THE ART OF THE SNACK | SHILLING CANNING CO

This month, we make our way down to DC to enjoy a meal at Shilling Canning Co whose roots are based in agriculture and the art of canning. We sit down with Chef Reid Shilling to find out how his family legacy led him to bring his restaurant to diners who enjoy his California meets Maryland heritage cuisine. We find out about his culinary journey, the restaurant, and what we should think about enjoying upon our next visit in this month's The Art of the Snack.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did Shilling Canning Company open and can you tell us the meaning behind the name and can you tell us the history of this family business?

CHEF REID SHILLING: We opened on July 10, 2019. We are coming up on our 6th anniversary. Hard to believe.

My family has seemingly always been on either construction or agriculture of some form. This dates back for as long as I can find in census records. Canning itself dates back to the Napoleonic wars where he offered a reward for for the invention of new food preservation techniques so that he could better feed his troops.

In 1809 that reward was fulfilled, by 1850’s the mason jar was patented, by the late 1800’s Ball started manufacturing them for home use, and in early 1900’s the can was brought onto the scene. This was a game changer for many farmers, as it extended their money making season beyond the growing season. My family was no different as they farmed in Carrol County, Maryland outside of Baltimore.

From 1935-1958 they operated several canning sheds packing under 10 or 12 different labels (Shillbro, Shilling Bros. Canning Company, Bethel Heights (the name of the road on the shed still stands on today) Weller, etc) and they packed for neighboring farms as well. They had really high standards of quality for what they packed, and even went to far as to label the cans “these peas packed fresh from our own farm.”

For me, this resonated. I spent a handful of years operating kitchens in California where I developed relationships with the farmers whose food I served and began to really understand the differences between well grown and raised food vs the quality of commodity grown and raised products . (I still keep contact with a lot of them today and sometimes I’m lucky enough to get their food here). For me, walking through the Santa Monica and Napa farmers markets was really inspirational, and my approach inherently became more “west coast” where I’d walk the market to select the products directly from the farmer, and then write a menu based on what I loved. I knew I wanted to bring that approach, the relationships with local farmers and the high quality food, back to the mid Atlantic where at the time (early 2000’s) that way of cooking was only being done by a handful of chefs. So like my ancestors, I really cared about the ingredients being used so the association between the two was seamless. It is seasonal Maryland/mid Atlantic farmhouse style cooking with California finesse: a blend of my heritage and my career travels.

AM: For those that have yet to dine at this DC restaurant, what is the ambiance of the restaurant in terms of the design?

CHEF RS: The ambiance centers around our copper wood burning oven, and open kitchen. Notes of the Chesapeake sprinkled throughout, marble chef's counter where you can experience our 7 course chef's tasting menu and interact with me and the kitchen team. It’s industrial, but with softer touch pillows, navy blue banquettes, and some appropriately themed artwork. Some replicas of my families cans make an appearance as well as some of the cans we have put up as well.

AM: Can you speak about the background of Chef Reid Shilling, where he trained and kitchens he worked in prior to coming to this restaurant?

CHEF RS: This July marks 27 years in the industry, most all of which occurred in the kitchen. I got a hospitality degree from Florida State University, worked for Hillstone Restaurant Group running the kitchens in some of their flagship properties like Hillstone on Park Avenue, Houston’s on the Santa Monica Farmers Market, Gulfstream in Century City/Beverly Hills and of course Woodmont Grill right here in Bethesda. I graduated from the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, (where I met Sara, my wife and business partner) and then went on to work for Thomas Keller at Bouchon. I was part of the opening team at The Dabney, and then went on to do some consulting while pushing forward to getting Shilling open.

AM: What is the cuisine that can be enjoyed here?

CHEF RS: We highlight the ingredients of the Chesapeake, with a menu that changes with the seasons (not winter spring summer fall, but Rockfish season, tomato season, peach season, pumpkin season, Maryland blue crab, etc) so the menu is always changing and evolving.

AM: Why is seasonality so important to the menus that are offered here and what are the kinds of ingredients that tend to be on the menu during this time of year?

