brand she works with to be successful at any retailer that they chose, showing them how to know themselves, know their wealth and know the shelf Know yourself: do you know yourself and do you have the capacity + capability to really scale in retail? Being “retail ready” means you must be ready to get a retailer a shipment of 20,000 units in less than 2 weeks when they're ready to give you a PO, your answer should be yes Know your wealth: You really have to be truthful and honest with yourself that you're in the right place to be in retail, as it could put you out of business if you're not ready Know the shelf: you must understand your competition and understand the retailer where you want to be. Where do you want your product to be placed? Go there and take a picture to see if it fits there. Melissa shared how she learned through her own desire to start a mascara line, but she decided to put that on hold Keyaira shares that she currently works within food and beverage, but may crossover in apparel, beauty and more Why Melissa is excited to learn more about what Keyaira does because it helps her and her audience learn how the retail sourcing process works The ins and outs of how Keyaira's team at Target works How Keyaira's team works with retail-ready brands, and learns more about them, like what their costs are, what retailers they're already in, and making sure that they're aligning brands that match the merchant strategies Each merchant or buyer has a strategy they want to follow, for example, bringing in more diverse brands for rice and beans Keyaira shares how she finds out about up and coming brands events, online and has a collaborative conversation with her merchant and buyer, who have the final say on who makes the final decision If they're interested in a brand, then Keyaira helps them get ready for a line review, and making a great impression and staying in touch with your buyer to continue the conversation Why Keyaira recommends brands have patience in the retail process; buyers change hands all the time, timing is everything and next year it could fit right into the new strategy How over the years of talking to vendors and understanding why it's so important to know yourself before you start a business, even though in this day and age anyone can start a business Keyaira shares an example of a luxury brand who was already on the shelf at Saks, and how they were adamant about being on the shelf at Target, but it wasn't really a fit for the brand Why having the awareness that as your business scales, your team must scale as well, or knowing when you need to bring in a distributor, and being able to re-evaluate your business on a consistent basis Keyaira's perspective on partnerships Keyaira shares an example of a how they did a small activation with Coca-Cola and to amplify black-owned brands like Ghetto Gastro with food demos, and created a moment with guests to have a connection and wanted to have a Coke The goal now is to drive guest discoverability with classic, iconic brands to drive awareness to brands like Ghetto Gastro How Target works with organizations like WBENC, and why those partnerships are crucial to the success because it's another layer that helps creates success and inclusivity Melissa shares that her experience at Dress for Success Worldwide opened her eyes to different brand activations and partnerships that were out there and happening in the real world How a lot of what Keyaira does is organic and fluid; but how her role and the area of business and the human centric approach matters, and why that's missing from a lot of brands Why Keyaira loves meeting new brands and learning more about them Why inclusive design matters How inclusive design has been around for a long time, but now it's getting recognition it deserves Why there's power in leaning into inclusive design, and why it's a huge misconception, for example, that all black-owned brands are only designed for black people A lot of times, the brand is only serving products for everyone Why Keyaira recommends that brands celebrate heritage, and how data shows that buyers wanna support brands that have that messaging that celebrate heritage Why brands are now putting the logos of the causes they support and the certifications you have on your packaging Buyers are looking to bring cultures together; and how Target is seeing data that backs it up Why it's important for brand to have inclusive brands, inclusive products and as it relates to design and branding, it's not going away Why more retailers are going to lean into it more, and why brands should lean to it, be authentic to it, showcase it and not hide it Sometimes when brands get ready to be inside of a retailer, they want to change their mission statement but there's beauty in who you are, and stay authentic to your brand and yourself How you can connect with Keyaira on Instagram or send her a message at keyaira.k.miller@gmail.com Links mentioned: Connect with Keyaira on Instagram Learn more about Keyaira's role at Target Like what you heard? Click here to subscribe + leave a review on iTunes. Click here to download my Sales Page Trello Board Let's connect on Instagram!
In 2012, a group of friends in New York formed Ghetto Gastro, a collective of chefs and food enthusiasts.In the decade that followed, Ghetto Gastro grew from a weekly house party in Long Island City into a full-blown global brand offering large-scale events, their own food products, kitchen appliances, and cookbooks.On this week's episode of All Angles, we talk with founders Jon Gray, Lester Walker, and Pierre Serrao to get the full story behind Ghetto Gastro and hear how a few chefs and hustlers came together to form one of the most unique new brands in food and media. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We're back with a FRESH one! On this episode of the Father Hoods Pod, Manny Digital, DJ EFN, and KGB welcome special guests, The Bronx Culinary Collective: Ghetto Gastro's Pierre Serrao and Lester Walker! Take a seat and join your favorite podcasting Dads as they dive in to get to know more about the parenting side of Ghetto Gastro. Get ready for some sage parenting advice on how to get your kids started on living a healthier lifestyle. Tap in and get your weekly dose of #FatherHood realness!!! You'll hear about…
In this episode, Charlie Walk goes one on one with the man who revolutionized the kitchenware category at the early age of 25 years old. Shae Hong Founder & CEO, Made By Gather, a wellness-obsessed home cook, saw a massive hole in the modern day kitchen and introduced brands built on the principles of design, accessibility, and innovation. Simply put, he is responsible for making kitchenware 'cool.' Known for being in tune with the modern consumer, he started with Bella®, the first appliance brand to bring fashion to the countertop. Harnessing the company's ability to capitalize on contemporary trends, he continued to grow Made by Gather on the belief that kitchen essentials should inspire creativity and serve more than a utilitarian purpose, leading to collaborative projects with notables like Drew Barrymore and Ghetto Gastro and further building his portfolio of coveted brands with Beautiful™ and CRUX®. Now with over millions and millions of units sold, Shae shares his fascinating journey from inventor to entrepreneur to CEO. So get ready to get sexy in the kitchen with Shae Hong as he WALKS THIS WAY!
Hip hop records as placemats. A sneaker chandelier, reminiscent of shoes hanging on telephone lines. A bouillabaisse overflowing with seafood from the south of France. That was the scene at one of the high-end events put on by Ghetto Gastro, a Bronx-based culinary collective. Jon Gray, Lester Walker, and Pierre Serrao formed Ghetto Gastro a decade ago, with a mission to present Bronx culture as high culture. Their first cookbook, Black Power Kitchen, co-written with Osayi Endolyn, is “part cookbook, part manifesto. Created with big Bronx energy.” Dan takes a tour of the Bronx with Ghetto Gastro's founders, hitting up some of the spots that make the borough so special: Kingston Tropical Bakery, Feroza's Roti Shop, and Green Garden Juice Bar and Health Food Store.The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Johanna Mayer, Nora Ritchie, and Jared O'Connell.Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.
Bronx-based culinary collective Ghetto Gastro hopes their new book, "Black Power Kitchen", will be as influential as "The Joy of Cooking." Jon Gray, Pierre Serrao & Lester Walker bring their mix of culinary prowess and social justice to The Greene Space today to share some recipes from the book as well as discuss their brand new podcast, "In the Cut." Excerpted from Ghetto Gastro Presents Black Power Kitchen by Jon Gray, Pierre Serrao, Lester Walker, with Osayi Endolyn (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2022. Chopped Stease Add Caption Here (Excerpted from Ghetto Gastro Presents Black Power Kitchen by Jon Gray, Pierre Serrao, and Lester Walker, with Osayi Endolyn (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2022. Food photographs by Nayquan Shuler and at) Seems like we've been eating chopped cheese our whole lives. Our favorites were from delis like Hajji's on 110th (also known as Blue Sky Deli). It's a hood staple, one that until recent years, you'd find only Uptown. For $4 or $5, any short-order bodega cook can style it how you like it, but the classic build is ground beef cooked down with onions and American cheese, then topped with tomatoes and shredded lettuce on a hero or roll. It's a sandwich that's been extensively rapped and written about, argued over, and widely consumed. Some make comparisons to other sandwiches, but we're not doin that (this is not the time for Philly cheesesteak debates). Like a lot of foods that emerge from neighborhoods and cultures where many are systemically deprived of wealth, the chopped cheese is a blue-collar dish. It's gonna fill you up, get you right. And like many iconic foods, especially those from Black and brown cultures, the chopped cheese is not without its social complexities. As the class makeup of the BX and Uptown has shifted to attract richer, whiter populations in recent years, the chopped cheese found its way into the hands of folks who didn't grow up on it like we did but rather often “discovered” the sandwich and, naturally, loved it. It wasn't long before chopped cheeses appeared downtown and across the bridge in Brooklyn, at restaurants, not delis, and sometimes at more than triple the deli price (and on the wrong bread!). In the United States, inexpensive food can often mean it's actually unhealthy. A widespread lack of care for our environment, agricultural policies that subsidize certain commodities over fruits and vegetables, commercial rents that make running a restaurant in practice a real estate business—these all factor into a $4 beef sandwich that's no long-term investment in your body. The cost to source antibiotic-free, sustainably farmed meat, organic produce for the fixins, and bread made from high-quality non-GMO wheat would make it unrealistic for most businesses to maintain the low retail tag. But study this: Here's a class issue exacerbated by racism. Poor people get a sandwich they can afford that's not nourishing, and wealthy people get offered a healthier, more expensive version that might not even resemble the real thing. Some of us Black folks looked up to see a product of our environment appear in news stories as if it just got invented, a relentless American refrain. Our take on the sandwich that's come to symbolize so much in our community is the Chopped Stease. At Ghetto Gastro, we aim to keep pushing the conversation, remixing, repurposing, subverting where we can. Stease is about that layered flavor, that BX energy. We have to big up where we're from, and that means claiming the parts that helped shape us. No disrespect to the OG chopped cheese, but it's only right we add our own stease. Respectfully. Makes 4 sandwiches Ingredients1 tablespoon vegetable oil4 hero rolls or French dinner rolls, sliced in half lengthwise3 tablespoons plant-based butter1 cup (125 g) cipollini onions, diced 1 pound (455 g) plant-based ground meat1 tablespoon flaky sea salt, plus more to taste1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper9 ounces (255 g) plant-based American cheese ½ cup (110 g) Aquafaba Aioli (page 290)1 cup (75 g) finely shredded iceberg lettuce1 heirloom tomato, sliced PreparationIn a large nonstick pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. When it begins to smoke, add the rolls, cut-side down, and toast, gently pressing them against the pan, until the insides develop a golden brown hue and crisp up, about 1 minute. You might need to work in a few batches; don't crowd the pan. As the rolls are toasted, remove them from the heat and set aside. Add the plant-based butter to the same pan and increase the heat to medium-high. Add the onions and sweat them until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the plant-based ground meat and season with the salt and pepper. Cook, using a spatula to break up the meat as it cooks, until browned, 5 to 6 minutes, then layer the cheese onto the meat. Use the spatula to “chop” the cheese into the meat. Chop it! Stir to combine, then remove from the heat. Take the bottom half of each sandwich roll and spread a layer of the aioli onto it, then add some lettuce. Load on the meat-and-cheese mix, then top with sliced tomato, plus a sprinkle of salt. Finish with the top half of each roll. To serve it up deli-style (and for a less messy eating experience), wrap the sandwich in a sheet of parchment paper, then in a sheet of foil. Order up! Serve immediately.
