Grace By Nia

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
You are listening to Food for Thoughtwith Billy and Jenny, brought to you
by the Box Center. For morethan fifteen years, this dining duo has
been eating their way through New England, mixing it up with top chefs,
jumping behind the line of the hottestrestaurants, and giving you the inside scoop
on where to wine, dine andspend your time. So get ready,
it's Food for Thought giving you something? Did she on? Hey? Everybody,

(00:23):
welcome into Food for Thought, broughtto you by the Box Center.
I am very excited for this guest. This week, Billy and I actually
had the pleasure of spending some timein her much to be discussed restaurants brand
new restaurant in the Seaport, butit is one that the entire city,
the entire state is talking about aswell. So we really have an opportunity

(00:45):
to meet this restaurant tour and alsolearn about not only this space, but
some of her other restaurants. Thename of this restaurant tour is Nia Grace.
She has won many awards throughout thecity of Boston and she has now
opened the first black an owned BostonSeaport restaurant, The restaurant, as I
said, called Grace by Nia.She also owns restaurants Daryl's Corner Bar and

(01:07):
Kitchen, another legendary restaurant right therein the South end of Boston, and
the Underground Cafe. A Roxbury native, and she has been a leader in
the city for a really long time. She's been in the hospitality industry for
a couple of decades and really hasso much passion around the work that she
does, the food that they're creatingand serving, and it's a really great

(01:32):
atmosphere all of them to enjoy hisfriends and music. So beyond that,
she does a lot of philanthropic workthat we're going to talk but without further
ado, I'd love to introduce youto Nia. Grace Nia, thanks so
much for joining us. All right, Danny, thanks for having me.
Thanks for that introduction. Well,so, I mean, the truth is,
people can read a lot about you. There's been a lot of great

(01:55):
publicity surrounding you and the work thatyou're doing both in the city, in
the restaurants and outside. And obviouslythat was a very basic brief bio,
but we'd like to start the showand get a little bit more background,
sort of get to the roots ofwho our guest is. So you you
know, I mentioned you grew upin Roxbury, So talk a little bit
about what childhood was like for you, what kind of brought you ultimately to

(02:19):
the hospitality industry, because I knowit wasn't always a direct line to that,
but it was something that was youwere always passionate about. So tell
us a little bit about your background. Absolutely. So, like you said,
I grew up in Roxbury with mymom and my brother and kind of
raised by my in tandem with mygrandparents and my aunts, and so you

(02:40):
know really much you know, familycare and kind of stewarding. And then
while my mom was single for someyears, I would you know, watch
her work several jobs, but alwaysbe in spaces that kind of mentored and
nurtured young girls and youth, andyou know, she would use her artistry

(03:02):
to to kind of bring them along. And so that is something that I've
always admired of her, um,but she would bring me along too.
So community has kind of been atmy course since I was a youth,
and I've always found myself back inthose spaces some way or another. And
then during that time, like whenwe would have our holidays, and you

(03:23):
know, whether it was the summer, find myself, you know, go
and spend time at my aunt's houseto give me to kind of get me
out the city as well. Um, and then when we were doing that,
be it for holidays and again likeover the breaks, we'll find ourselves
in the kitchen, cooking, chatting, hosting. And you know, I'm

(03:45):
kind of I'm you know, I'mkind of you got as a child,
you gotta be silent although you canbe seen. So so I'm learning and
I'm observing. Yeah, I lovethis idea of kind of family air and
nurturing. And you know, wetalk a lot about this, Billy and
myself, like that's that's the wayit was supposed to be. Multigenerational support

(04:06):
because this idea of it takes avillage is that could not be more true.
And it's so nice to think thatit was in that kitchen, you
know, enjoying and creating those memorieswith multigenerational family that sort of brought you
to this place. So you mentionedcommunity was at the core of your upbringing,

(04:29):
and really restaurants are at the coreof community. So so talk a
little bit later and and and whatbrought you actually into the hospitality space.
Yeah, I remember one of myfirst jobs was actually a counter girl for
this neighborhood restaurant and independently owned andthey did burritos and smoothies and salads,

(04:53):
and you know, on myself workingthe register and doing some things on the
cold line. Um, I neverreally saw that was going to to be
a career for me, but Ido know that I enjoyed being able to
earn on my own and I actuallyadmired the woman who owned it as well.
And again not understanding why I hadsuch admiration for her, because I