CHEF RS: Seasonality is so important because the overwhelming amount of ingredients we buy come from local small family farms. Yeah you can get blueberries in the supermarket all year long but that doesn’t mean they are good. Depending on the time of year they can come from any number of countries with minimal focus on the actual quality of the berry and how it’s grown. Our berries come from Annette, a farmer in Waynesboro PA (5 Sisters Fruit Farm) who will only hand pick and sell us fruit with the highest quality. I highlight her fruit with just a little jam (made from her fruit) and some lightly sweetened mascarpone and mint or hyssop from our culinary garden. That’s the difference. Right now we are getting Rockfish caught that morning from the mouth of the Patapsco River, Softshell crabs from Crab Alley Bay, Fava beans from both VA and PA, Black bass from a family that’s been fishing out of west ocean city MD for 5 decades. It’s so exciting because our growing season here in the mid Atlantic is just getting started.

AM: In looking at your Dinner Menu, what are 3 items from your Raw Bar that you suggest?

CHEF RS: We have had Orchard Point Oysters on our menu from when we opened, a great Beginners Oyster as they are mild and sweet because of where they are raised, tucked up in the east bay. Our Tuna Crudo is made with a salsa matcha that utilizes peppers we have preserved from last pepper season and Virginia Peanuts. Don’t miss that.

AM: For Smalls, what do you suggest that we should try?

CHEF RS: Deviled Eggs and our Country Ham Biscuits have become staples for us. Right now I’m loving the Early June Peas. Fireside Farms Sugar Snaps, Path Valley Farms Snow Peas are charred in the wood burning oven and served with hummus, and smoked yogurt. That dish was created by one of our chefs: Andre, and it’s been really popular. Don’t sleep on adding the Elysian Fields Purebred Lamb.

AM: When you're thinking about Mains, what are 3 that we should have in mind when dining with friends and family?

CHEF RS: Our version of Duck L’orange is awesome. The duck comes from La Belle Farms in the Hudson Valley, right now it’s the confit of a leg, and we serve it with glazed beets, and fennel. The Honey Bell Mandarins of course come from CA cause it’s tough to beat. The Rockfish is amazing, with a ragout of Lancaster fava and trout roe for pops of salinity. We brine the fish so the skin gets crispy when it's roasted over the coals. Amish Fried Chicken has been on our menu for 5 plus years and has become a signature item for us. Keep a lookout for more of that.

AM: We love a Tasting Menu and you have a 7- Course that you offer at Chef's Counter. Tell us about it.

CHEF RS: It’s a cross section of what’s best right now. I talk guests through the inspiration of the dish, where the products come from, and give you a really good idea about how intentional all our dishes and pairings are. It’s a personal, fun, and delicious experience.

AM: We find Happy Hour is a great way to know more about a restaurant as well as to enjoy meeting up with friends. What are 3 items you suggest from this menu in terms of bites and a beverage?

CHEF RS: $5 Martinis, $7 Dirty Martinis, and $9 Hogwash - yes, Hogwash. That’s our Applewood Smoked Bacon Fat Washed Bourbon Old Fashioned. Really an amazing cocktail. To eat, any of the sandwiches from our lunchtime concept ampersandwich will do. The Baltimore Pit Beef hits on notes from my childhood growing up in Baltimore. And of course we hand make the Brioche Benne Seed Buns.

AM: What are 3 cocktails that you suggest in terms of one s we should consider to pair with our meals?

CHEF RS: Miguel, our bar director, has done a great job of elevating the bar experience. The Fun and Funky uses cilantro from our culinary garden, the Finksburg Lemonade highlights our mint with Hendrick’s Gin (Finksburg is where the original Shilling Canning Company was) both of these play nice with our food.

AM: Brunch is an important meal for the week! What are 3 items from the Smalls, Mains, and Sides that we should pick the next time we come in to dine?

CHEF RS: The Buttermilk Fried Amish Chicken is our play on chicken and waffles; the Breakfast Burrito I’d put up against anyone’s: our handmade flour tortilla, 8 hour confit pork belly, crispy potatoes (triple cooked like our fries), preserved Fresno, black turtle beans, farm fresh scrambled eggs, fire roasted salsa. It’s not your ordinary burrito. The Vegetable Hash is unique too. It’s all the vegetables of the moment from our partner farms, roasted in the wood burning oven and then dressed with ramp butter I make every spring. A few dashes of our house made hot sauce and 2 poached farm eggs.

AM: Can you talk about the partner farms that you work with and why is it important for Shilling Canning Co to work with them?

