We devoured the biscuit sandwich of our dreams w/ @chefadriennecheatham at @butterfunkbiscuit in Harlem for the ultimate biscuit sandwich: @chefchris512’s legendary brown sugar buttermilk biscuit and lemonade fried chicken, topped with pimento cheese, pickles, and hot honey. This isn’t just food; it’s a legacy of love and flavor in every crunch. Trust me, it’s the best biscuit sandwich you’ll ever have. #foodnyc #nyc #newforkcity #eeeeeats #mysecretnyc #foodphotography #foodporn #nycfood
When Top Chef finalist and industry veteran, @chefadriennecheatham picked Frena bread from @shukettenyc for her Best Dish Ever, expectations were high. Little did we know, @ayesha_rare’s twist on this Middle Eastern classic would exceed all expectations the moment we tasted it. #frenabread #foodnyc #nyc #newforkcity #eeeeeats #mysecretnyc #foodphotography #foodporn #nycfood
Whoever said fine dining is dead hasn’t been out recently. At least they haven’t been to @saga_nyc Don’t get me wrong, I’m not always in the mood for a long dinner in a stuffy setting but Saga has upended that. My husband can wear his J’s and not get harassed or get dirty looks, and the music is what I would be listening to at home…hip hop, R&B, rock. It’s definitely fancy, but not stuffy and definitely fun. And more importantly THE FOOD is delicious and the execution is unbelievable! One of the best meals/dining experiences I’ve had in a minute. Thank you @chefjameskent and the amazing team for the warm hospitality and great night! 🤘🏽🔥🥂 #nyc #nycnights #datenight #finedining #fundining #theviewfromhere #thesagacontinues
Whoever said fine dining is dead hasn’t been out recently. At least they haven’t been to @saga_nyc Don’t get me wrong, I’m not always in the mood for a long dinner in a stuffy setting but Saga has upended that. My husband can wear his J’s and not get harassed or get dirty looks, and the music is what I would be listening to at home…hip hop, R&B, rock. It’s definitely fancy, but not stuffy and definitely fun. And more importantly THE FOOD is delicious and the execution is unbelievable! One of the best meals/dining experiences I’ve had in a minute. Thank you @chefjameskent and the amazing team for the warm hospitality and great night! 🤘🏽🔥🥂 #nyc #nycnights #datenight #finedining #fundining #theviewfromhere #thesagacontinues
Whoever said fine dining is dead hasn’t been out recently. At least they haven’t been to @saga_nyc Don’t get me wrong, I’m not always in the mood for a long dinner in a stuffy setting but Saga has upended that. My husband can wear his J’s and not get harassed or get dirty looks, and the music is what I would be listening to at home…hip hop, R&B, rock. It’s definitely fancy, but not stuffy and definitely fun. And more importantly THE FOOD is delicious and the execution is unbelievable! One of the best meals/dining experiences I’ve had in a minute. Thank you @chefjameskent and the amazing team for the warm hospitality and great night! 🤘🏽🔥🥂 #nyc #nycnights #datenight #finedining #fundining #theviewfromhere #thesagacontinues
Whoever said fine dining is dead hasn’t been out recently. At least they haven’t been to @saga_nyc Don’t get me wrong, I’m not always in the mood for a long dinner in a stuffy setting but Saga has upended that. My husband can wear his J’s and not get harassed or get dirty looks, and the music is what I would be listening to at home…hip hop, R&B, rock. It’s definitely fancy, but not stuffy and definitely fun. And more importantly THE FOOD is delicious and the execution is unbelievable! One of the best meals/dining experiences I’ve had in a minute. Thank you @chefjameskent and the amazing team for the warm hospitality and great night! 🤘🏽🔥🥂 #nyc #nycnights #datenight #finedining #fundining #theviewfromhere #thesagacontinues
Whoever said fine dining is dead hasn’t been out recently. At least they haven’t been to @saga_nyc Don’t get me wrong, I’m not always in the mood for a long dinner in a stuffy setting but Saga has upended that. My husband can wear his J’s and not get harassed or get dirty looks, and the music is what I would be listening to at home…hip hop, R&B, rock. It’s definitely fancy, but not stuffy and definitely fun. And more importantly THE FOOD is delicious and the execution is unbelievable! One of the best meals/dining experiences I’ve had in a minute. Thank you @chefjameskent and the amazing team for the warm hospitality and great night! 🤘🏽🔥🥂 #nyc #nycnights #datenight #finedining #fundining #theviewfromhere #thesagacontinues
