Latest news with #ElevenMadisonPark
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Victoria and David Beckham take their mind off fall out with Brooklyn as they enjoy $365-per-head date night at vegan fine dining restaurant in New York after their eldest son pointedly pledged his loyalty to wife Nicola Peltz
Victoria and David Beckham appeared to put their fall out with Brooklyn to the back of their minds as they enjoyed an expensive date night in New York on Monday. The couple visited the Eleven Madison Park as they tucked into the ten course vegan tasting menu priced at $365-per-head. Taking to Instagram David shared an array of snaps of the delicious dishes before him and the former Spice Girl, 51, posed with the kitchen and waiting staff. Sharing a picture with head chef and owner Daniel Humm, David, 50, penned: '@elevenmadisonpark Once again I'm blown away. Thank you Daniel to you and your amazing team x'. The pair looked to enjoy their evening out despite their fears there may be no way back for them and son Brooklyn after he declared he 'would always choose' wife Nicola Peltz. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Their eldest child and his actress wife are understood to be at the heart of a bitter fallout with his family, who are based in the United Kingdom while they reside in Los Angeles. But the 26-year old influencer appeared to make his feelings clear in an Instagram video shared on Sunday, in which he pledged his unwavering loyalty to Nicola, 30 - the daughter of Miami-based billionaire businessman and investor Nelson Peltz. Brooklyn whisked his wife off for an early morning motorbike ride and captioned the video: 'My whole world x I will love you forever x I always choose you baby x you're the most amazing person i know xx me and you forever baby.' Those close to the Beckhams have now told The Sun that the message seemed 'very pointed'. The insider added: 'It shows how much this situation with his family has escalated. 'It's very sad for everyone involved, especially David and Victoria who love him very much. This isn't the Brooklyn his family knows and loves. 'This post was like a dagger to their hearts but they will always be there for Brooklyn.' MailOnline has contacted Victoria and David Beckham for comment. David shared an array of snaps of the delicious dishes including a 'chilled legume salad with glazed spring peas, garlic aioli, and snow pea relish, finished with a minty spring pea broth' Brooklyn whisked his wife off for an early morning motorbike ride and captioned the video: 'My whole world x I will love you forever x I always choose you baby' Nicola reshared the video to her own page and replied: 'I've always got you baby,' followed by a burning love heart emoji. Fans were disappointed at the couple's 'immature' posts, with one penning: 'I'm sorry but you pair need to grow up, 'You've made a point of going on about the love for your grandma who passed last year and yet you're happy to see your husband estranged from his family. This will eventually come between you & Brooklyn. However long it takes it will split you up & we'll all be watching. Be nice life's too short.'; 'Stay close with both the families, life's short, believe me, it's not worth any argument.'; 'Real love doesn't make you choose. Why can't you love your wife AND family'; 'Actually quite sad that you are adding fuel to the fire to hurt your parents. You only get 1 mum and dad so many have lost their without even knowing they would' In the video they cruised around on the motorbike as Nicola put his arms around Brooklyn and held on. Other fans scolded Brooklyn and Nicola for riding without protective care on the motorbike. Hours later, Brooklyn's brother Cruz, 20, declared his love for his parents in another Instagram post. Sharing a picture of David and Victoria with all four of their children, Cruz wrote: 'I love my family, I love you guys more than anything. 'Mum and dad, you gave us life and cared for us no matter what. I cannot tell you how blessed we all are to have you in our lives x.' It comes after Victoria and husband David made yet another attempt to extend an olive branch to their son Brooklyn on Thursday evening as they attended the TIME100 Impact Dinner in New York City. Fans were disappointed at the couple's 'immature' posts, with one penning: 'I'm sorry but you pair need to grow up Putting on a united front at the event the couple displayed a family photo taken at Victoria's 50th last year which included all four of their children. It captured a moment reminiscent of happier times for the family, prior to their ongoing feud with their eldest son and his wife Nicola. While Brooklyn was present at the former Spice Girl's big birthday last year, both he and his wife failed to make an appearance at her 51st or at David's 50th earlier this month. And while his other brothers Romeo, 22, and Cruz, 20, took to social media to pay their birthday tributes to their parents, on both occasions Brooklyn stayed silent.