CHEF RS: Fireside Farm, Shenendoah Seasonal, Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op, Path Valley Farms, 5 Sisters Fruit Farm, Durgin Orchard, Orchard Point Oysters, Skilligalee Seafood, Autumn Olive Farms, Ovoka Virginia Wagyu, The Farm at Doe Run, Compass Winds Sorghum, just to name a few. It’s a lot harder to source this way but it’s the right way. The quality is better, and most are regenerative in their practices. The food has higher nutritional content and flavor as compared to commodity/mass produced products.

AM: Are there any events coming up that we should know about as we continue into the Summer?

CHEF RS: We have a few fun dinners coming up with our wine and liquor partners (Chandon/Buffalo Trace) as well as Fancy Ranch Amish Fried Chicken)

IG @shillingcanningcompany

PHOTO CREDITS | Jennifer Chase

Read the JUN ISSUE #114 of Athleisure Mag and see THE ART OF THE SNACK | Shilling Canning Co in mag.

THE ART OF THE SNACK | LUTHUN

In this month's The Art of the Snack, we're heading down to NYC's LES for an epic meal! We had the opportunity to sit down with Chef/Founder Nahid Ahmed and Chef/Partner Arjuna Bull of Luthun. Both of these founders have been friends and clearly have a passion to bring a culinary experience to each plate that is served to you! We also talk about the beverage program with Sommelier Jahdea Gildin. We talk with this team to find out about their backgrounds, how they came together and what we can expect when dining there. With an open kitchen as well as tasting menus, we know that this is going to be a restaurant that we will find ourselves coming back to again and again!

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did Luthun open?

CHEF NAHID AHMED: Luthun opened on July 25th, 2019 in the East Village.

AM: Chef Nahid Ahmed and Chef Arjuna Bull, please share your backgrounds and culinary journeys that brought you to Luthun?

CHEF NA: My culinary journey began when I studied at a culinary school in Lausanne, Switzerland in the early 90s. During the program, I had an internship with Chef Gray Kunz, who became one of my mentors, at Lespinasse in New York City. After returning to Europe to finish my school, I worked for another mentor of mine, Swiss Chef Philippe Rochat at his Restaurant de L'Hôtel de Ville in Crissier, Switzerland. I came back to Lespinasse, where I worked for a few years under Gray Kunz and left around the same time he did. He connected me with Thomas Keller at The French Laundry where I worked for a while but not being a big fan of Napa Valley at the time, I went back to Europe and Philippe Rochat’s restaurant again, which has held 3 Michelin stars for over 50 years. After that, I had a chance to work at El Bulli in Spain for some time, then at The Fat Duck in London where I moved to be closer to my family. While there, Gray Kunz calledme and said he was opening Café Gray in New York so I went to help him and met chef Arjuna ‘AJ’ Bull who also worked there. I worked there with Gray until it closed, then at the Plaza Hotel for the reopening of the Oak Room but it was not a fit for me and I started thinking about opening my own place. Then in 2011, I got a chance to open Respite in Midtown. I brought in Chef AJ and the two of us helped open this little place. It was not ours, but we ran everything. It was a hole in the wall and we had so much fun there. That’s where the whole idea of Luthun came to my mind. I wanted to open my own restaurant, to do my own things, to cook and create my own cuisine. So, after that, I worked at bunch of other places, I did pop-up dinners all over, while working on funding. And then I finally opened Luthun in 2019, my long awaited dream: Luthun restaurant in New York City.

CHEF ARJUNA ‘AJ’ BULL: I went to culinary school in Miami and graduated from Johnson & Wales in 2000. I did my externship at The Fontainebleau Hilton Resort; it was good experience working in all different departments. But then I took a quick vacation to New York and I fell in love with the industry, so right away I moved here and started working at a lot of different places. One of the biggest highlights was when I got to work with Chef Nahid at Café Gray, where I worked for a couple years with him. It took me to the next level; experiencing Michelin food changed my whole vision and goals. I did a bunch of pop-up restaurants with Chef Nahid. In the meantime, I had a couple other executive chef jobs, just to get some British experience since I was born in England. It's been a crazy journey here in New York, but so much experience. And finally, we had the opportunity and found an investor. We found a cool space in the East Village and here we are at Luthun.

AM: Why did both of you want to come together to create Luthun?

