Erin Detroit Vesey is a queer cyclist and chef living in Los Angeles. They have worked all over the city and most recently owned their own queer centered cycling cafe, Detroit Vesey’s. They're also a seven time participant in AIDS/Lifecycle, an annual 545 mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. I typically rode with Erin once a week into the hills and mountains of Southern California, and I recall sharing with Erin the earliest ideas for this podcast on such rides. They would swap back with the earliest ideas for Detroit Vesey’s an inclusive space that could become a landmark for the L.A. cycling community. Community is something hard to find in a city as sprawling as Los Angeles. Yet all of the makings for it are there. People like Erin who refuse to drive a car in favor of riding a bike, make it so.
Erin Detroit Vesey is a queer cyclist and chef living in Los Angeles. They have worked all over the city and most recently owned their own queer centered cycling cafe, Detroit Vesey’s. They're also a seven time participant in AIDS/Lifecycle, an annual 545 mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. I typically rode with Erin once a week into the hills and mountains of Southern California, and I recall sharing with Erin the earliest ideas for this podcast on such rides. They would swap back with the earliest ideas for Detroit Vesey’s an inclusive space that could become a landmark for the L.A. cycling community. Community is something hard to find in a city as sprawling as Los Angeles. Yet all of the makings for it are there. People like Erin who refuse to drive a car in favor of riding a bike, make it so.
Show Notes:
00:00:06:09 - 00:00:29:03
Speaker 1
Welcome to the Prix Fixe Podcast. Conversations with the new voices of the Culinary World. Produced and hosted by me, Jordan Haro. Erin Detroit Vesey is a queer cyclist and chef living in Los Angeles. They have worked all over the city and most recently owned their own queer centered cycling cafe, Detroit Vesey’s. They're also a seven time participant in AIDS Lifecycle.
00:00:29:06 - 00:00:50:14
Speaker 1
Currently, they're trying to find out what their next adventure is. It will definitely involve riding bikes. At the time of this interview, Erin was the chef and owner of Detroit Vesey’s in the Los Angeles Arts District. Unfortunately, Detroit Vesey’s is no longer in operation, making this the second guest on our show with a shuttered business. But much like Hakh Lonh of Gambodge.
00:00:50:14 - 00:01:12:09
Speaker 1
a great story, always endures, and Erin’s is a story of endurance itself. We first met in the dark days of the pandemic. They were leading training rides for the FUBAR Bike Club. One of the most prominent groups to raise money and ride an Aids life cycle, an annual 545 mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
00:01:12:11 - 00:01:34:06
Speaker 1
I typically rode with Erin once a week into the hills and mountains of Southern California, and I recall sharing with Erin the earliest ideas for this podcast on such rides. They would swap back with the earliest ideas for Detroit Vesey’s an inclusive space that could become a landmark for the L.A. cycling community. Community is something hard to find in a city as sprawling as Los Angeles.
00:01:34:08 - 00:01:52:18
Speaker 1
Yet all of the makings for it are there. People like Erin who refuse to drive a car in favor of riding a bike, make it so. This conversation covers a lot of ground, and I really appreciate Erin’s humility and willingness to share their story with me and you. Let's listen in.
00:01:52:20 - 00:02:12:01
Speaker 2
Where does my story begin? I don't know. Probably from being like a little kid in terms of like, food stuff. Like probably a little kid, like I'm one of six kids had to learn how to cook for myself really quickly, like making mac and cheese and then growing up in restaurants in general, like, my family has restaurants in southern Utah, or a restaurant in southern Utah.
00:02:12:01 - 00:02:31:03
Speaker 2
And so there was this cook named Charlie, and I guess he and I had made some, like, grilled cheese sandwich together. That was Swiss cheese, sauteed mushrooms with, like, white bread and cheese or the crust cut off, like, that's kind of my earliest, like, food memories. Yeah. So I'd probably say there.
00:02:31:05 - 00:02:34:03
Speaker 1
And you grew up in Utah ish.
00:02:34:03 - 00:02:51:22
Speaker 2
So I was born out there. I moved all over the place from like 6 to 8. There were a couple different states we lived in, and then I moved out to California when I was nine with my dad. So I grew up between Utah and like the San Fernando Valley. It's a weird bunch of places to grow up, but it's good.
00:02:52:04 - 00:02:56:18
Speaker 1
Where was food in your life throughout this time in your life?
00:02:56:20 - 00:03:16:08
Speaker 2
I don't know. It was mostly just like growing up. It was mostly like reheated food or like, TV, dinner style things. Living with my mom. And then when I moved in with my dad, my stepmom is Dominican, so we grew up eating, like, some foods that, like, she grew up eating, like, a little bit like, I'd still like, dream about her rice and beans, like it's one.
00:03:16:08 - 00:03:33:22
Speaker 2
It was one of my favorite things as a kid. And then my dad cooked a lot like he hunted when we were kids. So, like, he learned how to cook meat really well and did all of those things. And it was all just kind of like a mix of, like Dominican and then just like American food, like Velveeta cheese and cans of chili, like.
00:03:34:00 - 00:03:50:06
Speaker 2
And it was all still really delicious and not weird, like, it was like a chef version of these kind of like, not classy foods, which was super cool. So that's kind of all of the food things, like up through those points. Like it kind of varied just depending on whose house I was living in and who was cooking.
00:03:50:06 - 00:04:12:17
Speaker 2
Like there's so many different variables to all of those things. And like, yeah, even at one point we lived with my grandma and like, this was prior to moving to Southern California. And she like, I think she's the oldest or close to being the oldest of 12 kids during the depression. So like she lived by herself but had like a whole single wide of just canned fruits and vegetables, like she would garden a lot.
00:04:12:19 - 00:04:31:06
Speaker 2
she had the best peaches I've ever had in my life. Like, those are some kind of cool food things I grew up with. It's just not like part of the norm. Like in living with her, I was like, oh, like, I kind of, in hindsight, learned the value of, like, food and how important it is and like how access to food is important.
00:04:31:06 - 00:04:42:08
Speaker 2
Like those things are kind of, in retrospect, like those moments that I learned while living with my grandma, which is also super cool. So yeah, I have like a weird hodgepodge of experience with food.
00:04:42:10 - 00:04:55:00
Speaker 1
Oh, first, what you're describing is like the experience of, of like where food is coming from and being sourced. I feel like that was probably not like a mainstream conversation in the areas where you're growing up.
00:04:55:02 - 00:05:15:14
Speaker 2
In terms of like access to food, probably like where I grew up was like right outside of Zion National Park. And like, there is a pretty big grocery store out there, but like, nothing nuts. But like, I also think it's one of those things where like growing up with my grandma or having large families like, I'm sure there wasn't copious amounts of dollars floating around.
00:05:15:14 - 00:05:42:04
Speaker 2
So like trying to make do with what you have and being resourceful is kind of like my experience with most things growing up. And so I think especially around food where like it is a luxury. we weren't necessarily like the poorest family, but like, we weren't doing great all the time. So like having food be kind of a central part of that and like looking at how like my family ate when we had like, family gatherings and like all of those sorts of things.
00:05:42:04 - 00:06:02:06
Speaker 2
So it was very interesting. I mean, I don't know if I processed any of this as a kid, but like looking at it as an adult, it's kind of fascinating. And to see how it kind of shaped how I engage with food and like providing food and being a restaurant owner or having my own business or working at restaurants, like it all kind of shapes those those experiences has shaped how I view doing all the stuff I do now.
00:06:02:09 - 00:06:07:12
Speaker 2
So.
00:06:07:13 - 00:06:20:00
Speaker 1
And when you began that journey into the professional world of cooking and working in restaurants, like what? What age were you like? What what was going on in your life at that time?
00:06:20:01 - 00:06:34:09
Speaker 2
I was 13 or 14 and I think like my parents were just like, you need to get a job, like you need to do something with yourself. It was like my first year of high school. I don't remember exactly how old I was, but essentially I just got a job as like a hostess at a ribs place down the street.
00:06:34:11 - 00:06:55:09
Speaker 2
and I had always just cooked like, it's just something I did. I taught myself how to cook and figured it out and, like. So my first, like, professional experience was more of a front of the house, just teenager job. And then from there, I worked at a string of pizza places essentially, and had like a long term job in high school at this pizza place.
00:06:55:09 - 00:07:13:06
Speaker 2
And we would essentially just get stoned and make weird pizza dishes. and it was great. We had like one that I remember quite fondly as we wrapped a bell pepper, we stuffed a bell pepper with pizza toppings and then wrapped it in pizza dough and just ran it through this conveyor belt oven over and over again until it cooked.
00:07:13:08 - 00:07:31:12
Speaker 2
It was so good. Like, not stoned version of me was totally stoked about that meal. So yeah, it was just like, it's all been through experimentation. It's never been like, this is my goal. It's like, I'm hungry. And these are the things that we have, like, let's make something rad out of this weird concoction of ingredients that we have around.
00:07:31:17 - 00:07:49:12
Speaker 2
And that pizza place was cool, too, because I got the owner was Filipino, and so I kind of got to see the foods that he was eating and like, bringing in and like sometimes he would let us like, try whatever it would be. So like having like purple yams or like all of these things that I wasn't exposed to or these he brought in these little they weren't anchovies, they were bigger.
