THE CORNER TABLE
A Miles Davis Story
Late, late on a cold night in January early-80’s, the band at The Cellar was anxious to start its 3rd and final set as the crowd, while sparse, was still in the mood for more. I was ready to go home. It was 2:30am on a Thursday and the only people still out besides staff had sniffed enough cocaine and consumed more than enough Remy Martin. The ones with jobs still planned to somehow show up for ...
Can't We All Just Get Along
We were at the YMCA in Hollywood on this April afternoon in 1992 when someone interrupted our game to tell us the Rodney King verdict was in. It’s funny now remembering that no one thought it was strange to stop a pick up basketball game in progress with this news. The tension was already pretty thick that day, as all were aware the verdict would likely be announced at any time. I don’t rememb...
All The News That's Fit To Print
My dad Howard Johnson owned a very popular restaurant on the Upper Westside of Manhattan in New York City for over 20 years called The Cellar. The Cellar was a special place and at the time of its inception in1973, there were very few, if any, Black owned restaurants not located in Harlem and below 110th street. Ironically, my father bought The Cellar from another Black man, who owned it for a few...
A Night Out With Marcus Samuelsson
On a recent Friday night, Chef and Restaurateur Marcus Samuelson was in town. After seeing each other during the summer in Harlem at his game changing restaurant The Red Rooster, we agreed to connect next time he made it out to the West Coast. True to his word Marcus called to let me know he was in town for a quick trip doing press and we decided to head out into the LA night. Our conversation during the course of three hours flowed effortlessly over a sound track I’d programmed that included Ashford and Simpson, Michael Kiwanuka, Gil Scott Heron and Freddie Hubbard. I invited my partner in Post & Beam, Chef Govind Armstrong to join us but having just become a father to a lovely daughter Willow Rae, he took a rain check.
The Corner Table
Thoughts, stories and experiences from a restaurateur's point of view.