CHEF NA: When I decided to open my restaurant Luthun, it was because I'm very picky about my food. I didn’t want to cook food like that of my mentors or restaurants I’d worked at. So when I set out to create my cuisine, I asked myself what kind of cuisine? It had to come from me and who I am, what I came from, where my parents came from, where I was born and grew up, from my philosophy behind the food and also from my memory of the many places where I worked, the people I met, and the many different things I have eaten. I brought it all together and made my own cuisine. And then my idea came to me as to what kind of restaurant I wanted, and I wanted this kind of restaurant that Luthun is. I also wanted someone working next to me. Someone who I can say is my friend, my chef, my business partner. Although there are many people and friends I have in this industry, but in that moment, I could only think of one person, Chef Arjuna Bull. I knew him a long time before this restaurant, and we have this connection. He understands me very well, more than anyone else in any kitchen I have worked in. He understands the food I want to cook. He understands what kind of flavor I'm looking for. So, I didn’t think about anybody else, and I offered him to be a business partner to open Luthun together.

CHEF AB: There's only one answer for that, I was super excited. We've been friends for 20 years and I never actually knew the potential that Chef Nahid had until we did some pop-up restaurants. And from then on, I was just blown away at how many different recipes and the creativity that was in his head. I was honored to have this opportunity to work with him.

AM: What is the meaning behind the name?

CHEF NA: The meaning behind the name is my mom's nickname. I lost my parents at a very young age, and I had heard my mom was an amazing cook; she loved food and she was a very adventurous eater. When I wanted to open something very personal, and the cuisine is very personal from my background and where I came from, there was nothing I could think of other than my mom’s nickname. So I put her name on my restaurant.

CHEF AB: The meaning of the chef's mom's nickname, Luthun also means something new and unexpected. So, in the East Village walking by there's brick walls and wood floors. But we beat everybody's expectations and, following the name, offer something new and unexpected.

AM: Tell us about the design and aesthetic of the restaurant for those that will come by for dinner.

CHEF NA: We are in the East Village in New York City, where every neighborhood is so different to me. Midtown, Downtown, East or West Village, everywhere is different. When I first came to New York, I lived down the block from Luthun’s location on East 7th Street between First and Second Avenues for almost a year. I didn’t know a lot about other parts of the city, so this area was to me the real New York. I'm talking about early 90s, punk rock, and all these little bars and shops, I had never seen anything like that and to me this is New York. When we decided to open a restaurant, we both agreed it has to be somewhere we know very well and we knew this area very well. We also wanted to surprise people with the food, wine and service they wouldn’t expect in the East Village, and create something very comfortable that doesn’t feel like a restaurant when they come downtown.

So we don't call Luthun a restaurant, we call this our home and if people come to your home, what do you do? You provide your best hospitality, and that’s what we try to do here. The whole team is not just front of the house or back of the house. We work together very well and we want people to come here and feel like they are in someone's home, not a restaurant.

CHEF AB: It's an open kitchen experience. As soon as you walk in, it's like you're walking into somebody's house so we give a welcoming greeting, basically, hugs and kisses. Again, it's more of our living room than a restaurant.

AM: What seatings are offered for those that are coming in for dinner?

CHEF NA: We have three seatings in the dining room at 5:30pm, 7:30pm and 9:30pm. And at the chef's counter we seat at 6:00pm and 8:30pm.

AM: Luthun's cuisine is defined as Progressive American with a focus on hyper-seasonal tasting menu with a Global Perspective? What does that mean?

CHEF NA: We don't have any boundaries at Luthun, we cook what we love to eat. We challenge ourselves by using a lot of ingredients that other restaurants don’t serve on their tasting menus, many techniques, and developing recipes to present food in a way you’ve never seen. And our goal is to introduce people to many different flavors from all over the world: Chinese, French, Mexican. As a chef, it is a challenge to cook with so many different flavors and ingredients, but we like to do that because this is a way to give our guests a new experience. That's why we call our food global and progressive, and also hyper-seasonal because we go to the local farmer’s market 3-4 times a week and talk with the farmers and fishermen about what is and isn’t coming.

AM: Each dinner service, you have a 9 course tasting meal which takes place at the counter and then a 6 course tasting meal that takes place in the dining room. Can you tell us more about that?

CHEF NA: At the kitchen counter, we serve 9 courses. In the dining room, there are 6 courses. The full tasting starts with something very flavorful, the next step adds a bit of tartness, then oceanic flavors, followed by something more French like a custard or foie gras. Right now, we have this white asparagus with uni and bottarga that is very French and Japanese. Before the last course and dessert, we go to Southeast Asian flavors we love. We serve a meat course at the end, we always try to do some kind of barbecue because this is to me America, it has to be barbecue. We keep the dessert very simple, very seasonal and very light. We don't believe in heavy desserts after so many courses and we want people to finish everything so we serve something fruity, light and chilled, not heavy.