Whoever said fine dining is dead hasn’t been out recently. At least they haven’t been to @saga_nyc Don’t get me wrong, I’m not always in the mood for a long dinner in a stuffy setting but Saga has upended that. My husband can wear his J’s and not get harassed or get dirty looks, and the music is what I would be listening to at home…hip hop, R&B, rock. It’s definitely fancy, but not stuffy and definitely fun. And more importantly THE FOOD is delicious and the execution is unbelievable! One of the best meals/dining experiences I’ve had in a minute. Thank you @chefjameskent and the amazing team for the warm hospitality and great night! 🤘🏽🔥🥂 #nyc #nycnights #datenight #finedining #fundining #theviewfromhere #thesagacontinues
Whoever said fine dining is dead hasn’t been out recently. At least they haven’t been to @saga_nyc Don’t get me wrong, I’m not always in the mood for a long dinner in a stuffy setting but Saga has upended that. My husband can wear his J’s and not get harassed or get dirty looks, and the music is what I would be listening to at home…hip hop, R&B, rock. It’s definitely fancy, but not stuffy and definitely fun. And more importantly THE FOOD is delicious and the execution is unbelievable! One of the best meals/dining experiences I’ve had in a minute. Thank you @chefjameskent and the amazing team for the warm hospitality and great night! 🤘🏽🔥🥂 #nyc #nycnights #datenight #finedining #fundining #theviewfromhere #thesagacontinues
Whoever said fine dining is dead hasn’t been out recently. At least they haven’t been to @saga_nyc Don’t get me wrong, I’m not always in the mood for a long dinner in a stuffy setting but Saga has upended that. My husband can wear his J’s and not get harassed or get dirty looks, and the music is what I would be listening to at home…hip hop, R&B, rock. It’s definitely fancy, but not stuffy and definitely fun. And more importantly THE FOOD is delicious and the execution is unbelievable! One of the best meals/dining experiences I’ve had in a minute. Thank you @chefjameskent and the amazing team for the warm hospitality and great night! 🤘🏽🔥🥂 #nyc #nycnights #datenight #finedining #fundining #theviewfromhere #thesagacontinues
Whoever said fine dining is dead hasn’t been out recently. At least they haven’t been to @saga_nyc Don’t get me wrong, I’m not always in the mood for a long dinner in a stuffy setting but Saga has upended that. My husband can wear his J’s and not get harassed or get dirty looks, and the music is what I would be listening to at home…hip hop, R&B, rock. It’s definitely fancy, but not stuffy and definitely fun. And more importantly THE FOOD is delicious and the execution is unbelievable! One of the best meals/dining experiences I’ve had in a minute. Thank you @chefjameskent and the amazing team for the warm hospitality and great night! 🤘🏽🔥🥂 #nyc #nycnights #datenight #finedining #fundining #theviewfromhere #thesagacontinues
Whoever said fine dining is dead hasn’t been out recently. At least they haven’t been to @saga_nyc Don’t get me wrong, I’m not always in the mood for a long dinner in a stuffy setting but Saga has upended that. My husband can wear his J’s and not get harassed or get dirty looks, and the music is what I would be listening to at home…hip hop, R&B, rock. It’s definitely fancy, but not stuffy and definitely fun. And more importantly THE FOOD is delicious and the execution is unbelievable! One of the best meals/dining experiences I’ve had in a minute. Thank you @chefjameskent and the amazing team for the warm hospitality and great night! 🤘🏽🔥🥂 #nyc #nycnights #datenight #finedining #fundining #theviewfromhere #thesagacontinues
