Alix Ferguson

My names Alix Ferguson I live in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn and I’m an “out of work” Chef.

Like most people in the food industry, I was out of work when the restaurant that I worked at closed almost immediately upon finding out how serious covid-19 is. When the virus first hit I was really uncertain about what I was going to do. I had never before filed for unemployment and none of us knew when or if we’d be back at work again. For a couple of days, I even thought it was going to be the end of my cooking career. I contacted a close friend who works for the city and inquired about when the next MTA bus driver test would come available.

My birthday also happens to be in March, so it came right at the beginning of covid. I told my girlfriend, “hey, let’s reschedule some type of party for my birthday when we’re allowed back outside… July 10th will be my new Birthday.”

The date was slowly rolling around, so I decided to throw a BBQ for some of my close friends and family. I wanted to serve skewers and natural wine, two things that bring me joy. We decided on a menu consisting of three skewers and my girlfriend, Bri, made massive Italian sandwiches. The BBQ was a success!

A few weeks went by after the BBQ. I was upstate with Bri, talking to her while cooking on my Konro grill when I said, “I think I could do a yakitori pop-up”. I knew the owner of Henry’s Wine Shop in Bushwick was looking to find a use for his other restaurant space, Petra. I contacted Henry and discussed my idea of doing a quick serve menu that has 4 skewers (Jerk Chicken, Glazed Beef, Pork Belly, Seasonal Veggies), a farro salad with sweet corn, sungold tomatoes, and fresh herbs, as well as wine and beer. We spoke on the phone, and he was gracious enough to allow me to use the space rent free (we still settled on a percentage of sales that would go directly to Petra after the cost of the wine and beer). Like most restaurants now, Petra is going through the same motions of trying to fill their space, clear existing inventory, keep existing staff, all while paying rent in New York City. I loved the idea of doing it at Petra because the space was once a lively and neighborhood go-to, now sadly effected by covid. I wanted to bring that energy back with my pop-up. We set dates and it was locked in.

Once the menu was finalized, I wanted to make a point of sourcing as many items locally and from my friends as possible. For the jerk chicken, I reached out to my good friend Greg, who started a company called The P’s Pantry. They make incredible hot sauces and condiments. One of their best is their Jerk Marinade. For the farro salad I wanted people to have the option of making it spicy. My cooking buddy Brian started a company called Heiwa World. They specialize in Bento boxes, but they also make Chili Crisp that is so damn addicting that it has now become the main focus of the company. Lastly, I recruited my long time friend from high school, and my girlfriend’s brother, Brandon. Brandon started farming a couple years ago, and within this past year has become the sole proprietor of Gilded Farms, who offer organic and sustainable farming all done in Chester, NY. Every single vegetable used was grown by him.

This was one of my favorite things about the entire process: that I could use products that my friends make––the same products I use at home––and share them with everyone. From what I can tell, the people enjoyed it. The jerk chicken and farro salad garnered the most compliments two dishes that wouldn’t have been possible without the work of my friends.

I was honored Henry would give me the opportunity to cook for my friends, family, followers, and most of all, the Bushwick community. The support I got from fellow chefs, food bloggers, and just my friends was unmatched. The outcome of the pop-up was more than I could have imagined it to be. I was accepted and supported by the community and industry workers of New York City. The most amazing thing about doing the pop-up was realizing that from all the posts, all the story shares, all the nice words everyone had to say, we’re all still in this together, and we will do whatever it takes to support this industry. People came from Harlem, Upper West Side, Long Island and Jersey just to support the cause! That reminded me why I love to cook.