AM: How do you approach what will be on the tasting menu?

CHEF NA: We have our one signature dish, which is inspired by fushka, a famous Indian street food that we start the tasting with. It is vegan and very refreshing with citrus and lots of flavor to introduce people to the next courses. We start with vegetables then move on to shellfish like oysters or scallops, followed by mushrooms, then some kind of custard. After that, more substantial seafood and then light meat. Generally, there are between five and six seafood courses, one or two vegetable courses and one meat course.

AM: What spices, herbs and ingredients do you gravitate towards in general.

CHEF NA: We like spices from all over the world. I’ll go to any store and get anything I see. Our sommelier is going to Armenia and I'm going to ask him if he can bring back a spice book. I want to know about every spice. I'm Indian and I like Indian spices, there are so many different spices. I have no boundaries we use spices from all over the world, whatever we feel we can make something amazing with it.

AM: Can you share 3 dishes that tend to be offered that are your favorites?

CHEF AB: The fushka is so exciting because it has so many different textures. There are raw, and blanched vegetables, acid from citrus, a little bit of heat and spice, and fresh garnishes on top. That one is mouth-watering just talking about it. Because of all the textures and the freshness, the fushka is a total go-to. I like all the seafood dishes, we have amazing vendors so the scallop dish right now is phenomenal and also one other kind of signature on the menu is a shrimp dish. The ingredients kind of stay the same but the dish has evolved since we've opened. Nuoc cham, the Vietnamese fermented fish sauce, is something Chef Nahid has created many dishes around. Right now, the dish has nuoc cham emulsion foam and foie gras sauce on the bottom, potatoes, Thai basil and grilled and smoked fresh shrimp. This is definitely one of my favorites too.

AM: Are there types of dishes or flavors that tend to be a part of the 9-course tasting menu, regardless of the season that you may be in?

CHEF NA: Everything changes. There is only one dish that we always keep, the nuoc cham shrimp dish. The flavor is very Vietnamese and Thai. Everything else comes and goes but we do love Southeast Asian flavors with a twist, say a little Japanese, and also influences from every part of India.

AM: Jahdea Gildin, you are the Sommelier at Luthun, tell me about your journey prior to coming here?

JAHDEA GILDIN: I've worked in hospitality since I was about 15 years old, my first job was at a bagel shop. And from there, I've always loved the industry, even though I took a detour. Five years ago, I jumped back into hospitality at Casa Mono, the Michelin-starred restaurant in Grammercy, as a manager while I was getting my sommelier certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers. After being part of a team that won awards and Michelin stars, I was looking for the opportunity to do something a little different. At Casa Mono, everything was from Spain so it's refreshing to be able to do something different at Luthun.

AM: Tell us about the wine list that is offered?

JG: We're trying to make Luthun’s wine list similar to the food, which is very unique in itself. It's rooted in tradition but has its own identity. Chef Nahid is classically French trained so while we honor tradition, we want to expand on it and offer wines that are less expected, from lesser known regions. We want to showcase the New World and producers or regions that are worthy of exploration rather than predictable choices. We have a very small space and with the constantly changing menu, we want to make sure that our beverage options are in line with that. Our beverage pairing, which is very popular, enables us to showcase what we think people should be drinking with these dishes. Since Luthun serves a tasting menu, guests come here for an experience and we want to provide something special.

AM: What are three wines that you often suggest?

JG: I really enjoy wine from Zuccardi in Mendoza, Argentina. In 2019, 2020 and 2021, they were the number one vineyard in the world. They make these stellar chardonnays and malbecs, that see time in concrete because to the winemakers it shows the real terroir, as opposed to using oak, which can mask some characteristics. Their Fosil Chardonnay is absolutely stunning. It has this nice little bit of roundness and is kind of white Burgundy-esque. What I like to share with people the most is that while we're all familiar with French chardonnay, it's great to explore other options. The Fosil Chardonnay is similar to some of the top white Burgundies but costs a fraction of the price. It's not necessarily a cheap wine but in comparison with the quality level, it stands with some of the best.