Dialogues | A podcast from David Zwirner about art, artists, and the creative process
Jon Gray, co-founder of the Bronx-based collective Ghetto Gastro, talks to Helen Molesworth about the collective's work at the intersection of the culinary world, hip-hop, fashion, art, activism, and community building.
On this episode, Ghetto Gastro celebrates the influence of Chinese cuisine on American culture with founder and CEO of Fly by Jing, Jing Gao. After, the guys step into the kitchen to cook up another GG original, General Tso's Cauliflower.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In the season finale of In the Cut with Ghetto Gastro, Jon, P, and Les discuss the importance of food, activism, and power with New York City's Time Out Woman of the Year, Carolina Savereda. Later, they hit the kitchen and talk about how the Black Panthers Community Services Program inspired one of their most famous dishes to date, the Black Power Waffle.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Let me get a chopped cheese, salt, pepper, ketchup please! Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter roll up to the Ghetto Gastro table to test if the Uptown-born Chopped Cheese sandwich has the ability to win the hearts of the two Philly expats and cheesesteak lovers. Later, Jon, P, and Les head to the lab to cook for you their version of the hood favorite, “The Chopped Stease”.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
On this episode of In the Cut, Ghetto Gastro explores how NY pizza has a flavor and style all its own; join the guys in discussing how the dish has evolved from the Italian pie into something wholly New York. Jon, Pierre, and Les talk about their favorite spots in town, and interview Dominican chef Scarr Pimentel of Scarr's Pizza, who mills his own grains every day for sensational, delicious slices. As an homage to NY, the guys take you into the lab to cook you up a pie with bubbling mozzarella and gorgeous San Marzano tomatoes.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Street-to-table is the only way to break bread on the block. It's nourishment through the food, the flavor, the vibes—if it ain't fresh, it ain't served up.Join in on a trip down the sidewalks of the Bronx with culinary collective Ghetto Gastro for In The Cut, a gastronomical deep dive into the dishes and cultures that shape the New York foodscape. From “Chopped Stease” and hood Chinese to “Twerk n Jerk” and mofongo, Ghetto Gastro takes us through the origins and legacy of the borough's food culture.From restaurants to bodegas, each episode explores an iconic dish through unfiltered conversations with tastemakers, cultural experts, and neighborhood icons like Questlove and Black Thought, Von Diaz and A$AP Ferg.After choppin' it up on the block with guests, they take their recipes back into the kitchen to lead listeners in a hands-on cooking demo with their signature spin.So grab a plate, take a seat and get your ears ready to feast—with Ghetto Gastro everybody eats.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This special edition of the podcast is our final episode of 2022. Today we are revisiting our conversations with thirteen of our guests from this year as they illustrate what happens when you lead with love. Our guests not only talk about romantic love but also highlight what it means to be madly in love with your work, what it can teach us about ourselves, and how important it is to fall head over heels for the process. We will close today's episode with the kind of love they imagine for the future. We begin with dedications from Grammy-award-winning singer + songwriter Estelle, Chef + Activist Zoe Adjonyoh, Preacher + Scholar Eboni Marshall Turman, Choreographer and Dancer Bill T. Jones, and finally, Culinary Entrepreneur Jon Gray of Ghetto Gastro. They remind us of their “why” as we open the floodgates to allow love to flow freely through the conversation. Episodes to listen toDedication:E41. Estelle: Becoming the Love of Your Life.E42. Zoe Adjonyoh: Exploring Identity Through Cuisine.E44. Rev.Eboni Marshall Turman: Redefining God's BodyE49. Bill T. Jones: The Artist is Present.E52. Ghetto Gastro (Jon Gray): 15 Seconds to Decide.Love:E37. Bisa Butler: The Realization of MemoryE49. Bill T. Jones: The Artist is Present.E40. Jericho Brown: Shaping Reality with Words.E47.David Zilber: A Fermenter's Guide to the Universe.E56. Rita Dove: The Pleasure of Text.Imagine for the future:E36. Dario Calmese: Designing Consciousness with IBI Founder.E41. Estelle: Becoming the Love of Your Life.E50. June Ambrose: The Style Architect.
Bookstore owner Celia Sack shares her annual picks for best cookbooks with a surprising trend from first generation authors. Anna Voloshyna, a Ukrainian-born food writer and cooking instructor living in the Bay Area, she gets closer to home by sharing family favorites and modern reimaginings of traditional recipes. Ghetto Gastro's cookbook “Black Power Kitchen'' aims to change the narrative of Black food through history, art, culture, and recipes. Naomi Duguid traveled the world to research how the essential ingredient of salt is collected and used. Raghanvan Iyer's upcoming book is a love letter to a spice blend that is celebrated among cultures around the world.
For the next few weeks on The Limits, we're pulling together some of our favorite conversations from The Limits Plus that were only available to subscribers – until now. In this week's Remix episode, host Jay Williams talks to some hugely successful people about the mentors who helped them along the way: fashion icon Dapper Dan, NFL legend Deion Sanders, and Jon Gray from the Ghetto Gastro collective.Follow Jay on Instagram and Twitter. Email us at thelimits@npr.org.
Osayi Endolyn is a journalist, cookbook author, and cultural commentator of the highest degree. In this action-packed episode, we talk about her latest cookbook project, Ghetto Gastro Presents Black Power Kitchen. We find out about what goes into writing a cookbook that isn't structured like a typical cookbook, and we go back to hear about Osayi's life growing up around California, her early work in TV and film, and her assessment of what the Ghetto Gastro authors describe as “hood Chinese” food. This talk is a long time coming, and we hope you enjoy getting to know one of food media's great voices.Also on the show, restaurateur and former Eleven Madison Park owner Will Guidara stops by to talk about his new book, Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect.More from Osayi Endolyn:Assisted Living [Oxford American]Christmas With Musicians Is as Sweet as It Sounds [Food & Wine]I Drove 300 Miles Through the Low Country for Life-Changing Food [CN Traveler]
The quartet behind 'Black Power Kitchen', the first book from Ghetto Gastro, sit down in the studio with Dave and Chris to discuss the long road from the Bronx, and the power of breaking bread. Also: Dave's lost cookbook collection, Clive Cussler, Thomas Kinkade, comic-con for food nerds, the pan-African pantry, takoyaki and conch fritters, chili-lime liberation, Chino-Latino cuisine, the corn pancakes at Rosetta, St. Lucia saltfish, Jamaican curry, and Hailey Bieber sea-moss smoothies. Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying Guests: Jon Gray, Pierre Serrao, Lester Walker, and Osayi Endolyn Producers: Sasha Ashall, Jordan Bass, and Aleya Zenieris Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
On this episode of The Meals That Made Me, Adam talks with Jon Gray, Pierre Serrao, and Lester Walker of Ghetto Gastro, a trailblazing Bronx-bred culinary art and design collective who have held up a reputation for hosting one-of-a-kind worldwide events with the mission to empower underprivileged communities.They talk with Adam about their passion for layering flavors and using food to spark conversation and impart knowledge, while making quality food more accessible to the underserved areas they talk about. From developing a love of culinary arts studying under some of the most influential heavy hitters in the food world, to bringing together pop culture's biggest artists like Drake and Skepta at their parties, and tapping into ancestral ingredients in their new cookbook Black Power Kitchen, these are the meals that made Ghetto Gastro.This podcast is produced by First We Feast in collaboration with Complex NetworksHost: Adam RichmanExecutive Producers: Chris Schonberger, Nicola Linge, and Justin BoloisHead of Podcast Production: Jen StewartSupervising Producer: Shiva BayatSenior Producer: Jocelyn AremAssociate Producers: Nina Pollock and Katherine HernandezProduction Managers: Shamara Rochester and Natasha BennettRecording Engineer / Sound Designer: Andrew GuastellaThanks to the team at BuzzfeedFor more First We Feast content, head to First We Feast on IG, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It took a little while before award-winning writer Osayi Endolyn answered her calling, but the food world is fortunate she did, as she's put a number of thoughtful projects into the world. In addition to articles and essays for the likes of Time, Food52, and Oxford American, Osayi has co-authored two special books: The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food with Marcus Samuelsson, and Black Power Kitchen with the Bronx-based collective Ghetto Gastro. The latter was just published by Artisan and it's a tour de force of art, cuisine, culture, and creativity. Osayi joins host Kerry Diamond to talk about the process behind the books and how to bring participants' voices forward in literary collaborations. She also shares early food memories and the path that got her where she is today. Don't miss Part 1 of today's show with the co-founder of Ghetto Gastro, Jon Gray, out now. Listen to both episodes wherever you get your podcasts. Ghetto Gastro would love for you to buy a copy of Black Power Kitchen from a Black-owned bookstore, like The Lit. Bar in the Bronx. Check out our 2nd annual Cooks & Books festival line-up here, happening Nov. 5th & 6th at Ace Hotel Brooklyn! Our podcast is recorded at Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center in New York City. Our theme song is by the band Tra La La.Subscribe to our newsletter and check out past episodes and transcripts here!Want to come to Jubilee 2023? Snag early-bird tickets here!More on Osayi: Instagram, WebsiteMore on Ghetto Gastro: Instagram, Black Power Kitchen
Today, we wanted to revisit one of our favorite talks with our good friend Jon Gray. Jon is a co-founder of the Bronx based collective Ghetto Gastro. If you've ever seen or experienced one of their food presentations—it's like art. We hope you enjoy our talk!
