The CNN interview with Marcus Samuesson was recently posted on the New York magazine blog but they didn't show the part where the celebrity chef tours Harlem. This footage starts out with Mr. Samuelsson's wedding in Ethiopia, followed by an interview with his beautiful wife (who grew up in Ethiopia and Harlem) but wait until the 2:23 minute mark to get the walkabout of lower Lenox and FDB . Read more in the New York magazine site: LINK. For the full set of video clips, go to the CNN site: LINK
What happened with Merkato 55? Has he ever explained the failure their? Also, I am not very comfortable with his statement, "...now that people are moving up here..." Can someone explain in detail what that means????? Seriously, what does that mean, what's the appeal in it? It reminds me of how we're told and taught Europeans "discovered" America (as if there were no people here before they were here).
ReplyDeleteSeriously, what does it mean for him to say, "...Now that people are moving up here...."? Corret me if I am wrong, but were there people here before that last couple of years? And it's amusing for him to say this, then in the next breath claim how he wants Red Rooster to be affordable, have selections affordable for the community. Is that not hilarious? The fact is the community average household income is $32,000/year within 1 square mile of Red Rooster. That's the whole household, what items are going to be on his menu that are accessible to the community? That's a serious question.
I don't expect anyone to answer any of the questions I've posed. They make people uncomfortable in coming to terms with truths of Harlem. Let's face it, Marcus is referring to people who count in a commercial revenue generating context, not the poor masses of Harlem that can't do a damn thing for his bottom line, especially after his fiasco called Merkato 55. I know, ignore the facts, the obvious, drink the kool-aid, praise Marcus, he's a God and the savior of Harlem! (though he discounts and marginalizes the entire population that's been here but he does not see, count, or matter in this thinking and plans).
Why would I give $100 to an Ethiopian Charity helping to feed their starving, when I can give $100 to this prick so he can buy himself a Viking for his Brownstone?
Fascinating interview. Thanks for the link Ulysses. To all reading this, forward to as many blogs/people as possible (share on Facebook etc). Makes me quite proud to see positive media about Harlem.
ReplyDelete@StarvingEthiopian, "...now that people are moving up here...". Simple explanation: People with sufficient disposable income to spend at places like Frizzante, Five & Diamond, Settepani etc. are moving up to Harlem in greater numbers. I think that is the only explanation required.
ReplyDeleteWhy so angry and bitter? I think he will make the restaurant as affordable as possible, but sorry mate, he isn't going to give the food away for free. God forbid if he actually wants to make a profit and 'buy a Viking for his Brownstone'.
The first post forgot to mention that Harlem was losing residents for the past 50 year. The population ended its depletion in the past 15 years and that is why things are improving. If you got a large part of the city with no one living in it, then it goes downhill. The middle class has returned and that means more tax money for the city and improvements for Harlem on all levels. Those new condos were built on open, trash strewn lots or abandoned buildings. If anything, Harlem is full of dollar stores, C-towns, and cheap buffets so why get worked up about something the middle class want? If you don't like it then don't go there.
ReplyDeleteI read that Harlem has actually been losing population for the past couple of decades so if that trend is being reversed then "...now that people are moving up here..." makes sense. I'm sure his comment was business related and not meant as a slur.
ReplyDeleteBut it is a valid point that Harlem still has a majority poor population and that's not discussed very much. And the poor population has secure housing so they will not move. Harlem's only shot at not being a poor community is to very significantly increase its density of middle class earners. That will make the neighborhood a lot more crowded - there are, of course, upsides and downsides...
there are plenty of places for the lower income people of harlem to eat. what there hasnt been are places for people with more disposable income, and that is what is improving. what is so complicated about that equation?
ReplyDeleteStarving E, you singled out "...now that people are moving up here..." and ignored that he said what's exciting him is "the blend of the former, the current and the future." He is also on CNN bringing national awareness that Harlem still has a long way to go in terms of produce. You don't see this as a service to the poorer community?
ReplyDeleteYou said, "Let's face it, Marcus is referring to people who count in a commercial revenue generating context, not the poor masses."
I ask you, what dimwitted business person would open up a business anywhere without profit being the primary intention? And if he/she knows there's a high demand for fancier dining in a location where your competition is next to zero, why does the concept sound more egregious to you if it's happening in Harlem?
Would it satisfy you if he set up the restaurant's payment system more egalitarian and as a result accept food stamps as well as Amex Black? I'm not trying to be facetious here or disrespectful, I'm just trying to get down to your core argument.