00:07:49:12 - 00:08:14:22
Speaker 2
But like this weird fish, it smelled so bad, but it tasted really good. And so, like, kind of being able to push through, like essentially being bullied into trying food. I've never tried before that didn't look like anything I'd seen before, was super terrible and cool at the same time. So yeah, that was kind of my those were my kind of bigger introductions into like professional stuff, even though it was not kind of prestigious or anything.
00:08:14:22 - 00:08:21:10
Speaker 2
It was just me having like a fun time as a teenager. So yeah, that's that. That's the beginnings of it all.
00:08:21:12 - 00:08:25:14
Speaker 1
Where did it go from there? Like what? What was the next?
00:08:25:16 - 00:08:45:09
Speaker 2
I got sober around that time. So like at the end of high school, I got in some trouble, and had to get my shit together. and so I left the pizza place job and then worked at, like, a string of weird, odd jobs of, like, malls and whatever. And, like, being a chef is not always been like the dream.
00:08:45:11 - 00:09:02:13
Speaker 2
I've always wanted to do some version of, like, having a restaurant that's tied to whatever passion. But, yeah. So in trying to get sober there, I got kicked out of my parents house. I was homeless for a little while. and I was just taking, like, kitchen jobs. And this was in, 2008 when this happened.
00:09:02:13 - 00:09:20:21
Speaker 2
So, so not a not a good time to try to get your life together with the economy being garbage and making it really hard for restaurants to maintain. So I had at any given moment, anywhere between 3 and 4 restaurant jobs. And I was just like, I'll just do this till I can afford to, like, live and do a thing.
00:09:20:23 - 00:09:37:09
Speaker 2
and I got a lot of experience there, and there were a couple people that gave me like management positions, and I just started kind of moving up in kitchens. and none of this was like with the intention of a goal other than to, like, not be hungry and homeless. so, yeah, those were kind of the next steps.
00:09:37:09 - 00:09:58:00
Speaker 2
And once I kind of like once my life settled out, I figured out like, oh, like, I'm actually kind of good at this and like, I know what I'm doing and, like, started getting like, little by little kind of confidence and having more intentional experiences around my cooking and my jobs and like, what I wanted to learn and like all of those things because I really tried to be like, this is the thing that I'm going to do.
00:09:58:00 - 00:10:14:21
Speaker 2
Like, I want to do a thing that's going to make me loads of money or whatever. It was like. That was kind of my like younger self. Looking at this and being like, this is not a sustainable career for me. but it always just stuck. Like every time I would try to do something else, it would not work out and I would always end up back at restaurants.
00:10:14:22 - 00:10:24:03
Speaker 2
So yeah, that was kind of the like early. Late teens or early 20s of just trying to kind of figure all of that out.
00:10:24:05 - 00:10:35:13
Speaker 1
How did you figure out at a young age, like sobriety was the answer to whatever? Yeah. You were also still, you said a teenager. Yeah.
00:10:35:13 - 00:10:53:19
Speaker 2
So I got sober when I was 18. I got arrested, three days before my 18th birthday. So. And then I got a soap. I got sober a month later. So May 8th, I got I was just stopped doing everything, and I was like, no, I need to get my shit together. And that was mostly because I was going to like 12 step meetings and and experiencing that.
00:10:53:19 - 00:11:12:19
Speaker 2
And no one was really my age. I wasn't like plugged into a younger crowd of people, and I was just like, oh shit. Like, I don't want to be old. And figuring out my life like that was really the thing that I was like, looking at people having to, like, get their life together. And they were like their life had already been kind of lived and created a lot of damage and wreckage.
00:11:12:19 - 00:11:33:21
Speaker 2
And like, I just knew that like my moment of like, oh, this is going to be the thing that's going to keep me from like, falling apart is just not doing this. And I was like, fine. Like, and honestly, I had no intentions of staying sober. It was mostly just like, I'm just going to do this until my probation is up, and then I'm just going to be a person that smokes pot.
00:11:33:21 - 00:11:53:07
Speaker 2
Like, that's all I really wanted to do. and now it's almost 14 years later and I have not done any of those things, which is wild. So yeah, just not wanting to be old and trying to figure out my life or trying to like, clean up the, like, damage that I created from drug addiction.
00:11:53:09 - 00:12:17:07
Speaker 1
Where it despite the economic hardships of that time of the country and just. Yeah that your situation like where, where, where did you swing to like where was the like once once the like what sort of jobs did you start to get that kind of brought you out of this? this place.
00:12:17:09 - 00:12:21:13
Speaker 2
Like essentially get me out of homelessness or just like where, like.
00:12:21:15 - 00:12:27:23
Speaker 1
I think maybe a little bit after the like where, where did you like. Because I know you said you you kept working in restaurants.
00:12:28:00 - 00:12:47:13
Speaker 2
Yeah. So, like, I tried to go back to school for a minute, and then it was just like a string of, like kind of lower to mid level quick service restaurants. I wasn't really like learning a lot in terms of cooking, but I was learning a lot about like how restaurants work. And I just have always been kind of very attentive to everything going on.
00:12:47:15 - 00:13:15:09
Speaker 2
so I think I learned a lot from doing that. And then like I said, I've always wanted to or not always at the time I was like, I'm going to go find a job that's going to like, make it so I don't have to struggle. so I think I got like my first apartment probably a year to two years after that and kind of that offered some stability of not couchsurfing and kind of questioning my, like, unstable housing situations.
00:13:15:11 - 00:13:36:13
Speaker 2
but yeah, it was it wasn't anything like where I felt like there was a massive amount of learning. It was really just about like sustaining my life. and that's what most of the jobs were for a really long time. I would say it wasn't until, I don't know, like maybe three years after that. So I met my wife, in 2011, and we moved in together very quickly.
00:13:36:13 - 00:13:54:05
Speaker 2
We did the whole U-Haul thing. It's worked out great so far. Yeah. So we we met, and so my housing really stabilized. Like everything. Like I had, like a stable relationship. I had like genuine support. I had all of these things kind of lined up and I was still like working in these kind of restaurants of like I learned a lot in those places.
00:13:54:05 - 00:14:11:13
Speaker 2
But it wasn't a lot about like cooking skill and developing that and kind of working toward this goal still until probably a couple of years, probably, like I would even say until like 2014. So fairly recently that I was like, oh, this is the thing I'm going to be doing. yeah.
00:14:11:15 - 00:14:16:11
Speaker 1
And briefly, how how long were you experiencing homeless homelessness?
00:14:16:15 - 00:14:17:12
Speaker 2
Yeah, it's all good.
00:14:17:15 - 00:14:18:17
Speaker 1
00:14:18:19 - 00:14:35:20
Speaker 2
Probably like a year to two years, like it was on and off. So I was mostly couch surfing. Like, I never really slept on the streets, but I was, because I was sober. And in 12 step programs, I would just go and, like, hang out in these, like meeting halls or whatever for the whole day and then ask for help with, like, a couch to sleep on at the end of the night.
00:14:35:22 - 00:14:51:20
Speaker 2
So yeah, it was and it was on and off, like I would get apartments and then someone would like it would there would be some sort of problem. Someone would relapse or their partner would move in and I'd have to move out. Like all of my housing was very temporary and very kind of like just based off of whatever was happening for that day.
00:14:51:20 - 00:15:05:13
Speaker 2
So that was about two years of that. So it's a good time trying to like, be like a teenager and like newly sober and navigate like life. So yeah, that that thing.
00:15:05:15 - 00:15:08:18
Speaker 1
In this was more so in Utah or more so this.
00:15:08:18 - 00:15:35:03
Speaker 2
Was all here. So I I from like ten on, I was only in, Southern California. So I was in San Fernando Valley at that point. and then I moved or like once I started getting sober, I found community in, like, West Hollywood and Hollywood and doing stuff through the gay and lesbian center and getting recovery, going to recovery meetings there.
00:15:35:05 - 00:15:50:08
Speaker 2
so I just naturally kind of ended up over here because that's where my support was. So, yeah.
00:15:50:10 - 00:16:02:14
Speaker 1
I guess walk me through from that next chapter in your life where, like, you had your wife like family, community and, and I know this definitely ties into, like, riding bikes.
00:16:02:16 - 00:16:34:17
Speaker 2
Yeah, definitely. Well, the riding bikes element is I never learned to drive in California, still in resistance to having a driver's license because at this point it's just stubbornness. But, yeah, so I've always commuted on bicycles like I've always just had a bike. just because it gave me access to things. and then, yeah, in terms of, like having a stable relationship and like, she had, a son who was at the time, I think Harrison was five when I came around.
00:16:34:17 - 00:17:00:12
Speaker 2
So like a young kid. and so, yeah, having, like, support and, like, in that way was kind of rad. And, like, it also just meant, like, I was responsible to someone else besides me, which I think kind of makes a lot of people get their shit together. It doesn't always work like that. Like a wife and a kid doesn't always, like, solve the problems, but sometimes it just works out that way.
00:17:00:14 - 00:17:23:19
Speaker 2
and I think with having that, like, I got to kind of explore, like what I wanted to do and was small. I wasn't like pursuing it. And I was really resentful at the fact for a long time that, like, I wasn't given the opportunity to kind of have like a normal, like, early adulthood experience. but I kind of, in hindsight, looking at it, it's like, oh, I did get to make those choices.