Jon Gray is the co-founder of Ghetto Gastro, a 10-year-old culinary-and-arts collective from the Bronx that has the goal of nourishing the world while celebrating Black food and culture. Their debut book, Black Power Kitchen, is one of the most anticipated cookbooks of the fall, but it is way more than a collection of recipes, as Jon explains. He also shares some stories from his own life, the inspiration his mother has provided over the years, and how the culinary world drew him in. In the second half of the show, Jon talks about Ghetto Gastro's expansion into the packaged food business with their Wavy Waffle Mix, Sovereign Syrups, and kitchen appliances with the line called CRUXGG that's found everywhere from Target to Williams Sonoma. Don't miss Part 2 of today's show with Jon's co-author, the award-winning writer Osayi Endolyn. Coming soon! Ghetto Gastro would love for you to buy a copy of Black Power Kitchen from a Black-owned bookstore, like The Lit. Bar in the Bronx. Check out our 2nd annual Cooks & Books festival line-up here, happening Nov. 5th & 6th at Ace Hotel Brooklyn! Our podcast is recorded at Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center in New York City. Our theme song is by the band Tra La La.Subscribe to our newsletter and check out past episodes and transcripts here!Want to come to Jubilee 2023? Snag early-bird tickets here!More on Jon: InstagramMore on Ghetto Gastro: Instagram, Black Power Kitchen
“We break bread to build bridges.” Bronx-based culinary collective founders Jon Gray, Pierre Serrao, and Lester Walker – otherwise known as Ghetto Gastro – discuss making high vibrational dishes, using food as a vehicle to tell stories, and why conscious cuisine is the future of food.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
John Fetterman faces questions about his health, Desi Lydic investigates America's paper shortage, and Ghetto Gastro's Jon Gray, Pierre Serrao and Lester Walker talk "Black Power Kitchen."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Today's conversation is with food enthusiast, storyteller, and creative strategist Jon Gray. Jon is the co-founder and self-proclaimed dishwasher of Ghetto Gastro— a collective that uses food as a medium to ignite conversations about race, inequity, and inclusivity. Jon's love affair with the Bronx, usage of mixed media, and desire to build new narratives that empower black and brown people, teaches us the importance of having pride in your roots and staying true to yourself. In today's conversation, we're reminded of the importance of staying true to ourselves. We explore themes such as the value of fostering deep connections, the importance of perseverance, and we journey into why trusting your instincts can be your greatest tool. What to read Pre-order https://ghettogastro.com/pages/black-power-kitchen (Black Power Kitchen - Ghetto Gastro) by Jon Gray, Pierre Serrano, Lester Walker (Drops 10.18.22) https://bookshop.org/books/my-grandmother-s-hands-racialized-trauma-and-the-pathway-to-mending-our-hearts-and-bodies-9781942094470/9781942094470 (My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies) by Resmaa Menakem https://bookshop.org/books/the-rise-black-cooks-and-the-soul-of-american-food-a-cookbook/9780316480680 (The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food: A Cookbook) by Marcus Samuelsson, Yewande Komolafe, Osayi Endolyn People mentioned https://studiomuseum.org/thelma-golden-director-and-chief-curator (Thelma Golden) - Director and Chief Curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem Curator, critic & author https://cargocollective.com/museummammy (Kimberly Drew) Graphic Artist https://www.moma.org/artists/70943 (Emory Douglas) Artist https://www.jamelrobinson.com/ (Jamel Robinson) Co-Founder of ArtNoir & President of Saint Heron https://www.instagram.com/queencc/?hl=en (Carolyn Concepcion) https://camh.org/event/in-conversation-amoako-boafo-and-larry-ossei-mensah/ (Larry Ossei-Mensah) Curator & Co-founder of https://www.instagram.com/artnoirco/?hl=en (@artnoirco) Artist http://www.derrickadams.com/ (Derrick Adams) https://www.sheamoisture.com/ca/en/narratively-longroad.html (Richelieu Dennis) - Founder & CEO of Sundial Brands, maker of SheaMoisture Learn more about Jon Gray Check out Ghetto Gastro's appliance collection https://cruxgg.com/ (CRUXGG) https://www.cooperhewitt.org/channel/jon-gray-of-ghetto-gastro-selects/ (Jon Gray's) of Ghetto Gastro, Cooper Hewitt Installation Watch Jon Gray's https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cWkKwGUt3g ((Ghetto Gasto) TedTalk) What to listen to https://open.spotify.com/track/1sYRkVKdT2ize1HSDCwbEF (Say It Loud - I'm Black And I'm Proud) by James Brown https://open.spotify.com/track/6HZILIRieu8S0iqY8kIKhj (DNA.) by Kendrick Lamar https://open.spotify.com/track/48EjSdYh8wz2gBxxqzrsLe?autoplay=true&v=T (Cranes in the Sky) by Solange Who to follow Find him on https://www.instagram.com/ghettogray/ (IG) To learn more about his work, visit GhettoGastro.com This conversation was recorded on July 30th, 2022. Host https://www.instagram.com/dario.studio/ (Dario Calmese) Producer: https://www.instagram.com/holly_woodco/ (Coniqua Johnson) Visual Art Direction and Designs: http://riverwildmen.com (River Wildmen), https://www.instagram.com/afrovisualism/ (Justin Smith), Adam Selah Director of Digital Content: https://www.instagram.com/vickygcreative/ (Vicky Garcia) Bookings: http://@itsms.kt (K.T. Thompson) Audio Engineer + Composer: https://www.instagram.com/adamradice/ (Adam Radice) Original music composed by https://www.instagram.com/adamradice/ (Adam Radice)
Ghetto Gastro is a New York-based collective of chefs and food enthusiasts from The Bronx. We spoke with Jon Gray from GG about the current state of food media, creative director slander, wearing Rick down to the dick, we let Demi cook for too long, the Patagonification of Getto Gastro, they're putting the quinoa puffs on Justin's peanut butter cups now, nothing gets people more "open" than when someone orders for the table, staying nimble without a brick and mortar, working out at the park during the panorama, only pans, growing up making fast money in the cocaine business, money laundering tips, Beyond Meat's million dollar nose-bite, our thoughts on seed oil, we found footage of them putting syrup on some branzino, buttered toast with anchovies, uniform dressing when its album mode, and why Ghetto Gastro says no eight times out of ten. instagram.com/ghettogastro twitter.com/donetodeath twitter.com/themjeans --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/howlonggone/support
When New York multi-hyphenate Jon Gray set it upon himself to bring the Bronx to the world through food, he faced two battles: establish a successful business at the tail end of a recession, and overcome the high-end culinary world's historically white gaze.Now, Ghetto Gastro, the food collective he co-founded, is connecting the dots between fashion, design, hip-hop and the culinary arts. They've created unforgettable food experiences and products in collaboration with Nike, Microsoft, Airbnb, Beats By Dre and more. They're known to bill corporate giants well into the six figures for just a few dozen dinner guests.Jon was raised in a nurturing, education-forward household in the Bronx. As a teenager, he sold drugs to afford things his peers couldn't. In conversation with Jay, he talks about how he transitioned from that lifestyle--and applied some of those same skills--to a multidisciplinary career in the arts that he "reverse-engineered," in his words.He also explains how Ghetto Gastro is not only about creating value, it's about capturing that value, circulating it back to Black people through donations, and thereby channeling new opportunities into the community directly. For sponsor-free episodes, weekly bonus content, and more, subscribe to The Limits Plus at plus.npr.org/thelimits. On this week's Plus episode, Jon discusses his personal and spiritual connection to the late designer Virgil Abloh.Follow Jay on Instagram and Twitter. Email us at thelimits@npr.org.
On this episode, we are joined by our good friend Jon Gray. Jon is a co-founder of the Bronx based collective http://ghettogastro.com/ (Ghetto Gastro). If you've ever seen or experienced one of their food presentations, it's literally like art. After his tumultuous upbringing, Jon found a calling in fashion and combined food with art and design. His collective of Ghetto Gastro with his partners have created many tables big enough for everyone to sit at, encouraging and cultivating conversations about inclusion, race, and economic empowerment — traveling the world, taking the Bronx to the world, and introducing the world to the Bronx. In this episode Jon talks a little bit about his why. We hope you enjoy it.
Una de las actividades que causa más expectación alrededor del mundo de los #Premios #Óscar tiene que ver, justamente, con un asunto gastronómico, y este año no es la excepción: el #menú del Governors Ball 2022, la celebración que ocurre inmediatamente después de la entrega de galardones, estará bajo el cargo del aclamado chef Wolfgang Puck y del equipo creativo del restaurante Ghetto Gastro. Descubre aquí algunos detalles sobre su colaboración y lo que podría contener su repertorio culinario.
“In my most core self, I'm a writer and a performer,” says Miranda July. But since coming of age in Portland's riot-grrrl scene, July has made a name for herself as a true multi-hyphenate: as an artist, singer, screenwriter, author, Hollywood film director and actress, and more. In this episode, she speaks with Marc Spiegler about writing her first play – based on correspondence with a convicted murderer – to releasing her film Kajillionaire in the midst of the pandemic and the flood of DMs that followed. “My entire experience of the release was those messages,” she recalls. Separately, curator Larry Ossei-Mensah talks to Jon Gray, a cofounder of the activist cooking collective Ghetto Gastro, about food as a device for social change and branching out into the world of art.