(05:15):
really didn't understand the market at thetime I was sixteen years old. But
I saw how hard she worked,how strong she was. I understood that
she was a great leader and againeven a mentor for me, and I
started at sixteen. Then I remembermy next job, outside of working in
summer camps, was working on theSpirit of Boston and in that space right

(05:38):
so to me again, we'll talkabout it further, but you know,
being down here in the seaport district, there was only the boat, several
restaurants, and many parking lots andso but this next you know, kind
of graduation in terms of my levelof service in the industry was like,
it was great. I got tomeet people, and then I found out,

(05:59):
you know, actually, in herI'm pretty shy, you know,
I kind of keeping myself a lot. But in this role, yeah,
in this role, I had toput myself out there. I had to
be a personality. I had toentertained and I realized I did that well,
and so I loved it. Andin the industry I was able to
again meet more mentors who I felttaught me so much about presentation, about

(06:25):
and that's whether it's your physical orwhat you're doing for your job, and
then you know, professionalism, andit kind of forced me to also continue
to grow up and mature faster.But again it was something that I loved,
and I did that for four yearswhile I was in college, so
I would always come home and workon the boat, and then after college,

(06:45):
I did it for several more yearsand I just enjoyed the space.
But while I was in school,I started doing events as well for our
campus restaurant, and I was like, I really love this, but like
he said, this wasn't my careerpath, you know. I started criminology,
thought I was going to go straightto law school after a the grad,
but the industry got a hold onme, and I said, well,

(07:09):
I want to kind of explore thisa bit. So that's what I
started to do. Such a greatstory of how you got from here to
there, And it does make senseif this was already so much a part
of what was your energy and whereyou sort of found your place, even
if it wasn't direct. All right, So when we come back, we're
going to talk more about some ofthe specific restaurants that are now your You're

(07:30):
listening to Food for Thought brought toyou buy the Box Center and Salem Waterfront
Hotel and Suite. Welcome back toFood for Thought brought to you by the
Box Center. Nia. Grace isour guests. Grace by Nia is the
newest restaurant, but she has acouple others. She gave us a little
bit of a background as to howshe got into this hospitality space and really
at the core for her, asshe said earlier, was community and community

(07:53):
has meant so much to her andto the people that she's touched through her
sort of activism with the community.So Nia, I want to go back
to you're in school, You've spenta lot of time out there on the
water, but in the hospitality space, doing some great events. And then
you graduate, you're in a nonprofit, you said, for a while,

(08:16):
bring me up to speed there.Yeah, So from Moments of America I
went to Boston Neighborhood Network and essentiallyit continued the work of building community,
but more so touching back into thatcreativity side. And so I did both
positions in total of about ten years. And when I left Boston Neighborhood Network,

(08:39):
my thing was, well, whatcan I do with the skill set
that I've built up for the lastfifteen twenty years. So that included hospitality,
business management, you know, socialmedia, marketing, etc. And
again at the core who I amwas and built community at the same time.
So I decided to create a noncreate a consultant agency, and I

(09:00):
wanted to target smaller businesses that Iknew should have a bigger presence. And
one of those businesses happened to beDaryl's Corner Bar and Kitchen. I had
first fell in love with Daryl's yearsearlier, walking in there looking for my
third space. Right as a growingadult back in the city, I said,
well, you know, I'm we'reat home, but where else am
I going to hang out and meetpeople? And it was Daryl that I
fell in love with. The smellswere familiar, the sounds were familiar.

(09:22):
I just was like, I can'tbelieve that there's space like this, And
more so, I couldn't believe thatthere was a space that combined food,
music and you know what really Ilove is the community aspect. So when
I pitched my services from marketing toDaryl's, you know, I was very
persistent. I was like, I'vegot to be able to get in here,

(09:43):
like I want to help, youknow. And so I finally got
that contract. And then while Iwas working the business on the contract side,
they indicated the need for restaurant management. I've been a manager before,
and I've worked in restaurants before,and I said, well, you know,
I wouldn't mind do and both ofthose still maintaining the consulting work as

(10:03):
well. And so I spent twoyears essentially at just a job, and
I spent two years managing the businessbefore having an opportunity to purchase it.
Wow. Wow, And I lovelike just been hearing that as you're kind
of multitasking your Roles that was verymuch like your mom, you know,
doing all the things, maintaining aconnection in the community, and I just