00:17:23:19 - 00:17:56:02
Speaker 2
Like, I could have chosen to, like, really push hard to pursue another career or do a different thing or whatever. Like if I, if I really had wanted to, I could have done it, once, once my like, financial and homelessness circumstances shifted. Like I could have made different choices. but yeah, that from when that happened, I was working at like a Mexican restaurant in Silver Lake and quickly was promoted there, and I was that's when I kind of started getting the confidence and understanding that like, oh, I'm actually really good at this job.
00:17:56:03 - 00:18:15:23
Speaker 2
and then I left there and went to Whole Foods for three years and like, that's where I was like, oh, I, I really know what I'm doing. Like I was constantly being offered promotions within the company and then like whenever they needed, like someone to do a creative thing, they would come and ask me to help with that, like whether it was like, make a vegan bar or whatever, do something cool with the thing.
00:18:15:23 - 00:18:30:01
Speaker 2
Like they would go to me first versus people that had been there for a while. And so I was like, oh, I, I, I know what I'm doing in terms of like operation stuff. I know what I'm doing in terms of like being able to kind of manage a thing. And now I'm like, oh, I know how to cook too.
00:18:30:01 - 00:18:36:10
Speaker 2
Like it's not just this one sided thing. I can do the creative side of things as well. which was super rare.
00:18:36:12 - 00:18:40:11
Speaker 1
Where did this confidence building continue to grow from here?
00:18:40:13 - 00:19:00:06
Speaker 2
I think from I think most of it came honestly from working at Whole Foods, where I really just was like, oh, like, this is what's happening, because I also like, I had a really shitty experience in leaving Whole Foods. the manager, I helped open the 365 store and went down from being like a catering supervisor to just like a regular worker, but for more money.
00:19:00:06 - 00:19:16:13
Speaker 2
And I was like, great. Less responsibility, more money. I'm in. but what kind of started happening is, is that a lot of the people that were working there would come to me because I'd been with Whole Foods for a while at the point, and they were just asking me questions, whatever. And one guy in particular didn't like me very much, and that's fine.
00:19:16:13 - 00:19:31:12
Speaker 2
And he can have his thoughts and feelings, but like, it turned into this thing where like the management or like the general manager and like the whole management crew essentially pulled me aside and tried to be like, everybody's afraid of you and doing all of these things. And I was like, I don't know, like, this isn't what I'm experiencing on a day to day basis.
00:19:31:12 - 00:19:50:18
Speaker 2
Like they come to me to ask questions and no one's like, no one's acting as if they're afraid of me. And if they are, this is the weirdest way to express it to like, come for me to help them solve problems. and so I was like, I have to leave. Like, this isn't this isn't healthy. I'm not interested in, like, this weird, kind of manipulative game that's happening.
00:19:50:20 - 00:20:12:04
Speaker 2
And from there, I went back to the Mexican restaurant that I was working at, for, like a front of the house position. And that's kind of where I also learned that, like, oh, I can do the front end thing too. Like I have a shorter limit on that. Like I can do the front of the house, like the kind of song and dance that has to happen in the more customer facing positions.
00:20:12:06 - 00:20:35:16
Speaker 2
but it is it is a limited thing where I can't do it like day in, day out, forever. but yeah, that was that was another big one where I was like, oh, I know how to do this too. Like, this is something I'm also capable of doing. and the fact that, like, with going back to the Mexican restaurant, like they wanted me back, like they had come, like they essentially approached me, at some point.
00:20:35:18 - 00:21:03:08
Speaker 2
and so like, that was also like, oh, people want me to return to their, their restaurant or their business or whatever. And that was super cool. and then I worked at, Lincoln Cafe in Pasadena. and I got hired as, like, a kitchen manager sous chef position there. and that was something I kind of had never done in respect to being at a more like, everything made to order kind of restaurant, like we had hot wells there and whatever, but for the most part, everything was made to order.
00:21:03:08 - 00:21:27:14
Speaker 2
And so it really put that that was the first job that was like intentional of like, oh, I'm going to open up a restaurant like this, and I want to learn how to, run brunch service. Like, I want to have like a brunch spot. And how do I run brunch service? so that I really think that was the first like in terms of career moves, that was an intentional, like, I want to learn a thing, and this is a good place that I feel like I can learn that.
00:21:27:16 - 00:21:47:17
Speaker 2
And that was super great. And I learned a lot from the chef there. she's super talented, amazing chef. And like, has like a lot of pastry talent and like it was it was a great learning place there that like, I learned a lot that I didn't know, which is, I was hitting a point with the other restaurants that I was working at where I was like, oh, I, I know a lot of the things happening here.
00:21:47:17 - 00:22:09:04
Speaker 2
Not to say, like, I know everything and I'm brilliant, but like, I just stopped learning. And so I know a lot of the times, like, not a lot of the times in most instances. Another part of me leaving places was I was just getting bored with the information and I wanted to like, learn and continue to grow. So yeah, I think Lincoln was the first time I was like, this is this is my goal.
00:22:09:04 - 00:22:13:23
Speaker 2
This is what I want to do with this space. So served its purpose.
00:22:14:01 - 00:22:15:14
Speaker 1
And then do this right.
00:22:15:14 - 00:22:34:06
Speaker 2
After. Yeah. Dune was right after that. yeah. Lincoln. There were just some things that I wasn't stoked about happening. And so I, decided to look for another job. And that kind of forked off between. So I had a catering company at the time, too, called Bitten Peach. And so I was doing that as kind of like a side hustle.
00:22:34:06 - 00:22:55:23
Speaker 2
And it all kind of it was catering. I did catering and I catered some weddings and then private chef work, and it was all just side work. So it was at the time of leaving Lincoln, it was either get like a part time job and then really kind of commit more to doing this catering private chef thing, or, go to Dune and take like a kind of more serious position.
00:22:56:01 - 00:23:21:15
Speaker 2
and Dune just made more sense to what I needed and at the time and like, I'm so grateful that experience that was the choice that I made. Because if the other things happened, that wouldn't have been good with like pandemic related times. So yeah, I worked at Dune from December of 2019 to, June was my last month of last year, so 2021.
00:23:21:17 - 00:23:41:10
Speaker 2
So and that was an amazing learning experience because I think for me, like in working in food service, a huge thing that I've always struggled with is how employees are treated. And like this idea of like we're family, which I'm not a fan of that kind of narrative, but like, and then all of a sudden, like, we're getting screamed at for things that don't really like matter ultimately.
00:23:41:10 - 00:23:59:03
Speaker 2
And so like, Dune was the first place that I worked at that, I was like, oh, you can own a restaurant and not like, be rough with your employees and like, actually care and have empathy for what's happening and try to be of support to people and still have a sustainable business. so that was that was an amazing experience.
00:23:59:03 - 00:24:16:10
Speaker 2
And I'm so grateful for it on like so many levels. So yeah, that was kind of that was the last job I worked where I worked for someone else, and then the catering company kind of fizzled out. I did two weddings in 2020, and then that was I was like, okay, we're done. Like I was just done with catering.
00:24:16:10 - 00:24:20:20
Speaker 2
And so, yeah, it all kind of worked out perfectly.
00:24:20:22 - 00:24:23:23
Speaker 1
And describe Dune for me. No, no.
00:24:24:01 - 00:24:51:16
Speaker 2
It's Dune is like the most delicious Mediterranean food restaurant. It's kind of like a California spin on Mediterranean food. it's really good. I'm not a huge fan of falafel, and I would go there regularly for falafel or falafel sandwiches or fundament. Phenomenal. and it's window service in Atwater. They have another location downtown. It's so good. All of their, like, everything's made from scratch in-house.
00:24:51:16 - 00:24:57:19
Speaker 2
There's not a freezer to be seen like, it's it's a pretty incredible restaurant. So. Yeah.
00:24:57:21 - 00:25:01:07
Speaker 1
And I didn't realize you didn't have a driver's license this whole time.
00:25:01:10 - 00:25:01:17
Speaker 2
Nope.
00:25:01:17 - 00:25:19:01
Speaker 1
Not one LA like, kind of has this reputation as being very hard city to bike around in there. Yeah. where was the role of this? Like mode of transportation slash like, you know, a very significant part of your life through it all these years?
00:25:19:07 - 00:25:36:15
Speaker 2
Yeah. So like, in terms of, like getting around like now with Uber, like, I do rely on that pretty heavily. prior to that, I was just taking the bus and riding my bike everywhere. and so it did make things kind of limited, like I could only go to, like, certain neighborhoods and do certain things and whatever.
00:25:36:15 - 00:26:02:05
Speaker 2
I'm riding fixed gear bikes around town just because they were like the cheaper bikes to get at the time. and so I was just doing that for a long time, and then Uber started to kind of become more of a thing, and I started relying on that more. And so, like ever, that's more of what I'm reliant on, especially now that it's not now, but like the past couple months have been pretty cold, like riding my bike I'm not super stoked about and then opening a restaurant restaurants.
00:26:02:05 - 00:26:22:03
Speaker 2
Exhausting. So adding another 20 or like 30 minutes of commuting on a bicycle is a lot. but yeah, I really love riding my bike. It's the like one thing where I'm like, oh, I can just do this thing and ride my bike forever, and I'd be fine. Yeah, that's kind of my transportation deal. And like, it works, all right.