Shaina Juliana is the Chef/Owner of Saldaña’s, an online curated shop as well as private events. She has been a fine-dining chef in NYC for the last 7 years, most recently (and notably) the Executive Sous for Ghetto Gastro. She has appeared on Food Network competitions such as ‘Cooks vs Cons’ and ‘Chopped’. Saldaña’s is proudly BIPOC female-owned and operated out of the Bronx. Follow Shaina on IG @beautifulfire Follow Saldana's on IG @saldanasnyc www.saldanasshop.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/jp-ross/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jp-ross/support
In this episode, we are speaking with Jon Gray, one of the cofounders of the Bronx based collective Ghetto Gastro. Founded in 2012, Ghetto Gastro is a cooking advocacy collective that ignites conversations about race, class, and inclusion via the medium of food. The collective is committed to feeding, inspiring, and growing young entrepreneurs in the Bronx.
Khari Turner is an emerging artist currently in Columbia's 2021 MFA program. His work is a celebration of Blackness. While earlier undergraduate works focused on social justice and prison reform, Turner's current paintings are a celebration of Black life and focus on the deeply rooted relationship African-Americans hold to water or a lack thereof while exploring the nuances of love, identity, gender dynamics, and masculinity. Khari Turner @khari.raheem Sonya Clark - www.sonyaclark.com John Gray, Ghetto Gastro - www.ghettogastro.com Band of Vices - www.bandofvices.com Iris Project Residency - www.irisproject.com Original Music @lionkojo | www.soundcloud.com/lionkojo Light Work www.lightworkco.com | @lightworkcompany What We're Listening To: Burna Boy, African Giant
Courtney Carter is the founder of Carter Media Group (CMG). CMG represents and partners with inclusive creators to build innovative, story-driven businesses and brands. Carter serves as manager and production partner to creator sensation Liza Koshy; culinary collective Ghetto Gastro; strategist, host, and former Obama White House advisor Carri Twigg; and comedian and writer Matt Bellassai. Carter has multiple scripted and non-scripted projects in development with her clients; including serving as an active Executive Producer for all seasons of LIZA ON DEMAND, YouTube Original's most successful show to date. Previously, Carter served as an Agent in Digital Talent/Packaging and Brand Partnerships at Creative Artists Agency (CAA). There, she worked to package and sell multiple shows across television and digital. Prior to CAA, Courtney served as Director of Sports Management and Branded Content at ESPN, garnering multiple awards for her precedent ideation and execution of integrated marketing solutions and creative work in the advertising and branded content spaces for ESPN advertisers. Courtney began her career in ad and partnership sales working for Madison Square Garden and Major League Soccer before joining CAA.
For 78% of Americans, cooking has been an important coping mechanism that has helped get them through the last few months. Talking to us about this and more is Bryan Disanto - a chef, recipe developer, and host of the weekly Cucina Quarantina series on Instagram. Bry talks to us about cooking as as coping, why cooking is such an important outlet, and the future of food and the restaurant scene. He also tells us about the important work being done by Rethink Food NYC and Ghetto Gastro to feed protesters and coronavirus-affected communities.
Ghetto Gastro's Jon Gray joins us to discuss radical partnerships, feeding the Bronx, ending systemic racism, fighting respectability politics, using storytelling as a tool to dismantle white supremacy, black joy as an act of rebellion, a six-figure T-shirt fundraiser, Ghetto Gastro's Juneteenth plans and much more.
This current moment is showing many flaws in our food systems. In a conversation with farmer Lynn Trizna, the need for more localized food production becomes abundantly clear. The incredibly complex food system is failing when confronted with these adverse conditions, a simple solution is present, what if the food goes straight from farmer to eater without crisscrossing the nation. This interview is the last in a series confronting some of the many ways that the Covid-19 pandemic has crippled the food world. As it is ongoing we felt that we should release it even in the midst of the current uprisings across the nation. With the much longer-lasting and more devastating problem of systemic racism receiving the attention it has so long deserved, Tom and I want to state that we stand in solidarity with that movement. We are taking the time to work on content that reflects just how insidious these issues are in the food world, but in the meantime, we want to include some resources about supporting the black community and this movement. Ghetto Gastro has been tackling issues of race and oppression in food and beyond since their inception, please check them out on Instagram and their website which is linked below. https://ghettogastro.com/ Dine.Black is a website devoted to providing extensive listings of black-owned food businesses in cities around America. Please support these businesses however you can. https://dine.black/
BE SURE TO SEE THE SHOWNOTES AND LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE HERE. Eve Picker: Hey, everyone, this is Eve Picker, and if you listen to this podcast series, you're going to learn how to make some change. Eve Picker: Hi there. Thanks so much for joining me today for the latest episode of Impact Real Estate Investing. My guest today is Majora Carter, and, wow, you won't want to miss this. It's hard to know where to begin describing Majora, who is, quite simply put, a powerhouse. Described as an urban revitalization strategist, her career has spanned environment, economy, social mobility, and real estate development, and her work has won major awards in each sector, including a MacArthur Genius Grant, a Peabody Award, the Rudy Bruner Award – Silver Medal, and nine honorary doctorates amongst many, many more. Eve Picker: Majora is quoted on the walls of the Smithsonian Museum of African-American History and Culture as saying, "Nobody should have to move out of their neighborhood to live in a better one." There is no way around it; if you are really interested in impact investing, this podcast is a must-listen. Be sure to go to EvePicker.com to find out more about Majora on the show notes page for this episode and be sure to sign up for my newsletter so you can access information about impact real estate investing and get the latest news about the exciting projects on my crowdfunding platform, Small Change. Eve Picker: Good morning, Majora. I'm so delighted that you're on the show with me. Majora Carter: Good morning. Thanks for having me. Eve Picker: I was reading a little background on you, and the thing that stood out to me is this quote, "Nobody should have to move out of their neighborhood to live in a better one." These are your words, and they can be found on the walls of the Smithsonian Museum of African-American History and Culture. I just wonder how these words play into your work? Majora Carter: Oh, those words are- were actually not my words, but they've certainly been attributed to me. They were the words of a woman who worked with me - Marta Rodriguez - as a organizer, when I ran Sustainable South Bronx, and it really embodied exactly what we were trying to do at the time, when I was running a small environmental and economic development organization - which is this is our community. How are we not creating the kind of community of our dreams here? It really continues on, as we're thinking about real estate development, and how do you use real estate development to truly transform your community into something that you can age into, and stay there, because you feel as though everything that you need and want is actually part of it? Eve Picker: Yeah. So, you're working- are you still working mostly in the South Bronx? Majora Carter: No, I work nationally. I certainly do have some projects that I'd love to get off the ground, here in the South Bronx, and some that we're working on, but we actually work nationally, as well. We've got a really amazing real estate development project, a mixed-income housing, mixed-use development, going on out in Mapleton-Fall Creek, Indianapolis, which I'm absolutely delighted about. There'll be about 50 units of home ownership; another 150 units of mixed-income housing, and about 50,000 square feet specifically for light manufacturing, commercial, and cultural space. We're delighted to be the developer on it. Eve Picker: Wow. You weren't a developer when you started out, right? Majora Carter: Oh, no! Although, interestingly enough, I've been developing a lot longer than I actually gave myself credit for. I was a card-carrying member of the non-profit industrial complex, and moved out of my neighborhood, or left my neighborhood for college, and didn't really want to come back, because it's really like America's low-status community - one of America's low-status communities. Majora Carter: I want to just articulate what I mean by 'low-status.' We don't generally use 'disadvantaged,' or 'low-income' to describe the communities that we want to work in most; but low-status are the kind of communities where there are more liquor stores, and corner stores than there are opportunities for good, affordable, different, diverse options for food. You'll find, instead of banks, or credit unions, you'll find payday-loan places, and check-cashing stores. You'll find the kind of places where there's an enormous amount of very highly subsidized affordable housing, and very little economic range between. Majora Carter: Essentially, in those areas, inequality is assumed, both inside, and outside the community. These are the places where, if you're a bright, talented kid, you are taught to measure your success by how far you get away from those communities. We don't have a way to think about retaining talent in those neighborhoods. Majora Carter: When I was growing up in the South Bronx, I was one of those bright kids who was definitely told, "You're going to grow up and be somebody," which meant you get out of the neighborhood. I embraced it hook, line, and sinker. Only when I came back to the neighborhood and realized that the way our communities were being used via real estate - in particular, for us, it was environmental burdens that just kept getting heaped upon us - I also started realizing that we could use real estate as a way to transform our communities to benefit us. Majora Carter: I first started in park development, and riverfront restoration, green jobs, training, and placement, and literally just moved into real estate development, when I realized that ... It seemed to me like a very natural trajectory to go at scale, in terms of creating the kind of community that you really felt you didn't have to move out of, in order to live in a better one. Majora Carter: My first development project was literally squatting a building across the street from the house that my parents lived in, and I was born and raised in. It was a crazy story because it kind of technically had been in my family for decades at that point. The woman who owned it died 20 years before I decided to move in, and no one in her family wanted the house. Eve Picker: Wow. Majora Carter: Yeah, so it was like I'd move back in, and I'm like, "I want to set some roots down." What did I do? I moved in there, took over all the bills, the taxes, and everything. That's when predatory speculators obtained a fraudulent deed for my house, just as I was in the process of trying to purchase it and finding - getting title. It was a crazy, crazy story. Majora Carter: There I was, acting as an owner/landlord for years, at that point, and it was a wonderful, just crazy opportunity to realize that, no, I am actually developing this space. and preserving affordable housing in my own community, and generating wealth for myself, because it's like, look, we're losing that. I wasn't thinking about the wealth gap or anything like that, I just needed a place to live. I wanted the people who were living in my building to continue to have a place to live. But I was a developer back then, and I'm a developer now. Eve Picker: Right. That's really interesting to me, because I've been lots of places lately where 'developer' is just a bad word. Majora Carter: It still is. Oh, my gosh, yeah- Eve Picker: Yeah, I know. It's getting worse, I think. Not just still ... The question is, I mean, we know that just like there's good doctors and there's bad doctors- Majora Carter: Exactly. Eve Picker: -there's good developers and there's bad developers. But the narrative is really all developers are bad. Majora Carter: Right [cross talk] and there's no space in it for those of us who are trying to use development for what it actually could be, which is a truly transformative way to support communities that we love. We really think about how do you use it as a tool, specifically, to support the visions and the values that we have, which is that [inaudible] and no one should have to move out of their neighborhood to live in a better one. You should have opportunities to live, work, and