Another wine I'm a huge fan of is saperavi from Anapea Village in Georgia. Georgia and Armenia are both the cradle of wine civilization with sixty eight thousand years’ history. The saperavi that they make is fascinating because they ferment it on the skins of mtsvane, a white grape, in the traditional Georgian qvevri terracotta vessels. It makes a really beautiful medium bodied, fresh red with light spice, fresh flowers and some nice umami. We were pouring that on our Reserve Pairing with a Mongolian beef.

We just got a couple of labels of Gut Oggau from Austria, husband and wife winemakers that make beautiful field blends. Oftentimes they don't even list the grapes on the bottle because they had taken over this abandoned vineyard that they were able to work with biodynamic practices from day one. Each of their wines has on the label a hand-drawn picture of a family member or friend. We have the Matilda gruner veltliner, named after a grandmother, on the list right now.

AM: You also have kombucha, can you tell us more about this?

JG: Most of our non-alcoholic beverages we make in-house with a tea base similar to how kombucha is made, but we don't do the whole fermentation process. We source kombucha from Unified Ferments in Brooklyn. The difference between what they create and what’s at the grocery store is the quality. The teas they use are from different areas of Taiwan or China. They also created two different labels that come from opposite sides of one mountain in India, so they're really digging into the terroir of teas. One of my favorites is the Qi Dan oolong tea that has a touch of effervescence that gives it a really nice freshness and notes of bay leaf and citrus.

IG @luthunnyc

PHOTOS COURTESY | Michael Tulipan

Read the APR ISSUE #88 of Athleisure Mag and see THE ART OF THE SNACK | Luthun in mag.

GRAB YOUR FORK AND KNIFE WITH JORDAN ANDINO

This month, we focused on foods and festive gathering as we begin to head into the holiday season. Our Nov cover is graced by Celebrity Chef and Owner of FlipSigi, The Original Filipino Taqueria, Jordan Andino. In addition to running his two fast casual restaurants on the UES as well as in its flagship, West Village location - Jordan is a man on the move! He has been named Zagat's 30 Hottest Chefs Under 30; was noted as one of People Magazine's Sexiest Chefs; he's hosting his second season of The Cooking Channel's Late Nite Eats; he has had numerous guest appearances on shows including: Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay, Rachel Ray, Worst Cooks in America and more. Jordan merges his world of chef, TV Personality and entrepreneur seamlessly.

We took some time out of his busy schedule (this week alone included a launch party for his pop up restaurant in Brooklyn and a dinner he is preparing in conjunction with James Beard) to talk about his career and of course to rock great menswear that is in line with his vibrant personality.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you know that you wanted to be a chef?

JORDAN ANDINO: I began cooking in kitchens since I was 9 years old with my father, as that was the best way for me to be able to hang out with him as he was always there since he was a professional chef. I remember one day when I was around 12 standing next to him and he was a man of few words, but he pointed out the other people in the kitchen that were in their 20’s and 30’s and he said, “Jordan, you are better then any of them!” I was taken aback but it really stuck with me when he said that. That's when I knew that this is what I wanted to do!

AM: Tell us about your culinary journey and what chefs/restaurants you were a part of as you made your way to launching your own restaurant.

JA: I was really fortunate to learn the business and techniques from my father. One of the chefs that my dad trained eventually went on to Jean Georges. Because of my connections there, I was able to work there and then go on to Spago with Wolfgang Puck at Spago in LA. I also went on to work with Thomas Keller at French Laundry in Napa.

AM: How would you define your style of cooking?

JA: I would say that my cooking style is Mediterranean with a French influence for sure.

AM: Tell us about FlipSigi. When it opened what was your vision behind this restaurant?

JA: I really wanted to introduce Filipino food to NYers via my grandmother’s recipes and give them tastes of the food that I love and keeping it familiar by including it in burgers, burritos and rice bowls. I wanted to bring my personality into the restaurants by being able to having fun energetic music, a vibrant mural and a high energy personality. I really wanted to kick off our first location in the West Village to show that this style of food would do well here and that's what I set out to do!

AM: Are there differences between Flip Sigi in the West Village and the one on the UES and is there a meaning behind the name?

JA: Nope the menus and the experience is the same at both locations. Well, it’s pretty simple, Flip is slang for Filipino and Sigi means ‘Go,’ so essentially it means Go Filipino.