So many lifelong Harlemites have repeatedly admitted the inconvenience of always having to schlep Downtown for amenities that have been lacking in their much deserved communities. Now that it's actually happening why aren't you happy for them?
Marcus Samuelson is a stud. The guy is on Bravo, CNN, the NY Times, etc. The guy is investing so much into a community that eventually may turn out to be a bad bet. I will definitely spend money at Red Rooster and will try and convince family members who live in BKLYN, LI, and Westchester to come out and give the joint a try.
ReplyDeleteThere are many who are so bitter now because of the fact that they don't own property and trying to derail Harlem's development.
A lot of good points. Anon @ 10:47, I think you hit the nail on the head. The bitterness is palpable (even more so on Curbed).
ReplyDeleteRestaurants and Real Estate, all these entities that have chosen to invest in Harlem have had to use "codespeak" to maintain a political correctness, or else the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons of the world will be up in arms. I have no problem with Samuelson using codespeak for Whites, it's not uncommon at all to hear various descriptions by Real Estate firms for example for what we all know boils down to as White people.
ReplyDeleteWe should all be careful about labeling others as bitter. Think about it, There are now million dollar homes next to ghetto projects in Harlem. The Red Rooster will be next to a Check Cashing place, people with no bank accounts. Can you pair such societal disparity right adjacent to each other, and not expect bitterness?
Just as oil and water don't mix, poverty and well heeled don't mix. Guess what, you're well heeled in Harlem if you have a job. Anyone been to Hong Kong? That's where Harlem is heading, 2 classes, no middle, the haves and the have nots. Believe it or not, in Harlem, if you're not dwelling in public housing of some form, you are a Have.
Anon @12:24pm, funny how you single out "codespeak" for Whites, when the vast majority of businesses that have opened up around me are run by blacks. Or is there a problem with that as well?
ReplyDeleteAnon @11:06 AM, Very interesting point about code speak for whites, but have you noticed, Marcus Samuelsson is not white. What he is is upwardly mobile and that is what he is referring to in “now that people are moving up here”, not your conspiracy theory of code speak. Sorry fellow readers but I get so tired of conspiracy theories and the race card being pulled over and over and especially against someone positive like Mr. Samuelsson who certainly does not deserves it.
ReplyDeleteAnon@12:24 has got a point about stark economic disparities coming into play in Central Harlem and elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteIt is something that is going to have to be addressed but it wont be by this Mayor, that's for sure.
Although race is a factor, it is really a matter of economic class.
ReplyDeleteIn broad strokes: Harlem was once a mostly upper-middle class neighborhood that was subsequently hollowed out -- first by "white flight," then by loss of financial capital for investment and maintenance, and then, finally, by an utter collapse of the social fabric stemming from drugs and crime in the 70s-90s -- which resulted in everyone with the means to leave doing so en masse.
Samuelsson's comment refers to the reversal of that broader trend. "People are moving up here" precisely because the sequence of events that hollowed out Harlem has been rolled back, step by step, in reverse (i.e., a huge turnaround in crime in the last 10-15 years, followed by a return of capital investment and the black middle class, and ultimately by a much broader influx of residents and business).
There are huge economic disparities everywhere in the city, but they are simply more obvious in Harlem because of the rate and extent of the transition that has taken place, relative to the time when the area's demographics and housing stock had been cut down to the bone of utter poverty, dispossession and ruin.
In other words, poverty in 2010 is a problem that can and should be addressed, but it is in no way a problem that is unique to Harlem. And Harlem is in no way a neighborhood that is destined to forever be a place of concentrated poverty (nor of ethnic uniformity). To the contrary, the collapse and hollowing out of the community in Harlem was an historical tragedy -- and an aberration -- that can and will be reversed.
There is affordable housing, rent stabilization, etc. even in the most desirable/expensive parts of Manhattan. Having "poor" people living next to extreme wealth = JOBS!
ReplyDeleteBesides this is New York people! This is the melting pot of diversity, it's part of what makes New York so special.
There is affordable housing, rent stabilization, etc. even in the most desirable/expensive parts of Manhattan. Having "poor" people living next to extreme wealth = JOBS!
ReplyDeleteBesides this is New York people! This is the melting pot of diversity, it's part of what makes New York so special.