00:26:22:04 - 00:26:26:11
Speaker 2
Might give in to the driver's license thing one day, but yeah, I don't know.
00:26:26:13 - 00:26:34:11
Speaker 1
And tell me about FUBAR and just your connection here to this community that embraced you. Yeah.
00:26:34:13 - 00:26:59:17
Speaker 2
so FUBAR is a team through AIDS life cycle. I, sign up to do life cycle in, and I don't remember what year. Some time I think it might have been 2016, whenever the first time Trump was elected. I don't remember when this was, and I remember sitting at a table with some friends and they were talking about, they were hoarding their, medication to keep them from getting sick.
00:26:59:17 - 00:27:21:16
Speaker 2
They were all HIV positive men. And I was like, oh, fuck. Like, this isn't good. Sorry. I don't know if you can swear it's blue. Whatever were there for doing it. and I was like, okay, like, that's terrible. And then, I was at a movie like an outdoor cemetery movie and, the gay and Lesbian center was hosting it, and there was a tent for AIDS life cycle.
00:27:21:18 - 00:27:42:01
Speaker 2
And I looked at my wife and I was like, oh, I've always wanted to kind of do that. And also like the fact that I had just heard my friend saying that, like, they're afraid of their access to medication under this presidency, especially after, like, Trump had gotten rid of some, like, integral, Aids and HIV kind of positions in the white House.
00:27:42:01 - 00:28:00:15
Speaker 2
And I was like, I was really scared for my friends. And so I was like, how can I be of service to this situation? I'm working in kitchens. I don't have copious amounts of dollars like I don't have information on how to like, help them. So I was like, oh, this is a good way, and I can fundraise and like ask a collective of people to help me and also do this really rad thing on bikes.
00:28:00:17 - 00:28:18:10
Speaker 2
so my first year I didn't ride with FUBAR but I did train with them, so they were all the team I had originally signed up for was on the West side, and it was just really far for me to get from like Highland Park to the West Side, on my bike, and then ride 50 miles and then ride home like it was too much for someone that just is on a bike.
00:28:18:12 - 00:28:36:02
Speaker 2
so there were a couple times I trained with FUBAR and I did like the team and initially like my perception of them that was that they were associated with like this gay club night in West Hollywood, also called fubar. And I was like, oh, maybe I don't do a thing that's attached to a bar. come to find out, they're not related at all.
00:28:36:02 - 00:29:02:19
Speaker 2
So I was like, fine, let's do it. so the second year writing for its life cycle, I rode with them and it's I'm super glad that I found this group of people like they're it's a massive team. So you can also find like your click of people without having to, like, team hop, essentially. so yeah, I just happened to fall into a bunch of super rad people and like some of my closest friends have been made through this, from my business partners through, fubar.
00:29:02:19 - 00:29:25:14
Speaker 2
Like, it's all kind of a community of people that just support each other, kind of wherever they're at, which is super cool, because I feel like my struggle with these kind of like charity rights. Is it is based around a lot of affluence, like you have to have some money to be able to do these things. It's not something that's featured often, but like you have to take time off work and buy things and do all the stuff.
00:29:25:14 - 00:29:47:07
Speaker 2
And so like, at no point was that everything in Fubar, like I've never it doesn't seem to be this like, oh, you don't have the right kind of bike. And like, sure, we like joke about it sometimes, but like in all seriousness, like we're just stoked that people are riding bikes with us, like and like that's super rad for me because, like, I didn't come to doing a life cycle because I wanted to ride bikes.
00:29:47:07 - 00:30:03:03
Speaker 2
Like I was like, I don't ever want to be one of those people wearing spandex. I don't want to do this. Like, I had all these things I didn't want to do, and I'm doing them all now. it was really just like coming to this community to be like, this is kind of cool. And I love riding my bike, and I want to help my friends not die or be sick.
00:30:03:09 - 00:30:07:19
Speaker 2
So, yeah, the fact that I got like, fubar out of that is pretty cool.
00:30:07:21 - 00:30:09:17
Speaker 1
And describe the ride.
00:30:09:19 - 00:30:31:06
Speaker 2
Aids life cycle is wild. I haven't done it in a couple of years. Thanks, pandemic. but. So I've done it twice. I've done the ride twice. This will be my fifth year in fundraising and then I'll third year riding, but, it's pretty amazing. I was super excited to find out that we will go, like, inland to go through all the farm land stuff.
00:30:31:06 - 00:30:51:07
Speaker 2
Turns out it's not my favorite part of the day. It's a little depressing for me now, but like, the riders, it's beautiful. And there's 3000 people you're hanging out with and getting to do a ride with. And like, even if you're, like, going in alone on your first day, like, you'll find your click of people that you just end up like connecting with and riding with, like the community around it is pretty phenomenal.
00:30:51:07 - 00:31:15:16
Speaker 2
And like, it's very interesting when like, people have a common goal of fundraising or even if your goal to do the ride is just to do the ride like it, how it shifts people and how they engage with each other is pretty interesting. It's really fascinating to kind of watch the that that experience happen in this little bubble and like be like, oh, you like, I have yet to run into anybody on the ride that's just grumpy the whole time for no reason.
00:31:15:16 - 00:31:21:16
Speaker 2
Like, I feel like you have to work pretty hard to do that. So yeah, it's it's super rad.
00:31:21:18 - 00:31:30:04
Speaker 1
I know you've described like there's certain days or certain things happen where like if there's a day where everybody dresses up in a certain way, right?
00:31:30:04 - 00:31:45:21
Speaker 2
Yeah. It's like red dress day. I don't remember what day it is. I don't have the self-esteem to wear a dress. I don't want to wear a dress. I don't like it. But I'll wear a red hat. So everybody wears, like, a red dress or a red kit or red outfit and like, I think that's the shortest day.
00:31:45:21 - 00:32:07:05
Speaker 2
I don't know how many miles. It's like 40 something or 50 something. And, I do. The last year I did it. That was my favorite day. Mostly because your riding through these, like, tiny towns in the middle of California. And the thing that I realized is that, like, a lot of these people don't see queerness. They don't see what it's like to be a queer person, or there's only this.
00:32:07:07 - 00:32:26:21
Speaker 2
They have whatever they see, whatever version of us they get to see, like they get to see thousands of people riding through their town like big, burly men dressed in dresses or like, whatever. Like it's a it's weird. I'm sure it's so crazy. But, like, it really hit me this last time that I wrote that, I was like, oh, like, we're the representation that they get to see.
00:32:26:21 - 00:32:49:17
Speaker 2
And this is also what it looks like. Some of the writers also are HIV positive. Like, this is what it looks like to be living with HIV. Like it gets to change. We get the opportunity to change the narrative around what all of those things look like for people that might not have access to that information, which is super rad and also terrifying when there's like a giant F-150 riding by you with, like, Trump 2024 stickers on it, you're like, cool.
00:32:49:17 - 00:33:06:13
Speaker 2
And I say it like, those things are nerve wracking, but I also feel like it's kind of worth it to be able to give people that don't have access to that information or like, not necessarily access, but like seeing it in person is much different than experiencing it through the internet. And so like, that's that's super cool.
00:33:06:17 - 00:33:10:06
Speaker 1
Where did this idea for Detroit Voices begin?
00:33:10:08 - 00:33:31:21
Speaker 2
I've always kind of had it in the back of my head that I would have like a cafe or a restaurant that was just attached to whatever hobby was happening at the time. And I've also like for years, not for years, probably know for a long time. Years is correct. I would see buildings that were super cool, and I would take a picture of them and post on the internet very jokingly because whatever, why not?
00:33:32:03 - 00:33:54:07
Speaker 2
And I would just be like, hey, who wants to help me open up a restaurant? And it would usually be like abandoned, like auto body shops or just like buildings. That would be insane to to turn into a restaurant, but super cool. and I, yeah, I would just make that post and slowly work towards it and just be like, okay, like I'm going to do this catering thing and see how that goes.
00:33:54:07 - 00:34:23:16
Speaker 2
And maybe that'll help me get closer to this goal. and then I made a post April ish of last year, and I was just like, hey, here's this cool space next to the black Cat and Silver Lake, which is like a gay bar in, Silver Lake that I don't think it's currently a gay bar, but was a gay bar, and it's some of the first, documented, police riots in, California or in general around queer rights.
00:34:23:18 - 00:34:41:21
Speaker 2
and I was like, it would be really cool if queerness or queer people own some of these spaces around here. It's already been kind of labeled as a historical site, but like, it would be cool if the community was able to kind of engage with these spaces more and kind of preserve its history and pay respects to it.
00:34:41:22 - 00:35:05:11
Speaker 2
and so I made that post and it got an insane amount of traction versus like the previous posts that I've made where people are like, I make cookies or I make a really good smoothie, and all of these things that were like, nice. And they were trying to be helpful, but like, it was more of the like financial help to get there, because in working in restaurants, like they don't have, I'm not in a position to do this on my own.
00:35:05:13 - 00:35:17:20
Speaker 2
so yeah, a bunch of people came forward and were like, I'm willing to help or like, let me know what you need. And I this is, this is what I have to offer. So that was kind of awesome. And then I was like, oh, I have to get my shit together. Like, this is actually becoming kind of real.
