CELEBRATING BACK HISTORY MONTH
By Great Performances
February marks Black History Month, an annual American initiative designed to bring awareness and recognition of the achievements made by African Americans along with their positive contributions to U.S. history.
At Great Performances, we’re committed to taking a stand against racism and promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion. As we make this part of our daily lives, it’s also important to give special consideration during the cultural and heritage months we celebrate and celebrate the diverse groups and individuals who have contributed to the richness of our world.
One of our programs for supporting talented chefs and restaurateurs while bringing the diversity and richness of NYCs food scene to our clients is through People’s Kitchen. This program brings the bounty of the city and its flavors from around the world into the cafes we operate. We form deep relationships with a variety of restaurants and chefs.
To celebrate Black History Month, we’ve invited some of our favorite Black chefs and Black-owned restaurants to our cafes, including Samuel Branch of Branch Patty, JJ Johnson of FIELDTRIP, Auzerais Bellamy of Blondery, and many more.
Georgette Farkas, Culinary Ambassador at Great Performances, spearheads our People’s Kitchen program. She sat down with some of our guest chefs to learn more about their food, their passion, and how they do it.

Charles Pan-Fried Chicken
Charles Pan-Fried Chicken Chef Charles Gabriel inside his first brick and mortar Chef Charles Gabriel in front of his new

Zanmi
Zanmi Chef Wesly Jean Simon Photo courtesy of Wesly Chef Wesly Jean Simon was born and raised in Haiti until

Interview: Auzerais Bellamy, Blondery
CHEF INTERVIEW: AUZERAIS BELLAMY, BLONDERY By Georgette Farkas Have you had a culinary mentor, and if so, what is the

Interview: JJ Johnson, Fieldtrip
CHEF INTERVIEW: JJ JOHNSON, FIELDTRIP By Georgette Farkas Founded in 2019 by Chef JJ Johnson, FIELDTRIP is a community-based dining

Celebrating Black History Month
CELEBRATING BACK HISTORY MONTH By Great Performances February marks Black History Month, an annual American initiative designed to bring awareness

Interview: Samuel Branch, Branch Patty
CHEF INTERVIEW: SAMUEL BRANCH, BRANCH PATTY By Georgette Farkas Delivering Jamaican Patties Handmade with Sustainable Ingredients – Branch Patty Established