Chef JJ Talks New Restaurant At Atlantis, Eating Spots For Keith Lee In NYC, & ‘The Cookout’ + More
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
What's type is way up with Angela Yee and my
guy is here. I really I like you as a
person and as a chef. Chef JJ is here.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
What's up?
Speaker 1 (00:11):
What's up?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
It's always good to see you, know, it's always good
to see you.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
And you've had an incredible year. I want to say,
I saw you opened up field trip at the Atlantis
and the Bahamas. We need you to come down, Okay,
say less because I just saw Kevin Lowles yesterday. He
was like, yeah, I'm gonna be going here and here
in Bahamas. I was like, okay, I need to I
got you. Yeah, I haven't been there in so long.
You heard it here first ladies and gentlemen. But it's
at the Atlantis. And I love the Atlantis.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Yes, I love the Atlantis too because they really believed
in me. It's like, that's my first big licensee deal
in the business structure, you know, handing over your IP
to somebody else to run, you know, being there with
amazing chefs. Noboo. Andre.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
I want to tell you so, my my great Atlantis
story is when I used to work for Eminem. It
was one of the women that works there. It was
her birthday. My girl Tracy, and so Paul Rosenberg calls me.
He's like, listen, we're sending Tracy to this hotel in
the Bahamas for her birthday. It's a birthday gift. This
is when the Cove just opened at the Atlantis. And
(01:12):
he was like, I was like, okay, that's so nice.
He was like, but we can't send her alone. So
do you want to go? And I was like absolutely.
So I ended up going on that trip. But I
didn't have any money right because I was younger, I
was broker, and so I ended up winning money in
the casino there. So it's always going to have twenty
four hundred dollars in the slots in like less than
five minutes. Yeah, I want to play the slots.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
I never win.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
I never normally played the slats, but let me tell
you that IgM of Jenie slot machine that day, it
was my day and I hait you.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
So you were good for the rest of the truck.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
So the rest of the trip I was paying well,
I took it to Nobu, I was paying for everything
that But that was such a blessing and that's why
I'm always like, so, I'm so happy that you opened
at the Atlantis. Because I would definitely be there to
check it out.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
No, we would love to have you. Field trip is
there right before you enter into the water park. It is,
you know, very something consciously healthy, better for people that
are looking for good food. It's good for kids. You
could eat on the beach. But yeah, we're part of
the new addition to the food program there. When I
got the call to open, they wanted to partner with us.
The president of the Alantis came the field trip in Harlem. Wow,
(02:16):
me and her sat down. She just wanted to try
a little bit of the food. She wound up staying
a lot longer because she really loved it, and that's
how the deal was sold. But yeah, we're great. Were
there a lot. My kids get to go there.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
They're like, thank you Dad. I wondered where they want
to open next. They're like can we do why?
Speaker 2 (02:34):
So?
Speaker 1 (02:35):
How many field trips are there now?
Speaker 2 (02:36):
There's four field trips. One in Harlem between hundred and
fifteen hundred sixteenth Street and Lenox Avenue, one in front
of Columbia University, one a Rockefeller Center, one in the Atlantis.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Yeah that's good because there's one right near us at
Rockefeller Center. So that's a huge deal. And now you
can make your own rice bowl.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
You can make your own rice bowl. You'd be really
knowing this stuff that we've.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Be I follow you because I pay attention. I was
actually on your show Just Eats with Chef Jaz and
learn how to make some chicken gizato.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
I knew you were going to do that to me
because you can't you can never say the gisala whatever.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Since you helped me, I could say it right now,
and that is But you know, that is something that
I've been trying to work on because I'm never home
and I always make excuses for why don't cook more often?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Well, hold on, you text me that beautiful kitchen.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
I barely used it, so I'm like, okay.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Were we going to cook in this kid? I mean
that kitchen makes is beautiful?
Speaker 1 (03:22):
All right, Well, maybe you can send your soux chef
to come help me learn how to make some things.
You know. But but honestly, congratulations because that is such
a big deal. And I know that this field trip.
When I first met you, you were at Minton's. Minton's
is that how you say? At Minton's and you were
the head chef there. Yes, I was, and since then
you have definitely grown a lot. You also are now
(03:43):
the what is the title in ann Arbor at Blue.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Lama Lama Blue Lama Jazz Club and an Arbor, I'm
the culinary director. I took over the food program there
in ann Arbor. That's another place I want you to
come because you're always in Detroit.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Right and my I was in ann Arbor for a
wedding because my cousin went to University of Michigan.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
It's such a beautiful place it is.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
So I've been there like quite a few times, and
I've gone to speak at the university, and they definitely
need that there because every time I go out to
try to find something to eat, it's like Buffalo wild wings.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Yeah, you're right down the strip. Yeah. So the food
in a Blue Lama is Afro Caribbean. You can get
leeks yas out there. You can get jerk prawns. We
do a pineapple glaze ribbi, so it's a lot of flavor.
The jazz club is super beautiful. We bring in Grammy
Award winning talent, seventy five seats in the dining room,
(04:31):
twenty seats at the bar. Amazing bar program one of
my favorite cocktails. There is a pineapple kind of jul
Up that we love.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Let me tell you, if y'all happen to run into
Chef JJ at the barbie, will make you switch up
whatever it was that you were about to order. But
that's really dope because I also thought about earlier you
working at the jazz club in Harlem, and then now
you have an opportunity to do that in ann Arbor too.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
And full circle, like I know how jazz Club's moving shake,
but yeah, I mean being at Menson's being I Seeco
back in the day the started my career was great
on the block one hundred and eighteen and Saint Nicholas,
so much history, Billy Holliday, you know, with Marcellas, so
many people. You know. The one thing that stands out
to me at Minton's was when John Baptiste played ooh
(05:16):
and this is before like all of the world. Yeah,
like if you were a jazz hagging you John Baptist,
I'm like, who's the guy's playing down the middle of
the aisle with the I don't know whatever I called
the flute, but it wasn't the flute and it was
just amazing. He played for three nights who were sold out.
And that's when I really realized that jazz music is
really a foundation of a lot of things, and the
foundation of black culture. I mean, I grew up with
(05:38):
it in my household my dad. But watching John Baptiste,
he really inspired me to know, like, if you keep
believing in your craft, you could, you could become as
big as you want to become. And I look at
him today.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Yeah, I watched his documentary as well, and everything that
he's gone through, like with his family, with his wife
and all of that. So, oh man, this is so
dope to be able to see all of these things
that you've been doing. Every time I look on your
social media, like in a different place, you know, no,
But honestly, so you spent the whole summer in the Bahamas.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
I spent two months in the Bahamas. Yeah, I was
in for two months. It was great. It was great
in the beginning, but then after a while it's like, Okay,
I got others, I got all this stuff to do.
But it was such a big project, you know, working
with the team remotely. They're the management team coming here
to train me, sending down seven eight employees to train
(06:27):
the team there. It was a big lift. And the
goal for me is some people will never come to
New York to try Field Trip, right, some people will
never know me anywhere else. It's the only place they'll
know me. They they'll go to Atlanta's and the food
has to be good. Yeah, it does, right, So because
then they're like, Okay, dude, JJ's trash. Right, It's the
only place you're gonna remind So so I'm very hands on.
(06:48):
I'm like that into all the projects. I believe in
the food. Without the food, I'm nothing.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
It's interesting because, like you said, you have to make
sure everybody's turning right because quality control is important. And
for you having started Field Trip, so is it people
can license that out and open other locations.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Is people can license it out, which is very different
than a franchise.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Explain that to me.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
So anytime you go to like a big hotel, right,
and I'll use some you know, you see restaurants there.
