TRUST BAE Opens in NYC with All Female Concept Led by Former Top Chef Alum

SimpleVenue CEO Erika London announces the launch of its newest concept, Trust Bae at 1204 Broadway, showcasing the cuisine and culinary point of view of leading, ambitious female chefs. Trust Bae is launching itd first location on Wednesday, March 8, International Women's Day, featuring a Japanese-style menu with Filipino flair from Celebrity Chef Frances Tariga of Top Chef, Beat Bobby Flay, and Chopped.

Akin to other Simplevenue concepts, Trust Bae will be an intimate counter-style tasting experience guided by its chefs, with each location serving as an incubator of each chef's unique culinary concept, providing them an outlet to express their culinary journey in a safe, invigorating and nurturing space. Ahead of the launch of its first location, London enlisted television personality and entrepreneur, Rachael Ray who will be supporting and mentoring each of the aspiring chefs.

"I am looking forward to guiding some of the next generation's female cooks and chef powerhouses through their culinary journeys," said Ray. "I believe in the power of building personal brands and leveraging them through the formation of new business models and I am excited to help scout and empower these up and coming talents."

Mentorships, advocacy and initiatives such as Trust Bae are crucial to ensure an increase in these numbers and seeing women advance in the hospitality space when facing struggles, especially as women lead less than 7 percent of US restaurants and less than 5 percent are hospitality CEOs (per study by Altrata). This type of mentorship and advocacy is a small step towards bridging the gender gap in this industry and inevitably provides more opportunities for other women to express their culinary points of view.

The menu at Chef Tariga's Trust Bae tells the story of her culinary experience from her youth in the Philippines to her training in Middle Eastern and Asian cuisine at some of New York's most famous kitchens, including The Standard, Catch and Planta. The 16-course tasting menu including dessert will be served to guests at an intimate 8-seat counter for 90 minutes for $150 per person. Many of the dishes feature foundational ingredients from the Philippines - rice, coconut, palm sugar and vinegar - paired with more elevated ingredients, techniques and presentations, including unique vessels designed by Chef Tariga to complement each dish.

The menu starts with Kaiseki Courses where dishes are torched, steamed, grilled and fried to bring out exceptional flavors. One such dish is the Botan Ebi Tartare (sweet shrimp) seasoned with yuzu, uni puree, layered with a sheet of housemade Calamansi jelly, topped with cruelty-free Kaluga caviar plated inside 3D Printed Hands served with a cracker made of sago (tapioca balls) dusted with togarashi. Regional delicacy Binalot is Chef's ode to her mother's homeland in Southern Tagalog and served with coconut sticky rice, Alaskan King crab, wrapped and steamed in a banana leaf before being covered in a Paksiw foam and topped with crispy shallots. Tapping into chef's specialties with proteins and representative of a dish chef cooked with her dad, her rendition of Lumpia includes slow-cooked and pulled oxtail, served with a truffle cream in a crispy spring roll shell and topped with a punched radish served on an acrylic box, as the perfect bite. Nigiri with local seasonal fish sourced by Yama Seafood follows the Kaiseki courses. Dishes from this section boast elevated, unexpected presentations like its Sawara Tinapa (Spanish mackerel) skin torched then smoked, and garnished with house-pickled Gari and kizami or Otoro Taco, chef's version of a hand roll, served in a crispy nori shell with caviar and gold flakes. Vegetarian Nigiri Options are available as a supplemental item. The Dessert course is a Ube Halaya Stuffed Mochi, piped and made in front of guests as the grand finale.

The selection of handmade cocktails, imported sake, and rare Japanese whiskeys greatly complements Chef's elevated fare. Cocktails will include Calamansi Sour prepared with Haku Vodka, Calamasi, Egg White, Strawberry Syrup; Itswine menu will be curated by Trust Bae's Wine Sommelier and owner of WineSwagger Consulting, Lena Friedman. The wine list will feature a rotating assortment of female led wines paired with the Chef's rotating menu.

Specializing in micro restaurants and bringing incredible concepts to underutilized spaces, the NYC-based hospitality group Simplevenue, led by restaurateur Erika London and Michael Sinensky, in which its portfolio includes acclaimed spots Sushi by Bou, Sushi Suite, Omakaseed, and Fins and Scales, with locations throughout New York, New Jersey, Chicago, and South Florida.

London's SimpleVenue team behind the Trust Bae brand is comprised of a lineup of brilliant and skillful women, including; Trust Bae Executive Chef - Frances Tariga, Director of Marketing - Alexis Carranza, Regional GM - Amanda Mi, HR & Recruiting Director - Jessica Sanchez, Director of Hospitality - Monica Cabral and Interior Designer - Diana Romeo.

"Trust Bae's mission is to entrust visionary women by giving them the space to leverage their unique personal and professional journeys to create distinct culinary experiences to be shared in a unique and intimate setting," said London.

Trust Bae is located at 1204 Broadway, New York, and will be open March 8th. Reservations can be made at OpenTable. Hours of Operation: Wed, Thurs, Sun: 6pm-10:30pm, Friday: 6pm-12am, Saturday: 5pm-12:30am. For more information, call 917-268-7268 or visit www.trustbae.com.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Trust Bae

To post a comment, you must register and login.