00:35:17:20 - 00:35:37:10
Speaker 2
So like, I started, like putting all of my ideas on paper in a real way. That was like presentable and like, yeah, it it was kind of a wild couple of weeks of just being like, oh, there's like real things on the table of not just these kind of vague, loose conversations. So that was that was super cool.
00:35:37:12 - 00:35:46:15
Speaker 1
Yeah. And the idea I remember hearing you say is like you wanted it to be like AIDS life cycle in one. Yeah, it's under one roof.
00:35:46:18 - 00:36:06:07
Speaker 2
So I think it's like during the pandemic, like I really missed that community that I had created for myself. at that I got through participating in AIDS life cycle. Like I missed riding bikes with my friends all the time. Like, yeah, we did the bike rides on Wednesdays and like, that was super fun. But like, there is something different about like training for it and having this thing happen and whatever.
00:36:06:07 - 00:36:34:04
Speaker 2
But, having a permanent place that you could just experience that year round sounded rad. And I was like, that's that's achievable. And like all of the people that were coming forward, I found I found friendship with through AIDS life cycle. So I was like, oh, this just kind of makes sense. and so figuring out how to, like, have a place that you can ride bikes and eat food and hang out with your friends and like, kind of having it be like a non-judgmental space sounded really cool.
00:36:34:06 - 00:36:43:01
Speaker 2
so yeah, that was kind of the inspiration of how to kind of make it work in that way of of accommodating all of these kind of intersections of hobbies that I have.
00:36:43:03 - 00:36:45:18
Speaker 1
And you have the place now we're inside.
00:36:45:19 - 00:37:19:07
Speaker 2
Yeah, it's kind of wild. it's a little surreal sometimes because I'm like, oh, this wasn't really in the cards until much later. but it all kind of worked out. My business partners are super amazing and like, super supportive and and kind of helping this happen and like, all the friends that have kind of come forward to help, like, it really has turned into kind of a community space even before it was open, like the fact that a lot of my friends have helped, like, contribute whatever their talent was to, to make it happen, has been super cool.
00:37:19:07 - 00:37:35:02
Speaker 2
Like, and then I have a wall of like, bike forks for friends that were like not in town or whatever. Didn't have like a thing that they could be like, I'm a welder or whatever it might be. They decorated their bike forks and then being able to put like murals up that kind of reflect all of the various communities I'm a part of.
00:37:35:02 - 00:37:56:19
Speaker 2
Like, it's it's pretty wild. it's I'm still kind of oscillating between, like, this is mine or like I'm working for someone else because I'm not. What I'm doing now isn't vastly different than what I was doing prior to like, other restaurants, like people like when I was working at doom, they really did trust me to kind of do my job, which was a really great experience.
00:37:56:19 - 00:38:04:14
Speaker 2
And I'm kind of doing those same things now with like essentially more paperwork and those sorts of things. But yeah, it's kind of crazy.
00:38:04:16 - 00:38:12:19
Speaker 1
And this was I mean, this was like a demolition job, like this was like, starting from scratch kind of.
00:38:12:20 - 00:38:33:01
Speaker 2
Yeah. So the the space we're in now, was from scratch ish. They wanted to how they wanted to lease out the building was two separate spaces. So that meant I would lose a bathroom, which meant, and applying for liquor licenses, you have to have two restrooms. So we had to build out a restroom, and then I had to, increase the size of the hood.
00:38:33:01 - 00:38:53:23
Speaker 2
So the previous restaurant was more like bar and beverage focused, where I wanted to be more food focused and then just happened to have liquor and whatnot. So, we had to make the hood bigger. And then was there something else? we had to redo the front, the front of the building, because it wasn't code, which has been like figuring all of that out.
00:38:53:23 - 00:39:23:02
Speaker 2
That's been the biggest learning curve in this space. Is that, like, all of the, like, inspections and dealing with plumbing inspectors and health inspectors and all of the various levels of like inspection that goes on before opening a place has been kind of the biggest thing where I'm like, I don't entirely know. And like it's just been asking a lot of questions of like friends that I trust, that have had this experience or googling stuff or just being like, I don't know, we'll kind of keep on going along until it makes sense and, and whatever.
00:39:23:02 - 00:39:27:06
Speaker 2
But yeah, that was so far my least favorite part of this whole transaction.
00:39:27:08 - 00:39:58:01
Speaker 1
There's so much going on here. It's it's it's like a bike cafe. It's it's like a hip restaurant in the arts district. It's like, what, what where is the intersection of all this? Like, it is, I know it also, you're still, like, building stuff like there's there's this room that's going to become something, where where long are you in the process of, like, the journey of, like realizing like what this is.
00:39:58:03 - 00:40:16:08
Speaker 2
I mean, I think it's kind of slowly but truly coming together. I think there's so there's like the back room that we want to have, like mutual aid stuff out of or pop ups or small shows, all of those sorts of things. And it's a really beautiful little room. and then in terms of the main space, it's really like my focus for this whole thing has been community.
00:40:16:13 - 00:40:40:23
Speaker 2
So no matter what that community is, for me, it's all cycling and queerness. And like those parts of my life. so it's more of just like a space to hang out. And so figuring out how to make that happen is kind of where I'm at and really kind of showing that that's what's happening here. And it's it's really starting to come together with the various cycling groups that come through and just people coming and being like, oh, there's like a daytime queer space to come hang out at.
00:40:40:23 - 00:41:03:00
Speaker 2
Like, that's super important. And there's not a lot of like representation in that area of, of food service or like just spaces in general. so I feel like it's just kind of making the outside space kind of reflect that, like the dining room and all of that sort of thing. So I feel like we do have I'm really happy with our menu.
00:41:03:00 - 00:41:25:07
Speaker 2
I think it's really delicious. And I think the team we have has really contributed a lot to that, which I think is super fun. And like, I've loved that when I've worked at places that have given me the autonomy to contribute to the menu has been super fun. So I've given my staff the same thing and like they've added some really amazing dishes to the table that like they don't come for me and they've they've crushed it and like made delicious food.
00:41:25:09 - 00:41:51:14
Speaker 2
so yeah, I'm really excited about like, what they're bringing to the table. so yeah, it's just now we're in the phase of just making it more like comfortable. Comfortable to be in here. It's a big industrial space. So it feels massive. So and it is massive. So trying to kind of make it just more like cozy and comfortable that it's the space that you want to hang out in for a long time versus kind of like the cafeteria vibe of just like, you're here, you're gonna see you later.
00:41:51:16 - 00:41:56:05
Speaker 2
so yeah, that's that's kind of the phases. We're now just making it more comfortable.
00:41:56:07 - 00:42:18:13
Speaker 1
Yeah. I feel like in, like, parts of L.A., like, yeah, there will be, like enclaves of like. Yeah, usually like maybe bars that are associated with like, LGBTQ community, but like rare or do you see or like restaurants that are kind of and especially in like even when I think about other parts of the country, it's like especially like a rare thing to see.
00:42:18:13 - 00:42:32:11
Speaker 1
And like any, have there been hurdles to like, communicate this to, you know, people have never been here of like, this isn't like a bar. Like, you know, what's.
00:42:32:13 - 00:42:51:21
Speaker 2
Kind of I mean, sorry to cut you off. Yeah, it's I think the bikes are more off putting than the queerness of it, which I think is really interesting because at least in my experience, in talking to people like they're like, oh, I don't ride bikes or I don't ride bikes like that, like that's more the narrative, not like, oh, I'm not gay.
00:42:51:21 - 00:43:11:20
Speaker 2
So I'm not allowed to go there while like, I have heard like a few people, it's much more of a narrow group of people than it is the people that are like, oh, I don't ride bikes. And that was kind of my intention of keeping the spaces separate, because even as a cyclist going to other cycling like friendly spaces, I'm trying to navigate getting a cup of coffee around like 50 cyclists in their bike.
00:43:11:20 - 00:43:36:01
Speaker 2
And it's it's frustrating. So I really wanted to be like, bikes go over there like, don't bring your bikes into the restaurant space. There's bike parking. Do you have a space for your bike stuff? And then you can come hang out with us, up with us over here, and making it comfortable for kind of the neighborhood. so yeah, that's kind of been the bigger hurdle is like, it's okay, you don't have to ride a bike to be able to come come here.
00:43:36:03 - 00:44:03:08
Speaker 2
and if you do, you have a place to put it. That's kind of the thing. And then I think in terms of, like the, like LGBTQ, queer, whatever element of things, like, I think people are pretty excited about it. And I think we did open during like the height of this last round of Covid and, so that I think that was more of a hurdle than the like that I feel like that's the biggest hurdle versus the queerness or the bike stuff.
00:44:03:08 - 00:44:14:13
Speaker 2
So just getting people out of their houses and changing their habits is, is a huge challenge for any restaurant without any kind of specific group they're trying to reach. So yeah.
00:44:14:15 - 00:44:19:13
Speaker 1
That's so crazy about the bikes. Like I always associate bikes is like, this is cool. Like.
00:44:19:15 - 00:44:38:09
Speaker 2
Yeah, I think like, I mean, I kind of get it, like I kind of get that, like, there is this weird. It's not weird. It's totally normal for groups of people to be like, oh, I don't do that kind of thing. Or like this is associated with this and like whatever. So the association of like road cycling with wealth is a thing.