play, in wonderful ways, in ways that match your income, but there's all sorts of opportunities for you to engage in a beautiful community that actually does not require money, but builds community, and through [cross talk] Majora Carter: Why is it that, in low-status areas - whether it's an inner-city community, like the South Bronx, or a Native American reservation, or a former coal-mining town that has no real jobs anymore, where it was all white - why do we think of those, of developing in those places, where it's only two kinds of development, where it's either the poor folks that are there are either bought it; generally bought out, or displaced by people with higher incomes - that typical gentrification kind of phenomena - or its poverty-level economic maintenance, which is still real estate development, wherein there's [cross talk] Majora Carter: The whole idea is that why are there only two kinds of development that happen in low-status communities? Why can't we use it as a way to increase economic diversity, and to build wealth creation, and just make it so that people love their neighborhoods, as opposed to feeling like they've got to move out of them in order to live a little bit better? I accept that challenge, and I really believe that that's what I'm doing. So, yeah, as a developer, and as a black woman developer, whose working in this really interesting way, where I absolutely ... There is no way I would ever build an exclusively affordable-housing complex for the lowest- Eve Picker: I'm glad you said that. Majora Carter: Never, never! I've been, in some circles within the non-profit industrial complex, demonized for that, because I should be doing the kind of things, where it's like [cross talk] for the people. I'm like, poor communities concentrate- low-status communities concentrate poverty and all of the issues that are associated with it - low health outcomes, poor educational attainment, higher rates of being involved in the justice system, or being touched by it in some way, and your family ... Obviously, higher rates of unemployment, and poverty, and just creating a sense of lack of hope within those communities. Majora Carter: Why would I want to build more of that? Eve Picker: Yeah. Majora Carter: Unless, of course, you're getting big developer fees, and you really don't care about the communities that you're working in, which is why I understand why most people hate developers so much. Eve Picker: Be sure to go to EvePicker.com and sign up for my free educational newsletter about impact real estate investing. You'll be among the first to hear about new projects you can invest in. That's EvePicker.com. Thanks so much. Eve Picker: Yeah, no, I get it, too. But I'm really fascinated by what you're saying, and I totally agree with it. I've watched, for years, in Pittsburgh, the affordable housing product sort of live in neighborhoods that all start looking the same - this cookie-cutter affordable-housing product. It doesn't ... While, definitely, people need decent places to live, and it accomplishes that, it doesn't change the nature of what's happening in those neighborhoods. The moment you kind of push that edge of that, that's when ... I don't know, how do you stop speculators? It's something I think about a lot. Majora Carter: We [cross talk] try to and are still trying a number of things. One of them is to continue talking about the approach that we've taken with our own real estate development and actually putting our own money where our mouth is. So, as developers, we did spend a lot of time within our own community just really understanding what are some of the hopes, and dreams, and aspirations, and, of course, needs within the community. Majora Carter: We did hundreds and hundreds of surveys; realized that what people in a neighborhood, like the South Bronx, which is one of the poorest parts of the country within congressional districts, are the kind of the same things that anybody in a middle-class community wants. They want great places to work, with housing that- quality housing that matches their income. They want places where they could afford to buy new things that they need. They want lifestyle infrastructure, like cafes, and coffee shops, and bars, and things of that nature. They want those kind of things so they can feel a sense of value that is inherent within their own community. That goes back to that ... Majora Carter: What happens within low-status communities a lot ... Because, of course, real estate developers, they take the kind of 20-, 30-year long-term view of what's happening, in terms of how communities are going, to plan; whereas, in our communities, we're taught that there's no real value in them. So, it's easy, I think, for them, if your family owned a home during a time of severe financial disinvestment in America, like the way that my family ... My dad bought the house I was born and raised in the 1940s. By the time the '60s, and the '70s rolled around, there was so much white flight and disinvestment within the community, and arson, because landlords were torching the buildings there, because there was no financial investment coming in, so the most they could do is get insurance money. Majora Carter: It was a really bad kind of space. That kind of lingering understanding - this is what our community is ... Of course, you own property. It's going to have an impact on you, and you're going to feel like ... The second you can move, you're going to get out. Predatory speculators understand that. They're counting on us not knowing the value of our own home. I can't tell you how many little notes I get under my door, or they found my cell phone ... They're telling me they can buy my house for cash, and close within a week. This is a common occurrence. Eve Picker: Wow. Majora Carter: For folks that don't understand what they have, guess what? They're going to be like, "You want to pay me what for this crap that I'm living in right now?" So, they end up selling, actually, generally for less than what the house is worth, because they just don't know. Then the predatory speculator makes out really well. Majora Carter: Since there isn't a whole lot, from what I've seen, within the non-profit industrial complex and communities like this, that's actually going to support homeowners within a community; which I think home homeownership is actually often - especially in areas where there's a rental unit in them - there's very little support to support those folks, like there's [cross talk] non-profits or government. They're like, "Oh, we're going to focus on the poorest people in those communities," and anybody else, it's like sucks to be them, because it's almost like they're invisible. Majora Carter: What we've actually been doing on our own is trying to identify what are ... First of all, some of the homeowners, and just letting them know, "You're sitting on your family's legacy. You should be using this to help create wealth and retain it within your own family. Or, if you want to sell, at least understand what you got so that you're not being reamed for it." Majora Carter: The other thing is we've actually hosted things like small zero-percent-interest loan workshops, and low-interest-loan workshops and you specifically - on our own dime - just so that folks have an understanding of what that is. On another level, and I think funny, because this is, again, on my own time, because we don't have funding to do this; it's just that we saw that it was a need ... We're really hoping that we are going to be able to convince somebody or other to develop some kind of a fund that supports low-income homeowners in low-status communities. Majora Carter: You know there's that cooling-off period, if you change and get insurance, or you buy a house, or whatever, and you've got a little bit of time where you've got to prove that this is what you want? Wouldn't that be kind of great that before any kind of real estate transaction goes down in a neighborhood like this, that there's actually folks just making sure that folks understand what their options are? Eve Picker: That would be great. What would the fund ideally do? Majora Carter: It would, number one, support folks to actually be in that role, to play that kind of adviser role to the folks to let them know what their options are. But also, people may need ... We find that some folks are selling their homes [cross talk] Eve Picker: -could not repair the roof. Majora Carter: Yeah! Eve Picker: I know, I know. Majora Carter: One little thing, and it's just like [cross talk] Eve Picker: So, a neighborhood fund- a neighborhood fund for people who really need help to keep them in their homes. I thought Philadelphia was doing a program like that. Majora Carter: It is ... New York is definitely not; New York City, at least [cross talk] Eve Picker: Yeah. Majora Carter: -sad how little they think about it- Eve Picker: I think there are ways to do a fund like that. Do you think there are people in the neighborhood that would contribute to a fund like that, themselves, in their own neighborhood? Majora Carter: I'm not sure about that. I think it's something that, frankly, should be a part of city government. I really do, because I feel like they've just- they watch the tax rolls in communities like ours, and it does fall along racial lines, as well. Nobody pays attention in poorer communities of color to supporting the homeownership right here. It's not in our government. There are non-profits; there are a few nonprofits that work on- none in the area that I'm in, actually, which is why we've been posting those type of meetings and bringing those resources in. It's really challenging. Majora Carter: Another thing that we're working on and is literally building our own projects to prove this talent-retention strategy that we have. It's like if you build the kind of community that makes people feel like they don't have to move out of it, in order to live in a better one ... But you've got to build it. One of the things that we saw in all of our research, in the market research that we did here, was that people were leaving the community across income levels; not because they thought the neighborhood was dangerous or anything like that. Majora Carter: It was because it was- there was no real lifestyle infrastructure here. There was no place to get a drink, if you're an adult, that wasn't a topless bar; there wasn't a coffee shop, or a bookstore, anything like that. Even the kind of cute stores that people want to go to, or a place to get dinner. There's plenty of greasy spoon places, and, of course, fast-food chains, et cetera, but nothing that actually spelled quality in any real way, and no attractive third spaces that made people want to stick around, like a coffee shop with Wi-Fi. Majora Carter: We actually were able to acquire the lease on two very inexpensive leases on the main street in our community. It was just a wonderful deal that we got, long term. So, we were just like, "This is great." We looked, actually, for a coffee-shop operator for years- Eve Picker: For years? Majora Carter: Oh, yeah, literally. We had that lease for a while [cross talk] and basically, it was clear, because it looked like the market here wouldn't appreciate anything like this, even though we knew that our data proved otherwise, because we knew people were leaving the community to experience things like that- Eve Picker: I know what happened. You started it yourself, right? Majora Carter: Exactly. I was never planning to be a barista [cross talk] Eve Picker: Well, there's not many developers who've done that in areas where no one sees the market potential, because our financial institutions - I sound a little bit like a broken record, because there's lots of reasons to say this - financial institutions, really, they're crushing the innovation of the cities- Majora Carter: Exactly. Eve Picker: They're really just financing cookie-cutter projects, so the moment you do something different ... I mean, I get it. They have regulators, but shouldn't someone step up? Majora Carter: Yes! Yes! You know what? What was wonderful is that, in our example ... We decided to open- we first started- it was a joint venture with a really amazing coffee shop and roaster downtown. They'd never had a Bronx presence, and was kind of interested in the idea, called Birch Coffee. So, we partnered with them for almost a year. First, it took six months just to understand the business. Then, we actually opened in the latter half of the year. We learned everything from them about how to actually operate a coffee shop, and bringing people in, all that stuff. It was amazing. It really was their guidance [inaudible] I am so grateful. Majora Carter: But it was sort of clear that the market up here was a little different than this very high-end big coffee shop downtown, where there'd be no flavors, or whipped cream, and syrups, and people ... That's what, frankly, people wanted up here. We also wanted to provide healthy options, as well, but we had- in order to stay in business, we actually had to respond to the market. So, we actually [cross talk] Eve Picker: They wanted over-the-top luxury, right? Majora Carter: Yes, and it's just like no. I know expertly steamed milk is beautiful, on its own, but, look, if somebody