Let's use Vegas as an example. Most restaurants in Vegas
are licensee deals. So you Vegas sees avoid the hotel
SE's avoid. They're looking for the best in class to
fill a space. I use Bobby Flay's example, because he
has so many restaurants in Vegas. Right, he has a
(07:30):
concept that they either love of the street side that
they're bringing inside the hotel, or they love you as
a chef or a person that you develop something with them.
You're licensing out your intellectual property. So you're licensed out
your name, anything else that falls underneath you, your recipes, maybe
your brand colors, everything else, and you're giving them the
right to operate it. And you work out a percentage
(07:52):
on top line sales.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Okay, okay, So they can't change the menu. It still
has to.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Yeah, you you put all these guidelines in that how
everything can work, how many times the men you can
get changed, who can change the menu, how it get
signed off on what they can do, how they can
do it, how many times you go there. It is
similar to a franchise e model, but when you hand
over the franchise ee, they're running it and you have
(08:17):
to really trust that person. If I'm like, if I
get an opportunity to go to Vegas, I know like
Vegas knows how to run restaurants. The same thing with Atlantis.
Lance has been running restaurants for fifty years, right with
some of the best chefs. So I trust them with
my brand because they're not going to hurt my brand
because that also is going to hurt them. I'm not af'
I'm not the lover of the franchise e model. Yet
people call me all the time from all over the country.
(08:38):
They want a franchise filter. It makes sense, Ohio, you
know all these places. But you got to be really
ready to let go.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
Right because the control that you have, because imagine you
go to a field trip in Houston and it's and
now Keith Lee shows up righto, and then it ruins
the whole name of the brand. Because things like that
can happen, right, somebody has a bad experience, or let's
just say it's a restaurant where there's security at the
door and they're like, I couldn't get in if I'm racist,
(09:06):
and let all these other white people. And the next thing,
you know, everybody's giving you bad reviews, bad reviews. You
have to really be careful, like who works.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
You got to be really careful. Yeah, make me laugh
about the KEITHH. Lee thing, but because you know, I
really want to keep to pull up when he was
in when he was in New York, City. I hit
him like you know how to pull up to Fielter,
but like let me help you out right?
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Yeah, because I think that was one thing that people
were like, who is suggesting.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
I had these places for you to go to, and
like New York is in Mecca, So you got to
hit the high to loan the medium because everybody in
some regard in New York City is a family owned business.
That's his whole thing, right.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Where would you have told him to go?
Speaker 2 (09:41):
I think he should have hit every borough. He should
have did Harlem, I mean Harlem's nott A borough, but
he should have did like Midtown, Uptown, Upper west Side,
Upper east Side. He should have went into Brooklyn. He
should I mean he went into Brooklyn. But I would
have told him to hit some some different spots, Okay,
I it. I might have told me. I probably have
told him some of my favorite places in New York City.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
What are those? I'm curious.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
I would have told him to go to East Harlem
to like a Cucci Frito spot, like old school Puerto
Rican spot on like one tenth and third Avenue, like
the fried all that, like fried pork skins, you know,
and banadas. That's what they call it. I would have
definitely told them to pull up to Melbourse.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
All right, Melvins Classic.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Because it's a classic, right, or Sylvia's Classic. I would
have definitely told him to go deep in the Bronx.
We're in the Bronx. I'm not really sure.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
Yeah, that's crazy because I really don't ever go eat
in the Bronx because I'm from Brooklyn, so it's so
far from me.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
But but either Arthur Avenue or a pizza joint. You know,
there's so much there's so much history in the Bronx.
I would have told him to go to and then
you gotta come down like you also got to try
some of the best chefs, and some of the best
chefs are in New York. Yeah, absolutely, So why wouldn't
you pull up to Laberna den Right? Oh, I mean
you know how? Yeah, he had to sit through eleven
(10:58):
courses there. First of all, Erika would have not known
who he was.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Which is what he wants. Well, less people who don't
know who you are, they.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Wouldn't have cared, and they would have gave him the
best service. I think like also leaning into some of
that as well would have been cool.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
When it's like for you especially not out. Can you
just make that call and go to like Tatiana's and
Carbone or do you just try to do things the
way that everyone else does it.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
I try to do things everybody else does.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
But sometimes it doesn't work out.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
I do hit like Maria Carbone has set me up nice?
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Right, Why wouldn't you hit him up?
Speaker 2 (11:29):
But we go like way back like kids, like eighteen
years old, and I've watched him on the ground grind.
I mean, I remember Teresa when it first that's small
Teresa when he first opened. And I think what he's
done is tremendous. That he's been able to keep food
at like a super high level and scale it. That's
unheard of, right. Tatiana's hard, though, Yeah, it is hard.
(11:49):
Tatiana's hard. I don't. I don't. I try not to
go through Kwami because I know, like so many people
hit him up. I try to go through all the
other people over there that I know.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
Sometimes you're like yo.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
I'm like yo, kwame, come on, man, help us out, Like,
let me get this because everybody's like like yo, I
don't want the five thirty table, Like can I get
the seven fifteen.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Well, you gotta ask, weay in advance, and sometimes you
could just show up and get in, you know.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
But it's a beautiful thing though, Yeah it is.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
I love that because for him to have that, uh,
to have tatianas in that location where he has it
is like unheard of.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Unheard But yeah, coca dot, no coat or coca dot.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
That's what the fried chicken plase. Okay, everybody tell me.
I know those guys, so I haven't been there yet.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Oh we should go, but I don't know you. You are
you changing? You? Changing the way you the way you eat.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
I eat some fried chicken now, that's the reason why
I still eat it with the cavear though on top,
not caviar. I would be like, don't put the caviar.
Does that bother you? When people are like I have this,
but take this out, I don't eat that. So changed this.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
I'm past that in my career now. That's why we
have this build your own bowl at field Trip. That
was my whole team's idea. I didn't want to do it.
I was like, hey, I made this menu. It tastes
really good the way it is. Why should I let
people come in here and build their own but it's like,
why not. Yeah, so many people want control of the
way they eat, so that that's why we do it
at field Trip now and it's been a real success.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
I love that. And now we also, by the way,
are doing the Wine and Food Festival. You're the one
that put me onto this, so I love this too,
because we've done the Miami Wine and Food Festival, the
New York City Wine and Food Festival, the Cookout, and
this is really your cur rated event. So let's talk
about this because I'm excited. It's in Brooklyn for the
first time ever, So not only is that easier for me,
(13:25):
but I just love the idea of having these events
in Brooklyn.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Oh, I mean, big up to Brooklyn. I think Brooklyn
has a Burrough's done a great job building it back
up right from a time that people weren't really paying
attention to Brooklyn. It has so much history. I remember
talking to Carmelo Anthony. He's like, yo, man, my hood
where I'm from. Everybody wants to live there.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
Now, ain't from Queens Carmelo, Okay, just got to check.
I want to Carmelo know that.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
But I think it's great. I mean, there's so much talent.
There's so much talent uh in Brooklyn, so many restaurants.
We're gonna be highlight so many people. But the cookout
is to celebrate Black excellence around food and now music.
And I'm so happy that you're involved with your voice
and your love of food and coffee right coffee.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
We did the New York City, I mean, we did
the Miami Wining Food Festival, and we did the espresso
martinis with my coffee up list people with Lobo tequila.
That was amazing.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
I only could drink too because after that I was
like super.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Wild right away. Yeah and listen, And that's how I
am an espresso martini too. My maximum is too. But
what I love about it because it's such a popular drink.