00:44:38:11 - 00:44:56:13
Speaker 2
And so and like I think that is concerning for people sometimes like I do and I get it, I've been in that position of like, oh, that's not attainable to me because I don't have the money to have that kind of bike, which like is kind of crappy and like, I don't think that's how bikes should be.
00:44:56:13 - 00:45:19:00
Speaker 2
I don't think that's like if you look at some kind of like social movements, they're around accessibility to space and bikes have been the kind of thing that connects that for people. and so trying to be like, oh, we're like not a, we're not kind of elitist around the bikes that we're riding. Like, I don't care, come on, a beater bike that you put together out of parts you found on the street, like it's rad that you're riding a bike like.
00:45:19:02 - 00:45:38:14
Speaker 2
And I feel like trying to convey that to people and just or like, like I said, you don't even have to be on a bike. Like, I don't care, like, just come and hang out, like, because I think it's more about the building community and being like, oh, like, sure, the road bike people can hang out with the fixed gear people or like the BMX people or whatever, like this, this kind of separation of everybody.
00:45:38:14 - 00:45:56:23
Speaker 2
Because like, I don't come from a wealthy background. I am not currently wealthy. And like, I have friends on all ends of the spectrum. Like I think just being like, oh, like just because it looks different doesn't mean it is different. so I think that's kind of the thing I'm trying to convey here is that, like, it doesn't like all of the outside things don't really matter.
00:45:56:23 - 00:46:06:23
Speaker 2
Like it's. Yeah, I think that's that's the goal. And I feel like that's a harder message to send. Like the inside messages are harder than the outside ones.
00:46:07:01 - 00:46:33:00
Speaker 1
It's funny because I feel like this is such like an American thing, like so many cities across this country. It's like the large cities especially. It's like, unless it's New York, it's like, I guess New York series. So there's there's a couple big ones. I it's like cycling is a little easier and or whatever, but like it does feel like, yeah, there's just all these hurdles in the way for people just to like get a bike or have that lifestyle that.
00:46:33:02 - 00:46:37:11
Speaker 1
Yeah, it doesn't have to necessarily be a lifestyle. It can just be like like instead of a car.
00:46:37:13 - 00:47:02:08
Speaker 2
Yeah, yeah. I think LA's the first place to have a highway, like there's a lot. And I recently found out like super markets were originated in L.A. Like there's a lot of like things around car culture that happened in L.A.. So I think it's so steeped in LA culture to have a car that like even mentioning that you take the bus not even riding a bike, like mentioning public transit to someone in Los Angeles is a weird thing.
00:47:02:08 - 00:47:26:16
Speaker 2
And I'm like, no, no. Like taking the Gold Line from Pasadena to here is great. but like, yeah, I think it's all just like, essentially like the automotive industry in Calif, in Los Angeles specifically, is so steeped into our culture that, like, we've changed how like the country grocery shops like, that's wild to be like, oh, we're going to make this accessible to cars.
00:47:26:16 - 00:47:45:23
Speaker 2
And you're driving situation is how we're going to market like food to you. So like drive thrus, like all of those things were I, I also didn't look this up after this person told me, so I could just be making it up at this point. But like, that's wild that we're adjusting how our city functions because of cars.
00:47:45:23 - 00:48:00:15
Speaker 2
But like, if they're tearing up a bunch of the roads around the city right now and you can see the old trolley cars like it hasn't always been like this, and LA was much more spread out and much more like there wasn't city to city. It was like city and then to a bunch of nothingness and then another city.
00:48:00:21 - 00:48:22:00
Speaker 2
So like, yeah, I think LA is accessible to read like it's hard when you have to like lug a bunch of shit around, but like, it's accessible. I don't think it's any better or worse than any other city. I think it just has a reputation and people can't kind of see past that. So, I mean, I know so many people that commute on bikes and it's it's kind of like a non-issue.
00:48:22:02 - 00:48:41:16
Speaker 2
in the amount of time I've commuted, I think. So I've been hit twice. The first time was 100% my fault. I got up on the sidewalk and then went out and didn't look in it. Guy was turning and he hit me and like I was ultimately fine. And then the other time I don't remember exactly what happened, or whose fault it was.
00:48:41:18 - 00:49:04:03
Speaker 2
And like, that one also wasn't that bad, like, so to commute my whole life. So whatever, 15 plus years of commuting on a bicycle in Los Angeles to only be hit twice is pretty good in any city that you're going to be riding a bicycle in. So I don't know. I don't necessarily subscribe to the narrative that LA is more dangerous than another city to ride a bicycle, and so who knows?
00:49:04:03 - 00:49:14:05
Speaker 2
Hopefully that narrative changes and it seems like it is changing. During the pandemic, everybody's been buying bicycles and now they've spent them a lot of money on bicycle, so hopefully they ride them now we'll see.
00:49:14:07 - 00:49:27:23
Speaker 1
Where emotionally are you with the it's now been okay, April. You you posted the post about the the the Silver Lake spot. So it's it's been like half a year.
00:49:28:01 - 00:49:29:08
Speaker 2
Almost a year.
00:49:29:10 - 00:49:32:18
Speaker 1
So half years since the place has been open and open.
00:49:32:20 - 00:49:34:15
Speaker 2
No, we opened on Black Friday.
00:49:34:16 - 00:49:35:21
Speaker 1
Wow. Okay.
00:49:35:23 - 00:49:38:05
Speaker 2
three months we've been open, but I've been working on this.
00:49:38:05 - 00:49:44:03
Speaker 1
Almost a year. Yeah. Okay. Where are you at emotionally with that journey?
00:49:44:04 - 00:50:04:13
Speaker 2
It ebbs and flows with varying levels of stress. Essentially. Like, I'm super happy with my crew. I'm super happy with, like, how it's starting to come together and like, it does seem like the word is getting out there, which is exciting. So it's just like I said earlier, like changing their habits. I think that's like the thing where I'm like, okay, like trying to get into people's brains and being like, when is the perfect?
00:50:04:16 - 00:50:27:09
Speaker 2
Like, I have to meet people at the perfect time to be like, oh, this is the place I'm going instead of my usual place. So that can be kind of a stressful endeavor to be like, I don't know how to like, navigate getting like getting into the psychology of how people eat. except for just continuing to, like, blast everywhere I can that, like, we exist and we're here.
00:50:27:11 - 00:50:37:02
Speaker 2
yeah. But overall, I'm I'm pretty good most of the time. I really miss riding my bike a lot, but other than that, I'm great. So hopefully someday I get to ride my bike. We'll find out.
00:50:37:04 - 00:50:55:21
Speaker 1
I remember, too, you talking about how, like your vision for the food and for the not having alcohol here and like the the type of food and like what? Where? Remind me again how that all kind of like influences the vibe that you're creating here.
00:50:55:23 - 00:51:16:06
Speaker 2
Yeah. So like it's kind of all inspired based off of like food I made growing up. So like the the grilled cheese sandwich they talked about earlier. Like we have kind of the adult version of that with the mushroom bread pudding that we sell. So there's that. And then there's a taco on the menu. It's a pork belly taco with hibiscus sweet potato hash.
00:51:16:08 - 00:51:36:16
Speaker 2
And that was made. That kind of recipe came together with, like a supper club that a couple friends and I would have. And we would have different themes each month. and the last one we did was tacos. And so, there was my friend Piper, who has unfortunately since passed her aprons hanging in the restaurant somewhere, and her face is painted on the mural outside.
00:51:36:16 - 00:51:51:20
Speaker 2
But she made the hibiscus slaw, and I made the pork belly taco, or the pork belly and, like, so I was like, I need to figure out how to, like, pay respect to a friend that, like, was super supportive in all of my weird cooking endeavors and like, so that they all kind of come from things like that.
00:51:51:20 - 00:52:19:07
Speaker 2
Not all of them, but like, it's all just based off of like, my experience with food and like, mostly like food and community. so yeah, I think that's it. And it's all kind of like Midwestern, like diner food, for lack of a better description, but a little healthier, like, not so deep fried everything. That's kind of the inspiration for most of the menu is just like food I grew up eating, but making it healthier and maybe a little bit more accessible to people.
00:52:19:08 - 00:52:19:19
Speaker 2
So.
00:52:19:21 - 00:52:24:07
Speaker 1
So yeah, I noticed too, there's like a letter out there framed.
00:52:24:10 - 00:52:50:18
Speaker 2
Yeah. So that's so the apron is there's an apron in there. And that's my friend Piper's. I got it after she passed away. and then, for my friend Felicia, who we, we've seen each other around forever. But once Piper passed away, we kind of were connecting on and off a little more. And so, I guess Piper had visited her in a dream and was like, you did it and had this whole thing.
00:52:50:18 - 00:53:11:03
Speaker 2
And so that's kind of the letter. It was Felicia just saying, like, hey, this is this is what happened in, like, I don't want to mess with dead Piper. And I was like, fair. That is, I think she said it a little bit more eloquently, but this sounds correct. So that's what that letter is. So and that was pretty cool too, to like, have someone that like, you've just I've known and seen Felicia around forever to just be like, oh, you did a thing like that.