wants whipped cream on top of it, I'm going to give it to them. Eve Picker: Yes! Majora Carter: Oh, it was just [cross talk] Eve Picker: That's a Viennese, right? [cross talk] Majora Carter: -we should start calling it that now. You're totally right. Eve Picker: Yeah, and they're all over the ... Call it a Viennese. Majora Carter: What was so interesting is that it ... It also gave us an opportunity to stick our own swagger on it, quite frankly- Eve Picker: Right. Majora Carter: -because, after all, this is the South Bronx. It is the birthplace of hip hop. We are all about innovation. We were like, we need this cafe to pay homage to that. We literally ended up moving it to a larger space, and then we actually hired a two hip hop historians to actually help us curate the actual wallpaper, which is literally the early days of hip hop, mostly [broad] space. We just built this ... It's like an homage to graffiti, and it's just beautiful. Majora Carter: We use it as this tremendous third space for open mikes, and art shows. It's just really this beautiful community gathering spot. It did take us a while to get to that point at a place where we won't be losing money soon, which is awesome. But what was fascinating about it was the fact that, early on, we literally ran out of money to do it, because we were not anticipating ... First-time coffee shop owners not knowing anything [cross talk] One of the members of the advisory board that we had that was literally giving us intel about how to do our projects better, actually, they volunteered to invest- her family volunteered to invest in our project- Eve Picker: Isn't that great? Majora Carter: It was just like ... What was amazing was that we didn't talk about it. We socialize a lot of things, and it's a small community, but what was interesting is that the way people found out that another family in the community had invested in this business was just like, "Wait, we can do that?" I'll never forget some of the conversations we've had about it. It was just so beautiful that it was ... Because people just did not realize that this was like within their grasp. Eve Picker: Yeah. Majora Carter: For our next project, we acquired [cross talk] Eve Picker: I think you should- I think you should be the spokesperson for Small Change [cross talk] that's really what my hope is for it, that people can invest in the way big investors can invest and they can get the same return. Because, you know, hey, it's money, right? Why should they get less than someone else? Anyway, I'm sorry to interrupt you- Majora Carter: -powerful place. Eve Picker: Very powerful. Majora Carter: -just to even know that you can add value. Literally, you are adding the value to make this project grow. It is really amazing. Our next project, we acquired a rail station, a former rail station, that was designed by the same architect that did the Woolworth Building, and the U.S. Supreme Court building - his name's Cass Gilbert. Of course, I'm sure you know who that is. I owned a little piece of Cass Gilbert, like Woo-Hoo!, Which just makes me very happy. It really does! It's only about 4,000 square feet. Our goal is to transform that into a restaurant incubator, or a food hub for local chefs, because we've ... Interestingly enough, the Bronx has some tremendous culinary talent that comes out [cross talk] Eve Picker: I'm sure it does, yeah. Majora Carter: There's this one group called Ghetto Gastros. It is four young men from the Bronx; [cross talk] one of them I mentored 20 years ago, which I'm so proud of. Now, they're like these ridiculous caterers that are flown all over the world to do their version ... Haute couture is- I think that's a fashion term. That's not a food term. It's like nouvelle cuisine, except they put their spin on it, because they're these wonderful boys from the hood, but they're all trained chefs. It's unbelievable what they do, and it's just extraordinary. Ghetto Gastro - you look it up [cross talk] There are folks like that literally come from our communities, but then kind of parachute out, because there aren't many opportunities for them to open up businesses here. I'm like, how cool would it be if we had this restaurant [cross talk] Eve Picker: Yeah, that'd be awesome. You know, we have an incubator like that in Pittsburgh that's done very well. I think they've got three stations, and they have like rotating startups in there. Majora Carter: Because the restaurant incubatees, all they do, they cook ... In our version, we would manage the bar and the dining area, and each one of the restaurateurs, either three or four, depending on what we can fit, is literally what ... They would, instead of rent, we would get a gross percentage of sales [cross talk] Eve Picker: Right, right, right, right. Majora Carter: -they get a chance to really hone their craft- Eve Picker: Right. Majora Carter: -and at least focus on building their market, but the- Eve Picker: What's the holdup? Why can't you get that off the ground? Majora Carter: We're in a neighborhood that's not ... You can read lots of real estate development articles about the South Bronx, and how it's like the next ... It's like the next extension of Manhattan, and it's booming, and there's a lot of market rate development going on, and a lot of commercial things happening in it. But that's the part of the South Bronx where that's happening. There are other parts of the South Bronx, which is where I'm in, and born, and raised, and still live, that's the part that's sort of being reserved for poverty level economic maintenance [cross talk] Yep. Majora Carter: There is one big project that's coming up here that's about ... Basically, it's another low-income-housing project. It's so crystal clear that all that's happening is they're trying to concentrate more and more poverty here. I think that's one of the reasons why it's kind of like, "Well, that's what happens here, so we can't really think about investing in it." Also, it seems like it might be considered a smaller- like almost too small a project for some folks, as well, because- Eve Picker: How many square feet is that? Majora Carter: It's only 4,000 square feet. Eve Picker: Oh, that's big enough. Majora Carter: That's about- with all the added ... We actually, interestingly enough, discovered a basement [cross talk] found the other room up top. It was- we discovered another basement [cross talk] Eve Picker: That could be the speakeasy [cross talk] Majora Carter: You know that to redevelop a 5,000-square-foot space, it's almost as ... The brain damage is about the same as a 50,000-square-foot space, but the returns are much higher for the 50,000-square-foot space. So, I think that's also part of it, as well. Eve Picker: Yes, but the return on this would be phenomenal for that neighborhood [cross talk] Majora Carter: Oh, absolutely. Eve Picker: -the triple-bottom-line return that really we're talking about here. I don't know. I think there would be people who would invest. I really do. It's really an amazing story. I want to come see the building, and I want to eat with Ghetto Gastro, and- Majora Carter: I know! Oh, my gosh, who knows where they are right now? [cross talk] Eve Picker: -because the neighborhood sounds amazing, and I want to cry when I hear about more and more affordable housing being built. Majora Carter: I know, I know, and it's just like ... I know whenever I say that, I have to preface it with, "Please don't think that Majora Carter hates poor people," because I think that's the way that folks immediately go, like, "Oh, she doesn't want any more affordable housing." I want- Actually, I do want more affordable housing. I want affordable housing for a range of incomes, because we know that economic diversity needs economic stability and community stability. Whereas, the concentration of poverty is exactly opposite that. Majora Carter: But again, if we've been led to believe that this is all that happens in low-status communities, we start to believe it, and then feel the only option is to leave, if we have an opportunity to do so. Who does that benefit? It benefits the predatory speculators and the government programs, who take advantage of the fact that there are really poor people in our communities that probably have lifestyle-related illnesses, low educational attainment, or who'll probably be within the justice system. They make money for somebody; not for the people that are here. It just seems like such a tragically obvious thing that we see happening over, and over, and over again, and since we're led to believe that there's no real value in our communities, we internalize it. Eve Picker: Yes. A lot of this is about educating community, right? Majora Carter: Yeah. Eve Picker: What community-engagement tools do you think work best? Majora Carter: Honestly, opening our coffee shop [cross talk] having a presence, and being there has been so transformative. My husband and I both work there [inaudible] and work out of it a lot. We've met ... I thought I knew a lot of people in my own neighborhood, but I have met so many more, as a result of having that space, opening it up in a way that is just- it's not a community center that people feel like they've got to tip-toe in, or have a problem to be in. No, this is a place of joy, and access. Majora Carter: I'll give you an example of how I knew that we were really something that our community appreciated, because, again, the idea ... I mentioned before that some folks within the social justice industrial complex totally demonized me and think that I'm bringing in developers to kick out poor people. Some of the stuff is just insane, and they won't acknowledge that I'm actually a developer. It's like, no, no, no, I'm the developer. I want to be called a developer ... I have my own ideas. I don't want to talk to these guys. Majora Carter: We were hosting a workshop for small business owners in the community, as well as homeowners to get access to capital for zero-percent-interest loans and low-interest loans and also figure out other ways ... There was going to be a presentation on how to make your building- add additional units on top of your building, to see if this is something even you could do. We were protested. We had 40 people inside the space waiting to hear more about these zero-percent-interest loans and how do you make your actual building work for you, and there were like 10-15 people outside yelling about how I was destroying the neighborhoods with bringing a coffee shop there. Eve Picker: Really? Majora Carter: Yeah, and I have to tell you, I was ... The signs were huge. They were saying, "Majora Carter destroys the South Bronx one coffee at a time." That I'm a community destroyer. It was just like, "Some of you people know me ... You could've just literally knocked on my door and said, 'Can we talk?'" But they wouldn't do that. But I have to say, after that, I'm like, "Oh, my God, my whole neighborhood is seeing people yelling, with my name on a sign, talking about how evil I am. Eve Picker: Yeah. Majora Carter: I was just like, "We might have to close this stupid coffee shop. I mean, who's going to want to come?" The next day, we had the best day ever- Eve Picker: Oh, that's really great. Majora Carter: The best day ever. We had people coming in, one after another. It was like, "You know what? I've actually never even been here before, but I saw that, and I thought that was stupid. I'm going to buy a cup of coffee just to support you." I was just like [cross talk] Eve Picker: That's really lovely. That's really lovely. Yes, yes, it is. Many people just fear change, right? Majora Carter: Yes, and I get it, and I understand ... That's like to your point, it is we fear what we don't know, but if we don't actually look at ... Because real estate developers ... You know that Bishop Desmond Tutu quote? A knife's a knife. You could either use it to cut a hole in somebody or to cut a slice of bread and feed it to your child ... It's a tool. We can use it for horrible things, or we could use it for great stuff, but it is what it is. But how we use it, and unless we are empowering ourselves and other folks who are actually looking at places that actually have that triple bottom line and going, "That's valuable. Maybe I won't make the kind of returns ..." because I'm sure ... My rail station, one of the reasons why it's also empty is because I've been very choosy. I am not going to open it up to another health clinic, or a tax-prep place that's [cross talk] Eve Picker: Yeah, yeah, yeah ... Majora Carter: We've said no to folks like that. Eve Picker: Yeah. Majora Carter: No. So, yeah- Eve Picker: So have I, so you're making me feel stronger. Majora Carter: Good, good. No, I don't mind at all; at all. Eve Picker: I said no to a tax-prep space. I couldn't bring myself to sign the lease. I just couldn't do it. Majora Carter: They have so much money, and they don't even have to be open. It's really crazy. Eve Picker: No, they don't have to be open. That's the really bad thing. What a horrible thing to do in a neighborhood, just have a place that's open for three months and then a shuttered storefront [cross talk] Anyway, now we've said what we think ... Just like there's been a wave of green-washing in this country, but I feel like there's a wave