Now you could be feeling a little like sluggish, get
to an espresso martini and we back at it, baby
another six hours.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
Let's go, let's go, but don't get us together because
of me, and you start drinking tequila.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
I know, and then you're like, try this one, try
this one, try this one, and you know, nothing wrong
with sampling tequila. That's very fun.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
That's also going to be great about the cookout is
that you can walk twenty five chefs. You can walk
around hit chefs you may know, chefs you don't know,
and it's going to represent all the black food culture.
And you don't really see that at festival, No.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
You do not, especially not at the level that you
have this. And actually, my friend Jazmin who owns Jasmin's
and SAMR in the city, I met her at the
New York City Festival and since then I've been going
to her restaurant. She was like, oh, I'm from you know, Jazmin's.
You have to come to the restaurant. And I met
her at that event and now I go there all
the time. And then they opened up some mir and
(15:23):
it's a French Caribbean cuisine restaurant, and that is like
my go to spot, you know. And it's right over here.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
I didn't know they open it. That's a midtown right.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Yeah, Tim forty sixtet. It's on Restaurant Road right by
Broadway where all the plays are. But it's like the
only two black owned restaurants they own both of them
on that block, and so that's a really yes restaurant road.
So that's a big deal for them to have that.
But they were actually at the New York City One
and Food Festival, and I met them there. I met
so many amazing chefs there and had an opportunity to
try so many things. So I just want to say,
(15:53):
anybody who is planning to come out, make sure you
say no diet for this particular day. If you're doing
some type of d tax just for one day, just
get off of it.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
I recommend you exactly, like, eat a light breakfast, pull
up hungry, and I think you should get the early
bird ticket because that will allow you to hit everybody
before all the people come in. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
No, it was amazing, And like you said, it's not
just the food, it's also the drinks. And you guys
have like the top level I think Bacardi. Yeah, but
Caarti's presenting. And when I tell you, okay, I got
there early, I see what was there? Last year we
had a time.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
We did have a time. Was there was there? Yeah? Yeah,
it was, it was. It was a good time. I'm
looking forward to this year that we got Freeway.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
And Freeway's doing. Isn't he in the food space?
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Is he? I don't know if he's in the foods,
but he really cares about the food. He really connected.
I connected him and Lee Schuger together, who's the founder
of the Food Festival. They both sit on a similar
organization together in different.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Yeah, Freeway doesn't last. You know what Freeway should bring
Beanie Siegul because Beanie segu has the food truck. Oh yeah,
he has a food truck.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
I'm gonna tell you think Beanie pull up outside with this.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
You can see him pull up the food check that
would which is really dope.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
Correct, everybody have to move to the side and Beanie
drives this food truck in now.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
But okay, so Beanie Siego, I mean, I'm not Phanie.
So Freeway is gonna be there.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
Freeway is going to be there, rev is going to
be there.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
You're going to be I'm gonna be there. Yes. And
the music's fun, the food is amazing.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
It's in Brooklyn, do amazing DJs and more people to come.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah. So I just want to say, like when last
year when I went, I bought like some of my
friends and at the last minute, everybody was hitting me
up like can you get me in? Can you get
me in? Y'all get your tickets and support this amazing
event because it is something that really is unheard of.
It's the cookout. Chef JJ really care rates this whole event.
When we did the one in Miami, I met so
many amazing chefs there. I mean there were there were
(17:43):
things that I've never seen before because it's dessert also,
and I have quite a sweet tooth.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
I remember that people were like, bring.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
Everybody was bringing me so much. Check this, check this,
and you know, I'm very polite, so I'm gonna finish it.
I'm gonna finish it. And I definitely did so.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Yeah. I think. I think when if you're in New
York City and you're looking for something to do and
you're like, oh, I haven't really had that fun moment yet,
the cookout is going to give it to you. The best,
best in food, the best in music. You're gonna dance.
It's a cook out. You're going to be around amazing people.
You might meet somebody new, right, and it's for good calls.
With God's love we deliver.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
But God's love we deliver. And the good thing is
you'll also discover some new restaurants. So when you go
there and sample everything, and it's a really low price
for the ticket to be able to get all the everything,
is free once you get inside, and it's going to
help opening you up to new restaurants like it did
for me.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
Yeah, I mean you just put me on two restaurants
side by side, Restaurant Row Black Midtown. That's amazing.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
Yeah, so when you go to a Broadway play like
that's where we go right after now, also Simple Art
of Rice recipes from around the world for the Heart
of your Table, you know that's it. First of all,
love that book. It's a beautiful book.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
I'm big on cooking rice. And I actually, for some
reason people up here think I can't cook. Maybe it's
because I don't cook as frequently as I should, but
I certainly have been taking some advice from your book
because I love rice. And we had this conversation last time.
I feel like there's this this misconception that rice is
like if you're trying to diet or you want to
lose weight, not to eat rice.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
But you you washing rice though, right.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Yes, of course you have to to. I got that
beautiful new kitchen and and I have the way that
my sink is set up. And I know this is
nothing to you, but to me, it's amazing. So the
way the sink is it's called the Galley sink, and
then it has all these like pieces that you could
put on.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
It, the converter pieces yet in.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
The middle, so it makes it so much easier for me.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Look at you with the galley sing Yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
Gotta start using it. You know, every time I see you,
I feel guilty, like because I haven't been cooking at home.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
But I'm gonna come. I'm gonna co through. I'm gonna
bring a sous chef. I'm gonna come through.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
Okay, good herd to hear. Chef is gonna cook for
all of y'all. So come through, pull up to my house.
We're gonna do this. But what's next for you? Because
you've done so much? I mean, you have the TV
show on Cleo TV that's been for what how many
years now?
Speaker 2 (19:58):
Five seasons now, five.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Seasons and I've been on there too. And then you
have the Field Trip restaurants.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Field Trip Restaurants. I have Blue Lama and Arbor. I
have bank Side right now. I wonder which is a
digital kitchen. There's a bunch of Brooklyn. It's a Southern
seafood I call it Southern Seafood scheck with a southern
seafood restaurant.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Wait, explain that to me? What is that? Bankside by
Chef JJ. It's a new concept.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Right under wonder so Won there's a digital kitchen with
some of your favorite chefs. You'll see Marcus Samuelson has
Street Birden there holding Andre's, Bobby Flay, myself and basically
there's thirty restaurants under one roof. It's a new way
to eat. It's owned by a gentleman named Mark Laurie
who owns a Minnesota Timberwolves. Okay, and we did a
concept together and it's making moves and waves around the
(20:45):
whole country. There's something Philly. There's some in west Chester, Connecticut.
I think for me, it's the fastest growing restaurant I've
ever seen in my personal life. Okay, they're popping up
one in Harlem coming one hundred twenty fifth Street. But yeah,
something I worked on with them for a year. You
get lobster rolls, you can get fried shrimp, you can
(21:06):
get what I think is the best fried fish sandwich,
Perry Perry chicken.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Oh wow.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
So yeah, a little bit of spice. So yeah, there's
a bunch of Brooklyn. It's like I tell you the
nearest one by you, so we could send some to you.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Listen, not a problem. I read somewhere that spicy food
helps you live longer. I just had a whole article
about that, you know.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
I think good food just makes you live longer. Flavorful
food makes you live longer, you know.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
I love spicy food. Some people say that they don't
like when the spice is overwhelming and you can't taste
the food. There's a good balance there.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
I mean, that's how I use spice. I always use
spice for a balance. Like I want you to have
some spice, some acid, some sweetness, some saltiness. I don't
ever want to give you too much spice. I might
give you a super spicy hot sauce sweet so you.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Can put as smuss as you went on it.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
Correct.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
I like when my nose runs, I do. That's how
spicy I like my food.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
That's how you like your jerk chicken.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
I do. I like my jerk chicken super spicy. Where
people are like I can't eat this, and I'm like, no,
it tastes good to me. I want to ask you,
you do have a lot of friends in the business.
