Being Black in the Hospitality Industry - Part II with Chef Brian Jupiter (Frontier, Ina Mae) and Kurtis Lott (Cajun Boil & Bar)
Release Date: 07/26/2020
A Chef’s Journey Leads to Giving Back when it Mattered Most - Chef Diana Dávila of Mi Tocaya
What's On Tap - Industry Talk
Everyone knows the restaurant industry is difficult even without a pandemic! One Chicago chef found a way to not only survive this but to give back. Chef & Owner Diana Dávila of Mi Tocaya is busy running her restaurant and part-time food bank for hungry undocumented hospitality workers. The Beard-nominated, Michelin-recognized, “Chef of the Year” had one more lesson to learn - how to lead during a pandemic. We sat down with Chef to learn about the experiences that shaped her, Todas Ponen, and what’s
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Innovation In The Industry - Part I: From Distillation to Hand Sanitization with @MRDistilling
What's On Tap - Industry Talk
As devastating as the pandemic has been to bars & restaurants, it has also been a call for us to innovate, bond together, and solve problems. In this first episode of the new series, “Innovation in the Industry,” we sit down with Mississippi River Distilling Company to learn about the massive shift many distilleries underwent in converting their production facilities into hand sanitizer factories at a time when we were running dangerously low. We also get to talk with Forbidden Root Restaurant & Brewery
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Nightlife Under COVID Pt. 2 - The DJ Perspective with Chicago-based DJ Silkee (Shannon Currie)
What's On Tap - Industry Talk
In the second episode of our series Nightlife Under COVID, we interview Chicago-based Shannon Currie, AKA DJ Silkee. Hear how he adapted and innovated to survive during the government-mandated coronavirus shutdown; which brought his world and livelihood to a screeching stop in March. Shannon also shares how he came to throw a weekly Sunday afternoon balcony party to entertain and bring cheer to his South Loop neighbors (as well as keep his skills sharp) during a time of isolation and stress for many of us.
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Nightlife Under COVID Pt. 1 - The Nightclub Perspective with Chicago-based Le Nocturne
What's On Tap - Industry Talk
In this first episode in our series “Nightlife Under COVID,” we interview the owner and GM of Chicago-based nightclub Le Nocturne. They have done everything they can to use the government-mandated shutdown the best they can, from making physical improvements to the club to launching a successful streaming channel, Nocturne Chicago Live. They are on a mission to keep house music alive and thriving and are now reaching people around the globe. Be inspired by their resilience and tenacity!
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Being Black in the Hospitality Industry - Part III with Black People Eats and Chicago Food On The Run
What's On Tap - Industry Talk
To close out What’s On Tap’s “Black in the Hospitality Industry” series, we sit down with Jeremy Joyce, founder of Black People Eats and Kristal Long, Business Manager at Chicago Food on the Run, a newly opened black-owned restaurant. Although the end of the series doesn’t mean our listening phase is over, we certainly hope that we have a better understanding of the experiences of our friends and coworkers. This episode brings us to a Chicago neighborhood that many “foodies” normally wouldn’
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Being Black in the Hospitality Industry - Part II with Chef Brian Jupiter (Frontier, Ina Mae) and Kurtis Lott (Cajun Boil & Bar)
What's On Tap - Industry Talk
We sit down with Kurtis Lott, Co-owner & Chief Operator of Cajun Boil & Bar, and Brian Jupiter, Executive Chef & Partner of Frontier and Ina Mae Tavern. They both have been in the bar & restaurant biz since they were teenagers and share their unique experiences and perspectives on what it is like coming up “black in the hospitality industry.” We also discuss the challenges of having black-owned restaurants, mentorship, and they provide simple tips on what we can all do to make the world a better place.
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Being Black in the Hospitality Industry - Part I with Charles St. Clair (Black Horizon Brewing Co.) & Hope Johnson
What's On Tap - Industry Talk
What’s On Tap was created in response to the shock bars & restaurants were facing during COVID19. Amidst the pandemic, the video of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police came to light and the Black Lives Matter movement swelled. TappedIn decided to pause our coronavirus-focused episodes and listen to what it is like to be Black in the hospitality industry. We recorded the first episode in this series on Juneteenth at the only active Black-owned brewery in IL with 2 industry veterans. #listen
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The Voices of Hospitality Industry Employees in the Midst of COVID-19
What's On Tap - Industry Talk
Although What’s On Tap represents the entirety of the hospitality industry, our first few episodes featured owners. On this episode, we hear from 3 Chicago bar & restaurant industry veterans on the employee side who share their experiences navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. We touch on everything from unemployment, to concerns about reopening, to the difficult career choices they are facing. This raw, unfiltered conversation is both challenging and lighthearted, as multiple perspectives are heard
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Food & Bev Lawyers Unpack COVID-19 for The Industry
What's On Tap - Industry Talk
Not all bar & restaurant owners and most employees can afford high-powered lawyers, especially when their businesses are shut down or they’re unemployed. Yet, in a time when the stakes are higher than ever, having sound legal advice is critically important. We gathered two legal titans who specialize in the hospitality and alcohol beverage industries to discuss the most important topics facing this group. Nothing in this episode should be considered legal advice but we do hope that it will add perspective
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The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group Feeds Chicago in a Time of Need
What's On Tap - Industry Talk
We sit down with the co-founders of the Chicago-based Fifty/50 Restaurant Group who have converted 2 of their 19 restaurants into take-home meal pickup sites for the restaurant industry and others in need. With a staggering 2/3 of bar & restaurant professionals out of work right now, a free meal sure can help out. We also get the opportunity to talk to them about their meteoric growth from a single concept in 2008 to one of the most successful restaurant groups in Chicago today.
info_outlineIn our second episode in What’s On Tap’s “Black in the Hospitality Industry” series, we sit down with Kurtis Lott, Co-owner & Chief Operator of the four-location restaurant concept Cajun Boil & Bar (@cajunboilandbar), and Brian Jupiter (@chefjup) award-winning Executive Chef & Partner of two Chicago restaurants, Frontier (@frontierchicago) and Ina Mae Tavern (@inamaetavern). They both have been in the bar and restaurant industry since they were teenagers and share with us their unique experiences and perspectives on what it is like coming up “black in the hospitality industry.” We also discuss the challenges of having black-owned restaurants, the change they see happening in America, and they give some simple tips on what we can all do to make the world a better place. “Soul Food Sundays” anyone?
Chef Jupiter was named as a finalist for the James Beard Award Best Chef - Great Lakes and has been on multiple television shows and news channels including Cooking Channel’s America’s Best Bites, Check, Please!, NBC Chicago News, NBC’s 1st Look, Fox 32 Chicago News, WGN-TV News, and the Food Network. Frontier, known for their “whole animal experience” (including alligator!), was Chef’s first foray into restaurant ownership after having led many other kitchens. Ina Mae Tavern, named after Chef Jupiter’s great-grandmother, is a New Orleans-style concept inspired by recipes passed down through generations in his family.
Kurtis Lott is not only a successful restaurateur, but he’s also the first client of TappedIn (the restaurant marketing company that creates the What’s On Tap video podcast) that has been on the show. Kurtis is the Chief Operator & Co-owner of Cajun Boil & Bar - a Louisiana-inspired restaurant built around seafood boils, amazing sauce, and a lively atmosphere. They opened up four Chicagoland Cajun Boil & Bar locations (Oakbrook Terrace, Orland Park, Oak Park, and Joliet, IL) within one year! It has been amazing to see what he was able to accomplish in such a short period of time.
We had a great conversation with these two inspirational restaurateurs and we hope you enjoy it as well!