Happy Sunday, Besties! Sorry for the delay, jumped back into work and I almost forgot to show you how else I used my leftover caviar 🤦🏽♀️. Well let me tell you that this was THEE most delicious “hot dog” I’ve ever had! Toasted brioche bun, a little mayo, avocado, king crab leg bathed in a little sauce I made with that shrimp butter I kept in the freezer (previous reel), caviar and of course sliced chives – my favorite allium. Simple ingredients in perfect harmony. And you don’t have to have shrimp butter, you can make this with regular butter, no problem. I recommend eating this with some salted chips, a side salad (salads are an art, we can talk about that later) and a glass of Champagne or a crisp white wine, or water. This is definitely my favorite dish so far of 2024! #caviar #kingcrab #hotdog #decadence #treatyourself #wedeserveit #startingtheyearright #chef #cheflife #chefathome #lunchtime #lunch
My at-home Black History Month celebration continues with this piece by B. Robert Moore @bybmoore that we got in 2021. This piece is from his series where he re-cast iconic characters from children’s cartoons as Black, like Popeye and the Peanuts gang. His work and style is thought-provoking, touching, and beautiful. A young artist using art and expression to transcend the realities of life, whose work we love. A little on B. Robert Moore: Moore paints figurative works amongst other contemporary works that all are inner connected through Moore’s identity and experience as a Black man in America. Growing up in Iowa, a predominantly White-conservative state has inspired Moore to uplift narratives and images of people from his community and abroad who identify through similar life identity and experiences. Disclaimer, I don’t work in art, but there is a strong connection between art, fashion, and food. I believe these things combined are culture and connection and I love exploring them. The things we adorn our bodies and homes with should make us happy and express how we feel and what we are. #blackhistorymonth #blackart #blackartists #athome
And the winner is!… Tune into @foodnetwork at 9pm this Sunday (2/4) to catch me and the homies @chef_michael_jenkins and @mattabdoo pick a winner on the SEASON FINALE of Worst Cooks in America! ………. Only two recruits have moved on to the finale, where @chefanneburrell and @mastercheftd work closely with their final recruits to practice their three-course, restaurant quality meal. In the end, we taste the recruits’ dishes in a blind taste test to determine the winner of the $25,000 prize. #WorstCooks @FoodNetwork #idratherbejudging #chef #cheflife #adayattheoffice
And the winner is!… Tune into @foodnetwork at 9pm this Sunday (2/4) to catch me and the homies @chef_michael_jenkins and @mattabdoo pick a winner on the SEASON FINALE of Worst Cooks in America! ………. Only two recruits have moved on to the finale, where @chefanneburrell and @mastercheftd work closely with their final recruits to practice their three-course, restaurant quality meal. In the end, we taste the recruits’ dishes in a blind taste test to determine the winner of the $25,000 prize. #WorstCooks @FoodNetwork #idratherbejudging #chef #cheflife #adayattheoffice
And the winner is!… Tune into @foodnetwork at 9pm this Sunday (2/4) to catch me and the homies @chef_michael_jenkins and @mattabdoo pick a winner on the SEASON FINALE of Worst Cooks in America! ………. Only two recruits have moved on to the finale, where @chefanneburrell and @mastercheftd work closely with their final recruits to practice their three-course, restaurant quality meal. In the end, we taste the recruits’ dishes in a blind taste test to determine the winner of the $25,000 prize. #WorstCooks @FoodNetwork #idratherbejudging #chef #cheflife #adayattheoffice
And the winner is!… Tune into @foodnetwork at 9pm this Sunday (2/4) to catch me and the homies @chef_michael_jenkins and @mattabdoo pick a winner on the SEASON FINALE of Worst Cooks in America! ………. Only two recruits have moved on to the finale, where @chefanneburrell and @mastercheftd work closely with their final recruits to practice their three-course, restaurant quality meal. In the end, we taste the recruits’ dishes in a blind taste test to determine the winner of the $25,000 prize. #WorstCooks @FoodNetwork #idratherbejudging #chef #cheflife #adayattheoffice