How competitive is it like what's the balance there when
it comes to super competitive because y'all are also cool
with each other, Like I see you and Marcus Samuelson
always being.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
For me and Marcus me and Marcus was you know
when I was coming up, marcuss like hit me be
like yo, man, you're keeping me on my toes right now.
It's dope, right, And I was like, really because I look,
I look up to Marcus, so he's really paved the
way in this industry for a lot of all black chefs,
I feel, and but it is competitive. Listen, when we
coming to we're coming to an event together. You doing
(22:35):
the first course, I'm doing the second course.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
I'm trying to leave with the best course right right.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
We want the menu to be cohesive. But trust me,
I'm every chef there is like, yo, I'm trying to
put out the best food today.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Like I'm like, is it like hip hop way to
be like some hate behind the scenes where there's probably.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Definitely some beef behind the scenes, chef some beef behind
the scenes. But I remember cooking at an event in
San Diego and it was like Danielle Blued, Nancy Silverton,
Thomas Keller, and myself, right and first of all, these
are like the giants of the industry. And Danielle's giving
(23:11):
me a lot of beef. I was making ox saleska.
He's like, JJ, you got to take it off the bone.
I'm like, I'm not taking it off the bone. He's like,
you should take it off the bone and press exactly
like nobody eats oxtail like that. It's got to be
on the bone, Danielle. And Nancy's like, Danielle, let him cook, man,
let him good, let him do his thing. So the
event's going on, the event's coming up. I think I
(23:31):
want to go use the restroom or something. And Danielle
goes into the pot. No, she did not goes in
the pot. He tastes passing in around the room.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
Say she took everything off the bone, okay.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
And then he picks up the bone and Nancy's over
there looking at him with her camera and all the
oxtale gravy's dripping down his chin on his chef coat.
And then he sees me.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
He's like, oh, this is good.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
I'm like, come on, man, see But so like I think, also,
chefs have to stand their ground because people will try
to swear you because your artistry. Right, It's like you said,
with music, you see you see food differently, you hear
the beat different There's so many things going on different
And for me, I would never serve Axale off the bone.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
Right ever, Yeah, I don't think we're used to that
in our coache.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Maybe I'm maybe back in the day the season I
put it in some dumplings and I did excel dumplings.
But if I'm dropping you axl, it's gonna be on
the bone. It's gonna be really really good and flavorful.
But yeah, that was my first moment of like feeling
the competitiveness or I'm gonna tell you what to do.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Yeah, you can't tell them that the chef how to
make the like Yo.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
Come on, I got mad love of respect for you, Daniel,
But chill for a second now.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
Can you also talk to me about this Goalkeepers twenty
thirty and what that is.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
Yeah, So we got tapped by the Bill Gates Foundation
over Climate Week to be a part of Goalkeepers and
with with what Goalkeepers is doing to trying to end
hunger or around the around on the globe, and they
used rice as the foundation.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
Oh you're perfect for that.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
So their team was like, oh my god, JJ serves
amazing rice here, nutritional rice here in New York. Let's
do tap that and do that with him and give
out rice bulls. Literally, we're right here by Lincoln Center
and anybody that walked by could get a rice bowl,
but they also had to give a ball to somebody
in need, okay, And we handed out tons of rice
(25:28):
bowls for two days, and then we also partnered up
with smaller organizations around New York City and kind of
are feeding people. So but it was an honor, like
I got to meet Bill Gates and also to be
a part of Yeah, I didn't wash my hand for
two days.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
They showed there was a video they showed up like
Bill Gates just standing outside like in Times Square or
something like that that was.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
He does these things from Times saw a video of
him like on the line ordering a burger. I'm like,
you just walk around like you were you were for
a lot of money, man. But yeah, it it really
made me feel like what I'm doing in food and
what I'm believing in is the right thing, because he
(26:13):
could call anybody right.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
But the fact that people thought of you too, like
he does this amazing thing because, like I said, you're
a cookbook. The art of rice is definitely the standard
when it comes to how to make different rice dishes.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
I ever brought my kids to hand out the food
outside the food truck.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Oh see, you got to teach them early.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
It's just teaching them early. And they were just they
were in it. I was shocked. I was like, who,
who taught you guys how to talk to people like that?
Speaker 1 (26:35):
That is so nice?
Speaker 2 (26:36):
So yeah, but also I think that's the way is
the only way you're going to try to change your world.
You got to You got to bring your kids or
expose them to some of these things very early so
they can see what it is. What does climate week mean?
What does malnutrition mean? What do these things mean? Because
my kids live a little bit different even than how
I lived.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
Okay, last thing I want to say is I don't
want to hear my ship say he didn't wash his
hands for two weeks, I mean for two days after
Bill Gates. He's like, now I did wash my hands,
and you also turned forty, So congratulations on that. That's
a big deal forty. Yeah, you know, because you're not
gonna make any of those lists anymore, Like under forty.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
Masts.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
Okay, good, So now you're gonna be on an under
fifty list.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
No, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
I'm out of the under forty list.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
I'm excited to be forty. I think now I can
write maybe a memoir soon.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
No, you know what, though, you've done a lot so far,
and I know that you have a lot more on
the way, but you could. You definitely could, because I
know your journey has uh it's been a long one.
I know it feels like you're older than what you are,
just based off of the accomplishments that you have. Because
if you look at the list of everything that you've
managed to do, you've done all of that under the
age of forty. That's a big deal. Yeah, So congratulations
(27:47):
to you on that. Let's all come out and celebrate,
okay at the New York City Wine and Food Festival,
because we are going to definitely toast to you when
we get out there, just for you curating this event,
for always paying it forward, always making sure other people
are involved, and being authentic and cook has some really
great food.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
I'm doing jerk lamb ribs.
Speaker 1 (28:04):
Okay, I don't eat lamb, come on it. I know
I'm doing it.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
What about I'm doing some black rice.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
I can do that. I love black rice. That's my
favorite type of rice. Black rice. I can do that.
I know you don't like salmon, right, I don't like it.
What else don't you like?
Speaker 2 (28:19):
I can't. I only just don't like salmon. There's not
many things I don't like. The Other things I don't
like are like inerts.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
Because I'm like the picky seated. Why don't you like salmon?
Speaker 2 (28:29):
It's too fishy, way too fishy.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
Okay, like salmon. I don't eat seafood at all because
it's all too fishy.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
It's way too fishy. And also salmon is so farm
raised right now that there's a lot of salmon that
were consuming isn't good for us. Okay, So you know
it's a big thing for me at field trip that
I'm trying to source the best salmon for everybody.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
Because I feel like that's everyone's go to.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
Like salmon, the salmon is to go to. But for me,
I would prefer arctic char or brook trout or over
or fluke or haddock.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
Okay, all right, well you heard it from him first.
All right, Well listen again. That is going to be
happening October twentieth. It's in Brooklyn. Where can people get
tickets for the New York City Wine and Food Festival
for the cookout specifically.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
I mean, just go to my go to chef JJ
on social media, click the link in the bio. I'll
take you right there, or go to New York City
Food and Wine Festival dot com. You get the tickets
right there.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Okay, I'll be there. Guys can't wait for it. Thank
you so much, Chef JJ. You ain't bring food this time,
but we forgive you.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
I'm I'm so sorry. I thought about it. I said no.
I told Daniel.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
I said no.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
Daniel's like, don't worry about it.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
You said no. They be hating on me up here.
I'm not gonna lie.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
I was going to bring you bank side this time.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
Okay. Well oh okay, we like that.