(10:24):
I love seeing that that's kind ofcome full circle. So, you know,
for those who are listening, i'dassume if you're in the Boston area,
you know Darryl's Corner of Our andKitchen. It's reputation has been how
many years has it been Nea,Wow, it's been Darryl since twenty ten,
thirteen years now, but it's beenin a community since nineteen fifty seven.
Yeah, totally. Well, Imean, I just hearing about it

(10:48):
for so long, obviously knowing Darrylas such a icon in the industry and
so and it's so great that youwere able to both see it from different
experiences before it was yours. Andso now when folks go into Darrel's Cornerbar
and Kitchen, talk about some ofthe food that they're seeing and the experience
that they're having. Absolutely, soyou know, known for our you know,

(11:11):
being built on friends, food andmusic. You can still come in
and listen to live jazz and soulmusic Wednesday through Sunday. Sunday is one
of my favorite days a week whereyou know, it feels the most familial
with friends or with families coming infor all you can eat brunch buffet.
So again, our food is reallyrooted and Southern comfort food. You can

(11:33):
get catfish and jumbalaya and shrimp andgrits and of course our favorite macaroney and
cheese. Outside of that, wehave full bar service. And you know,
again, the thing that drew meto that space is that I could
always kind of go in there,meet somebody new, and always almost find
and see a familiar face, andit just always felt like home. So

(11:56):
when you walk into Daryl's, knowthat whether you are new to the venue
or coming back after a while,you're gonna feel like you're at home again.
Such friendly spaces. You're right aboutthe smells, It's almost like you
can smell it from across the street. And obviously the vibe is you know,
we're not like you know, Ithink we're getting closer to like of

(12:16):
the major cities throughout the country thatyou know have sort of that culture and
that music and that you know,that vibe and that combo. But we're
definitely in some ways not there yet, but you a thousand percent feel it
when you walk into Darrell's undeniably okay, So that is definitely a place if
you haven't been in a while,or if you haven't been ever, you
should also add to your list,and then talk about Underground cat Bay.

(12:39):
Oh Man. The Underground Cat Baywe opened actually about two years ago,
coming to September. It is fiveblocks down the street from Darryl's and it's
built with the same principles on connectingcommunity with the Northeastern campus as well as
the South and Lower Rocks great area. We've got art that's featured on the

(13:03):
wall through a partnership with Artists forHumanity, so we are promoting student or
youth driven art. And then we'vegot a menu that has some kind of
Southern inspiration, but really it's thatyou know, great American breakfast and lunch
fair. A great part for meabout the Underground is that we get a

(13:24):
chance to engage and still even althoughthey're being employed with us mentor youth right,
So we've got lots of students whowork with us, and then it's
another great place to kind of workfrom anywhere as well. It's one of
my favorite places I'm able to thinkand kind of get my days started and

(13:45):
we're brewing some of the best coffeeI've gone to block. So I love
that and you're right that it is. It's such a great that's such a
great physical space to be connecting withthat audience that you're talking about, and
also give them a place, whetherthey're working or not, to feel like
their neighborhood spot while they're you know, here studying so or living. So.

(14:07):
Was music a big part of yourupbringing and when you mentioned like cooking
in the kitchen were some of theseand you mentioned the smells feeling familiar.
Talk a little bit about that.Yeah, you know my mother, I
don't think that she would tell youthat she would get out there on a
stage and maybe sang a dozen songs. But one of the things that was

(14:28):
super constant in our life was atevery Saturday morning, she's putting on the
radio and we're listening to the tunesthat she loves, and we might be
cleaning and cooking and I'm in itright So I might know the entire Motown
catalog, I've got steps that Icould do for Gladys mightni tips. But
that was that was a driver,and it almost then became an accompaniment of

(14:52):
everything that we did, and sonow we're riding in the car and we've
got our songs and our playlists,and that was kind of our bonding time.
And I grew up singing in thechoir and I did so at school
as well, and so music,for me, it just gives us life
and it really tells a story.And it's always been something that I felt

(15:13):
has been a unifier and she learnedthat right. So she had me playing
different instruments from the violin and theguitar, and I also did sports too,
but like that was a big piece. She socialized me in that way,
and it just made me think differently. Gus. I did not know
that you also had musicality within yourown being. But that's so cool.