February is coming to a close so I have to step on the gas and share the remaining pieces as part of my Black History Month at-home celebration. This vibrant piece is by the artist @jekein This piece is called “I’m Not Afraid of the Dark.” Which is ironic because I am. It reminds me that we can be blind to certain things (through willful ignorance, cognitive dissonance…) even though we have the ability to see. Trust your instincts, believe your feelings and listen to that little voice guiding you, through the darkness and into the light. Sometimes you have to stop looking to see, and give yourself to what you’re afraid of to conquer it and come out stronger. A little bit about Jekein Lato-Unah: Jekein Lato-Unah creates one-of-a-kind oil paintings that capture the exclusive patent energy of her subjects. Her paintings celebrate women, frown upon the oppression of marginalized groups, objectification of women and speak on social constructs – her strain is to dismantle the patriarchy and capture women in their simple, best and happiest states. Her portfolio includes remarkable bodies of work inspired by her experiences, those of other women and works of her predecessors. Her recent practice has involved participating in performance art workshops and mentoring young female artists in West Africa and the Americas. #blackhistorymonth #blackart #blackartist #athome
I’m going to celebrate Black history month this year by sharing some of the art by Black artists that I have in my home. In honor of Mardi Gras yesterday I’ll kick it off with this piece by New Orleans artist @terranceosborne My husband is a native son of the N.O. and he’d seen Osborne’s work for a long time around the city. We wanted to bring some of that NOLA feel home so we visited his gallery while checking out wedding venues and were struck by the beauty and colors of his work, and how it really captured the vibe of the city. This one gave us all the NOLA feels and our lady here keeps watch over all who enter our home. When we got this piece, we talked with Terrance about the images and how he incorporated features of his wife and daughter into the woman’s face, and before he shipped it to us he personalized it with our wedding date as the address above the door. #blackhistorymonth #mardigras #blackart #blackartist #athome
On this last day of Black History Month I will close out my at-home celebration with a piece by a true icon, Gordon Parks. From the @gordonparksfoundation This piece is from his “Segregation in the South” series for Life Magazine in 1956. “Ondria Tanner and Her Grandmother Window-Shopping.” My husband I saw this after our wedding and decided that this would be our wedding gift to eachother. When it arrived we poured a glass of wine and sat and looked at it for a couple hours. I’m struck by several things, including the thought of what this little girl is being groomed to accept. Whiteness as the beauty standard and this venerated, revered ideal that she cannot even deign to touch, lest she and her family endure the wrath that would follow. After an hour of quietly studying this photograph we noticed that just above the grandmother’s head you can see Gordon Parks’ reflection in the glass. The barrel of the camera over his eye, wearing a plaid shirt and his distinctive mane. He is documenting but he is also living this experience. Even as a registered journalist for the largest publication in the country, he faced the same threats the family he documented endured as a Black person bringing attention to the ways of the south. A little more about Gordon Parks: From the 1940s, Gordon Parks documented American life and culture. Born into poverty in Fort Scott, Kansas, Parks was drawn to photography as a young man. Despite his lack of professional training, he won a Julius Rosenwald Fellowship for his photography in 1942; this led to a position with the photography section of the Farm Security Administration (FSA) in Washington, D.C., and, later, the Office of War Information (OWI), documenting American life. By the mid-1940s, he worked as a freelance fashion photographer for publications such as Vogue, Glamour, and Ebony. Parks was hired in 1948 as a staff photographer for Life magazine where he created some of his most notable work. In 1969 he became the first African American to write and direct a major Hollywood studio feature film, The Learning Tree, followed by Shaft. Parks continued photography, making films, publishing, and composing until his death in 2006.
