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- 5 Questions We Have About Major Food Group’s Upcoming Miami Skyscraper
- ‘The Great’ Creator Thinks Peter Would Make ‘an Amazing Michelin-Starred Chef’
- The 24 Essential Restaurants of Monterrey, Mexico
- Black Farmers Still Await Debt Relief as Lawsuits Block Promised Aid
| 5 Questions We Have About Major Food Group’s Upcoming Miami Skyscraper Posted: 03 Dec 2021 11:11 AM PST  MAJOR. — that's how they want it spelled — is a "residential-hospitality tower" from the Carbone team As ever, Major Food Group is expanding. Earlier this week, a press release went out announcing that the team behind hit restaurants like Carbone and the Grill will be partnering with JDS Development Group "to conceive, build, and operate MAJOR. : a new residential-hospitality tower" that will rise 1,049 feet to become the tallest building in Miami. MFG is best known for its theatrical, expensive odes to classic American restaurant tropes. (When Carbone opened on Thompson Street, it rocked the city with its vision of Little Italy's midcentury heyday, a living movie set in which servers in Zac Posen-designed velvet jackets brought plates of $32 spicy rigatoni vodka and $55 veal parm to some of the hardest-to-get tables in New York.) Even now, with restaurants in Miami, Vegas, Hong Kong, and Tel Aviv, this project represents uncharted territory for founders Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, and Jeff Zalaznick. The press release is a bit short on details when it comes to what, exactly, Major will entail: There will be "259 custom residences," and a "collection of food and beverage amenities," with a promise of "standalone restaurants and private clubs." But high-end luxury developments have increasingly relied on dining as a selling point in their amenities. In 2020, Stacey Kanbar and Julie Kopel from the Kanbar Kopel Team at real estate firm Compass told Eater NY that "exclusive restaurants with high-end chefs are becoming the latest in-demand amenity of luxury condos." Still, those high-end chefs — think Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Shaun Hergatt — aren't billed as co-creators of the building, as is the case with MFG. Big-name restaurant operators have been co-creating hotels in partnership with developers, however, which in theory is a similar ask. Will Guidara, whose claim to fame as an operator comes from his time as co-owner of the acclaimed restaurants Eleven Madison Park and the Nomad (the latter which existed in partnership with hotels in New York City and Las Vegas), has reportedly been planning to transform an Upstate NY castle into a luxury hotel that also has some residences. But even imagining a hotel-with-residences feels fundamentally different than something that's residence-first. And so, some questions: Question 1: Which MFG restaurant would most easily translate into a residential aesthetic for Miami? The press release teases "perfectly-dialed maximalism," but doesn't go so far as to say whether MFG or JDS will ultimately be making the call on the residential design elements. But if MFG's vibe comes into play, it could aspire to evoke Santina, the now-closed restaurant that once occupied a Renzo Piano-designed glass box in New York City's meatpacking district. Santina boasted one of the group's most tropical and airiest designs. The Murano glass chandeliers looked like bouquets of flowers. There were palm fronds and a fruit-bearing orange tree, servers in polos and striped beachy umbrellas on a big outdoor patio, all designed to transport diners to a cabana on the Italian coast. The chandeliers alone deserve a spot in a Miami building's lobby or rooftop event space (assuming it has one... which... it should). But MPG's latest Miami restaurant, ZZ's Sushi Bar, might also offer some clues as to what it thinks its Miami look ought to be. Escapist and resort-y, it's a perfect of example of the dominant 2021 restaurant aesthetic: nostalgic, optimistic, and vacation-obsessed. This one is definitely more maximalist, with clam-shell-shaped chair backs, brass palm-shaped pendant lights, and a teal cheetah-print rug. Question 2: Will there be room service? Unclear, but there probably should be: What would be the point of living in a hospitalitower with MFG's name attached if you couldn't start your day with a spread from Sadelle's or have a Carbone-style tableside Caesar salad for lunch in your own living room or have a dinner of prime rib and dover sole just like at the Grill? I would also hope there's some sort of "all-day" menu that includes Parm mozzarella sticks — because if I could afford an apartment like this, you better believe I'd want to eat Parm mozzarella sticks in my fancy bed in my fancy robe watching movies whenever I felt like it. Question 3: Who will actually live there? Will anyone make one of these aparments (sorry I had to, it was right there) their primary residence? Probably yes, some folks will so that they can file taxes as a Florida resident (the state has no income tax and no estate/inheritance tax). But mostly I expect the residences to be mostly used as pieds-à-terre by folks from around the world who have enough money to just buy an apartment in a city they enjoy because they are into the vibe and food of a particular restaurant group. Maybe some enterprising folks will even try to rent theirs out on whatever the rich-people version of Airbnb is. There isn't yet pricing info, but JDS Development's other projects are quite expensive. At 111 W 57th Street, the self-described "tallest, most slender residential building in the Western Hemisphere" created by JDS, available residences start at $11.5 million for a 12th floor apartment and go up to $66 million for a penthouse. /cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23061013/AxTe4__A.jpeg) Official Question 4: Why is this in Miami? Of course this is in Miami. During the pandemic, Major Food Group went all in on Miami, opening two restaurants there within the first four months of 2021, and planning for several more. Its interest in the city isn't unique or especially mysterious: "I had the good fortune of finding myself here [in Miami] right at the beginning of the pandemic," Zalaznick told Eater earlier this year, noting that he now lives there. "As soon as I got here I realized the potential, and we started moving." Florida has had laxer Covid rules than MFG's home base of New York City, and Curbed notes that there is a New York-to-Miami exodus that includes restaurants, art galleries, and of course, residents. In 2021, Miami surpassed Los Angeles to become the second-most expensive housing market, second only to New York City, according to RealtyHop. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal proclaims Miami is "bullish" on the return of foreign real-estate buyers — presumably the kind who might buy a residence in a tower like this one. Question 5: Why would people want their home to be a brand activation? Well, with this one specifically, we'd be remiss not to note that MFG restaurants are delicious and — for diners, at least — very fun to be in. They are immersive and luxurious, and I, for one, understand the appeal of having people who create top-to-bottom experiences be in charge of decorating and envisioning my multimillion dollar new apartment. (See above in re: my questions about room service.) Bonus question: Why, oh why, did the name have to be styled in caps lock and with a period? This is a question that is mostly from me, as a survivor of the Name of Groans, and from our copy edit desk. As styled in the press release, the building is called MAJOR. (The period is part of the name, but also my end punctuation.) But truly why is this kind of punctuation and styling necessary? The project would surely have the same drama if it were called Major, right? |
| ‘The Great’ Creator Thinks Peter Would Make ‘an Amazing Michelin-Starred Chef’ Posted: 03 Dec 2021 11:10 AM PST  Talking with show creator and screenwriter Tony McNamara about the importance of food in his "occasionally true" series about Catherine the Great On Hulu's The Great, Peter (played with equal parts pomposity and likability by Nicholas Hoult) must decide between ruling and roast pork. Surprising to no one who's watched the show and familiarized themselves with the emperor, he chooses the pork. Though in all fairness, it has been prepared with cognac, apples, and marjoram — a particularly appetizing combination. The series, an "occasionally true story" about Catherine the Great (played by Elle Fanning), has always dallied in decadence that not only borders on hedonism, but invades hedonism's lands, evicts hedonism's heads of state, and moves into hedonism's castle to throw parties. No one embodies this more than Peter, a petulant brat of a ruler equally happy committing a murder or throwing darts at a servant as he is throwing back shots of vodka and openly having sex with his best friend's wife. But in the second season, the power has shifted. Catherine's coup has been somewhat successful and Peter's escape is foiled, all because he got too hungry. Condemned to his quarters after abdicating, Peter's obsession with delicious food only intensifies. We reached out to Tony McNamara, creator and executive producer of The Great, over email to talk about the role of food in the show, what dining says about royalty and class, his movie The Favourite, and why Peter, if alive today, would make an amazing chef. The interview has been lightly edited for clarity. Eater: Peter has always been a bon vivant, but this season he seems particularly food-obsessed. Was making him so hungry mostly a plot device to get him under Catherine's control or were there other reasons for having him constantly talking about food and eating? Tony McNamara: I think I've always regarded Peter as a hedonist and into food. My idea of him being so hungry and it eating away at him so much was, in a way, thinking about Catherine at war with him and what would be his big