Seriously.... Thats where we are going with this 8:53? MS is being offensive? Harlem may or may not have a choice at this point, but the reality is that for the past 20 years harlem has been a drug infested, crime ridden, blighted neighborhood. That is changing. Here you have a black ethiopian couple, nothing white about it, which should epitomize the the idea of moving Harlem forward. For those in our community that need jobs, heres an opportunity.... For those in the community that work on wall street or any other middle class or higher salary profession. Congratulations you worked hard for your career... black or white, yellow or red... Have an upscale dinner, and tip well. And 8:53 do not fool yourself, there are enough non-white folks in the hood that that have the money to go to 5 and diamond or red rooster. Perhaps thats inspiring.... rather than racist. This should be uplifting, not persecuted.
ReplyDeleteand in the meantime, can we all shop at Wild Olive Market, a reasonably priced, wonderful mom and pop grocery store. This place needs to thrive and survive!
ReplyDeleteThere have been a number of restaurant/bakery type businesses that haven't been able to survive in Manhattan...quite a few of those here in Harlem. Sure it's part economic times but it's also word of mouth; getting folks in the door; Lee's bakery didn't shut down because his prices were high...people weren't giving him the business he needed to stay afloat. In the end, these places close down and leave empty, depressing spaces in a vibrant community. So why the "debbie downer" attitude about MS? He's got a following, he lives in the community and he wants to start a business in the community that has a decent chance of doing well in a city where restaurants make it or not within their first year. Those businesses create jobs and incentive for other businesses to build.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen such negative comments about 5 & Diamond or any other number of new/and old biz. and I bet in the end, the price points aren't that different. What gives? If you think he's in it for the $, I say he'll be lucky if he breaks even in the first five years (if he makes it that long). I think he's more in it for the community and it's a shame that some people choose to be so negative.
8:24pm - MS will definitely make $ as soon as he opens. Why do you think he chose Lenox btwn 125th and 126th streets? It's because it's where all the tour buses unload their passengers on a daliy basis. And Sylvia's, btwn 126th and 127th, is a major tourist attraction that MS will be able to tap into. Not to mention the transportation options at/near 125th and Lenox, as well as retail and entertainment options along 125th street.
ReplyDeleteThe man knows what he's doing.
I can sympathize a little bit with Starving Ethiopians sentiments. We moved to Harlem about 6 months ago, and its quite evident that there is a stark contrast in wealth between the newer people moving in and the people that have been here for years.
ReplyDeleteOur building was a condo built in the mid90s as affordable housing. Ironically many of the people who live there now probably could not afford to buy anywhere in Harlem at current prices.
The problem that I see is that they are skipping over the middle class of Harlem. Middle class in the rest of NYC might be the people who can afford the 800K apartments, but that is upper-class in Harlem. MS claims that his restaurant will be "affordable," but for whom? Harlem needs more places that are in between Frizzante and Fast-food. Harlem BBQ actually is a good example of this. I'm not a fan of Applebee's or other chain restaurants but it seems to be packed all of the time. Why not an Olive Garden or Red Lobster on 125th? I'm sure that they would do well. But no instead a little Caesar's opens which sells the crappiest cheap pizza and the line is out the door. How about a nice little sit-down pizzeria or sit-down chinese, or a little middle eastern place? The east village is full of diverse cheap little restaurants, I'm sure that many of them could survive and thrive in Harlem.
I'll try to withhold judgment on Red Rooster until I see the menu and prices. As for 5 and Diamond, my fear is that it is not going to survive unless they develop a large foodie following. I can't see enough people who live in Harlem going there right now as it is too expensive.
Red Rooster will be a very welcome addition to Harlem, bringing more diversity with a new level of dining experience, and with it many foodies who would have otherwise never visited Harlem, and hopefully will make part of their visit a show at the Apollo or a stroll around our fabulous brownstone side streets, or a walk down to Café Latte for a coffee. When they return will tell their friends about what Harlem has to offer, it is a win win for Harlem.
ReplyDeleteanon at 8:39am - maybe once you've spent more than 6 months living here you will find more of the off the beaten path spots that are just like the affordable small east village places you mention. native being one of them. cafe latte. society. max soha. patisserie des ambassades. lolitas. questans. there are others. i really beg to differ that there arent enough people in harlem who can afford to eat at 5 and diamond. considering that harlem is a big place and people are willing to travel some to go to a spot like that. every time i've passed by it's been busy.
ReplyDeletewestsider - i've been to a couple of those places but will be sure to check out the others.
ReplyDeleteDon't get me wrong, i hope that harlem thrives but I still feel like there needs to be more smaller eclectic dining options as well as middle-class mainstream options.
We'll see how 5 and diamond does. Whenever I walked by there's not many people in there but that was generally during weekend brunch hours.