Eater
21-05-2025
- Business
- Eater
A Daniel Humm Nonprofit Is Opening a Tasting Menu Restaurant in NYC
Daniel Humm was standing in the dining room in his pressed chef whites, tall as an NBA forward, recalling the height of the pandemic when he turned the now-vegan, three-Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park into a community kitchen serving 3,000 meals a day. 'It changed my life,' he says. Diners clapped, candlelight flickered, and dinner began with a parade of precious dishes made from plants. But Humm was not at EMP: He was standing in the intimate dining room of Service (116 W. Houston Street, at Sullivan Street) a soon-to-open restaurant in a converted coffee shop and soup kitchen run by ReThink Food, the nonprofit he founded with former EMP chef Matt Jozwiak in 2017. 'In my life, I always struggled with the exclusivity of my restaurant. I do love the art of food, but ReThink helped me connect with food in a different way,' Humm says. The nonprofit partners with restaurants, essentially paying them to deliver nutritious meals at no cost to communities. Last year, ReThink, which employs 49 people, granted approximately $80,000 a week to its restaurant partners (such as Marlow Bistro, Zaab Zaab, and Brain Food) and served 13 million meals to hungry New Yorkers. But in the wake of brutal cuts from the Trump administration, ReThink — along with other nonprofits tackling food insecurity like Refettorio Harlem and Food Bank for New York — have had to, well, rethink their funding models. In August, ReThink will open Service, a tasting menu restaurant helmed by Eleven Madison Park alum Rob Harmon; while Refettorio hosts monthly Chef's Lab Dinners, and Food Bank for New York produces high-profile Eat For Good dinner series. When Service opens late summer, it will have just 20 seats, all at one long table, for a six-course tasting menu ($100 per person, $120 with wines) with produce from local farms. The style tracks with Harmon's pedigree, which includes stints at La Colenda under Thomas Keller and Saison under Richard Lee. Before Service opens, the team at ReThink is hoping its pop-up dinners ($225 each) with the likes of Charlie Mitchell, Daniel Boulud, and Victoria Blamey, will help raise awareness and bring new diners, donors, and volunteers into the fold. 'Every extra dollar goes to making meals for local communities,' says Jozwiak. 'You can come for dinner, make a donation, and learn about volunteer opportunities. We want to get more people involved in our mission.' More than 1.7 million people in New York City rely on SNAP, which supplements a family's food budget, and the need is only growing. A recent poll by No Kid Hungry New York found that 52 percent of households in NYC reported taking on additional debt to pay for food. These high numbers come amid cuts to federal food safety net programs. Congress passed a budget resolution calling for a staggering $230 billion cut to programs like SNAP. The USDA also axed two critical programs, halting more than $1 billion in federal spending: a key $500 million round of funding was canceled under the Local Food Purchase Assistance, cutting off support for both food banks and farmers, and previously approved food orders under the Emergency Food Assistance Program were also canceled with no clear plan to resume purchases, creating a major food gap that began in April. Service comes at a moment when ReThink's mission is more critical than ever. 'We are seeing COVID-level demand for food. It feels like 2020,' says Jozwiak. 'And we can't fulfill all the orders.' ReThink also lost 70 percent of its revenue overnight when the Federal Emergency Management Agency clawed back more than $80 million from New York City meant to shelter and feed migrants. 'We were anticipating a longer runway with migrant services work. The scale-down in funding after Trump's inauguration was very drastic,' explains Jozwiak. 'We projected $20 million in revenue and five million meals, now we will be at $8 million in revenue and two million meals this year.' ReThink is not the only nonprofit turning to the restaurant model to help make ends meet. 