00:53:11:03 - 00:53:17:02
Speaker 2
Super cool. So it felt appropriate to frame it together with, with my friend deeper and, and doing all of that.
00:53:17:05 - 00:53:34:03
Speaker 1
I feel like this whole space has a lot of that. It's kind of like a it has scavenged like for someone who doesn't know, like a scavenger hunt of like you. Yeah, everywhere. And is there anything else in here that kind of represents you?
00:53:34:05 - 00:53:57:16
Speaker 2
I don't know, things I like, I guess. So, like with the both of the muralists, we have the mural in the back room in the bathrooms, and then the one outside the mural outside has the clear, nice manifesto. And like with so many people dying from Aids, queer people were kind of forced to rely on strangers to like, stay alive and to, like, just have some quality of life to have to find, like your chosen family or whatever it might be.
00:53:57:16 - 00:54:21:03
Speaker 2
So I, I really identify with all of that literature because I had that same experience outside of like HIV and Aids, just being like a younger queer person that's also trying to get sober and all the other things, homelessness, all the various things. She's always been relying on people that I don't know. anytime I've needed help, it's always come from people that I don't know well or I don't know at all.
00:54:21:05 - 00:54:39:09
Speaker 2
and like, thus far, like, my experience has not been any different, like it's always been from, like, practically strangers and even, like, with my business partners, like, I know that we ride bikes together, all of those things, but, like, it's not like a thing where, like, I knew them to the point of being able to pick up the phone and be like, hey, I'm moving, help me move some boxes.
00:54:39:09 - 00:54:57:16
Speaker 2
Like, dude, it's that's been my experiences that it's always been through the kindness of strangers that I've been able to, like, sustain my life. And so I feel like that's kind of what a lot of the murals and like, what I'm trying to put in the space is that like, it's our job is to be of service to other people.
00:54:57:21 - 00:55:19:10
Speaker 2
And so like, how do we do that in, in with a restaurant or with food or with just community or whatever? Like how do we get to show up for those things? So yeah, it's kind of like all of the various art is like that, like all of the the bike forks over there or like whatever. Just how we try to approach things is through the lens of being of service to community.
00:55:19:10 - 00:55:20:13
Speaker 2
So yeah.
00:55:20:15 - 00:55:21:09
Speaker 1
It's so cool.
00:55:21:14 - 00:55:22:21
Speaker 2
Thanks.
00:55:22:23 - 00:55:31:03
Speaker 1
also, you and I know you mentioned briefly about having events and stuff and you're having some tonight, like there have been a bunch of regularly occurring events. You're like watch parties.
00:55:31:03 - 00:55:50:08
Speaker 2
And so yeah, so we do on Friday nights, we do RuPaul's Drag Race viewing parties. So some of the previous queens come out and, comment on the show and up this prep, this current season. and it's been super fun. So that happens every Friday. It's it we're changing it to seven starting next month. and it lasts through April.
00:55:50:08 - 00:56:10:19
Speaker 2
There's like 16 season or 16 episodes this season. It's very long. so that's happening. And then we host bike rides regularly, trying to get more groups to come out. And I want it. The goal is to have bike rides happening every day, which is a very lofty goal, but I think we can make it happen. So we we're hosting a lot of its life cycle training rides here.
00:56:10:21 - 00:56:28:19
Speaker 2
fubar rides twice a week out of here, Saturdays and Sundays. and I think those are starting at 8 a.m., starting next week. and then this week, they'll be at nine, and then. Yeah, that's kind of where we're at now. And as things progress, more events will happen. We're working towards getting our liquor license.
00:56:28:19 - 00:56:55:14
Speaker 2
So that will also open up to staying late, staying open later on other days. and just having more kind of fun events, drag brunch and all of the various things. And then, eventually, having like, other kinds of events, whether it be like screenings or of like people's independent films or art shows or whatever, just there's so much space that can we can do a lot of really cool stuff out of it.
00:56:55:14 - 00:57:11:07
Speaker 2
So, yeah, just offering space to folks that do rad things essentially.
00:57:11:09 - 00:57:33:20
Speaker 1
When you found Fubar, like what? What? I know you mentioned you thought it was the bar and it wasn't, but what is Fubar like? What what is like aside from being like an ALC group? Like what? like how would you describe it? What was it that drew you in? and what was it like? Okay, cool. Like, this is, this is rad.
00:57:33:20 - 00:57:36:01
Speaker 1
Like, this clicks.
00:57:36:03 - 00:57:49:22
Speaker 2
I think it was that it was like a non-judgmental space. Like, they didn't care what kind of bike you had or how good or how bad it bikes you were like, as long as you showed up and put an effort like you were cool to come ride bikes with us. Like that seemed to be the minimum requirement. Just show up and ride your bike.
00:57:49:22 - 00:58:12:04
Speaker 2
Like that was kind of it. And then anything that happened from there, it was extra. And so I thought that was I think that's really cool to just be like, we're here and available if you need us versus like forcing an agenda of like, you have to be able to do X amount of miles, an X amount of time, or you have to have this bike or you have to do like there was no kind of like deal breakers for like membership for the team.
00:58:12:06 - 00:58:36:20
Speaker 2
And so that was a big thing where I was like, oh, this is actually like a space that's here to be of service to people that want to ride bikes for charity or just for fun or get better at it. Like whatever your intentions were, it was really just there to like, help that and then also like as, like a gender non-conforming, gender queer, fluid, whatever person like I hated, cycling kits for female bodies.
00:58:36:22 - 00:58:54:02
Speaker 2
They were not my thing. They're always like floral and pastel in a way that I'm not on board for. And Fubar has red branding like it's all kind of like a little more edgy and like it's there's still florals on things, but it's just a little bit more cool. so that was the other thing where I was like, yeah, and outfit's important.
00:58:54:02 - 00:59:23:02
Speaker 2
If I'm going to have to wear a ridiculous outfit, it might as well be cool. So that was kind of the other, like surface level, reason of of sticking with the team. But yeah, I think it was mostly just that, like they were there to be a real service without without expectation too. Like I didn't feel like I owed them something at the end of the ride if they were helping me or I saw them helping other people, like there was no like, you owe me a thing because I changed your tire or I helped you get to the top of this climb like it was really just to be of service.
00:59:23:04 - 01:00:02:23
Speaker 1
I there's two more questions that I forget. Are you going soon? But, the I remember a big thing that you were facing, especially, like a year ago or since. Six months. Eight months, I don't know, it was this idea about like equality and equity with like employees, especially in the food and beverage industry and like hiring people and like, yeah, like the difference between, like doing the right thing that you want to do versus like what is like basically not popular in this industry.
01:00:02:23 - 01:00:15:07
Speaker 1
That's just been like going this one dogmatic way of like, it's just tips or nothing and, you know. Yeah. What is that experience been for you as a business owner now?
01:00:15:09 - 01:00:37:09
Speaker 2
It's interesting because I've been kind of thinking about that a lot. So like more new. So we're still kind of trying to figure out our stride and bring customers in. But like that's always kind of been my goal in working in foodservice. Like no one you have to work for jobs, even if you're not homeless, to sustain and like, put food on the table and, like, barely pay your rent if that's like, what's happening that that's a problem.
01:00:37:11 - 01:00:57:03
Speaker 2
and I think that's a lot of like servant or like service industry jobs are like that, like you're going to have to work multiple jobs to like, be able to support yourself. and so it's always kind of been a goal to, like, not be a place that's like, oh dear, whatever, you'll just get another job. And like, this is all about me and my experience here.
01:00:57:05 - 01:01:13:19
Speaker 2
I'm of the belief that, like, I don't get to have this happening without those people that are working for me or with me, and so how do I get to support them? And because they're also supporting me. So how do I make this a more reciprocal relationship versus it just being like, oh, you're you're here to help me?
01:01:13:21 - 01:01:28:19
Speaker 2
I had a boss at some point whenever there was too many people here, which she would come in and just be like, there's too many bodies on the floor. And I was like, oh, like the first time I heard that. Like, it hurt to be like, oh, these are people that like, sure. Like, I understand her sentiment.
01:01:28:19 - 01:01:51:23
Speaker 2
Like, this is costing a lot of money that's not sustainable for this business. So there's like that part like that, like fucked up. Like I have to be a capitalist in this moment because I own a business in a capitalist structure. Like, that's really awful. But like, there's a way to go about that. But just like having honest, transparent conversations with people, like most people understand, like, hey, it's not too stable for me as a business owner to like, go nuts.
01:01:52:01 - 01:02:15:13
Speaker 2
But like, I never wanted to not be transparent with people out of fear of like being taken advantage of. I don't know the reasons why people choose to not just be like, yeah, this is where we're at, and we're kind of struggling right now and like, whatever. And like, I don't know what motivates someone to come in and just say, like, there's too many bodies on the floor versus the like, hey, can you go home a little early?
01:02:15:13 - 01:02:45:11
Speaker 2
Like whatever. So that was one element of things of like, I don't ever want to get to the point of being like that. That really that is one of my deepest fears. but also like working, having the goal be how can I be of service to the people that are working in a service industry? Like, I feel like that's not often the narrative of like, we talk about being hospitable and being of service to customers, but we don't necessarily talk about that in terms of people that are working here.