Speaker 2 (29:47):
I'll say come here next time for lunch.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
All right. Well, thank you, thank you for everything that
you've been doing so innovative. Congratulations on it all. All right,
it's way up
What's type is way up with Angela Yee and my
guy is here. I really I like you as a
person and as a chef. Chef JJ is here.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
What's up?
Speaker 1 (00:11):
What's up?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
It's always good to see you, know, it's always good
to see you.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
And you've had an incredible year. I want to say,
I saw you opened up field trip at the Atlantis
and the Bahamas. We need you to come down, Okay,
say less because I just saw Kevin Lowles yesterday. He
was like, yeah, I'm gonna be going here and here
in Bahamas. I was like, okay, I need to I
got you. Yeah, I haven't been there in so long.
You heard it here first ladies and gentlemen. But it's
at the Atlantis. And I love the Atlantis.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Yes, I love the Atlantis too because they really believed
in me. It's like, that's my first big licensee deal
in the business structure, you know, handing over your IP
to somebody else to run, you know, being there with
amazing chefs. Noboo. Andre.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
I want to tell you so, my my great Atlantis
story is when I used to work for Eminem. It
was one of the women that works there. It was
her birthday. My girl Tracy, and so Paul Rosenberg calls me.
He's like, listen, we're sending Tracy to this hotel in
the Bahamas for her birthday. It's a birthday gift. This
is when the Cove just opened at the Atlantis. And
(01:12):
he was like, I was like, okay, that's so nice.
He was like, but we can't send her alone. So
do you want to go? And I was like absolutely.
So I ended up going on that trip. But I
didn't have any money right because I was younger, I
was broker, and so I ended up winning money in
the casino there. So it's always going to have twenty
four hundred dollars in the slots in like less than
five minutes. Yeah, I want to play the slots.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
I never win.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
I never normally played the slats, but let me tell
you that IgM of Jenie slot machine that day, it
was my day and I hait you.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
So you were good for the rest of the truck.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
So the rest of the trip I was paying well,
I took it to Nobu, I was paying for everything
that But that was such a blessing and that's why
I'm always like, so, I'm so happy that you opened
at the Atlantis. Because I would definitely be there to
check it out.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
No, we would love to have you. Field trip is
there right before you enter into the water park. It is,
you know, very something consciously healthy, better for people that
are looking for good food. It's good for kids. You
could eat on the beach. But yeah, we're part of
the new addition to the food program there. When I
got the call to open, they wanted to partner with us.
The president of the Alantis came the field trip in Harlem. Wow,
(02:16):
me and her sat down. She just wanted to try
a little bit of the food. She wound up staying
a lot longer because she really loved it, and that's
how the deal was sold. But yeah, we're great. Were
there a lot. My kids get to go there.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
They're like, thank you Dad. I wondered where they want
to open next. They're like can we do why?
Speaker 2 (02:34):
So?
Speaker 1 (02:35):
How many field trips are there now?
Speaker 2 (02:36):
There's four field trips. One in Harlem between hundred and
fifteen hundred sixteenth Street and Lenox Avenue, one in front
of Columbia University, one a Rockefeller Center, one in the Atlantis.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Yeah that's good because there's one right near us at
Rockefeller Center. So that's a huge deal. And now you
can make your own rice bowl.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
You can make your own rice bowl. You'd be really
knowing this stuff that we've.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Be I follow you because I pay attention. I was
actually on your show Just Eats with Chef Jaz and
learn how to make some chicken gizato.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
I knew you were going to do that to me
because you can't you can never say the gisala whatever.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Since you helped me, I could say it right now,
and that is But you know, that is something that
I've been trying to work on because I'm never home
and I always make excuses for why don't cook more often?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Well, hold on, you text me that beautiful kitchen.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
I barely used it, so I'm like, okay.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Were we going to cook in this kid? I mean
that kitchen makes is beautiful?
Speaker 1 (03:22):
All right, Well, maybe you can send your soux chef
to come help me learn how to make some things.
You know. But but honestly, congratulations because that is such
a big deal. And I know that this field trip.
When I first met you, you were at Minton's. Minton's
is that how you say? At Minton's and you were
the head chef there. Yes, I was, and since then
you have definitely grown a lot. You also are now
(03:43):
the what is the title in ann Arbor at Blue.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Lama Lama Blue Lama Jazz Club and an Arbor, I'm
the culinary director. I took over the food program there
in ann Arbor. That's another place I want you to
come because you're always in Detroit.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Right and my I was in ann Arbor for a
wedding because my cousin went to University of Michigan.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
It's such a beautiful place it is.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
So I've been there like quite a few times, and
I've gone to speak at the university, and they definitely
need that there because every time I go out to
try to find something to eat, it's like Buffalo wild wings.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Yeah, you're right down the strip. Yeah. So the food
in a Blue Lama is Afro Caribbean. You can get
leeks yas out there. You can get jerk prawns. We
do a pineapple glaze ribbi, so it's a lot of flavor.
The jazz club is super beautiful. We bring in Grammy
Award winning talent, seventy five seats in the dining room,
(04:31):
twenty seats at the bar. Amazing bar program one of
my favorite cocktails. There is a pineapple kind of jul
Up that we love.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Let me tell you, if y'all happen to run into
Chef JJ at the barbie, will make you switch up
whatever it was that you were about to order. But
that's really dope because I also thought about earlier you
working at the jazz club in Harlem, and then now
you have an opportunity to do that in ann Arbor too.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
And full circle, like I know how jazz Club's moving shake,
but yeah, I mean being at Menson's being I Seeco
back in the day the started my career was great
on the block one hundred and eighteen and Saint Nicholas,
so much history, Billy Holliday, you know, with Marcellas, so
many people. You know. The one thing that stands out
to me at Minton's was when John Baptiste played ooh
(05:16):
and this is before like all of the world. Yeah,
like if you were a jazz hagging you John Baptist,
I'm like, who's the guy's playing down the middle of
the aisle with the I don't know whatever I called
the flute, but it wasn't the flute and it was
just amazing. He played for three nights who were sold out.
And that's when I really realized that jazz music is
really a foundation of a lot of things, and the
foundation of black culture. I mean, I grew up with
(05:38):
it in my household my dad. But watching John Baptiste,
he really inspired me to know, like, if you keep
believing in your craft, you could, you could become as
big as you want to become. And I look at
him today.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Yeah, I watched his documentary as well, and everything that
he's gone through, like with his family, with his wife
and all of that. So, oh man, this is so
dope to be able to see all of these things
that you've been doing. Every time I look on your
social media, like in a different place, you know, no,
But honestly, so you spent the whole summer in the Bahamas.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
I spent two months in the Bahamas. Yeah, I was
in for two months. It was great. It was great
in the beginning, but then after a while it's like, Okay,
I got others, I got all this stuff to do.
But it was such a big project, you know, working
with the team remotely. They're the management team coming here
to train me, sending down seven eight employees to train
(06:27):
the team there. It was a big lift. And the
goal for me is some people will never come to
New York to try Field Trip, right, some people will
never know me anywhere else. It's the only place they'll
know me. They they'll go to Atlanta's and the food
has to be good. Yeah, it does, right, So because
then they're like, Okay, dude, JJ's trash. Right, It's the
only place you're gonna remind So so I'm very hands on.
(06:48):
I'm like that into all the projects. I believe in
the food. Without the food, I'm nothing.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
It's interesting because, like you said, you have to make
sure everybody's turning right because quality control is important. And
for you having started Field Trip, so is it people
can license that out and open other locations.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Is people can license it out, which is very different
than a franchise.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Explain that to me.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
So anytime you go to like a big hotel, right,
and I'll use some you know, you see restaurants there.
