“Greenpoint loves Kenny. Greenpoint needs Kenny.”
One of Brooklyn's most beloved chefs is a former bouncer.
Good morning everyone. Two things before we begin today:
Will any of you be in Miami for Art Basel?
I will be making some design changes later this evening to Feed Me before tomorrow’s two-year anniversary letter. You might see them if you’re on the app or desktop version of Substack, but have no fear, these changes are planned.
“Greenpoint loves Kenny. Greenpoint needs Kenny.”
Today’s letter starts with an interview with Kenneth Eweka Jr., known as Kenny, who runs two companies in Brooklyn: a security company (you might have seen him before at the door at The Pencil Factory), and a food pop-up called Bon Appetite. I have a cohort of Greenpoint men in my life who wouldn’t stop talking about how much they love his restaurant pop-up (one texted me this morning, “Greenpoint loves Kenny. Greenpoint needs Kenny.”), so it was time for me to investigate for myself.
Bon Appetite started when Kenny was bouncing at The Pencil Factory and he noticed there was no food. “When I get into business, I look for what's needed and what's lacking and what's not around, and that is your competitive advantage,” he told me. “If something is not around and you're the only one doing it, you actually win. I'm the one only doing African soul food. I had a niche, I had a theme and I had an idea and I went with it.”
Right now, Bon Appetite’s African soul food menu is available at several Greenpoint bars: Oak and Iron, Brooklyn Safehouse, and Lady Jays from Thursday to Sunday, 3pm to midnight.
When I asked him what the plans are for 2025, Kenny told me that food trucks are in the cards. “I'm going to do a lot of groundwork, a lot of footwork, let everybody get to know me, let them know that the food is good, and then from there I'll take steps in opening a truck.”
A funny point that we agreed on — the people who work multiple jobs are harder workers than the ones that need a job. “I have two sous chefs and the only thing is they have their own day jobs. I might need to hire people that don't have jobs, so they can constantly do this with me. But what I learned too is the ones with no jobs, they don't have the same ambition, so it gets a little tricky.”
First of all, what’s it like being one of the most beloved founders in Greenpoint?
I am truly blessed and humbled to even be considered with a title of such stature. I believe in bringing people together and making everyone who graces my presence better than where they were. If I can change anyone’s life whether it be spiritually or emotionally for the better I have lived my purpose.
How has Bon Appetite evolved since you first started it? Have you added or taken away anything from the menu?
It has evolved faster and better than I can even imagine in just a year of operations. I do private cheffing, private events, and catering now. I have added things to the menu such as whole chicken, and quarter leg chicken thighs, and removed the chicken breast. The chicken is also Halal.
When did you first learn to cook?
I was about 8 years old and I got tired of asking everybody to cook for me, so I learned how to make egg and cheese, grilled cheese and scrambled eggs and sweet plantains. I was so proud of myself and started to experiment more, even though my mom hated when I touched the stove at those times. I got most of my flavor and technique from all the women in my family, and paying attention to when chefs cooked around me.
Do you think you’ll eventually start cooking more days a week?
Yes, I believe I will start cooking more days a week. My customers do ask me for more days or they wish they knew I was going to be out more. So I have considered adding more days to the schedule. I just need more loyal Sous Chefs to be able to complete the week out more efficiently and effectively.
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Where do you eat to get ideas for new ways of building Bon Appetite?
My grandmother is actually the best cook I know and I always ask her for ideas. I am also very good with experimenting and don’t go out to eat as much, because I feel people do not put love in their food anymore. This capitalism treats everything as a dollar and I feel they exclude the love that goes into cooking. However, a few places I do like are some African places in the Bronx and Brooklyn, Spanish and Thai food in Queens and a bit of Soul Food in Harlem. I am blessed to have a vision without much need to go out to get ideas.
“If something is not around and you're the only one doing it, you actually win.”
What’s the best way for people to get turned away from a bar you’re working at?
I’ll say the best way to get turned away is not being yourself, bringing negative energy, not being able to control yourself in an adult manner and looking for problems. I do not like bullies and have always protected those around me and who I love from the evils that be. I’m from New York so I’m use to all the craziness but I’m always on point and ready.