Next up in my at-home celebration of Black history month is this arresting piece by Lisa Whittington @theartistlisalove My husband introduced me to her work a few years ago and to say I’m a huge fan of her as a person and artist would be an understatement. Lisa’s work is thoughtful, considered, and deeeeep. Just like her (check out her website if you don’t believe me). This piece is an homage to the generations of Black women who have showed up at the polls and have been a political force in the face of intimidation and discrimination. And in modern times (2020), stood in line to make their voices heard. It gives me Nina Simone Four Women vibes, we are diverse but we stand together for the greater good of us all. Lisa is from my adopted home of #harlem and currently lives in Georgia. A little about Lisa Whittington: Lisa describes herself as an abstract expressionist who works in various mediums including mixed media. Lisa Whittington is an American-born black artist with multiple degrees and honors in fine art. Among those is a doctorate degree in art education from the University of Georgia. Lisa says she spent many years pretending to be just a spectator and collector because she lacked the courage to showcase her art. But becoming an artist was a destiny she couldn’t escape. Studying art triggered Lisa’s curiosity regarding the historical exclusion of black art and artists. During her Master’s program, she asked her professor, Bruce Bobick, why she couldn’t find any black artists in the textbooks or in museums. His response to that question set the pace for the amazing artistry she exhibits today. #blackhistorymonth #blackart #athome
February is flying by, but it’s still Black History Month. Next up in my at-home celebration is this piece, “We Grow Here Too” by the artist @kaysean_ Kalief Dinkins We got this piece after the James Beard awards last year @recycledmodern while partying in my old neighborhood of Hyde Park @daisyspoboychicago. I love this piece and the subject’s stare, assertive, not super intense but not diminished, daring you to question his humanity and existence. He’s growing, strong, proud. A little on Kalief Dinkins: The south side of Chicago raised me and made me an Artist. I am entrenched in culture, fashion, sports, and fine-art. Simply put, I bring ideas to life; juxtaposing art and culture as well as the strategy of using creativity, experimentation and great design to inspire and benefit the people around me. Being self-taught, I always challenge my creativity and that has took me from painting shoes to painting Murals around Chicago and everything in between. My artwork is a representation of my personal journey as a 25-year-old black man in Chicago, chasing the dream of being an artist that I didn’t know existed. Through my art, I aim to give voice not only to myself but also to others who share similar journeys and aspire to pursue paths beyond the conventional options society presents. My work reflects both personal growth and its connection to the world, symbolizing progression within this journey. Dreams aren’t achieved overnight, and flowers don’t bloom overnight. My work serves as a personal reminder to allow myself the space and time to grow, as we all should. #athome #blackhistorymonth #blackart
Next up in my personal celebration of Black History Month is this piece by @cjpgallery Charles Jean-Pierre works in a variety of mediums, maybe most notably his acrylic paintings. But my husband and I seem to be drawn to the texture and dimension of his collages like this one. His work is bold, and highlights the beauty (and struggles) in our lives. He centers US in all of our everyday regality, and makes you wonder about his subjects, who they are, and what their lives are like. A little on Charles Jean-Pierre: Charles Philippe Jean-Pierre is a Haitian American artist from the South Side of Chicago. His work centers around themes of beauty, power structures, feminism, masculinity, and race. He has created public artworks in Chicago, DC, Istanbul, Panama, Port-au-Prince, London, and Paris. He is currently an adjunct professor at American University in Fine Arts, and as a State Department Art in Embassies Artist his work is in the permanent collection of the US Embassy in Cotonou, Benin West Africa. #blackhistorymonth #blackart #blackartist #chicago #athome
