february

on community

Many people like to throw around the concept of community without being willing to do the work of facilitating genuine and organic connection. It starts with a common ground amongst a group of people, which splinters off into more nuanced parties. Community ebbs and flows, with people constantly leaving and joining groups. The most important thing is that everyone remains receptive to this fluctuation. Taking things personally is detrimental to everyone, including yourself.

Community is hard. It means offering up yourself, the good and bad. It means accepting other people as they are, not what they can give you or what their potential might be. I’ve worked in kitchens for close to half my life. The hours are long and thankless for the most part, but a rich community happens there the longer you participate. There are made up rivalries between your fellow cooks and the guest that insists on a gluten allergy but orders a beer. There are late nights deep cleaning while rap music vibrates in your eardrums. Then there’s the speed to help someone clean up a spilled container of sauce or a broken glass in the middle of a rush. The nod of affirmation from your coworker when you hand them a spoonful of something you’ve been testing. Passing out deli containers of ice water to the grill cooks while sweat streams down their faces. That cold post-shift drink followed by a cigarette outside, trading quips about the day. Then later, driving, you misjudge a turn in the dark and blow a tire. Your coworker, now friend, comes to find you and puts your spare on in the freezing cold.

Working in kitchens taught me what community is. It’s showing up every day with your feet hurting and your mind tired, but remaining malleable enough that others can pull the best out of you with minimal effort. At the end of the day, all we really have is each other.

This club’s menu is pulled from facets of dishes past, all forever inspired by and dedicated to my kitchen community.

welcome drink / tiny bubbles

for the table / fried bread with whipped dill cream cheese & trout roe

first / pomme puree, sunchoke crisps, carrot & balsamic reduction

second / raviolo in a sauce of braised oxtail and sweet onion

third / winter strawberry ice cream, passionfruit, tonka bean

February 27th, 7pm

Reserve your seat in the club here

See you there?

Love you. Thank you.