(15:37):
And I think one of the thingsI'm often impressed by when you have a
restaurant that has so many different pillarslike yours do, is you really have
to be so diversifying in all areas, you know. I mean, obviously
it's hard enough to run a restaurant, but to run a restaurant and also
be running all the musical offerings thatyou're doing as well as sort of creating
that vibe. I feel like thereis an additional piece to that, and

(16:00):
it's just so impressive to see,um, you know how well you've done
that in multiple venues. So wehave about a minute last We're going to
send way more than a minute talkingabout it. But Grace by Nia is
your latest project that came onto thescene very recently, and I'm sure you
haven't had a moment to look backbecause it's been quite an intense and exciting

(16:21):
you know. Addition, yeah,I mean this is literally the dream we
started with something. Like I said, first, when I walked into Darles,
I actually never thought that there wasa concept that could combine all the
things so well. And then afterhaving seen it, I was like,
well, great, now, howcan I start in the vein where this
is super intentional and blow it allthe way up? And that, to

(16:42):
me is what Grace Fania is,you know, being very specific about catering
to artists needs by having a stageand even a green room, thinking about
how we build out the sound sothat it's also enjoyable for the artists as
well as the guests obviously, andthen menu to match, right, not
just specialized like some music venues onthat part on the entertainment, but make

(17:06):
sure that the beverages and the foodand especially the service are equal so that
it's a full sensory experience. Imean, it's it's my dream. And
intentional is the word that you use, and intentional is exactly what it is.
And I want to break it downpiece by piece because you worked with
great people to make sure that onall levels, from the sounds to the

(17:30):
stage to the decor. I mean, it is such a vibe in there,
and you know, I think it'sgoing to do so much for the
cultural experience in Boston that in alot of ways we still needed more of.
And so I feel like it's justreally fit that spot. We're going
to take a quick break. We'llbe back with more Food for Thought and
more Nia Grace. In just aminute, you're listening to Food for Thought

(17:51):
rot So you buy the Box Centerand Sale and Waterfront Hotel and sweets.
Okay, and for our very sortof rapid break, this one is very
fat back with Nia Grace and Graceby Nia, Darryl's Cornerbar and Kitchen and
Underground Cafe. I want to talkto you about some of your favorite places
to go. I know, probablyrecently you haven't gotten anywhere but grace by

(18:12):
Nia, because that's what happens whenyou open a restaurant. But you are
very involved in the community and theindustry as well, which I know we'll
talk about later on. But ifyou're if you have a night out,
if you guys are going to enjoy, or you are you're going on with
Stanley or going on with friends,what are some of the places that you're
going to. Absolutely, if Ithink about my day in total, I

(18:36):
love this small sandwich shop with anew location to make a Clint plane Mike
and patties. They've got a pimentoGian sandwich that sounds starting my day almost
all the time. Um, ifI'm thinking about lunch, there's this Ethiopian
cafe called Facica and Rocksberry a greatvegetarian plate with lentils. If you like

(19:00):
meat, they've got this wonderful spicedbeef. And then when I'm thinking about
dinner, and you know, Imight get crucified. Of course, the
North End has plenty great Italian restaurants, but I'm staying right in the South
End and I'm going to Doug's restaurantMita. It's one of my favorites.
Got to get the bucatini or maybethat chicken. I mean, I actually

(19:22):
was just sitting next to Douglas atthe MRA board meeting yesterday, which I
know you're a part of as well. We'll talk about that later, but
there is nothing like that dinner.I mean, he is so he does
such a great job. So I'mglad that's one of the ones on your
list. And he's another talented restauranttouring staff. So that sounds like a
good breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I love that. And so are

(19:44):
you do cook at all anymore?Or is that not kind of a part
of what's happening in this chapter?Oh my goodness. I love to cook,
and when I have an opportunity,it might be on Sundays, and
I spend a day doing it,and then you know, my fiance,
he gets super excited. I meanhe usually takes a picture because it's so
rare these days that I have anopportunity to do so. But that's literally

(20:07):
my rest spite. Like that givesme an opportunity to slow down and be
precise. And I mean when Ido it, I'm doing it for everyone.
I one hundred percent know the feelingThere's nothing more soothing than just being
in your kitchen, your own kitchenmaking whatever you know it is going to

