Chef Jeremiah Stone On The Pivotal Role Restaurants Are Playing In New York's Recovery From The Pandemic
WITH JEREMIAH STONE
Speaking with Chef Jeremiah Stone — co-founder of the Michelin star-rated Contra, I learned about a few nuances to the dining experiences of today which I previously never even knew to look for.
Photography, Daniel D’Ottavio
Words, Brandon Scott Roye In Conversation with Jeremiah Stone
VIEW GALLERY
I have become particularly fascinated by the gap between our knee-jerk associations with the two words “modern” and “luxury”, in comparison to our true feelings about how and when these ideals should surface in our lives. What we were taught throughout childhood experiences and Hollywood productions differ quite drastically from the world we hope to stir, and season into a tastier and more equitable tomorrow.
When it comes to luxury in food, we’re conditioned to associate this with clean, pre-cut ingredients from the organic section of the grocery store. It feels like we’re paying just a little extra to do our part — and of course, it’s a great start. However, Chef Jeremiah’s association with luxury is a bit more complex.
Were these ingredients sourced by local farmers? How can we work with the leaves, roots, and other trimmings? Can we influence when farmers pick their crops outside of the traditional harvesting season?
To Jeremiah, modernity means investing deeper into the health of you and yours through conscious ingredients and techniques. And when pressed about sourcing high end ingredients, his first two examples were a top-of-the-line carrot and the world’s best crab. Not two ingredients one immediately associates with a dazzling night out on the town — and yet, they’ve had Michelin stars rolling in four years straight.
I have a real thing for farming and working closely with the produce. It’s a commitment. That’s the mark I leave on each restaurant and each dish.
THE LOOK
Turtleneck, H&M
With New York and the world in need of a comeback, you can find Chef Jeremiah and his co-founder, Fabián Von Hauske, humbly rebuilding community from the ground up on the Lower East Side. One unforgettable evening at a time.
THE LOOK
Bomber Jacket & Trousers, Sandro Homme; Turtleneck, H&M
BO: We’d like to start off by congratulating you for seven years at Contra. What were the highlights so far and what’s next?
JS: Thanks so much. Yes, I feel like five years in New York is 10 years anywhere else. Even before the pandemic, we were constantly adapting with the city to stay top-of-mind. When you open, you’re hot for 2-3 years and then you’re not so new anymore. We now have regulars who visit weekly and monthly and of course, we still have new people checking us out.
Over seven years, our backbone has been a tasting menu. We started off by saying it was prefixed to avoid the idea that it was tasting size portions. We want to make each of the five courses less about choice and leave it all up to the chef so guests can focus on enjoying each others’ company.
Our menu is constantly changing with the seasons — meaning both produce availability and what we’re experiencing personally as a team. You know, the dedication to cooking sustainably and locally is much more complicated than it sounds. We’ve occasionally had to open our radius of sourcing just a bit and make a few exceptions like capers from Italy, of course.
I manage the savory side while my partner, Fabián Von Hauske, manages the sweet side. We’re a good team because we don’t get in each other's way. And we continuously challenge each other with new ideas when there’s overlap.
BO: Although you source locally, how do you incorporate inspiration and ingredients from all over the world?
JS: We started traveling after our second year without a single day off beforehand. The very first trip was a pop up event in London which led to so many travels in the following five years to-date.
As we take opportunities to cook all over the world with incredible chefs, we bring a little bit of New York with us and vice versa. Fabián and I absorb what we experience from chefs, ingredients, farmers, and even service techniques to continuously evolve our guest experiences back in the Lower East Side.
We’ve cooked in legendary restaurants like Meadowood which recently burned down from a fire. They would celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas with the top 12 most talked about chefs of the year. You’ll see everyone from Thomas Keller to Dominique Crenn. Another highlight was the Park Hyatt in Japan where they filmed Lost in Translation.
A lot of what we do takes place outside of the restaurant. No matter the country or event, we come back to New York with an inspired approach to our dishes and service.
To me, the modern man leverages food for both care and expression.
BO: After five years of travel, what continues to be your most influential trip?
JS: There was an event on a farm in Copenhagen which has really stuck with me. We spent the entire day picking out produce which you don’t really get to do much in New York. I remember picking out the perfect radishes, then we all cooked and enjoyed our findings within the same day.