Let's use Vegas as an example. Most restaurants in Vegas
are licensee deals. So you Vegas sees avoid the hotel
SE's avoid. They're looking for the best in class to
fill a space. I use Bobby Flay's example, because he
has so many restaurants in Vegas. Right, he has a
(07:30):
concept that they either love of the street side that
they're bringing inside the hotel, or they love you as
a chef or a person that you develop something with them.
You're licensing out your intellectual property. So you're licensed out
your name, anything else that falls underneath you, your recipes, maybe
your brand colors, everything else, and you're giving them the
right to operate it. And you work out a percentage
(07:52):
on top line sales.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Okay, okay, So they can't change the menu. It still
has to.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Yeah, you you put all these guidelines in that how
everything can work, how many times the men you can
get changed, who can change the menu, how it get
signed off on what they can do, how they can
do it, how many times you go there. It is
similar to a franchise e model, but when you hand
over the franchise ee, they're running it and you have
(08:17):
to really trust that person. If I'm like, if I
get an opportunity to go to Vegas, I know like
Vegas knows how to run restaurants. The same thing with Atlantis.
Lance has been running restaurants for fifty years, right with
some of the best chefs. So I trust them with
my brand because they're not going to hurt my brand
because that also is going to hurt them. I'm not af'
I'm not the lover of the franchise e model. Yet
people call me all the time from all over the country.
(08:38):
They want a franchise filter. It makes sense, Ohio, you
know all these places. But you got to be really
ready to let go.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
Right because the control that you have, because imagine you
go to a field trip in Houston and it's and
now Keith Lee shows up righto, and then it ruins
the whole name of the brand. Because things like that
can happen, right, somebody has a bad experience, or let's
just say it's a restaurant where there's security at the
door and they're like, I couldn't get in if I'm racist,
(09:06):
and let all these other white people. And the next thing,
you know, everybody's giving you bad reviews, bad reviews. You
have to really be careful, like who works.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
You got to be really careful. Yeah, make me laugh
about the KEITHH. Lee thing, but because you know, I
really want to keep to pull up when he was
in when he was in New York, City. I hit
him like you know how to pull up to Fielter,
but like let me help you out right?
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Yeah, because I think that was one thing that people
were like, who is suggesting.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
I had these places for you to go to, and
like New York is in Mecca, So you got to
hit the high to loan the medium because everybody in
some regard in New York City is a family owned business.
That's his whole thing, right.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Where would you have told him to go?
Speaker 2 (09:41):
I think he should have hit every borough. He should
have did Harlem, I mean Harlem's nott A borough, but
he should have did like Midtown, Uptown, Upper west Side,
Upper east Side. He should have went into Brooklyn. He
should I mean he went into Brooklyn. But I would
have told him to hit some some different spots, Okay,
I it. I might have told me. I probably have
told him some of my favorite places in New York City.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
What are those? I'm curious.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
I would have told him to go to East Harlem
to like a Cucci Frito spot, like old school Puerto
Rican spot on like one tenth and third Avenue, like
the fried all that, like fried pork skins, you know,
and banadas. That's what they call it. I would have
definitely told them to pull up to Melbourse.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
All right, Melvins Classic.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Because it's a classic, right, or Sylvia's Classic. I would
have definitely told him to go deep in the Bronx.
We're in the Bronx. I'm not really sure.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
Yeah, that's crazy because I really don't ever go eat
in the Bronx because I'm from Brooklyn, so it's so
far from me.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
But but either Arthur Avenue or a pizza joint. You know,
there's so much there's so much history in the Bronx.
I would have told him to go to and then
you gotta come down like you also got to try
some of the best chefs, and some of the best
chefs are in New York. Yeah, absolutely, So why wouldn't
you pull up to Laberna den Right? Oh, I mean
you know how? Yeah, he had to sit through eleven
(10:58):
courses there. First of all, Erika would have not known
who he was.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Which is what he wants. Well, less people who don't
know who you are, they.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Wouldn't have cared, and they would have gave him the
best service. I think like also leaning into some of
that as well would have been cool.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
When it's like for you especially not out. Can you
just make that call and go to like Tatiana's and
Carbone or do you just try to do things the
way that everyone else does it.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
I try to do things everybody else does.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
But sometimes it doesn't work out.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
I do hit like Maria Carbone has set me up nice?
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Right, Why wouldn't you hit him up?
Speaker 2 (11:29):
But we go like way back like kids, like eighteen
years old, and I've watched him on the ground grind.
I mean, I remember Teresa when it first that's small
Teresa when he first opened. And I think what he's
done is tremendous. That he's been able to keep food
at like a super high level and scale it. That's
unheard of, right. Tatiana's hard, though, Yeah, it is hard.
(11:49):
Tatiana's hard. I don't. I don't. I try not to
go through Kwami because I know, like so many people
hit him up. I try to go through all the
other people over there that I know.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
Sometimes you're like yo.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
I'm like yo, kwame, come on, man, help us out, Like,
let me get this because everybody's like like yo, I
don't want the five thirty table, Like can I get
the seven fifteen.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Well, you gotta ask, weay in advance, and sometimes you
could just show up and get in, you know.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
But it's a beautiful thing though, Yeah it is.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
I love that because for him to have that, uh,
to have tatianas in that location where he has it
is like unheard of.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Unheard But yeah, coca dot, no coat or coca dot.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
That's what the fried chicken plase. Okay, everybody tell me.
I know those guys, so I haven't been there yet.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Oh we should go, but I don't know you. You are
you changing? You? Changing the way you the way you eat.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
I eat some fried chicken now, that's the reason why
I still eat it with the cavear though on top,
not caviar. I would be like, don't put the caviar.
Does that bother you? When people are like I have this,
but take this out, I don't eat that. So changed this.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
I'm past that in my career now. That's why we
have this build your own bowl at field Trip. That
was my whole team's idea. I didn't want to do it.
I was like, hey, I made this menu. It tastes
really good the way it is. Why should I let
people come in here and build their own but it's like,
why not. Yeah, so many people want control of the
way they eat, so that that's why we do it
at field Trip now and it's been a real success.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
I love that. And now we also, by the way,
are doing the Wine and Food Festival. You're the one
that put me onto this, so I love this too,
because we've done the Miami Wine and Food Festival, the
New York City Wine and Food Festival, the Cookout, and
this is really your cur rated event. So let's talk
about this because I'm excited. It's in Brooklyn for the
first time ever, So not only is that easier for me,
(13:25):
but I just love the idea of having these events
in Brooklyn.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Oh, I mean, big up to Brooklyn. I think Brooklyn
has a Burrough's done a great job building it back
up right from a time that people weren't really paying
attention to Brooklyn. It has so much history. I remember
talking to Carmelo Anthony. He's like, yo, man, my hood
where I'm from. Everybody wants to live there.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
Now, ain't from Queens Carmelo, Okay, just got to check.
I want to Carmelo know that.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
But I think it's great. I mean, there's so much talent.
There's so much talent uh in Brooklyn, so many restaurants.
We're gonna be highlight so many people. But the cookout
is to celebrate Black excellence around food and now music.
And I'm so happy that you're involved with your voice
and your love of food and coffee right coffee.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
We did the New York City, I mean, we did
the Miami Wining Food Festival, and we did the espresso
martinis with my coffee up list people with Lobo tequila.
That was amazing.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
I only could drink too because after that I was
like super.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Wild right away. Yeah and listen, And that's how I
am an espresso martini too. My maximum is too. But
what I love about it because it's such a popular drink.
Now you could be feeling a little like sluggish, get
to an espresso martini and we back at it, baby
another six hours.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
Let's go, let's go, but don't get us together because
of me, and you start drinking tequila.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
I know, and then you're like, try this one, try
this one, try this one, and you know, nothing wrong
with sampling tequila. That's very fun.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
That's also going to be great about the cookout is
that you can walk twenty five chefs. You can walk
around hit chefs you may know, chefs you don't know,
and it's going to represent all the black food culture.