(20:27):
taste you on me. And thereis something that when you eat that that
just feels so invigorating. And obviouslythat also goes back to a lot of
the experiences you talked about having withyour mom and your grandma. I guess
you to get into kind of thatnostalgic vibe, and at least for me,
I end up having good ideas whenI'm cooking as well, which feels
nice too. All Right, we'regonna take a break. We'll be back

(20:48):
with Nia Grace in just a minute. You're listening to Food for Thought brought
do you buy the Box Center andSalem Waterfront Hotel and sweets? Okay,
So you're headed down into the seaportsort of the name Hardy piece of Boston
Seaport, and there is this gorgeous, bright en, vibrant sign Grace by
Nia right there, right near youknow, testing kitchens right around there,

(21:11):
Scorpion bars right around there, theLulu Lemon. If you're I'm sort of
orienting yourself or exactly where it is, but you really can't miss it quite
frankly so Nia. It's it's onlyit's it's been a very short, short
amount of time, but it's beenreceived so well by this city. So
you mentioned a little bit about yourintention behind it and really bringing all these

(21:32):
passions that you have together, butreally walk us in. You're coming up
an escalator and elevator, walk usinto the space. Absolutely, we wanted
to create a grand entrance, andthis is actually after having walked in through
the ground floor to maybe a subduedentrance. So you show up and you
see this great, big canopy thatgives you the feel of Broadway lights,

(21:57):
and you see this leather padded dooror with a porthole, and that's what
I consider your first experience on beingtransporting into another space. As you start
to come into the space, they'regoing to see this wavy, groovy wallpaper
that was super intentional about the huethat we chose. It gives you these

(22:17):
deep blues and ocean blues and againstill kind of transporting you, and it's
it's it's almost kind of musical whenyou look at that. We've got grand
columns that go throughout the space,and we wanted to really embellish them more
so we added some black flocked wallpaperand it kind of goes back to that
Art Deco period. And then asyou come up those columns, you see

(22:41):
these hand crafted literally are in Massachusetts. We've got a handcraft artisan who created
these custom palm leaves for us,And that's kind of my nod back to
my pond in Miami and Copacabana.And then I wanted to give you that
cotton club, that old school Vegaswhen everything was grand and everything was a

(23:03):
night out. It didn't matter whatday you were going out. And so
for me, artists are are bigpart of it, right, So whether
it be musical artists, that wasour first intention. But as we think
about how else our stage can beused for, whether it's comedy or lectures,
we wanted to make sure that therewas a prominent stage that people knew

(23:26):
that this is the attraction, Thisis a part of why you're here,
a main reason why you're here.So the stage is eloquently decorated, it's
got a custom drum kit, it'sgot again great kneeon and right lights that
lets you know where you are alwayswhen you see someone playing on that stage.
Fabrics that cover these thirty foot windowsthat and it's got like a boomerang

(23:51):
shape when you walk in. Andso you go through the gallery, you
hit the main stage area, andthen you come across the bar with this
wonderful marble top and it seats twentyfive guests, and we love a big
bar with some oversized boots across fromit. Our tables again are even customed
to the color of the wallpaper withsome great brass that line it. I

(24:15):
mean, for us, no detailcould be spared here. We wanted you
to experience it once and then actuallyrealize that you've probably got to come a
few more times to catch every singlenote that we designed here. You couldn't
have said it more perfectly, becauseit's kind of like going into a museum
where you if you don't really spendtime soaking it all in, you easily

(24:37):
could miss something. And I lovedhow you talked about the various options of
seating, because that's one of thethings that really struck Billy and myself is
there's you know, there's kind ofthere's rooms within rooms, even though it's
a giant open space, which Ithink is very cool. How you really
intentionally did that, and you know, of course Billy within seconds of being
there, scoped out exactly what hewants his table to be in natural Billy

(25:02):
form. Um. So it is, it is. It is vibrant,
it is bright. I mean,the gold, the textures are just done
so so well. And I hopethat you look around and are able to
say, like, I sought outto do something and I freaking did it,
because that's what I felt like walkingin there. You just you you
nailed it on all levels. Okay, So now you know one of the

(25:23):
things that you keep sort of suggesting, which is I think what's so amazing
about your vision is that you're notyou're not you're You're not more focused in
one area than another. So Ithink it's important to talk about the food
because as as we tasted some ofit yesterday, I mean, you spared
no expense and no and and noless focus on the food as as you