weakness. He'd hate to be hungry because he's an emperor and he's never had to go hungry. Mostly, he's obsessed with food because I'm obsessed with food. I grew up in a family that were bonded by food. My dad travelled a lot and the first question when he came back from wherever he'd been in the world was what did you eat? He brought back menus we'd pore over, my mum taught my three brothers and I how to cook, and we've all either worked, owned, cooked, or somehow been involved in restaurants at some point in our lives. We just love food and wine and how it creates community and family and joy. Also [co-prouder] Marian Macgowan [and I] have a 30-year friendship based around lunch. The big question of any day is where and what we should eat. Shooting the show in London and Italy, food is never far from our minds, so I guess anyone who knows me is not at all surprised how present food is in the show. Both Leo (may he rest) and Peter are very epicurean and seem to value life's pleasures and brevity in equally intense ways. Why did you set them up to mirror each other in that way? How are they different? I'm thinking particularly of the scene where Leo gives Catherine a peach in the first season vs. Peter trying to feed her an apricot in the second season; were those moments supposed to echo each other? Leo was the guy who approached life philosophically and that meant a kind of zen hedonism — enjoy the moment, nature, food, be present to the small things. Because in Peter's kingdom there was, in his mind, no change possible and death could come at any moment. So his revenge was to live well. Peter's is more a thoughtless hedonism, and a glory in tastes and flavors and things that are crazy and exotic. Peter is the more serious about cooking and good food. I do think of him as a frustrated foodie who was born into the wrong job he's not cut out for. His true love, and why it always makes him so happy in the show, is food. When I think of him as a character in present-day terms, he'd be an amazing Michelin-starred chef somewhere like Mugaritz or Alinea, happily creating insane delicious dishes. Did you do a lot of research into the food of the 18th century Russian court and the ways the royals ate? Or is it as — or more — important that it look decadent and delicious to modern viewers? We didn't really do too much food research. A little bit: For instance, peanuts arriving at court, moose lips as a delicacy, things like that. It was more important that it reflected Peter's character and looked as amazing as he demanded. Our art department is full of amazing Italians, so of course it's going to be important to them that it looks good. And that when roasting a pig over an open fire on set, we're all there that day. In The Great, food seems to represent extremes like hope (the macarons served to soldiers on the battlefield) or weakness (Peter abdicating because he smelled pork) or greed (the sheer amount of food and alcohol consumed at court while the serfs starve). Catherine, interestingly, seems largely interested in food only as a means to an end (like filling a pregnancy craving). Could you share some insights on distinguishing food that way? Food has been a political thing forever. From Marie Antoinette's [wrongly attributed] "Let them eat cake" onward, it can show a kind of dangerous cluelessness of the upper class to what the rest of a society is struggling with. In that regard, it seemed a good way of showing how Peter was a bad leader and didn't care for his people. And yet cared about a good semifreddo. I noticed something similar in The Favourite. Abigail wins Anne over with cake while Sarah scolds her for eating something that will make her sick. In the end, Abigail is surrounded by as much food and champagne as she could possibly consume and yet there's a sort of grotesque tragedy to it. What does food say about characters, in general, but especially in these depictions of royalty and class? In The Favourite, food represents safety to Abigail; she's got herself out of poverty and is literally making herself sick by consuming. The queen is empty and can't find the love she needs to fill herself with, but will try to eat a very blue cake instead. I think for Catherine [in The Great], it's a means to an end. She's not that into it as a character choice. For her, ideas are the thing that feed her, not clothes, food, or parties. I think the way people consume or don't consume food is often a telling aspect of their personality. We eat three times a day for 70 years. What we eat, how, who with, and when is going to be a real telltale to who we all are individually and societally. All episodes of The Great are currently available on Hulu. |
