POP UP ALERT: Hellbender here I come

plus: Sesame Chicken Salad

May 6th @ Hellbender in Ridgewood Queens, 2024.

Almost half way through the year and I’m excited to share some news that makes me giddy. I’m doing a pop-up at Hellbender Nighttime Café in Ridgewood, Queens on May 6th. In celebration of the date and a very special person in my life, I’ve decided to make a pimento grilled cheese for the May 6th birthday girl herself, Lindsay Collins. The pimento cheese is a riff on Lindsay’s recipe. I’ve taken some creative freedoms featuring labne, caramelized garlic and urfa biber. In addition, (and down to the wire) the Hellbender team has allowed me to bust out an old Rolo’s inspired recipe of mine, burnt cinnamon rice pudding.

Yara Herrera (chef/partner at Hellbender) reached out to me about the opportunity and I could not pass it up. Yara and I worked together briefly at Chez Ma Tante in Greenpoint and based off of the experience I had working with her, I know I'll be in good hands. We caught up recently and I feel secure about putting myself out there in this capacity. I will be at Hellbender on May 6th for the entirety of the evening. The pimento grilled cheeses will be flying out of the kitchen along with some rice puddings and Hellbenders well executed full menu. I have joyfully composed a playlist of hits I want to get loose to. I will not be drinking, however, Hellbender does have great N/A options and I intend to try all of them.

I miss that feeling of gathering a big group of people together to laugh, chat and goof off. I see this pop-up as an opportunity to hang out, showcase collaboration, share ideas, foster new connections, create memories and broaden the community. I feel fulfilled when I see one set of friends take interest in another and then become their own set of friends. I cannot begin to describe how affirming it feels when you see two people you’ve come to respect and love embrace each other. This pop-up at Hellbender feels like a choice to connect and meet others that you wouldn’t normally meet. The grilled cheese and rice pudding are supporting characters to a scene of laughter, gossip and a taxidermy jaguar.