(25:45):
just described the decor. So sowalk us through that. Yeah, the
food menu, even to the waythat it is ritting out. Um,
we wanted it to be a showstopperfor you, and so you kind to
open up that menu and it's almostlike a playbill starting off with that overture
then your opening act being more yourappetizers than even that array of oysters your

(26:10):
way, and then we go intoour intermission, which is suitably for salads
and our suits, and then youget your main attraction, which again kind
of aligns with your entrees as wellas your side show, and then of
course the encore. And so forme, I wanted to use some traditional

(26:30):
familiar bases and proteins and vegetables,but then flip it for you, make
it interesting, do something new withit, bring it a little current,
but at the same time keep itnostalgic. And that is almost like the
entire vibe for the entire space,where it's like, huh, this feels

(26:51):
like a period that I may noteven have been alive for it, but
it's still so familiar and I kindof get lost in it. God,
you did such a good visual jobof bringing you through a very dynamic space,
and you really nailed that vision.The gold is so beautiful and it's
it's worth savoring all elements of thatspace. Okay, So there's clearly plenty

(27:11):
more to talk about. The food, the drinks, they're all as artfully
beautiful and delicious. We'll take abreak and be back with more Food for
Thought. You're listening to Food forThought Rock do you buy the Box Center
and Salem Waterfront Hotel and Suite?Okay, So, Nia, you did
a great job of describing what thespace looks like in sort of the feel
when you walk in there. Youknow equally amount of time I can tell

(27:34):
you put into this food and thismenu. You're really crafting something special.
So outline what people can expect fromthe menu. Absolutely when you've come in.
The menu is just as dramatic asthe space we go from and overture
and opening acts that give you anarray of oysters as well as appetizers,

(27:56):
and we go into our intermission,which as our set valids and our soup
section, and then we go toour main attraction, which are entrees,
some that are good for sharing,and then our sideshow and then of course
the encore with our desserts. Ohgod, it's I love the Red Heart
of you know, some kind ofBroadway musical. It really it really does

(28:17):
feel like that. So and theway that you're putting these dishes together is
so beautiful. I mean the jumbalaya, I mean I had while we were
there shooting and alone in the restaurant. I can't wait to be amidst you
know, a lively crowded dinner,you know, dinner space with that.
So, so tell us about someof the specifics on the menu that people
can enjoy. Absolutely, So themenu for me wanted. I wanted it

(28:41):
to be familiar items done innovatively right, and so we've got um. Of
course, we have some catfish fightsand so you know we love fish in
New England. But catfish, Ithink is a great fishing and it's got
to ride amount of spice with thisperfect occasion ram load. We're doing a

(29:03):
sweet heat chicken where you can getit grilled or you can get it fried.
But the fried pieces super interesting tome as we're putting a little corn
meal to make it to really giveit that sweet edge and a different kind
of crunch. When we get toour intermission section, we are doing fried
green tomatoes. But I love acoprezzi salad, so we're doing fried green

(29:26):
tomatoes with fresh muzzarella. We're addingour balsamic glaze and a basil oil and
pickled red onions and so you've justnever seen fried green tomatoes or caprezzi salad
like it. And then of courseyou're talking about that jumbalaya. It's the
perfect spice, and I think toyour point, it has layers to it,

(29:49):
and so one it's packed with flavor. You've got the chicken and beef
and shrimp and crawfish, and thenon the back end you're like, oh,
it's got a punch and it doesn'treally matter though you're gonna finish it.
You've got to love those flavors.Another fun and fan favorite has to

(30:10):
be to our carrot cake, chickenand waffles. And again this comes for
me loving carrot cake and then wonderinghow inventive we can be with waffles and
obviously that fried chicken and it's perfectwith it's vanilla icing and maple syrup.
So these are some of the fansfavorites and some of the things that I
love. And for us, themenu, I'll just allowed us to you

(30:33):
know, a little bit different thanwhat we did at Daryl's or there's a
lot of traditional Southern comfort food.We weren't able to take some of those
Southern traditions and just make it new, make it, make it fun and
make it new England. Well,I love this idea that it's there.
They're flavors that you remember, they'reflavors that you know, but they're done

(30:55):
in a way that you haven't experiencedbefore. And that really is what art
is all about, what you're doingin so many different areas. So the
food looks so beautiful. I mean, like again, a jumbalaya, you
might think is a jumbalaya, No, it's not, because it's it's like
nothing like you've ever had, andit's the perfect amount of heat, layered
heat, beautifully presented every way fromthe food being presented to the bulls that's