'Overall, we're seeing a tightening of the belt in our partners and donors,' says Bob Wims, the director of Massimo Botturo's nonprofit, Refettorio Harlem, which provides free meals in a restaurant setting to its food-insecure neighbors. To bolster Refettorio's fundraising, it launched the Harlem Chef's Lab in February, a series of monthly collaborative ticketed dinners ($125 to $300 depending on ticket type) that blend art, music, and food. The next Chef's Lab will take place on Monday, June 9 with dance troupe GALLIM and a menu by chef Avi Szapiro of Gioia, Chopped champion Silvia Baldini, and the nonprofit's Kayla Phillips; future dates are in the works. Food Bank for New York, one of the nation's largest food banks — providing over 91 million meals to New Yorkers in need in 2024 — is also leaning on a chef event series to help replace its loss of federal funding. 'We have seen a loss of 2.5 million meals, which are gone, canceled,' says CEO and president Leslie Gordon. 'Now we have to work diligently to find the resources to fill the gap.' To do so, Food Bank for New York is doubling down on Eat for Good, a series of collaborations between acclaimed international chefs it launched last year. Dinners with Nancy Silverton and Hilary Sterling and Evan Funk and Misi Robbins have already taken place; upcoming pairings include culinary dream teams: Cookbook author Adeena Sussman with Shukette's Ayesha Nurjaja, and Tatiana's Kwame Onwuachi with The Gray's Masahma Bailey. 'The mission of Eat Food Good is to create a meaningful space to bring people together to have that all-important conversation of why food is important,' says Gordon. 'Everyone in this sector is being hit by this. It's a tidal wave of impact and to crisis magnitude I am not typically an alarmist, but Eat for Good is one way to continue to elevate the conversation and gain support to fill the gap. We hope these dinners inspire people to stand shoulder to shoulder with us.' The way forward, for Jozwiak and others working toward feeding people in need, is to lean on the restaurant model and hope they can bridge the gap in funding to continue feeding the city's food-insecure communities. 'Restaurants saved our city during COVID and kept people going,' says Jozwiak. 'We are still fighting that fight.' Sign up for our newsletter.
Malay Mail
11-05-2025
- Malay Mail
Restoran 88 in Taman Continental serves great ‘dai chow' fare, but it's the impeccable service (yes, they peel your prawns for you!) that truly impresses
KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 — Let's talk about service. More specifically, what 'good' or even 'great' service might look like in a restaurant. I'm not talking about the kind of Unreasonable Hospitality that famed restaurateur and former Eleven Madison Park co-owner Will Guidara describes in his book — the sort where staff learn of a diner's love for Budweiser and surprise him with a champagne trolley of Bud instead of bubbly. That kind of thing only works at the highest echelon of dining, where you pay for the pleasure of a (hopefully) bespoke experience, and the restaurant can afford the time and resources for a gesture like that. I'm talking about what it might look like in the kind of place you and I might go to regularly — be it a hawker, a kopitiam, or a table service restaurant. For the most part, I believe good service boils down to managing and matching expectations. Those expectations tend to — and should — differ vastly between a roadside hawker, a kopitiam, and a full-service restaurant. I don't expect any frills with a hawker, and don't mind waiting, especially if I've been told to expect a wait. See? Managing expectations. But if you're the sort of miserable loser who gripes about 'bad service' because an overwhelmed stall operator didn't lavish you with niceties while juggling your order with 11 others, don't be surprised when your kids stop talking to you — if they haven't already. The restaurant is pretty hidden from view from the road, though the cars going in and out are hard to miss. — Picture by Ethan Lau So when I pulled into the patch of gravel that doubles as the car park for Restoran 88 in Taman Continental, I thought I knew what to expect. Restoran 88 falls into that subset of Chinese seafood restaurants I like to call 'functional al fresco': open-air but surrounded by greenery, tucked away from busy roads despite being fairly central. Think Siu Siu in Lorong Syed Putra Kiri — except here there's an air-conditioned section, a few private rooms, and you're sitting under some high-tension cables. Still, I wasn't