Drinks With New Friends

Written By Brian Johnson

As we research and socialize our concept, we have been extremely fortunate to get helpful advice from a “who’s who” of local New Orleans hospitality professionals. I am flabbergasted and gob smacked (flabbersmacked? gobgasted? yes, both!) at the kind, charitable, friendly, optimistic, and pragmatic advice we have received from a stalwart group of food and beverage vets. Nothing is easy or taken for granted, but I truly believe that the collective guidance and good wishes doled out by this fantastic group of people will help us put our best food forward as we ramble down the path to opening day.

We’d like to take a second to say “thanks” to everyone who has helped so far.

The entire thing really starts with the great Beth D’Addono. Her willingness to share her deep knowledge and long-standing relationships in the New Orleans hospitality community has been a warm shaft of angelic light shining down on us. We’d be many miles further away from our goal without Beth.

One of the early introductions Beth made was to the superb chef-owner of Mister Mao, Sophina Oung. Sophina’s cheery candor and friendly pragmatism have been a very welcome influence on our journey. Part trail guide, part drinking buddy, all canny advisor and perspective-bringer, we are very lucky to count Sophina as a new friend.

We are also thrilled to meet the owner-chef team at Chi Chi’s and Dolfy’s, Adolfo “Fito” Garcia Jr. and his wife Sophia Petrou Garcia, as well as Fito’s legendary father, Adolfo Garcia (RioMar, La Boca, Ancora, High Hat). We are actively exploring how a partnership could work between us to further spread our mutual love of Basque food.

We have also been lucky enough to chat and share notes over the past couple of months with an amazing list of culinary superstars. We have tried to soak up every tasty tidbit provided by this fledging but mighty network as we push forward to build a place of our own.

  • Chef Adam Meyer - Two Bites Catering and Latke Daddy

  • Chef Mani Dawes - Cafe Malou and Tia Pol (New York)

  • Effie Richardson - Managing Partner at Dakar

  • Neal Bodenheimer - founder of Cure, CureCo, Dauphine’s (Washington DC), Tales of the Cocktail

  • Chef Fredo Nogueira - Val’s, Cafe Conmigo, Cane and Table

  • Chef Edgar Caro - Brasa, Baru, and Basin

  • Mason Hereford - owner and chef of Turkey and The Wolf, Hot Stuff, Molly’s Rise and Shine, Hungry Eyes

  • Linda Novak - owner of Swoop-Duggins House and Bar 1865

  • Robert LeBlanc - founder and CEO of LeBLANC + SMITH

  • Chef Jonathan Klaskala - Kenton’s, Elysian Bar, DTB

  • John Micheal Rowland - owner of The Husky, Pigeon + Whale

  • Geoff Lewis - partner, NOLA Capital Partners and Sunnie’s

  • Chef Dana Honn - founder, Tropical Foodways Institute, Louisiana Shrimp Festival, Carmo, Nikkei Izakaya

  • Robert Paetz - owner, Fat of the Land (Santa Ana and Irvine, CA)

  • Leo and Chef Brianne Clancy - owners, Heirloom, A Modern Farmhouse (Huntington Beach, CA)

  • Dayna Bennett - owner, Calida (St. Petersburg, FL)

  • Zoo Ghostly - founder, 86 Wine Bar (St. Petersburg, FL)

Brian Johnson
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