01:02:45:11 - 01:03:02:20
Speaker 2
Like, I know I make terrible food when I'm grumpy or overworked. It's it's all right, but it's not as good as it could be. If I'm like, even just neutral, like I would much rather, I think it's unrealistic for me to be like, I'm going to make everybody happy. I'm going to save the world. Like, I don't think that's real.
01:03:02:22 - 01:03:25:03
Speaker 2
for now, I do think it's an achievable goal to be like, they're here. They're here to do a good job, and I'm not adding to the misery of their life, whatever that might be, or their struggles or whatever. So just treating people with, like, the smallest amount of respect, I feel like goes a really long way. And so I feel like that's kind of been my goal in this space is just being like, these are people that work for me.
01:03:25:03 - 01:03:48:16
Speaker 2
They have lives outside of here. This isn't everybody's dream to like, work or own a restaurant. Arguably, it's not most people's dream to work or own in a restaurant. own a restaurant. So how do like, I be of service to those people and whatever their goals are and, like, make sure that the needs of the restaurant are met, but also be like, oh, this is the thing that you could spin in this other way, like managing restaurants can go anywhere.
01:03:48:16 - 01:04:07:02
Speaker 2
Like I could manage a lot of things by working in restaurants, but like, I don't think people are given the opportunity to see that. Like this work experience does benefit another experience. And myself as an owner have the opportunity to kind of help people be better at that thing, even if it's not to be an employee here forever.
01:04:07:04 - 01:04:24:09
Speaker 2
And it's also like the ultimate goal, like once everything's sustainable and hopefully profitable, that like will be able to support people more into not having to work 5 or 6 jobs in order to live. I don't think we're there right now, but, I don't have any employees that I think have 5 or 6 jobs. I really hope not.
01:04:24:10 - 01:04:45:08
Speaker 2
but yeah, like, that's kind of the goal. And, like, these are adults working here. It's not even if it was children working here, like, they need health insurance. They need time off. They need to, like, have a life outside of work, like it's too much to work. I mean, this is my life's dream. And I'm like, I work about 60 hours a week at this point, which, like, it's a lot.
01:04:45:09 - 01:05:12:14
Speaker 2
It's a lot. I couldn't ask anybody else to do that. I'm. I'm very tired. I'm sure asking someone else to go from like different job to different job to work 80 plus hours a week, like, that's insane. And then be, like, happy to be here. that's a lot. That's a big request to ask of people. So yeah, that's kind of all of the things around like just being a space that's not taking advantage of people's bodies in a way that's not cool.
01:05:12:16 - 01:05:45:16
Speaker 1
And you, as you just said, you're like living your dream. Like you've realized your working dream here. Yeah. And, a professional dream, however, is like. Or maybe I just. Your dream. Yeah. All encompassing. what how does, like, let's say if you were to to tell your, like, teenage self that like, hey, I and x amount of years you'll be living your dream.
01:05:45:18 - 01:05:46:09
Speaker 2
Right.
01:05:46:11 - 01:05:51:00
Speaker 1
How do you think that younger version of yourself would, would take that?
01:05:51:02 - 01:06:11:22
Speaker 2
I'm not sure. I haven't really thought about it that way, because I think at that point, like as a teenager, like I didn't have dreams, like I didn't have the capacity to be like, oh, this is what I want to do. Like it was there a little bit, but like, not in a way that was achievable. I didn't have a lot of support in that area of being like, oh, this is the thing I want to do.
01:06:11:22 - 01:06:32:05
Speaker 2
And then have someone be like, oh, this is a cool idea. Like, typically my parents would make fun of me for some of those things, which wasn't rad, so I didn't I don't think I could have grasped this as a teenager to be like, oh, this is something that I can do. I think probably like once I realized that I could do this is when I that that person could believe it.
01:06:32:05 - 01:06:44:07
Speaker 2
But I don't think like a younger version of myself could be like, yeah, that's something I'm capable of doing. so yeah, I don't know. I don't know how how I would respond to that as a younger kid.
01:06:44:09 - 01:06:45:16
Speaker 1
But now.
01:06:45:18 - 01:07:08:03
Speaker 2
Yeah, it's wild. It's kind of crazy. and yeah, I didn't think it would be like in the cards, at least now or ever for that matter. Like trying to navigate opening up a business or like a brick and mortar restaurant. Like I had my catering company, and even that was like an insane amount of work. And like, there was almost no overhead in doing that job.
01:07:08:05 - 01:07:36:00
Speaker 2
So, like, yeah, it's it's pretty wild. But I feel like it, like everything kind of I do know, like in my life, like when things are supposed to work out, they all just kind of line up. Like there's a there's very little resistance to it all. And so like, I've talked to many people before this about like doing something like this and like at a certain point, like it just drops off, like people don't want to talk about it anymore.
01:07:36:00 - 01:08:03:02
Speaker 2
Or then the conversation get serious and I'm like, okay, who's paying for what, and what are we responsible for? And having those kinds of conversations like, you'll see who's really into it once those things start getting talked about. And then so the fact that like, there was this all just kind of lined up in a way that I could not have orchestrated, it was it's kind of insane to think about, like how how it lined up in the things that like the moves that had to be made to get here.
01:08:03:07 - 01:08:21:04
Speaker 2
Like I couldn't have planned them. Like I didn't start doing a life cycle with the intention of like, I'm going to find business partners or I'm going to do a side effect of this is having like this huge goal fulfilled. Like I just signed up to be of service and hope my friend stayed alive and healthy and like, I got all of these things out of that.
01:08:21:04 - 01:08:32:09
Speaker 2
And I I'm not saying this to be like, if you're of service, you get a thing. Because I also don't think that narrative works either. Like anytime I've been of service to get a thing, it usually blows. My face is not good, at least in my experience.
01:08:32:11 - 01:08:33:03
Speaker 1
So cool.
01:08:33:06 - 01:08:33:21
Speaker 2
Yeah.
01:08:33:23 - 01:08:38:17
Speaker 1
You mentioned you were resting. What are you comfortable saying for way.
01:08:38:18 - 01:09:00:16
Speaker 2
Totally. Okay. drugs. so, I was involved. I had I was involved in an armed robbery situation, as probably happened like six months prior to me being arrested, and they reported it to the school that I was going to my high school. And so they had pulled me in to talk to me about it.
01:09:00:17 - 01:09:20:20
Speaker 2
It was a weird day. there was like, a earthquake drill. So we had to sit out on a field for like, three hours, and I had drug and drug paraphernalia on me. And so I had essentially enough drugs. That was the could I could be charged with possession with intent to sell. it was all for me because I am a drug addict and have problems.
01:09:20:22 - 01:09:40:11
Speaker 2
so that's what I was arrested for. So I was on probation for a year. I, had to, like, check the box that said I was a felon. Like, I did all of those things. so, yeah, that's what the result of, like, that was, I got super lucky. I was, like I said, three days before my 18th birthday, I could have been tried as an adult.
01:09:40:11 - 01:09:48:01
Speaker 2
Thankfully, I was tried as a minor. but, yeah, it was rough. It was. It was an interesting year. Plus.
01:09:48:03 - 01:09:50:17
Speaker 1
What was the armed robbery?
01:09:50:19 - 01:10:18:08
Speaker 2
So, I went in on some with someone to buy a bunch of something. I don't remember what might have been cocaine. Who knows? and he got held up at knifepoint, and they robbed him. and nothing kind of became of it, like it just went away, and, like, we didn't talk about it and whatever. And, I think that somebody told the school about it.
01:10:18:11 - 01:10:36:05
Speaker 2
It's essentially the results of all of that. So, yeah, that was that kind of kind of wild to think about, like that person, because I don't identify with like teenage me at all. it's very interesting. So yeah.
01:10:36:07 - 01:10:40:02
Speaker 1
We all were fucked up as teenagers this regard.
01:10:40:04 - 01:10:51:18
Speaker 2
Yes. I mean, teenage life is weird in general. So just gets extra sometimes. And very extra totally I.
01:10:51:18 - 01:10:55:21
Speaker 1
And that's not the ending of the record. I just, I totally.
01:10:56:00 - 01:10:58:10
Speaker 2
I mean, my end on a high note. You know.
01:10:58:12 - 01:11:00:23
Speaker 1
The high note was had. Yeah. The high notes in there. Yeah.
01:11:01:01 - 01:11:07:17
Speaker 2
You just buried in there. Who cares?
01:11:07:19 - 01:11:27:15
Speaker 1
Thanks for listening, everyone. For the links and resources about everything discussed today, please visit the show notes in the episode. And if you want to support the podcast, the most effective way to do so is hit the subscribe button on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other platform that you're listening in from. Sharing the show with your friends and social media is always appreciated.
01:11:27:17 - 01:12:00:00
Speaker 1
Shout out to Shawn Meyers for creating the awesome original music graphic elements made by Jason Cryer. The show is produced by Homecourt Pictures. You can always reach out to me at Jordan HAR0 on Instagram and Twitter. You can follow the show at prix it's p-r-i-x-pod on Instagram. Sorry, my French is terrible. I just call it prixfixepod or email us via prixfixe podcast @ gmail.com.
01:12:00:02 - 01:12:04:17
Speaker 1
I appreciate every second of your attention and support and look forward to seeing you on the next one.