| The 24 Essential Restaurants of Monterrey, Mexico Posted: 03 Dec 2021 07:34 AM PST  From fish and chips with a Mexican twist, to rib-eye and fideo seco tacos at a quintessential northern steakhouse, here's where to eat in the grill-happy capital of Nuevo León Despite its stunning location in the beautiful Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range, Monterrey hasn't yet attracted too many tourists. As a well-known commercial hub and university town, though, it does get its fair share of out-of-towners, and a vibrant restaurant scene has sprung up to cater to the influx. The scene is diverse: Among tables of raucous students and suits toasting business deals, you'll find plenty of local families sharing heaping orders of rib-eye tacos and grilled vegetables. With nearly year-round hot weather, Monterrey long ago developed a deep barbecue tradition. Chefs venerate open-fire cooking, diners regularly get together around steak, and grilled beef and cabrito (baby goat) have become synonymous with eating in the city. While that tradition runs strong, vegetarians shouldn't be discouraged. The restaurant scene has grown immensely in the past few years, both in the restaurant hub in San Pedro García Garza and elsewhere, as chefs branch out with exciting concepts across town. Steakhouses make room for ramen spots, taco joints join artisanal bakeries, and fine dining stalwarts meet French bistros. Update, November 2021: In cities across the globe, the pandemic has left restaurants reeling — and Monterrey is no exception. Blake, 13 Puercos de Soto, and El Gran Laszlo Loszla, three essential fixtures of the dining scene, were among those forced to close permanently. Yet even as locals said goodbye to some beloved eateries, the community embraced new ventures born during difficult times: an ice cream parlor featuring artisanal ingredients, a former ghost kitchen and now full restaurant serving British fish and chips, a daring high-end establishment honoring Northern Mexican cuisine, and more. So settle in beside the auto execs and Tecnológico de Monterrey students, order up a steak or escargots or eggplant chicharrón, and get to know Monterrey through the city's essential restaurants. Note: The inclusion of restaurants offering dine-in service should not be taken as an endorsement for dining inside. Studies indicate a lower exposure risk to COVID-19 outdoors, but the level of risk is contingent on social distancing and other safety guidelines. Check with each restaurant for up-to-date information on dining offerings. For updated information on coronavirus cases and travel restrictions, please visit the US Embassy in Mexico.
Liliana López Sorzano is a food and travel writer based between Mexico City and Bogotá, Colombia, where she contributes to local and international media. She is a former editor-in-chief at Food & Wine in Spanish.  |
| Black Farmers Still Await Debt Relief as Lawsuits Block Promised Aid Posted: 03 Dec 2021 06:30 AM PST  Lawsuits filed by white farmers have blocked $4 billion in debt relief to Black farmers. Congress and the Biden administration might have a path forward. This story was originally published on Civil Eats. It was supposed to be the beginning of a new era for Black farmers. After the 2020 election, the Biden administration and a new Democratic majority in Congress promised to rectify the results of years of discrimination and systemic racism, and incoming Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and House Agriculture Committee Chair David Scott identified justice for Black farmers as a top priority. But their biggest push to correct historic wrongs — $4 billion in direct debt relief payments authorized in the American Rescue Plan — was stymied by lawsuits from white farmers before any checks were cut. Now, the outcomes of these cases — particularly Miller v. Vilsack, the most influential of multiple lawsuits brought by white farmers to prevent the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from distributing debt relief to Black farmers — could have widespread negative consequences for any government efforts aimed at addressing historic inequities. "It's not an exaggeration to say that whether or not there are Black farmers in America could depend on this case," said Mark Rosenbaum, an attorney for pro bono law firm Public Counsel who is representing the Federation of Southern Cooperatives in a new attempt to affect the outcome of Miller. After all, the ranks of Black farmers have declined precipitously over the last century. In 1920, 14 percent of the farmers in America were Black; by 2017, that number had shrunk to less than 2 percent, with about 45,500 Black farmers remaining. Throughout the past century, Black farmers have documented extensive discrimination in accessing USDA loans and other support programs and sought recompense through a high-profile class action lawsuit and other channels. But it appears that little has changed for farmers on the ground; a Politico analysis found that in 2020, the agency approved farm loans for just 37 percent of Black applicants and 71 percent of white applicants. Still, with no way to determine what that outcome will be or how long the court battles will drag on, Congress and the Biden administration have turned to other programs to give Black