Returning for the third year with a refreshed format, Food Lab Remixed will host five critically acclaimed bartenders, giving them the platform to showcase their exceptional mixology skills with a unique, lively and interactive dining experience for guests with a tasting menu designed around the cocktail program presented by Chase Sapphire.
Each week a leading bartender will debut an original Food Lab Remixed menu for five evenings, curated with a distinct theme, showcasing their impressive skills and telling a story through the use of original recipes and honed technique. This year’s lineup is stacked with national mixology sensations from Puerto Rico, Boston and Los Angeles to name a few.
Iconic NYC chefs Mark Ladner, former executive chef of fine-dining restaurant Del Posto, and Wylie Dufresne of former landmark modernist restaurant wd50 and the imaginative Du’s Donuts & Coffee in Brooklyn, will support each mixologist over the five weeks with a collaborative menu of dishes made specifically for the talent to accompany the libations.
This year’s festivities will be hosted at R17, located on The Rooftop at Pier 17®, is a swanky cocktail lounge fit for the occasion, and reflects a welcoming cocktail party format to experience the personalities of the mixologists and chefs alike.
“We are thrilled to unveil our refreshed and innovative 2019 Food Lab Remixed—building upon last year’s successful all-female powerhouse lineup with another new concept and bringing the series to R17,” said Saul Scherl, President of the New York Tri-State Region, The Howard Hughes Corporation. “Hosting Food Lab at R17 allows us to shift from the traditional chef-led dinners to an unconventional and unique mixology-inspired experience. This year we are highlighting exceptional behind-the-bar talent and premier cocktails. With the help of friends like Chase, we continue to establish Pier 17 as New York’s new culinary destination.”
Chase Sapphire is always looking to inspire the inner culinary explorer in all of us, and does so with a series of dining programs that offer access to unique and exclusive epicurean experiences. At this year’s Food Lab Remixed, consumers will have the chance to sip concoctions from the country’s most innovative mixologists, and dine on a rotating menu, created by all-star chefs Dufresne and Ladner who actually come to serve and interact with guests.
The 3rd week was presented by Ezra Star who hails from Boston. A long-time veteran of the restaurant industry, and with Barbara Lynch’s cocktail bar since she decided hospitality was the path for her, Star climbed her way to head bartender and Drink’s General Manager over the last 10 years.
The program was designed around five bespoke cocktails that are meant to be consumed in successive order. Star created cocktails crafted from seasonal vegetable and fruit juices such as celery, cantaloupe, black carrot to more dessert flavors such as banana and ginger to pair with the savory bites created by Dufresne and Ladner. The delicious small bites reflected the signature styles of both talents with memorable flavors and unique pairings that can’t be found elsewhere. Some of the highlights included a chicken parm, pork dumplings, pigs in a blanket with sweet Chinese sausage, tuna crudo, surf and turf with a Kaluga caviar on puffed beef tendon, foie gras pumpkin pie, and the staple dish- dominos crafted from black olive and chickpea panisse.
With 2 weeks left be sure to catch this ultimate and interactive cocktail experience with these upcoming star mixologists and a revolving menu.
- Chuck Rivera, Puerto Rico (November 12-16) – Food Lab Remixed’s overseas talent is represented by Puerto Rican native and US Army veteran, Chuck Rivera. Serving as a Water Purification Specialist in the US Army, and bartender of ThinkFoodGroup properties by Jose Andres – Rivera left his mark on Andres projects including Mi Casa at the Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Dorado Beach and Barmini in Washington D.C.. Over the last four years, Rivera created Licoreria Miramar, a bar commissary in San Juan, centered on research and fabrication of cocktails for bars, spirits, and restaurants in the spirits ecosystem, while simultaneously acting as Beverage Director and Partner of Jungle Bird and Caneca Coctelería Móvil; he holds countless accolades and nominations for his mixology skillset including being named finalist for 2015’s Most Imaginative Bartender representing Washington D.C., and “Outstanding Bar Program” from the James Beard Awards in 2015 and 2016.
- Ivy Mix, NYC (November 19-23) – Co-owner of Brooklyn’s pan-Latin Leyenda, named one of the 100 Best Bars in the World by 50 Best Bars, Ivy Mix celebrates Latin American spirits with her bar program as head bartender at the establishment. Named best American Bartender in 2015 by Tales of the Cocktail, Mix’s love for mixology blossomed at a late age for the industry; having originally dreamt of becoming an Olympic equestrian rider her entire life. Mix perfected her knowledge of agave spirits as a cocktail waitress at Mayahuel, Phil Ward’s mezcal-centric bar in NYC’s East Village. She later moved on to Brooklyn’s notable Fort Defiance and Clover Club, both respectively under the tutelage of Julie Reiner, before opening Leyenda in 2015. Continuously looking for new ways to elevate the cocktail world both with creation creativity, and ethically with philanthropic work, Mix uses food and drink as a communal gateway to change the world and raise awareness for minorities.
Seaport Food Lab Remixed is also partnering with Green Food Solutions, the revolutionary urban farming company that sells, installs and maintains vertical and rooftop gardens. The series will be utilizing produce from the garden atop the Denizen Bushwick residential building in Brooklyn, where possible, for cocktail garnishes and menu offerings to raise awareness of urban farming and support the continuous effort of the Seaport District for a more sustainable community.
Priced at $150 per ticket inclusive of tax and tip, Chase cardholders have access to an exclusive 48-hour pre-sale beginning at 10:00 a.m. on October 2 via Ticketmaster.com. Chase Sapphire cardholders have exclusive access to the Food Lab Remixed preview dinners occurring every Tuesday of each residency via Chase Experiences: https://experiences.chase.com/
Tickets will be available to the general public for purchase through Seaport Food Lab Remixed partner, Ticketmaster, starting October 5 via: https://www.ticketmaster.com/seaport-food-lab-presented-by-chase-sapphire-tickets-new-york/venue/237759?camefrom=%20CFC_PIER17NY_PR_MEDIA_FOODLAB
Seaport Food Lab Remixed will be located at R17, The Rooftop at Pier 17, 89 South Street, and will be open to Chase cardholders Tuesday, and the public Wednesday through Saturday with service beginning at 6:30 p.m. For additional information, please visit SeaportFoodLab.com.
