The next big thing is coming from the Bronx, again | Jon Gray | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Jon Gray, cofounder of Bronx-based collective Ghetto Gastro, challenges perceptions of the Bronx through food, design, and art.

Key Insights

• 🌆 The Bronx has a negative perception in Paris, with "le Bronx" being synonymous with disarray.
• 🏢 The design decisions made by Robert Moses, such as building a highway and redlining the community, contributed to the challenges faced by the Bronx.
• 💔 Despite facing systematic oppression and economic challenges, the resilience of the people in the Bronx gave rise to hip-hop culture, which has become a trillion-dollar industry.
• 🔐 The speaker's personal journey involved a difficult upbringing, involvement in illegal activities, and a brush with the prison system, but he managed to turn his life around.
• 🌍 Ghetto Gastro is a movement and philosophy that aims to use food and finesse to connect cultures and open borders through gastrodiplomacy.
• 🍽️ Ghetto Gastro creates unique culinary experiences, blending different cuisines and traditional food with innovative twists.
• 🎩 Ghetto Gastro practices "du-rag diplomacy," embracing and expressing their authentic selves without conforming to stereotypes.
• 💪 Ghetto Gastro is focused on bringing financial and creative capital to their community in the Bronx through their idea kitchen, product design, and community events.
• 🏭 The speaker emphasizes the importance of staying and investing in the hood to make a positive impact, as exemplified by Nipsey Hussle's decision to evolve in his own neighborhood.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: What is the purpose of Ghetto Gastro?

The purpose of Ghetto Gastro is to challenge people's perceptions of the Bronx by using food, design, and art to create experiences. They aim to connect culture and open borders through their philosophy of gastrodiplomacy.

Q: How does Ghetto Gastro view the word "ghetto"?

Ghetto Gastro embraces the word "ghetto" and sees it as a way to locate their people and criticize the systems that neglected their community. They use the word to identify with their home and to highlight the conditions that were created due to neglect.

Q: What types of food does Ghetto Gastro create?

Ghetto Gastro creates a variety of unique and innovative dishes. They combine different culinary elements, such as Caribbean and Japanese flavors, to create dishes like Caribbean patty with jerk wagyu beef and the Bronx classic with Japanese elements. They also pay homage to different cultures, such as Puerto Ricans during Kwanzaa, by creating dishes like coconut charcoal cognac coquito.

Q: What is Ghetto Gastro's focus now?

Ghetto Gastro's current focus is on bringing the world to the Bronx. They have opened an idea kitchen where they make and design products, create content, and host community events. They also collaborate with world-renowned chef Massimo Bottura on a design-focused soup kitchen and community center called a refettorio. Their intention is to build financial and creative capital in their community.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Jon Gray is a co-founder of Ghetto Gastro, a collective that combines food, design, and art to challenge perceptions of the Bronx.

• He shares his personal experiences growing up in the Bronx and facing challenges such as poverty and the prison system.

• Ghetto Gastro uses food as a form of diplomacy and is focused on building financial and creative capital in the Bronx, while challenging negative stereotypes.