farmers a leg up, including an alternative approach to debt relief, a USDA equity commission, and investments in new programs for underserved producers. Many of these efforts use language that avoids targeting groups by race. People on the front lines of the fight for justice for Black farmers say those efforts are meaningful but question whether they can collectively turn the tide, and whether the lawsuits could halt momentum toward explicit acknowledgements of racial discrimination in agriculture. Alternative Paths for ReliefIn October, lawmakers revealed a provision now included in the Build Back Better Act that would provide $6 billion for full and partial debt forgiveness on direct loans to underserved farmers, identified as "limited-resource" or "economically distressed," with no mention of race. It also allows farmers who have experienced past USDA discrimination to apply for additional assistance up to $500,000. Advocates say many of the Black farmers seeking debt relief would qualify, and most groups representing their interests, including the Federation, are supportive of the measure. "It's a much more inclusive definition, but it would still get at the debt relief [to] our farmers writ large," said Savi Horne, executive director of the North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers Land Loss Prevention Project, which works to help Black farmers retain ownership of their land and was one of the organizations that led the June amicus brief. On November 19, the House narrowly passed the Build Back Better Act, but it is unclear whether Democratic lawmakers will get it through the Senate and how it might be reshaped in the process. If it does make it to the president's desk, said Dania Davy, director of land retention and advocacy at the Federation, she's concerned that the new debt relief program will replace — instead of supplement — the more targeted help for Black farmers. /cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23057055/1346643302.jpg) Scott Olson/Getty Images /cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23057057/1346643582.jpg) Scott Olson/Getty Images "Without a specific racial equity lens, our country runs the risk of maintaining the status quo, which has not been adequately addressed by our laws or our courts to date," Davy said. During a discussion on debt cancellation hosted by the Food Law and Policy Clinic at Harvard Law School this week, multiple panelists echoed that point. "You can't effectively address racial discrimination without using racial language," said Keisha Stokes-Hough, a senior supervising attorney at the Southern Poverty Law Center. But as a result of the lawsuits, advocates have no choice but to try. At the same time, Davy says she's encouraged by mounting evidence that the USDA is operating with a new racial equity focus. A spokesperson for the USDA said equity is a primary focus at the agency under Vilsack. She provided a five-page document detailing "core actions" the agency has taken so far to address racial justice and equity, including appointing a diverse leadership team. "Under the Biden Administration, USDA is serious about our efforts to dismantle barriers that historically underserved communities have faced in accessing USDA programs and services. For generations, entrenched disparities in our society and economy — at times facilitated by USDA — have made it harder for people of color to have a fair shot at the American dream," USDA press secretary Kate Waters told Civil Eats in an email. "USDA will continue to make investments to advance equity throughout the department to help rebuild our economy and our social safety net so all people can thrive." The agency rolled out the Heirs' Property Relending Program in July with $67 million in funding to help farmers establish permanent legal ownership of land caught up in succession challenges related to heirs' property. Those farmers are primarily African American, since years of racist policies and actions after emancipation prevented many landowners from accessing the legal system, and often had to pass along their land without wills or estate plans in place. One conservative estimate found that there are more than 1.6 million acres of heirs' property in the Black Belt that stretches across the South, with a value of $6.6 billion. "It's the first time since the founding of the USDA that these heirs' property farmers are getting their foot in the door," Horne said. She predicted that many will likely benefit in states like Georgia and Virginia, but due to a difference in state laws, farmers in North Carolina and other states like it are unlikely to qualify. In August, the agency announced that it had also increased enrollment of "historically underrepresented producers" in the second round of farmer pandemic relief by 14 percent since April. In its first iteration (distributed through October 2020), 97 percent of the $9.2 billion in the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) went to white