of good-washing. People are talking about impact investing. Majora Carter: I hope so. Eve Picker: But when I hear you, I really wonder if they're really impact investing. Majora Carter: Nope. Eve Picker: What do you think the future holds for impact investing? What do we have to do to change that? Majora Carter: I am actually hopeful about some of the smaller-scale investment platforms that are out there, and just crowdfunding, in general, for real estate. I'm still learning about it. I do feel like our communities and our country, as a whole, is really only going to be changed when we start seeing each other in ways that we want to support. Look, I'm a woman of faith, so I think I actually really do believe that we can create a kind of heaven on earth, if we were really good at it, but I also think that- I am hopeful that ... People are really tired of the expecting the status quo, because, by all accounts ... I've got great vision. I have no balance sheet, so I don't look good to anybody, and I get that, but I have a track record of getting things done, and- Eve Picker: No, you don't look good to very traditional financial [cross talk] Majora Carter: No, I look miserable. Eve Picker: You look great to other people, so that's- Majora Carter: Yes, and those are the people that I'm hoping will go, "Oh, wait ..." But in order to continue to do that great work, she needs something that's a little bit different than what she was getting before." That's what I'm hoping. Because I do- I also love the idea of people really taking ownership. I think that's been one of the reasons why our low-status communities in America feel so disjointed and so destabilized is because we don't have a way to really keep and retain roots in those areas where there's access to capital, or predatory speculation. It's all up in there, just [cross talk] Eve Picker: But it's really hard to get a neighborhood to focus, when has more than its fair share of single parents and people with two or three jobs. Majora Carter: Those are the people that want more, and you know what? Believe me, and not to pooh-pooh it at all, yes, there are those who are not going to get out of their heads at all, but then there's those are just like, "You know what? Why can't I have it?" There's always a critical mass of folks who are just literally waiting for something to do, like, frankly, the folks who saw me being bullied with this protest and who were just like, "No, wait ... I see that. I know what I can do." You may think that just buying a cup of coffee, a specialty cup of coffee, might not be an act of rebellion or resistance, but I absolutely looked at it like it was. Eve Picker: Yeah, I think you're right. Majora Carter: I think there's more of that that's just waiting for a reason to be there, to actually stand up and be counted, and maybe even count a little bit of their own dollars to say, "You know what? Yeah, I believe in it. I believe in it so much that I'm going to invest in it." Eve Picker: So that's what we've got to make happen at the train station, right? Majora Carter: Yes [cross talk] Eve Picker: I'm going to ask three sign-off questions that I ask of everyone, because I think I've taken up enough of your time. I could keep talking to you all day long. Majora Carter: I know. I love it [cross talk] Eve Picker: I think I know the answer to this, but we may as well reiterate - what's the key factor that makes a real estate project impactful to you? Majora Carter: Mixed-income housing, mixed-use ... Well, the actual specifics - mixed income housing and mixed-use economic developments. But I think the real vision is talent retention in low-status communities. Eve Picker: Then, do you think that crowdfunding might ... I mean, you touched on crowdfunding. Do you think it might benefit impact real estate developers in more ways than just raising money? Majora Carter: Would it impact real estate developers? Eve Picker: Well, or neighborhoods or any [cross talk] Majora Carter: -no, I think that you couple the idea of putting your cash into something that you believe in that is actually going to support your community creates a level of ownership that, you can't buy that; you just can't. It sets up a foundation and roots in ways that I think a lot of folks wouldn't know what else to deal with. Eve Picker: I think that's right. Then, this is a really hard one - if you were going to change one thing to make real estate development better in the U.S., what would it be? Majora Carter: Just one? Eve Picker: Blow up all the Walmarts ... I'm just joking ... Majora Carter: You know what? Honestly, I really would go back to ... It's very practical. Creating a fund and education platform specifically for people in low-status communities to either retain their properties or purchase them. Eve Picker: Like a land bank. Majora Carter: Mm-hmm. It's not necessarily a community land trust, although that could certainly be a byproduct or a result of it, absolutely. But I think, ultimately, right now, we just have to stop the bleeding. I just think about my own neighborhood, whereas, I think within the past 10 years, our local homeownership rate has gone down from like 20 percent down to less than seven. Eve Picker: Oh, why? Why did that happen? Majora Carter: Because predatory speculators [cross talk] Eve Picker: -foreclosures ... Majora Carter: Yeah. Eve Picker: That's really bad. Majora Carter: Yep, exactly. Eve Picker: Well, on that sad note, I'm going to say [cross talk] I'm going to say thank you very much for talking to me. I thoroughly enjoyed it- Majora Carter: Thank you. Right back at you. Eve Picker: -and I really hope we'll continue talking. Majora Carter: Cool. I hope so. Yes. Eve Picker: That was Majora Carter. I'm in awe. Majora is uncompromising about her mission. She lives and works in Hunts Point in the South Bronx, one of America's lowest-status communities, just two blocks from the house she grew up in. Majora is undaunted by taking new and necessary steps. When it became clear that no coffee shop operator wanted to operate out of her space in the neighborhood, she created a own business to achieve her goal. She's committed to further developing the neighborhood where she lives and has now set her sights on the conversion of a former railway station into a food hub. She lives in a brownstone, two blocks from the one she grew up in. Now that is putting your money where your mouth is. Eve Picker: You can find out more about impact real estate investing and access the show notes for today's episode at my website, EvePicker.com. While you're there, sign up for my newsletter to find out more about how to make money in real estate while building better cities. Thank you so much for spending your time with me today, and thank you, Majora, for sharing your thoughts. We'll talk again soon, but for now, this is Eve Picker signing off to go make some change.
Episode 2 – Dream Cake by Ghetto Gastro by MARTELL
Hosts Noah Thomas and Jian DeLeon meet with the Patta dons Edson Sabajo and Guillaume Schmidt who are marking the Dutch brand’s 15th anniversary with historical milestones. The quick hits take us through recent collabs including Anti Social Social Club’s nod to their notorious history of slow shipping in their joint project with DHL (6:00), and Highsnobiety’s partnership capsule with the legendary Bauhaus-Archiv (7:05). The spotlight turns to individual brands like Gucci and the criticism they’re facing after a model staged a mental health protest during their Milan show (10:58). Is there anything you can say to a designer in this day and age without offending anybody? Edson gives his take by sharing the importance of shifting from the individual to community-driven ventures (13:54). But when it comes to defining luxury, the Patta founders emphasize the individual. With the release of Highsnobiety’s new book The New Luxury on the horizon, Guillaume and Edson share their unique modern definitions of luxury (18:45). People around the world repping Patta sweaters definitely fits into that description. The cast moves on to discuss Patta pieces from the brand’s recent drops, including their tee with Awake NY and Ghetto Gastro (22:28). During the past 15 years, Patta has conveyed stories through their clothing, and we welcomed Dropcast listeners to share their favorites with the Question of the Week (QOTW): “What’s your favorite Patta collab?” (31:16). The episode wraps up by saving the best for last in “What’d You Cop?” Edson copped a vintage jacket in Miami while Guillaume was gifted a tee from a local Brooklyn bar. As always, our next QOTW will be up Monday on Highsnobiety’s Instagram. Make sure to leave us a voicemail on The Dropcast hotline at 833-HIGHSNOB (833-444-4766) for a chance to be featured in a future episode. Relevant Links: These Berlin Artists Are Bringing Together Rap, Graffiti, and Hennessy Anti Social Social Club Addresses Its Controversial Shipping History With DHL Collab Here’s Every Piece From The Bauhaus-Archiv x Highsnobiety Capsule Supreme Is Officially Closing Down its Lafayette Street Store New Supreme x Lacoste Collection Is a Masterclass in Elegant Sportswear Gucci Model Stages Mental Health Protest Over Straightjackets at Milan Show Now Demna Gvasalia’s Gone, What Next for Vetements? Jennifer Lopez Recreated Her Iconic Green Versace Dress For Milan Fashion Week Jennifer Lopez’s Versace Dress Didn’t Break the Internet, It Built It Five of The New Luxury’s Most Creative Figures Define What “Luxury” Means Today CLOT Reveals Its Luxurious Blue Silk Nike Air Force 1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Hosts Noah Thomas and Jian DeLeon meet with the Patta dons Edson Sabajo and Guillaume Schmidt who are marking the Dutch brand’s 15th anniversary with historical milestones. The quick hits take us through recent collabs including Anti Social Social Club’s nod to their notorious history of slow shipping in their joint project with DHL (6:00), and Highsnobiety’s partnership capsule with the legendary Bauhaus-Archiv (7:05). The spotlight turns to individual brands like Gucci and the criticism they’re facing after a model staged a mental health protest during their Milan show (10:58). Is there anything you can say to a designer in this day and age without offending anybody? Edson gives his take by sharing the importance of shifting from the individual to community-driven ventures (13:54). But when it comes to defining luxury, the Patta founders emphasize the individual. With the release of Highsnobiety’s new book The New Luxury on the horizon, Guillaume and Edson share their unique modern definitions of luxury (18:45). People around the world repping Patta sweaters definitely fits into that description. The cast moves on to discuss Patta pieces from the brand’s recent drops, including their tee with Awake NY and Ghetto Gastro (22:28). During the past 15 years, Patta has conveyed stories through their clothing, and we welcomed Dropcast listeners to share their favorites with the Question of the Week (QOTW): “What’s your favorite Patta collab?” (31:16). The episode wraps up by saving the best for last in “What’d You Cop?” Edson copped a vintage jacket in Miami while Guillaume was gifted a tee from a local Brooklyn bar. As always, our next QOTW will be up Monday on Highsnobiety’s Instagram. Make sure to leave us a voicemail on The Dropcast hotline at 833-HIGHSNOB (833-444-4766) for a chance to be featured in a future episode. Relevant Links: These Berlin Artists Are Bringing Together Rap, Graffiti, and Hennessy Anti Social Social Club Addresses Its Controversial Shipping History With DHL Collab Here’s Every Piece From The Bauhaus-Archiv x Highsnobiety Capsule Supreme Is Officially Closing Down its Lafayette Street Store New Supreme x Lacoste Collection Is a Masterclass in Elegant Sportswear Gucci Model Stages Mental Health Protest Over Straightjackets at Milan Show Now Demna Gvasalia’s Gone, What Next for Vetements? Jennifer Lopez Recreated Her Iconic Green Versace Dress For Milan Fashion Week Jennifer Lopez’s Versace Dress Didn’t Break the Internet, It Built It Five of The New Luxury’s Most Creative Figures Define What “Luxury” Means Today CLOT Reveals Its Luxurious Blue Silk Nike Air Force 1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
"The hood is good," says Jon Gray of the Bronx, New York-based creative collective Ghetto Gastro. Working at the intersection of food, design and art, Gray and his team work to honor the soul and history of their community, while also applying their unbridled creativity and expansive imagination to unexpected, otherworldly collaborations. Learn more about how they're creating and investing in their home borough -- bringing the Bronx to the world and vice versa. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
« Le ghetto c'est la classe », déclare Jon Gray du collectif de créateurs Ghetto Gastro, dans le Bronx. Travaillant à la croisée de la gastronomie, du design et de l'art, lui et son équipe rendent hommage à l'âme et à l'histoire de leur communauté tout en appliquant leur créativité débridée et leur imagination débordante à des collaborations inattendues. Apprenez-en plus sur la façon dont ils créent et investissent dans leur quartier d’origine – en faisant découvrir le Bronx au monde entier, et vice versa.