And you don't really see that at festival, No.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
You do not, especially not at the level that you
have this. And actually, my friend Jazmin who owns Jasmin's
and SAMR in the city, I met her at the
New York City Festival and since then I've been going
to her restaurant. She was like, oh, I'm from you know, Jazmin's.
You have to come to the restaurant. And I met
her at that event and now I go there all
the time. And then they opened up some mir and
(15:23):
it's a French Caribbean cuisine restaurant, and that is like
my go to spot, you know. And it's right over here.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
I didn't know they open it. That's a midtown right.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Yeah, Tim forty sixtet. It's on Restaurant Road right by
Broadway where all the plays are. But it's like the
only two black owned restaurants they own both of them
on that block, and so that's a really yes restaurant road.
So that's a big deal for them to have that.
But they were actually at the New York City One
and Food Festival, and I met them there. I met
so many amazing chefs there and had an opportunity to
try so many things. So I just want to say,
(15:53):
anybody who is planning to come out, make sure you
say no diet for this particular day. If you're doing
some type of d tax just for one day, just
get off of it.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
I recommend you exactly, like, eat a light breakfast, pull
up hungry, and I think you should get the early
bird ticket because that will allow you to hit everybody
before all the people come in. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
No, it was amazing, And like you said, it's not
just the food, it's also the drinks. And you guys
have like the top level I think Bacardi. Yeah, but
Caarti's presenting. And when I tell you, okay, I got
there early, I see what was there? Last year we
had a time.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
We did have a time. Was there was there? Yeah? Yeah,
it was, it was. It was a good time. I'm
looking forward to this year that we got Freeway.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
And Freeway's doing. Isn't he in the food space?
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Is he? I don't know if he's in the foods,
but he really cares about the food. He really connected.
I connected him and Lee Schuger together, who's the founder
of the Food Festival. They both sit on a similar
organization together in different.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Yeah, Freeway doesn't last. You know what Freeway should bring
Beanie Siegul because Beanie segu has the food truck. Oh yeah,
he has a food truck.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
I'm gonna tell you think Beanie pull up outside with this.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
You can see him pull up the food check that
would which is really dope.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
Correct, everybody have to move to the side and Beanie
drives this food truck in now.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
But okay, so Beanie Siego, I mean, I'm not Phanie.
So Freeway is gonna be there.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
Freeway is going to be there, rev is going to
be there.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
You're going to be I'm gonna be there. Yes. And
the music's fun, the food is amazing.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
It's in Brooklyn, do amazing DJs and more people to come.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah. So I just want to say, like when last
year when I went, I bought like some of my
friends and at the last minute, everybody was hitting me
up like can you get me in? Can you get
me in? Y'all get your tickets and support this amazing
event because it is something that really is unheard of.
It's the cookout. Chef JJ really care rates this whole event.
When we did the one in Miami, I met so
many amazing chefs there. I mean there were there were
(17:43):
things that I've never seen before because it's dessert also,
and I have quite a sweet tooth.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
I remember that people were like, bring.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
Everybody was bringing me so much. Check this, check this,
and you know, I'm very polite, so I'm gonna finish it.
I'm gonna finish it. And I definitely did so.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Yeah. I think. I think when if you're in New
York City and you're looking for something to do and
you're like, oh, I haven't really had that fun moment yet,
the cookout is going to give it to you. The best,
best in food, the best in music. You're gonna dance.
It's a cook out. You're going to be around amazing people.
You might meet somebody new, right, and it's for good calls.
With God's love we deliver.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
But God's love we deliver. And the good thing is
you'll also discover some new restaurants. So when you go
there and sample everything, and it's a really low price
for the ticket to be able to get all the everything,
is free once you get inside, and it's going to
help opening you up to new restaurants like it did
for me.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
Yeah, I mean you just put me on two restaurants
side by side, Restaurant Row Black Midtown. That's amazing.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
Yeah, so when you go to a Broadway play like
that's where we go right after now, also Simple Art
of Rice recipes from around the world for the Heart
of your Table, you know that's it. First of all,
love that book. It's a beautiful book.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
I'm big on cooking rice. And I actually, for some
reason people up here think I can't cook. Maybe it's
because I don't cook as frequently as I should, but
I certainly have been taking some advice from your book
because I love rice. And we had this conversation last time.
I feel like there's this this misconception that rice is
like if you're trying to diet or you want to
lose weight, not to eat rice.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
But you you washing rice though, right.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Yes, of course you have to to. I got that
beautiful new kitchen and and I have the way that
my sink is set up. And I know this is
nothing to you, but to me, it's amazing. So the
way the sink is it's called the Galley sink, and
then it has all these like pieces that you could
put on.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
It, the converter pieces yet in.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
The middle, so it makes it so much easier for me.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Look at you with the galley sing Yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
Gotta start using it. You know, every time I see you,
I feel guilty, like because I haven't been cooking at home.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
But I'm gonna come. I'm gonna co through. I'm gonna
bring a sous chef. I'm gonna come through.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
Okay, good herd to hear. Chef is gonna cook for
all of y'all. So come through, pull up to my house.
We're gonna do this. But what's next for you? Because
you've done so much? I mean, you have the TV
show on Cleo TV that's been for what how many
years now?
Speaker 2 (19:58):
Five seasons now, five.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Seasons and I've been on there too. And then you
have the Field Trip restaurants.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Field Trip Restaurants. I have Blue Lama and Arbor. I
have bank Side right now. I wonder which is a
digital kitchen. There's a bunch of Brooklyn. It's a Southern
seafood I call it Southern Seafood scheck with a southern
seafood restaurant.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Wait, explain that to me? What is that? Bankside by
Chef JJ. It's a new concept.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Right under wonder so Won there's a digital kitchen with
some of your favorite chefs. You'll see Marcus Samuelson has
Street Birden there holding Andre's, Bobby Flay, myself and basically
there's thirty restaurants under one roof. It's a new way
to eat. It's owned by a gentleman named Mark Laurie
who owns a Minnesota Timberwolves. Okay, and we did a
concept together and it's making moves and waves around the
(20:45):
whole country. There's something Philly. There's some in west Chester, Connecticut.
I think for me, it's the fastest growing restaurant I've
ever seen in my personal life. Okay, they're popping up
one in Harlem coming one hundred twenty fifth Street. But yeah,
something I worked on with them for a year. You
get lobster rolls, you can get fried shrimp, you can
(21:06):
get what I think is the best fried fish sandwich,
Perry Perry chicken.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Oh wow.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
So yeah, a little bit of spice. So yeah, there's
a bunch of Brooklyn. It's like I tell you the
nearest one by you, so we could send some to you.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Listen, not a problem. I read somewhere that spicy food
helps you live longer. I just had a whole article
about that, you know.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
I think good food just makes you live longer. Flavorful
food makes you live longer, you know.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
I love spicy food. Some people say that they don't
like when the spice is overwhelming and you can't taste
the food. There's a good balance there.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
I mean, that's how I use spice. I always use
spice for a balance. Like I want you to have
some spice, some acid, some sweetness, some saltiness. I don't
ever want to give you too much spice. I might
give you a super spicy hot sauce sweet so you.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Can put as smuss as you went on it.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
Correct.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
I like when my nose runs, I do. That's how
spicy I like my food.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
That's how you like your jerk chicken.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
I do. I like my jerk chicken super spicy. Where
people are like I can't eat this, and I'm like, no,
it tastes good to me. I want to ask you,
you do have a lot of friends in the business.