farmers. And this fall, additional programs have been funded at a quick clip. The USDA invested $50 million in Racial Justice and Equity Conservation Cooperative Agreements that will support producers who have historically faced barriers to accessing USDA's conservation assistance programs in implementing climate-smart agriculture and forestry projects. It put $4.7 million into expanding access to Farm Service Agency programs and financial services, including pandemic-related assistance, among underserved producers. And the day before Thanksgiving, the agency announced the disbursement of $75 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan to 20 organizations helping connect underserved producers with USDA programs, including the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, the National Black Farmers Association, and the National Black Growers Council. In September, the agency also followed up on President Biden's January executive order by starting the process of forming its first Equity Commission. The Commission will be made up of 15 members with varied backgrounds — including representatives of community-based organizations and an individual with civil rights expertise — and nominations were due by the end of November. According to the Federal Register, the agency expects the Commission to begin meeting sometime this winter. During the Harvard Law event, Tracy Lloyd McCurty, executive director of the Black Belt Justice Center, and fellow panelist Lawrence Lucas, the president emeritus of the USDA Coalition of Minority Employees, expressed doubts that the Commission would have a real impact. The two noted that the agency's efforts so far have fallen far short of rooting out racism within the department and spelled out immediate actions the Secretary of Agriculture could take to immediately correct discriminatory systems, such as abolishing or reforming the County Commission System. "Tom Vilsack, with the stroke of his pen, can immediately do something about changing that ... racist process that denies minority farmers, especially Black farmers, the same rights and privileges as white farmers," Lucas said. "My feeling is that we should not be waiting for an Equity Commission to come up with what we already know." He also referenced the fact that when Vilsack ran the USDA during the Obama administration, the Secretary made many false claims about progress the agency had made on civil rights. Davy is more optimistic. "We see a lot of evidence of racial equity guiding the decisions that Secretary Vilsack and this USDA has been attempting to implement, and it's unfortunate that these lawsuits have slowed down that progress and cast a negative light on ... the significance and importance of racial equity," she said. /cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23057081/1079949556.jpg) Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images The Meaning of Miller v. VilsackIn an effort to maintain momentum on that progress, the Federation decided to file a "motion to intervene" in Miller, the lawsuit in which a judge issued a nationwide injunction halting relief. If the judge grants the motion, the Federation and the Black farmers it represents would be added as plaintiffs, giving them the chance to add their stories to the record and to participate more fully in the fight. "There wasn't really any discussion in the public records during the filings that reflected the experiences that our members were sharing with us in terms of race-based discrimination in attempting to receive agricultural credit ... and a disproportionate debt burden," Davy said. After the USDA sent letters informing farmers that they were eligible for the relief, many returned their paperwork and planned their growing seasons anticipating the payment, she said. And while other help is making its way through USDA, the fact that the checks haven't arrived could plunge many of them further into debt. Attorney Rosenbaum says it's tough to pinpoint how long it will be before the case proceeds, but he doesn't expect the wait to be too long. Still, it could be too late for some. "All of the calls we get every day from Black farmers around the country are, 'Mr. Boyd, when am I going to get my debt relief?'" said Virginia farmer and National Black Farmers Association founder John Boyd, Jr. during a sustainable agriculture conference in November. What happens in court will not only determine whether farmers get debt relief or not, he said, but the outcomes will also send a message that could affect how they interact with the USDA's other efforts in the future. Speaking about farmland conservation programs, which could also get a funding boost in the Build Back Better Act, Boyd said, "I don't want Black farmers to give up on the system or to give up on programs like this, because we've been burned so many times before." • Black Farmers Still Await Debt Relief as Lawmakers Resolve Racist Lawsuits [Civil Eats] |
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