to my restaurant kin.
Brothers & sisters, bestowers of sustenance - it’s time for a check in. How are you? Where are you on this wild ride? I can’t imagine life without you and somehow right now it feels like life without you. Seeing so many closures. ...seeing your windows dark while you’re staying careful… cringing in worry that there are too many people within your walls… it’s such a crapshoot.
I need you to hang in there.
You’ve formed the fabric of my life and this is the one time I’ve never been one of your arms, ready to lift with the team. After 12 years, 2020 was the year I fully transitioned from being a player in the restaurant business to being an outside partner - and I’m paralyzed at a distance by our common fate. Restaurants, our community is nurtured by you - you make our lives vibrant. You made me who I am.
I grew up there - the hole in the wall cantina packed with love, the flush banquet hall void of personality, the mom and pop venture that needs a few tweaks, the Michelin Guide-listed powerhouse. Just like you I’ve had all the jobs; you know the drill. Starting at Dad’s rogue chef restaurants as a teen instilled a deep rooted, family-bound work ethic that’s carried me toward a lot of great opportunities. Restaurant life forced me out of my shell as a youngster- it made me social, floated me into fun situations and connected me to lifelong buddies who I’ve been through it with. It’s also consistently humbled me, ‘cause when you spend years providing for people who infuse such a wide spectrum of intense energy (nervous or angry or excited or grateful) into having a meal, and you do it with love, man it’ll make you modest.
Restaurant life has educated me more than I can even describe, turned some of my senses into encyclopaedic search engines, and started me planning and measuring life by moments to be tasted.
Maybe most valuable to my own experience growing up was how restaurant culture brought me closer to other musicians. Musicians and restaurants are forever intertwined. We’re in the dungeon kitchens, crafting cocktails on the bar, running food on the floor, influencing the playlists happening all around. Those are my friends, my entire social group. I know how deep the relationship between music and restaurants is and it is killing me to see all the people who have lost out on BOTH outlets and income streams this past year.
So I ask -- are we gonna be alright? What does this mean for creative culture? A boom? A slump? More importantly than speculating on trends, I just want to express my concern, offer my solidarity and support, and look toward a brighter future.
And it’s looking a little brighter. I got out of the biz to start this project called Stereo Dinner and all of a sudden our concept has become extremely relevant. We’re curating intimate dining experiences for fans eager to break bread with their favorite artists in restaurants that set the tempo of our cities. Sitting a small group down at the same table (for a pretty penny of course) to enjoy the flavors that tell a story and make a memory with an icon. It’s not just a ritzy din with David Byrne though.
Stereo Dinner designs a program that emphasizes culinary art and puts the spotlight on restaurateurs and rockstar chefs to share the stage with the artist. We form strong partnerships to understand your craft & your establishment so we can express your value to our guests. We help you build connections with our guest of honor so that the celebration of flavors is meaningful to everyone involved.
We like the thought of being able to offer a premium-priced private event to carefully chosen culinary partners. It sends our hopes high about reigniting the spark in restaurant culture and the live events sphere -- safely and meaningfully. We’re currently reaching out to a number of restaurants and chefs in select regions around the country to introduce our concept and grow our network of partnerships. If Stereo Dinner sounds interesting to you and you want to chat about it to learn a bit more, please get in touch with me, max@stereodinner.com.
We’re cooking up something big...