(31:19):
presented on And Okay, so thatgives you an idea of the menu.
Now we've got to talk about thecocktails, because my god, are they
not only delicious, but they're beautiful. Talk about the program. Yeah,
so the bar program for me,it first had to start with what again,
what are the ingredients that we're using? And so more here with our

(31:41):
intention by trying to feature some womenowned and black owned spirits. And so
we've got cocktails that have the Unclenear Us premium whiskey and that's called the
unfashioned. So again thinking about classicand then again making it a little bit
more modern, we're using we're alsousing Fia, which is in fact the

(32:06):
first Cuban woman owned scotch, andso that's been a really great cocktail as
well. And you know, we'vegot oversized cocktails, one called Killing It
Softly. It's great fruit and whiskeybased and it comes in this flask that's
smoked, and it's obviously it's meantfor sharing, and so we've definitely encourage

(32:28):
you to share it, but wereally just wanted to be over the top
as and kind of match the environmentthat we were in. We've got a
great another cocktail called the Cold Teaand then that also has a fruit based
to it made with rum, butit's a nod to when you might go

(32:49):
back in Boston's Chinatown in order thatcold tea. It knew that you had
a little special something in that teapot. And so again another fun shareable cocktail.
Well they're they're so beautiful. Youmentioned summer oversized and summer in these
much more dainty, adorable cocktail glasses. So yeah, you're getting a whole

(33:09):
spectrum, so you might need totry a couple. Um. Okay,
So now the music, So youtell us when people can enjoy music,
what some of the things are comingup and and who some of your favorites
are. Yeah, you can enjoymusic Wednesday through Sunday while we're here.

(33:29):
It'll be live most days. Whenwe start running our brunch, we'll have
a mix of live as well asdjay entertainment. On Friday and Saturday nights,
you can listen to live music I'mtill one am, which I think
is great and I don't know thatmany venues in the city of Boston do
that. We have a mix ofjazz and soul and funk and R and
B and blues and popular you knowmusic. And the thing is, it's

(33:52):
just like it. There's nothing thatwe we can't touch here um and that's
what I love most about it.When we started, I had a local
roster of over a hundred different bandsthat have played for me throughout the years.
And this has always been for mefrom the beginning, an opportunity to

(34:13):
elevate the performance platform and to allowour hyperlocal talent to get exposure that I
believe as they deserve, and alsogay fans. Right these are musicians who
are either new to the scene orwho are seasoned in the market who I've
always felt like they're my favorites andI just want more people to know about

(34:36):
them and follow them like I do, and so I in fact get a
chance to be the producer as wellas for the most part they're number one
fan and bringing them to Grace everynight. So some of my favorites when
you see them on the list.I've got Apollo ap and the Groove again.
He'll come on a Friday or Saturdaynight and like it's a total total

(35:00):
party. Uh. This Saturday,we have Angelina and the Unit And when
I tell you, she gets youthe R and B New Jack swing throwback
feel, but she'll mix in alittle Tennessee whiskey. It's it's just like
a fun time. Yeah, Ican only imagine and the and the sound.

(35:20):
I know there was so much timespent on the sound system and the
and the way that you're hearing thesound from every corner of the space.
Okay, So I can't really dothis interview without talking about something very cool
that happened recently. Um, andI think you probably know what it is,
so so so talk to me aboutthat night, how it unfolded and

(35:42):
what it felt like. Well,I think you've got to be talking about
where we had a special guest justjump up on our stage unbeknownst to us,
and uh that that's what mister CurtisJackson, also known as fifty fent.
I mean, you want to talkabout a magical moment. Here,

(36:04):
we are less than a month old, and we have a special guest in
the house, and we're celebrating birthdays. And so the band that's on that
night is starting to play a coupleof different popular birthday tunes, and you
know, we'd be remiss if wedidn't play one of the songs that talks
about it that he has, andso we started to play in the club

(36:25):
and the next thing, you know, I see my entire house eyes get
big, phones pop up, peopleare screaming. I don't know if it's
good or bad yet. And thenI turn around and I see fifty wipe
in the corners of his mouth becauseyou know, he's enjoying some catfish.
And he gets the stage. Hejumps up on that stage and he grabs

