On a gorgeous spring evening last week, a dozen people gathered on the patio at ICI (now Maison May)
for the May edition of our community dinner series.
Each month a handful of neighbors, customers
& friends of friends join us for this special dinner.
There is no agenda and the theme is very subtle each time.
But the purpose is strong: by gathering around a table
& sharing food, I aim to feed everyone’s soul & build a community.
Recently, I found myself standing by the kitchen pass after an epic dinner at ICI (now Maison May), feeling like the stars had aligned.
I was overwhelmed by a delicious feeling of raw empowerment & accomplishment. Looking at my two co-chefs, Armando & Robert, I felt like a football coach on the night of the Super Bowl, after the quarterback scored the winning touchdown to lead the team to victory.
The food had exceeded my high expectations,
I felt like my vision had been met, yet I had not set foot in the kitchen or cooked a thing.
How does that happen?
ICI (now called Maison May Dekalb ) has grown into much more than a delicious farm-to-table restaurant in the heart of Fort Greene and has, in recent years, become the top destination for thoughtful, intimate boutique weddings in New York City. I’m still in awe over this success, and wanted to share some of the philosophy behind it all.
I sat down with Lauren Berg, to pick her brain. She is our beloved event coordinator, and a large part of her duties includes ensuring that every wedding held at ICI (now called Maison May Dekalb )will exceed expectations.
Here, she gives us a few pointers on how she makes it all work so well.
I was recently featured on Brooklyn Based and I shared a bit more about my process for cooking for my family. Continue on to read their article:
Eating local food in Brooklyn certainly constitutes something quite different than what I was doing growing up in Provence, where all senses were easily activated in a rush of colors, smells, tastes.
However, in navigating the NYC landscape for the past 2 decades and learning how to source local food here, I managed to find a similar kaleidoscope of senses, and, more importantly, realize the impact on our community.
And along the way I developed a strategy to feed my family in a conscious yet efficient way & cook, connect, build & restore.
I had a good laugh the other day when a friend told me that some people have this super glamorous vision of my family life when it comes down to food. They envision me eating at ICI (now called Maison May Dekalb ) almost every night, with my perfectly mannered...
I do not believe in New Year’s resolutions:
it is too much pressure and in the end, it is too easy to drop them. I believe in process instead.
On slow, steady, sustainable building.
2015 is due to bring huge changes in my professional life.
But it did not happen overnight, neither did I wake up on
January 1st and decided to go for it.
My aunt “Mine” was a serious cook, in a peasant’s intuitive, self-taught way. I never saw her look at a recipe book unless she was making a dessert, and she had the genius ability to produce an amazing dish out of what anyone else would have considered an empty fridge. I have many fond memories of her cooking, but my absolute favorite dish of hers was her ratatouille.