I have a real thing for farming and working closely with the produce. It’s a commitment. That’s the mark I leave on each restaurant and each dish. There’s a sort of collaboration which takes place with farmers. For example, I could recommend picking blueberries early when they’re equally green and blue. This is to ferment them and highlight their unique texture, rather than how they’re traditionally picked when ripe.
There’s something about the feeling of knowing exactly where your food comes from. I love working with the whole product, including leaves and roots, because there’s always so much more to learn.
BO: Tell us more about your partnership with Chef Fabián Von Hauske.
JS: We’ve known each other for over 10 years across Europe and Australia before settling in New York. Fabián joined Noma through a friend of mine which is widely known as one of the best restaurants in the world. In 2013, we opened up our first space in New York which would become Contra.
Fabián and I work in an efficient and unconventional way. For the most part, we stay out of each other's way between savory and sweet. And there’s a few areas of overlap where we challenge each other to think differently. Fabián also designs all of our branded graphics. None of it is outsourced — we get that question a lot. It’s been great for building community and telling our story across different restaurants and bars. You can visually pick up on elements of our story, similarities, and differences between spaces. Fabián occasionally receives offers for outside work, as well.
It’s a big part of what we do and it’s not just marketing. Every detail tells a cohesive, dynamic story of our playful approach for crafting good food and memorable experiences. We want them to pick up on these notes before they arrive.
Within our five course menu, we’ll always have three savory and two sweet dishes.
We made a concerted effort to disassociate the word “dessert” with something overly sweet you probably don’t want. For Fabián, it’s all very fruit driven, rather than a piece of chocolate cake or a bowl of ice cream. He was very influential in proving that the central element which ties all desserts together doesn’t have to be sugar. Conversely, I really love highlighting acidic, raw flavors while his are much more understated.
BO: How did those four Michelin stars start rolling in?
JS: We were never really thinking about it. We’re in the Lower East Side and not exactly a white tablecloth experience. We wanted to speak to people who are in the art and streetwear scene, rather than plopping down a fine dining restaurant on Orchard Street.
There’s also a certain element of the unexpected which people seem to be drawn to, especially when it comes to our natural wine list. Many expect a list of older wines they’re very familiar or at least vaguely familiar with.
Our wine pairings compliment a much gentler, nuanced palette. For example, poached fish instead of reduced sauces and braised meats. The boldness of traditional French Bordeaux’s and over-the-top Chardonnay’s aren’t necessary to compliment our lighter dishes.
People love experiencing the surprise and curiosity behind what they’re eating and drinking, especially when it’s their first time experimenting with natural wines.
BO: What is your definition of the modern man and how do you bring that to your restaurants and bar?
JS: My definition of modern is being able to take care of yourself and others through proper, healthy cooking — among other things. It’s so much more than avoiding certain foods or eating in a drastic way to achieve the ideal sense of health. Working with respectable ingredients from dedicated local farmers.
It’s not just about creating a luxurious dish either. It’s about taking an active role in avoiding waste — that feeling of investment in yourself, friends, family, and the world around you. Across every cultural facet of our lives — be it art, music, fashion, and the likes — we share these moments over good food. Hors d’oeuvres, five course meals, and now in today’s world, a meal cooked safely and humbly in your own home.
When you’re flipping or scrolling through Bon Apetit and other food media, you’re reading recipes which were primarily derived from chefs at your favorite restaurants. Writers on the editorial side are experiencing new restaurants and bars, writing and testing recipes, and sharing trends which arise in-season. Whereas, companies like Doritos are intentionally years behind these seasonal trends. They heavily invest in market research, determine the lowest common denominator in taste among their consumers, and then mass produce products within those widely shared flavor profiles.
To me, the modern man leverages food for both care and expression.
BO: How are restaurants and bars playing a pivotal role in New York’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic?
JS: We’re all playing a new, maybe even bigger role in our customers’ lives by entering their home with consumer packaged goods. Sharing prepared meals through pick-up or delivery which you can cook at home, packaging food and condiments for your pantry and fridge. Many are designing merchandise to stay operational which in turn, enables our customers to take an invested role in our success.
And it really isn’t just the food or the service itself. It’s the interaction among people which everyone truly misses this year. Starting conversations with strangers, quietly people watching, discovering common interests, sharing new points of view, empathizing with each other. All of these tiny moments add up to New York’s successful recovery from the pandemic.
We want to assure everyone that this is not the new normal, it’s just temporary.
Editor’s Note: this transcript has been edited for brevity.
Contra is located at 138 Orchard Street, New York, NY.