(36:49):
that mic and for the next youknow, five to six minutes, we
were we had a personal concert bysuperstar fifty cent. For a better night,
I cannot even imagine what the conversationwas and what the energy in that
place. And I'm a person whobelieves like, once you have that energy

(37:14):
in this space, it is alwaysin the space, and that that really
speaks to what you did because hedoes I clearly doesn't do that on the
regular and obviously felt the vibe andthe fact that Billy kept saying the fact
that your house band was able todo that with him, you know,
so spontaneously obviously speaks novels to them. We're gonna take a quick break and

(37:34):
when we get back, we'll loopthis all together and let you know where
you can find all things Neia Grace. In just a minute, you're listening
to Food for Thought brought to youBuy the Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel
in sweets. Okay, I knewthis is going to be such a fun
hour and it almost definitely has been. So Nia, We've talked a lot
about all of your different places.Obviously, the one that is has everybody

(37:57):
talking is Grace by Nia in theSport. So where can people go to
find out all things, whether itbe what the latest bands are in any
of the locations and to be ableto make reservations and stuff absolutely, So
for all of our locations, wedo have websites Grace Bynea dot com,
Grace by Nea on TikTok and Instagram, as well as Facebook. Same thing

(38:19):
with The Underground and Darrel's Cornerbron KitchenDCBK, Boston dot Com, The Underground
Boston dot Com. You can findour lineups, our hours of operation.
May not have those special guests listed, but I feel like every time you
walk in the room, you're goingto find something special that happens. Oh,
undeniably, I am. I'm justso excited for these venues for our
city. I mean, as aperson who's been promoting the hospitality industry for

(38:44):
twenty years, you and I kindof started in a similar time. Is
it is so good for this cityand so good for the people of the
city. So I applaud all ofyour efforts and all of the things that
you've done. So I would beromess if we did this entire show and
didn't really touch upon the community workthat you're doing in a big way.

(39:04):
I think it was during COVID thatthe Boston Black Hospitality Coalition was born from
you, So can you talk alittle bit about about that and and sort
of it's important within Boston. Yeah, we did that. We formed that
organization my peers and I as away, it's almost just like a support
group first, a way to shareinformation just to get through that current state.

(39:29):
And then we found out that itwas more needed than we realized in
terms of sharing additional resources on howto operate, whether it be staffing,
how you do policy, you know, menu changes, certain like technology that
will help make your business more efficient. And we just really became that that
go to source for all things minorityhospitality operations. And since then, you

(39:55):
know, one of our biggest thingswas our mission at that moment was to
make sure that the few licensed venuesthat we had available that they survived COVID,
that one who were in operation duringthat time that may not have been
licensed, if they had desires toor to increase their units, that they

(40:15):
could as well. And our goalwas that when we got to the other
side of it, and you know, that's kind of where we are right
now, that we actually had morespaces that were intentionally built for persons of
color as well as the entire cityand visitors. And I think that we
definitely succeeded in that way. AndI can count multiple units that have come

(40:37):
up in the last year and ahalf, and I think that that's a
part of our success collectively. Well, I think it's so important. I
mean, we often take for grantedwhat goes into this business. I try
not to, but there are somany different components. Like we think,
we go in, we have ameal, there are so many elements that
make this one of the most challengingcertainly also one of the most rewarding,

(40:57):
but really one of the most intricateindustries around. And again, like you
said at the very top of theshow, community has always been as a
core for you, and the coreof our community is a hospitality industry.
So it's so applaudible that you've beenable to do that. And I know
to be able to not see anotherclosure of a restaurant is something that's so
important. So additionally, I knowyou're connected with the Boston Center for Youth.

(41:22):
I know that you're on the boardof the Masterchusetts Restaurant Association, with
which I am as well, andso I know that sort of advocating not
only for the people of Boston butfor the industry has been something that has
been a big part of you inyour life, and we thank you for
all of your advocacy and all ofyour support. Nia Grace, so you
are have been a woman to watchwith all of the most influential Bostonian awards

(41:45):
you've gotten and you know, Iknow there's a forty under forty award there,
but most of all, you're awonderful person. Thank you so much
for joining us. Thanks for havingmen has been fun, Nia Grace.
You'll see a lot more of her. Check it out Grace by Nia and
the Seaport. And that's all forwe for thought. We'll see you next week.