expecting much beyond the usual: laminated menus, efficient but abrupt service, and hopefully excellent fare at a reasonable price. While number one and three on that list certainly held true, what I got instead of number two was polished, attentive service that's rare even in far pricier establishments. We were acknowledged the moment we walked in, guided to our table (we had a reservation), and, noticing that we had brought wine, asked if we wanted glasses, how many, whether we needed an ice bucket, and if we would like help opening the bottles. We hadn't even seen the menu yet, which they then walked us through with the assurance and care of a patient kindergarten teacher. 'Claypot prawn soup' is a soy milk-based broth with fresh prawns, luffa gourd and glass noodles. — Picture by Ethan Lau Claypot prawn soup (RM162) is a curious yet inviting way to start a meal. It arrives bubbling, with prawns, spongy chunks of luffa and glass noodles sitting in a broth made mostly of soy milk — but it's also a great example of the service here. Now, I'm sure you accomplished epicureans know how to wrangle a prawn out of its shell, but why do it yourself when they'll do it for you? My prawn came back in one piece, head still intact and full of juices, the flesh whole and free of shell, the tail attached almost as a stylistic flourish. They're peeling prawns for us at no extra cost. What more could one ask for? Not much, actually. Because I never had to ask. Someone kept a close eye on our glasses of wine, water and tea, anticipating our needs and refilling them before we even thought to ask. Quick aside: not only are the staff here proficient at opening a bottle of wine, but they also finish the pour with a slight twist of the wrist to prevent drips. Again, all of this is the sort of attention to detail you'd expect at a much fancier restaurant that would charge corkage, not at what's essentially a big dai chow. Even an order of sultan fish can be portioned out, just ask the staff to do it for you. — Picture by Ethan Lau The prawns weren't the only time. We ordered a wild 1.8kg sultan fish (RM324), steamed and served with a proprietary seasoned soy sauce, and that too was individually portioned and served to each of us. The only thing better than digging into moist, succulent, meaty fish is feeling taken care of while doing it, and the staff here take care of you all right. A textural bonus of ordering sultan fish is snacking on the scales, which were removed, fried till crispy and coated in salted egg sauce. What a treat. The scales of the sultan fish are removed and fried in a salted egg yolk coating. — Picture by Ethan Lau At this point in the meal, I was so impressed with the service that they could have served a few dud dishes, and I genuinely wouldn't have cared — but they didn't. The smoked chicken stays moist and is intensely flavoured. — Picture by Ethan Lau Away from seafood, the smoky, salty intensity of a juicy half smoked chicken (RM55) made for one of the boldest dishes of the night, while petai (RM38), stir-fried with lots of sweet, crunchy choy poh (preserved radish) to offset its trademark funky — and frankly, smelly — character, was also a highlight. Fans of 'petai' will enjoy this interesting combination with lots of crunchy 'choy poh'. — Picture by Ethan Lau We wrapped up with their deceptively plain-looking signature fried mee hoon (RM28), but just like the entire experience of eating at Restoran 88, there was so much more than met the eye. Light, slick strands of noodles were filled out with fluffy egg and shreds of shrimp, while a squeeze of calamansi lifted the entire affair, much like how the prawn-peeling and wine-pouring were only the tip of the spear in a service experience that went far beyond my expectations. The signature fried 'mee hoon' looks plain, but is anything but. — Picture by Ethan Lau It's one I won't forget in a hurry, which, I suppose, is the whole idea behind 'unreasonable hospitality.' Will Guidara, who? Restoran 88 15, Jalan Batalong, Taman Continental, Kuala Lumpur. Open Thursday to Tuesday, 11.30am-3pm, 5-11.30pm. Tel: 012-315 1335 * This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal. * Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems. * Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more musings on food and mildly self-deprecating attempts at humour.