For our next Guest Lecture, we’ll be interviewing . Clare is the owner of Stissing House and co-owner of King. She also writes a cooking newsletter on Substack with thousands of paying subscribers called The Best Bit. Paid readers, get in there.
If we had a water cooler, I’d talk to you about:
Mr. Simon Porte Jacquemus made a candle. It appears in the brand’s most recent holiday campaign, and was made in collaboration with Trudon. It will smell like the South of France of course, with “notes of fresh mint and citrus fruits such as lemon and blackcurrant.”
went to a “Substack meetup” on Tuesday night. The event was at Eli Zabar’s EAT (sadly I couldn’t go because well, I was hosting another dinner a few blocks away) and apparently Alex Vadukul will be reporting on the party for The Times — after all, they must hit their one Substack story a week quota. Stagg’s party reporting includes encounters with
, , and .My hangovers proudly funded Electrolit’s new facility in Waco, TX.
Speaking of hangovers, the last 7-Eleven in the East Village is closing. When I lived in Stuytown in college, this location was my grocery store and coffee shop and pregame temple. “The owner of the Avenue A 7-Eleven blamed the rampant thefts for his store's closure.”
Kim has pulled the final nail out of the Dolce & Gabbana coffin. SKIMS announced a collaboration with Dolce & Gabbana that includes leopard-print pieces to wear in and out of the bedroom. The campaign features pots of spaghetti and I guess some characters who are supposed to look like old Italian guys in Sicily, it’s all extremely well executed. I thought we didn’t fuck with D&G anymore — earlier this year, The Times wrote about how fashion has cancelled canceling. “Dolce & Gabbana, which suffered a fall from grace in 2018, when it appeared to offend all of China with an ad campaign that trafficked in racial stereotype, and which was preceded by numerous slurs about size and sexual orientation. In 2022, the brand not only appeared to sponsor an entire Kardashian wedding but also collaborated with Kim.”
Chris Black says he feels bad about all the Zach Bryan/Brianna Chickenfry gossip. “It isn’t really funny or that salacious. If I were Zach Bryan, I wouldn’t want my girlfriend singing Morgan Wallen songs in my house either, but it’s all just profoundly uncool… People want to escape, me included, but there has to be a better way.”
Alexa Chung’s favorite tool in her house is a cheese slicer. I also need to give Sydney Gore a round of applause for finally getting someone (Chung) to say what we’ve all been thinking:
“It’s like when you see pictures of all the famous girls and realize that all their parents have ranches in Montana…. I didn’t get the memo that everyone was from ranches or something. I don’t understand, why is everyone in that boat? Is it a tax break? What’s going on?”
I’m not sure what it is, but something is happening with flatware. There have always been options, I went wedding registry shopping with my sister, I know the drill. But I’m noticing those options are being presented to me alongside fashion and cultural news. Last week,
asked “Who am I in spoon form?” for Dirt; a few weeks prior, Zara Home launched colorful kitchenware; and this morning, New York Magazine’s best newsletter Secret Strategist suggested a few sets of ribbed cutlery to readers.
Ben & Jerry's says parent Unilever silenced it over Gaza stance. “Ben & Jerry's has on four occasions attempted to publicly speak out in support of peace and human rights. Unilever has silenced each of these efforts."
Sofia Coppola has been hired to revive the tradition of Paris’ great balls.
collaborated with Blluemade to make a bread bag. Didn’t think I’d be learning about bread storage from those guys, but glad I did! “When it comes to storing bread, linen is natural technology perfectly built for the job. It breathes and wicks moisture, which helps keep bread fresher-tasting and with a much nicer texture, for longer, than if you store it out, or in paper, cotton, or (mamma mia) plastic.”
I wonder if the fun flatware thing is kind of what Meredith Hayden aka @wishbonekitchen was talking about in the aforementioned Friendsgiving video; she said something about how we ditched whimsy sometime around 2012 and it's time to bring it back into dining again. I would agree, charm is back, but soon enough I'll want everything overrefined again
Thoughts on The Onion buying info wars? Haha