AM: We know that you are opening up a new restaurant that will be a pop up. Tell us about this and how long will the pop up be?

JA: I’m pretty excited about our pop up that is at The Royal Palms Shuffle Board Club in Brooklyn. We have been open for about a week and we will run through the middle of Jan.

AM: What is the hope for this pop up?

JA: Well hopefully they like the pop up and we can continue to be there!

AM: How did Late Nite Eats come about and what is it about this show that drew you in to being a part of it as you are currently in your second season.

JA: I remember when I was talking with the executives at the network and we were throwing around ideas of doing a show. I knew I wanted to do a show where I could travel and introduce people to bars and their menus.

About two months later, I got a call and they were like, "do you want to host a show that focuses on bars/restaurants in the late night scene?"

I have been able to travel all over the US doing this show and being able to see whats out there and what's trending which is fantastic.

AM: Are you part of the cannabis cooking movement?

JA: I am really intrigued by it and interestingly enough, my business partners and I have been talking about it as I think that it is the next movement in terms of the culinary world.

AM: What is your style with that in terms of flavors and effects in savory and sweet specialties and will this be something that you will bring into your restaurants?

JA: Well I am still in the R&D phase and that's why I am excited about planning the menu and participating in this dinner tomorrow for James Beard. It's a great way for me to learn and try out! Since I'm still in R&D at this point, there are still a lot of legalities to figure out.

AM: We loved hanging out with you on the shoot, seeing you pop into the kitchen to make a few dishes and bringing out your inner model – you also have a great personality as evidenced by seeing you on shows like Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Beat Bobby Flay, judging on Chopped etc – how important is it to you to be able to share your brand on these shows?

JA: First and foremost, I am a chef and today, it’s important for me to be out there to be able to share who I am as well as to promote my restaurant. Being on a number of shows allows me to do that and being on Instagram and all those networks allows me to continue to amplify me to a wide audience. It’s definitely important in addition to everything else that I am doing.

AM: Tell us about your personal style as we know via your Instagram, you can definitely rock fun colors.

JA: What can I say, my personal style is vivacious, colorful and high energy and I love my clothing to reflect that vibe – I’m a pretty happy guy.

AM: With all the things that you have going on, we're struck by how humble you are.

JA: Well I'm appreciative of everything that I have. I love what I do and although I am driven and can be hard on myself, I am thankful for what I have been able to achieve.

I know what it is to work hard and to come from humble beginnings and to know what it takes in order to be successful!

AM: Where would we find you grabbing a bite/cocktail here in NYC, shopping and of course working out?

JA: I love to go out – when you think about having 21 meals in a week, I probably eat out for 20 of them! When I’m not in my restaurant and want to grab a drink, you’ll find me at dive bars - I love them! I love to exercise – I love running in Central Park when I can, I’m all about cardio and weights and work out about 5 times a week. I fucking love Equinox as it’s the best gym in the world! I also love to skate. A lot of times I skate from Flip Sigi’s UES location to my West Village location which is about 10 avenues over and about 100 streets down!

AM: With the New Year around the corner, what projects can you tell us about that will launch/be released next year that we should keep an eye out for or should we just keep an eye on your social to find out?

JA: I’m excited about a number of things coming up! In a few days I have a new merch line coming out under my brand Fork Knife which will include tumblers, hats, wallets etc that are in really fun vibrant colors and goes right along with my personality! I am working on a book and I am working on another show that will be coming out!

AM: What’s on heavy rotation on your playlist to cook, entertain, workout and about town?

JA: My music taste is fun and eclectic and is like what you would hear if you were in my restaurants! If you went through my playlist you'd see that I have: Drake, Miguel, Bill Withers - Ain't No Sunshine, Marvin Gaye - Ain't No Mountain High Enough, J. Lo - Ain't It Funny!

IG @Fork_Knife

| CREDITS - COVER, PG 22 - 25 | AVIATOR NATION Velvet Sweatshirt | MAVI JEANS Denim |

| PG 16, THIS PG + BACK COVER | PARAJUMPERS Outerwear | AVIATOR NATION Velvet Sweatshirt | MAVI JEANS Denim |

| PG 18 - 20 | ANUAR LAYON Simpsons Leather Jacket | HANRO Muscle Tank |

| PG 30 - 31 | ANZ Cardigan | MAVI JEANS Denim |

Read more from the Nov Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Grab Your Fork and Knife with Jordan Andino in mag.