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Met Gala 2025: How the Young Black Chef Kwame Onwuachi went from selling drugs to serving stars
Started from the Gangs, now he is the Star! If one asks to summarise the journey of Kwame Onwuachi , this could be one of the one-liners among a few more – that are equally as intriguing as the Young Black Chef himself is. The one who grew up in the Bronx, at present is reigning at the Lincoln Center, in NYC, and now is all set to cater at the most prestigious event of the year – the Met Gala. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo Rags-to-Riches! Growing up in the Bronx, Kwame, as he admits himself, was a 'class-clown' who always got in trouble! To mend his ways, he was sent to Nigeria, to his grandfather, until 'he learnt respect'. In Nigeria, as Kwame recounts, the punishment for not doing homework was carrying a cinder block across a soccer field eight times. There was no concept of suspensions like American schools have; rather, you had to dig your own height. That 'hard mold' brought Kwame up and shaped his teenage days. He learnt the value of discipline the hard way and got his act together. However, it all changed when he came back to New York. In college, Kwame had nothing but $20 in his pocket. There was barely any money to even eat, let alone the money for the tuition fee. So he started hustling. From mixing punches and making 'hood cocktail' to procuring weed – Kwame did it all to survive. For the time being, he didn't have to worry about money for food. But then the switch flipped! As Kwame recalls, seeing Barack Obama in the highest office in the US brought him back to his senses. Not only did he flush all the hard drugs down the toilet, but got back in the kitchen to make a simple but aromatic chicken curry! The rise of the 'Young Black Chef': As the reawakening sent Kwame to seek out his purpose in life, he set out on what he was meant to do – working in the kitchen of restaurants. However, his goal was to create a catering company. But where's the investment for that? So Kwame quit his job in the restaurant and sold candies in the subway and on trains. After three months of hustling and selling snickers, skittles, nutter butters, oreos and what not – he opened up his catering company! When the catering company was raking up numbers and money, Kwame decided to go to the Culinary Institute of America. From there began the journey of Chef Kwame Onwuachi in the world of fine dining. Staging at the Eleven Madison Park, hardship wasn't unfamiliar to Kwame. Despite the enormous hard work he put in, Kwame missed out on recognition and promotions because of one thing – he was black. But Kwame held on, and he persevered. While still working at Eleven Madison Park, Kwame took part in a dinner at the supper club called Dinner Lab with his friend. Not so unsurprisingly, from there on, he started 'From candy bars to Michelin stars' on his own, where he began telling his own story through food. The series of pop-up dinners around the country started, and Kwame signed up for the deal – the chef with the highest score will win their own restaurant! The series of setbacks: Winning that chance deal was easy enough for Kwame, but having a successful restaurant wasn't. Kwame's tryst with a restaurant in Washington, DC shattered with 'Shaw Bijou' getting a 'soul-crushing' review from a well-known food critic at The Washington Post. Kwame's next attempt at 'Kith and Kin' didn't come until his mother and sister surrounded him and pulled him out of the alcohol and drug-induced slumber he put himself in after the failure of 'Shaw Bijou'. At 'Kith and Kin', Kwame started fresh with a singular and literal approach – feeding his friends and family (as the name suggests). However, 'Kith and Kin' fell prey to the same food critic, and just when it was 'light's out' for Kwame, he flipped the menu and turned it around with African and Caribbean food. Kwame's efforts shone bright, and 'Kith and Kin' passed the re-review with flying colours! However, the color of Kwame's skin came in the way once again. His book, 'Notes from a Young Black Chef', was barred from being promoted at his own restaurant. Cut to a few months, Kwame was asked to come back with his book in the wake of the ' Black Lives Matter ' movement, and as he recalls, the same management wanted him to do a book-signing event to promote his book. Kwame did what he had to – ditched the money, kept his morals, and walked away. The era of Tatiana: After the 'Kith and Kin' episode, Kwame moved back to New York, and one fine day, he received a call from the Lincoln Center as they were renovating the David Geffen Hall. What's really missing from the Lincoln Center? There's the Juilliard School, there's the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Ballet, the New