How competitive is it like what's the balance there when
it comes to super competitive because y'all are also cool
with each other, Like I see you and Marcus Samuelson
always being.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
For me and Marcus me and Marcus was you know
when I was coming up, marcuss like hit me be
like yo, man, you're keeping me on my toes right now.
It's dope, right, And I was like, really because I look,
I look up to Marcus, so he's really paved the
way in this industry for a lot of all black chefs,
I feel, and but it is competitive. Listen, when we
coming to we're coming to an event together. You doing
(22:35):
the first course, I'm doing the second course.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
I'm trying to leave with the best course right right.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
We want the menu to be cohesive. But trust me,
I'm every chef there is like, yo, I'm trying to
put out the best food today.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Like I'm like, is it like hip hop way to
be like some hate behind the scenes where there's probably.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Definitely some beef behind the scenes, chef some beef behind
the scenes. But I remember cooking at an event in
San Diego and it was like Danielle Blued, Nancy Silverton,
Thomas Keller, and myself, right and first of all, these
are like the giants of the industry. And Danielle's giving
(23:11):
me a lot of beef. I was making ox saleska.
He's like, JJ, you got to take it off the bone.
I'm like, I'm not taking it off the bone. He's like,
you should take it off the bone and press exactly
like nobody eats oxtail like that. It's got to be
on the bone, Danielle. And Nancy's like, Danielle, let him cook, man,
let him good, let him do his thing. So the
event's going on, the event's coming up. I think I
(23:31):
want to go use the restroom or something. And Danielle
goes into the pot. No, she did not goes in
the pot. He tastes passing in around the room.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
Say she took everything off the bone, okay.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
And then he picks up the bone and Nancy's over
there looking at him with her camera and all the
oxtale gravy's dripping down his chin on his chef coat.
And then he sees me.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
He's like, oh, this is good.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
I'm like, come on, man, see But so like I think, also,
chefs have to stand their ground because people will try
to swear you because your artistry. Right, It's like you said,
with music, you see you see food differently, you hear
the beat different There's so many things going on different
And for me, I would never serve Axale off the bone.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
Right ever, Yeah, I don't think we're used to that
in our coache.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Maybe I'm maybe back in the day the season I
put it in some dumplings and I did excel dumplings.
But if I'm dropping you axl, it's gonna be on
the bone. It's gonna be really really good and flavorful.
But yeah, that was my first moment of like feeling
the competitiveness or I'm gonna tell you what to do.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Yeah, you can't tell them that the chef how to
make the like Yo.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
Come on, I got mad love of respect for you, Daniel,
But chill for a second now.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
Can you also talk to me about this Goalkeepers twenty
thirty and what that is.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
Yeah, So we got tapped by the Bill Gates Foundation
over Climate Week to be a part of Goalkeepers and
with with what Goalkeepers is doing to trying to end
hunger or around the around on the globe, and they
used rice as the foundation.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
Oh you're perfect for that.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
So their team was like, oh my god, JJ serves
amazing rice here, nutritional rice here in New York. Let's
do tap that and do that with him and give
out rice bulls. Literally, we're right here by Lincoln Center
and anybody that walked by could get a rice bowl,
but they also had to give a ball to somebody
in need, okay, And we handed out tons of rice
(25:28):
bowls for two days, and then we also partnered up
with smaller organizations around New York City and kind of
are feeding people. So but it was an honor, like
I got to meet Bill Gates and also to be
a part of Yeah, I didn't wash my hand for
two days.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
They showed there was a video they showed up like
Bill Gates just standing outside like in Times Square or
something like that that was.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
He does these things from Times saw a video of
him like on the line ordering a burger. I'm like,
you just walk around like you were you were for
a lot of money, man. But yeah, it it really
made me feel like what I'm doing in food and
what I'm believing in is the right thing, because he
(26:13):
could call anybody right.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
But the fact that people thought of you too, like
he does this amazing thing because, like I said, you're
a cookbook. The art of rice is definitely the standard
when it comes to how to make different rice dishes.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
I ever brought my kids to hand out the food
outside the food truck.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Oh see, you got to teach them early.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
It's just teaching them early. And they were just they
were in it. I was shocked. I was like, who,
who taught you guys how to talk to people like that?
Speaker 1 (26:35):
That is so nice?
Speaker 2 (26:36):
So yeah, but also I think that's the way is
the only way you're going to try to change your world.
You got to You got to bring your kids or
expose them to some of these things very early so
they can see what it is. What does climate week mean?
What does malnutrition mean? What do these things mean? Because
my kids live a little bit different even than how
I lived.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
Okay, last thing I want to say is I don't
want to hear my ship say he didn't wash his
hands for two weeks, I mean for two days after
Bill Gates. He's like, now I did wash my hands,
and you also turned forty, So congratulations on that. That's
a big deal forty. Yeah, you know, because you're not
gonna make any of those lists anymore, Like under forty.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
Masts.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
Okay, good, So now you're gonna be on an under
fifty list.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
No, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
I'm out of the under forty list.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
I'm excited to be forty. I think now I can
write maybe a memoir soon.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
No, you know what, though, you've done a lot so far,
and I know that you have a lot more on
the way, but you could. You definitely could, because I
know your journey has uh it's been a long one.
I know it feels like you're older than what you are,
just based off of the accomplishments that you have. Because
if you look at the list of everything that you've
managed to do, you've done all of that under the
age of forty. That's a big deal. Yeah, So congratulations
(27:47):
to you on that. Let's all come out and celebrate,
okay at the New York City Wine and Food Festival,
because we are going to definitely toast to you when
we get out there, just for you curating this event,
for always paying it forward, always making sure other people
are involved, and being authentic and cook has some really
great food.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
I'm doing jerk lamb ribs.
Speaker 1 (28:04):
Okay, I don't eat lamb, come on it. I know
I'm doing it.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
What about I'm doing some black rice.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
I can do that. I love black rice. That's my
favorite type of rice. Black rice. I can do that.
I know you don't like salmon, right, I don't like it.
What else don't you like?
Speaker 2 (28:19):
I can't. I only just don't like salmon. There's not
many things I don't like. The Other things I don't
like are like inerts.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
Because I'm like the picky seated. Why don't you like salmon?
Speaker 2 (28:29):
It's too fishy, way too fishy.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
Okay, like salmon. I don't eat seafood at all because
it's all too fishy.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
It's way too fishy. And also salmon is so farm
raised right now that there's a lot of salmon that
were consuming isn't good for us. Okay, So you know
it's a big thing for me at field trip that
I'm trying to source the best salmon for everybody.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
Because I feel like that's everyone's go to.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
Like salmon, the salmon is to go to. But for me,
I would prefer arctic char or brook trout or over
or fluke or haddock.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
Okay, all right, well you heard it from him first.
All right, Well listen again. That is going to be
happening October twentieth. It's in Brooklyn. Where can people get
tickets for the New York City Wine and Food Festival
for the cookout specifically.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
I mean, just go to my go to chef JJ
on social media, click the link in the bio. I'll
take you right there, or go to New York City
Food and Wine Festival dot com. You get the tickets
right there.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Okay, I'll be there. Guys can't wait for it. Thank
you so much, Chef JJ. You ain't bring food this time,
but we forgive you.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
I'm I'm so sorry. I thought about it. I said no.
I told Daniel.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
I said no.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
Daniel's like, don't worry about it.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
You said no. They be hating on me up here.
I'm not gonna lie.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
I was going to bring you bank side this time.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
Okay. Well oh okay, we like that.
Speaker 2 (29:47):
I'll say come here next time for lunch.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
All right. Well, thank you, thank you for everything that
you've been doing so innovative. Congratulations on it all. All right,
it's way up
Host
Angela Yee
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