"El barrio es bueno", dice Jon Gray del colectivo Ghetto Gastro con base en el Bronx de Nueva York. Trabajando en la intersección entre comida, diseño y arte, Gray y su equipo honran el alma y la historia de su comunidad utilizando su desenfrenada creatividad y su imaginación expansiva, con colaboraciones inesperadas y sobrenaturales. Descubre más sobre cómo ellos están creando e invirtiendo en su barrio, para acercar el Bronx al mundo y viceversa.
"O bairro é bom", diz Jon Gray, do coletivo criativo Ghetto Gastro, do Bronx, em Nova York. Trabalhando na confluência entre alimentação, design e arte, Gray e a equipe dele reverenciam a alma e a história de sua comunidade enquanto aplicam sua criatividade sem limites e sua extensa imaginação a colaborações inesperadas e transcendentais. Saiba mais sobre como eles estão criando e investindo no bairro deles, levando o Bronx para o mundo e vice-versa.
"The hood is good," says Jon Gray of the Bronx, New York-based creative collective Ghetto Gastro. Working at the intersection of food, design and art, Gray and his team honor the soul and history of their community while applying their unbridled creativity and expansive imagination to unexpected, otherworldly collaborations. Learn more about how they're creating and investing in their home borough -- bringing the Bronx to the world and vice versa.
Recorded in the House of Martell in Cognac, Château de Chanteloup, the first episode of the serie Martell Home Voices features Ghetto Gastro. Ghetto Gastro is a culinary collective and cultural movement that operates at the intersection of food, design and community empowerment. Enjoy their sea bass recipe, pairing with Martell Blue Swift. Bon appétit! Ingredients: - Fresh black truffles- 100g - Squid ink- 5g - Truffle oil- 24g - Vegetable stock- 80g - Grape seed oil- 60g - Apple cider vinegar - Ice cold filtered water- 2L - Dried mushrooms(Preferably porcini, shiitake) - Kombu seaweed- 40g - Bonito flakes- 15g - Sunchokes- 8 pieces - Grape seed oil- 500g - Sea bass- 4 filets - Wild greens- 100g 1. Truffles: Blend the truffle, squid ink, vegetable stock. Emulsify oils in and strain, season with vinegar. 2. Mushroom Dashi: Bring the water, mushrooms and kombu to just below a simmer and keep at this temperature for one hour. Turn off the heat. Add the bonito flakes for 15 seconds and immediately strain. Pour in the bottom of the bowl after plating the rest of the food. 3. Sunchokes: Clean rinse and dry. Transfer to a sauce pan in a single layer, cover with oil. Boil to exact point where the oil cooks the sunchokes until tender about 20-30 mins. Transfer tender chokes to a dry hot pan and flatten to crisp up on both sides. Season with Ghetto Gastro steasoning. 4. Sea Bass: Season the fish on the flesh side with a liberal amount of Ghetto Gastro steasoning and flaky sea salt. In a hot pan, add oil and sear the fish on the skin side until crispy and golden. Control the heat and reduce to medium making sure not to burn the fish but to cook through thoroughly. Bon appétit! #MakeYourStatement #MartellxGhettoGastro #MartellBlueSwift #Recipe Please enjoy responsibly. (This material relates to the promotion of alcohol and should not be viewed by anyone below the legal age of alcohol purchase in the country of viewing.)
Jon Gray, the CEO of the Bronx-based food collective Ghetto Gastro, describes himself as a “dishwasher.” It’s a cheeky description, but there is a kind of truth to it. After all, his cohort at the firm includes chefs of very high caliber: Malcolm Livingston II (formerly of René Redzepi’s Noma in Copenhagen and, before that, Wylie Dufresne’s WD-50 in New York), Pierre Serrao (formerly of Cracco in Milan), and Lester Walker (formerly of Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Spice Market in New York). Though Gray himself does cook, his role at Ghetto Gastro is not necessarily in the kitchen, at least certainly not primarily. The high-flying but still refreshingly down-to-earth smooth-talker is, instead, its marketing mastermind, linking the group up with the worlds of art, architecture, design, and fashion—worlds he’s deeply immersed himself in for more than a decade. Since its founding in 2012, Ghetto Gastro has grown into a cultural force, literally and figuratively cooking up projects that verge on performance art for clients including Apple, Bank of America, Cartier, and Instagram. In this episode of Time Sensitive, the 33-year-old Gray shares the story of how, in the face of a jail sentence at age 20, he turned his life around—and how, after a stint in fashion, he found a calling in combining food with art and design.
“Why make a podcast right now?” So begins this 10-minute introductory episode of Time Sensitive, a conversation between the show’s two co-hosts, Spencer Bailey and Andrew Zuckerman. Time Sensitive is the debut platform of the conscious entertainment media company The Slowdown, co-founded by Bailey, an editor and journalist who has written at length about architecture, art, culture, design, and technology, and Zuckerman, a filmmaker, photographer, and creative director whose work is largely concerned with the intersection of nature and technology. Consider this episode a “who we are, how we got here, where we’re going” primer. Each week, going forward, Time Sensitive will release an interview conducted respectively by Bailey or Zuckerman with a leading mind in business, the arts, and beyond who has made a profound impact in their field, contributed to the larger conversation, and is concerned with the planet we all share. Episode 1 [include URL to episode], with actor-marathoner-musician-writer-horticulturalist Peter Sarsgaard, is now live. In the weeks to come, you’ll hear lively conversations with Ghetto Gastro’s Jon Gray, fashion stylist Kate Young, architect Bjarke Ingels, artist Teresita Fernández, and more. The common thread between all of them? They’re curious and courageous—and each has a distinct perspective on time. Special thanks to drummer Billy Martin, who composed the Time Sensitive theme music; art director Omar Sosa, who collaborated on the design of the Time Sensitive site and identity; web developer Eric Bichan, who coded the site; and sound engineer Pat McCusker.
Jon Gray from Ghetto Gastro came by the studio to talk about his Bronx based food collective Ghetto Gastro that is taking the world by storm. We tasted through some fall entertaining wines, talked about growing up in New York, swapped ideas & explored his extensive travel notes. Bronx to the world, the world to the Bronx!
Chef Massimo Bottura's restaurant Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy currently holds the top spot on the annual list of the world's 50 best restaurants. But his creative and contemporary take on Italian cuisine wasn't always a hit with the locals. Bottura joins Stretch and Bobbito to talk about the early days of his now-famous restaurant, the humble roots of Italian cuisine and how he's using his influence to advocate against food waste and hunger via his non-profit, Food For Soul. Plus, Jon Gray from the Bronx-based food collective Ghetto Gastro calls in to talk about their plans to collaborate on a community kitchen project.
Full show notes available on www.justinkhanna.com/podcast
This week on Snacky Tunes, solo host Greg Bresnitz is in studio with Jon Gray, one of the founders and chefs of the unique culinary collective: Ghetto Gastro. Comprised of young, enthusiastic chefs hailing from the Bronx, each member has put in time working in some of New York’s top kitchens and have since drawn inspiration from the Bronx to their own food. Catering around the world, Jon shares highlights from the group’s culinary travels and some of the best plates they’ve made. In the second half of the show, musical guest Steven Klavier joins the show. To the world of dance music, Steven Klavier brings sultry vocals through labels like Safer at Night, and Sweat It Out. Raised equally in the suburban church choir and the gay clubs of Downtown Philly, Klavier takes a unique stand as a NYC party boy with a heart of gold; a club savior with something to say. Heavily influenced by ’90s club divas like Robin S and CeCe Peniston and R&B icons Aaliyah and Ginuwine, Klavier creates enigmatic, infectious songs. Whether working with NYC’s Walker & Royce, taking the stage with MNDR or penning toplines for some of the best in the business, Klavier lends an air of sensuality to each track he touches. Tune in for a great show! This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Brooklyn. “Our mission is bringing the world to the Bronx and bringing the Bronx back to the world.” –Jon Gray on Snacky Tunes “When you do a performance in a club, it’s less about what you’re looking and more about the feeling.” –Steven Klavier on Snacky Tunes
© 2020-2025 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