York Philharmonic, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. The only missing element was food. Kwame saw the opportunity and took it in his stride. Tatiana – named after Kwame's elder sister, who raised him in their mother's absence – was born! Since Tatiana, there was no looking back for Kwame. Since opening in 2022, Tatiana has unanimously become the centre of attraction at the Lincoln Center. The hip-hop music and the R&B ambience of the restaurant have become the talking point, as a wide range of delicacies on the food menu has made it one of the top restaurants in NYC. The USP of Tatiana? It's audacious, it's raucous, it's inclusive. As Kwame says, there's room for both durags and tuxedos! And the icing on the top? It pays homage to the multicultural New York with culinary exuberance! Stepping up at the Met: For the biggest night in the world of fashion parades, the Met Gala, Kwame has been bestowed with the responsibility of curating the menu this year. Chef Onwuachi of Tatiana had shared his excitement regarding the project while saying, "I am thrilled and honored to be creating the dining experience for this year's Met Gala. As a chef who grew up in the Bronx, being a part of such an iconic New York institution for the most celebrated, star-studded night of the year is like a professional dream come true.' This year's theme for the Gala is 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.' This theme aims to highlight the concept of Black dandyism, drawing inspiration from the work of Monica Miller, a professor and chair of Africana Studies at Barnard College, and her book 'Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity'. Keeping up with the essence of this year's theme, Kwame shared, "As a lover of high fashion, collaborating on the theme, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style , brings a whole new level of inspiration for me and my team to work with." What can the guests expect on the menu this year? As Kwame said, 'I want to really capture Black culture in all of its elements—from the diaspora to the Caribbean to the American South, even to just the boroughs in New York.'
Sky News
10-04-2025
- Business
- Sky News
'It's overrated': Top chef on expensive food item that isn't worth it
Every Thursday our Money team interviews top chefs from around the UK, hearing about their cheap food hacks and views on the industry. Today we chat to Callum Graham, head chef at Bohemia, the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Jersey. People should cook vegetables in their own juices... For example, cook an asparagus in asparagus juice by keeping the stalks and placing them in a juicer. You will end up with super tasty asparagus. Wagyu beef is overrated... based on what you get pound for pound. Maybe I haven't had the right type, but I've tried it a few times and while it was tasty, I don't think it was as "OMG, amazing!" as I'd hoped it would be for the amount of money paid for it. I much prefer a beautiful, well-aged Jersey Angus sirloin or ribeye steak cooked medium-rare. For a cheap meal I go to... Upstairs at Anley Street, run by Chris and Claire Witham. They do a fantastic value Dirty Buns menu every Tuesday to Saturday from 12-2.30pm where you can get a double cheese smashburger for £11 and treat yourself to a spicy marg for £6. Or trade the drink for a water and instead have the duck fat potatoes - delicious! One restaurant that's worth blowing out for is... L'Enclume in Cumbria. It stands above all the rest. When we went it was the most perfect evening - everything from the service, food, wine and team, all in a wonderful setting. I cut costs in my restaurant by... trying to use more of the same types of ingredients across all the board. For example, we offer Jersey oysters for a snack in the Bohemia restaurant and now also offer them in the bar too. We have recently aligned our bar menu with the restaurant menu for a few items. Braised meat is a good cheap substitute... For example: beef cheek or short rib of beef. Brine the meat for a day, then soak in red wine for six hours. Make it like a bourguignon and cook it low and slow until tender, then reduce some of the sauce until sticky. Add a couple of knobs of butter to coat the meat and serve with a beautiful mash and some kale. It's a dish we have in Bohemia Bar at the moment. My favourite cookbook... without a shadow of a doubt is Eleven Madison Park. It is such a good cookbook with so much useful information in it, which you can use as the base of a recipe when working on new recipes. It is a modern classic. No-show customers are so damaging... to a business because we prepare the correct amount of food. The least you can do is cancel a reservation if you can't make it. even I question how I can do things better every day, and I've been doing this for 18 years.
