These are just like supper clubs. The well known ones I believe are Wednesdays, Mr Jones Supper Club and Resident.
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“A guest who immigrated from Venezuela” is incorrect usage. It should read “a guest who emigrated from Venezuela.” People immigrate to a new country, and emigrate from their home country.
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Our favorite chef Kelli Scott just moved to Westchester from Louisiana!
Her pop ups are exquisite as these seem to be too! So much collaboration possibilities here.
The link to her unique pop up offering is
https://buytickets.at/orchestrax2
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Hello! I love this article!!! I am in the process of switching gears in my life and a pop up is an idea I have been considering. Is it possible for me to contact any of these wonderful cooks so I can pick their brain? I have so many ideas which come along with so many questions. Thank you, Paula Camastro
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@Paula Camastro a number of them have instagram accounts through which they advertise their upcoming pop-ups (and i've had direct message conversations with a few similarly situated young chefs, which i'd recommend as your medium!)
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@Paula Camastro Net, net, I have found that if you are interested in doing similar, that joining one of the 'mealsharing' platforms is a waste of time... a lot of effort for very little payback.
Best bet is for you to promote yourself by way of a Facebook account and IG account and then promoting, Sharing, networking, and perhaps also creating your own website with a blog associated with it. Also, ask your like-minded friends to spread the word. It takes time to get started, but once you have a foothold, and friends tell friends who tell THEIR friends, about your cooking and events, then it will take off.
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I love this idea! I always wanted to do this near a college so I could make sure the kids are fed. Id give out coupons for free meals if I know they needed it.
Uhm, these are dinner parties. It's funny how they are named "pop-ups." Let's just call them what they are -- dinner parties. People have always had them and always will. They are an unwavering symbol of our need to eat and share with one another. Please don't act as if this is new, it's actually quite traditional.
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@East Roast @East Roast the difference is that a stranger "purchases" participation and the location is not always a domicile; a pop-up is a dinner party of a different stripe.
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@East Roast I wouldn't even say they are dinner parties...they are more 'supper clubs', as in, 'strangers' pay a fee to eat with other 'strangers'...it's more a dinner out + socializing and meeting new people.
The term 'pop-up' of course, has more recently been added to or replacing the 'supper club' term. Supper clubs can sound old-fogey or dated, whereas anything 'pop-up' sounds hipster, trendy and suggests a limited-time-get-in-while-you-still-can event.
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@East Roast I do agree with you that they are dinner parties, I just think the article is trying promote the idea by giving a new name to connect to younger readers. You are absolutely right about how great dinner parties are for sharing. Food has been a great way to connect culturally with other people. Calling them "pop-ups" might be trying to inspiring young people to do them by being more relatable.
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I like Amy Klobuchar and would happily support her, but her hot dish recipe sounds horrible to me: heart attack in a casserole.
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It all seems both delicious and culturally fantastic. But here I am, a former chef, wondering about the legality (I think it SHOULD be legal, but I wonder). In any event, there is certainly an insurance problem. If diners think that they have contracted a food-borne illness there is going to be acrimoniousness and the chefs will definitely NOT be covered by any insurance I've ever heard of.
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Very cool story, I enjoyed reading about all these peoples foods. I’m inspired to try some now!
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I'm glad that the Times is exploring these aspects of NYC food culture. The article is very well-researched and the imagery is inspiring. My only criticism is that it still seems as if these chefs, who all share a common goal of elevating their culture and bringing people in, are being put in a fishbowl for Times readers. The article doesn't do any of them justice in this respect; their cultures are more than 400 word writeups. I hope this exposure compels readers to dig deeper into their neighbors' heritage!
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@dno I think it's not so much a fishbowl but more of shining a light into a dark room I have never looked into before or even known it was there. Not all NYT's readers live in NYC. I lived there many years ago and that is when I fell in love with the NYT and the diversity of food in the city . I am retired now and have moved back to the sticks that I came from. We have a great food heritage here but not a lot of diversity of food culture. At least now I have the time to walk into the rooms and look around.
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Thanks for this great article. I have been contemplating for a while about doing a pop up dinner for friends and family. I grew up a black girl in Georgia so the foods of the South and Jamaica are what I know as this is where my people come from. I have turned most of the food I ate as a child into vegan and sometimes vegetarians dishes. Spice is life!
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Oh wow. I wish I could eat at each one of these! I hope more people will be inspired to do pop ups like this. What a nice break from a fraught world.
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One assumes the Times has confirmed that all of these people pay sales and business taxes, pay legal minimum wage and unemployment insurance for their employees, get appropriate licenses and inspections -- especially for the business run by its own employee.
Why should only some people pay taxes, submit to the intrusive bureaucracy, and follow the food and safety laws your editorial board and politics demand in the name of equity?
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@Tina Trent
It was inevitable that a reader would turn a story about food into a rant.
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@Tina Trent What a party pooper! Lighten up.
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@Tina Trent The chefs look to be putting out spectacular food and I was salivating at the pictures, but these are all fair questions, especially food safety, refrigeration, holding temps, etc.
And, please don't give me, "You should see some restaurant kitchens." I would counter with, you should see some of my friend's kitchens. I love them, but they are clueless how to maintain even a clean counter.
There are mechanisms, albeit imperfect, to weed out the bad actors in commercial kitchens.
Oh man, what I would give to have a meal with any of these people! Thanks for a great piece.
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Love love love this piece -- my mouth is watering and my imagination is soaring!
A request for a related article: Can you do a piece on those folks who sell food out of their houses? I see these often in Oakland CA where my daughter lives. The food is great!
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@H-OB
The Times did have articles on home-based food business on August 13 and August 30.
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The food sounds amazing, but it's more about the community than the food. How can I sign up for one?
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I love this idea. I saw someone else ask how we can find out more about when and where these pop-ups will be happening. We live in NC now but are from New York and this is one thing I miss...the diversity of food. I would love to make this a birthday present for my husband who is from philly. I am going to try to contact Mr Tate about his. These events are worth the trip.
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@Dinelj What a wonderful birthday present that would be.
This is a great article. I am wondering if you have any suggestions on how to find pop-ups in various cities like the ones featured in the article?
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Great article.
Please come to Connecticut!
We're bored of the lack of interesting, well prepared foods!
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I love the joy and passion captured in these stories. The photography throughout is gorgeous.
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Thanks for sharing this aspect of the culinary scene. I’ve been doing such dinners for my brand “Curry Cravings” in Atlanta since 2010 :) there is one scheduled for March .. with a waiting list.. [email protected]
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There's no better recommendation here than the photo of a happy cook -- and Leigh-Ann Martin is just that.
In fact, that might even entice wary New Yorkers to venture across the river to New Jersey before they opt for a flight to Trinidad. Count me in! --
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Love her smiling, laughing picture.
...but of course now a seat at her table will be harder to get than Le Bernardin.
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@The ‘Ol Redhead True that.
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