The New York collective Ghetto Gastro refuses to stay in one lane

Since 2012, Ghetto Gastro has questioned the perceived separation between art and cuisine with its multimedia work. Founded by the trio Jon Gray, Lester Walker and Pierre Serrao, born in the Bronx, the collective focuses on the New York neighborhood of the trio. “The Bronx in the world and the world in the Bronx”, says Pierre Serrao of his mission. Whether it’s teaming up with restaurants in the Bronx to serve Black Lives Matter protesters or donating a portion of the proceeds to Bronx community organizations, their common roots are the North Star of Ghetto Gastro.

The collective has since evolved with considerable force. Ghetto Gastro has partnered with a long list of notable brands including Nike and Beats by Dre, launched a range of kitchen appliances with William Sonoma and announced plans to inhabit Burnside, an experimental culinary and event space in Tokyo. In addition to co-creating products, Ghetto Gastro has designed a series of experiences, creating events for celebrities such as the late Virgil Abloh, Vic Mensa and Rick Owens, and perhaps most notably collaborated with Marvel Studios to host ” Taste of Wakanda “at 2018 New York Fashion Week to commemorate blockbuster movie Black Panther.

Given its clear brand mission and vision, Ghetto Gastro is very intentional in the partnerships it establishes and is constantly looking for ways to integrate community organizations into existing brand collaborations. “We have to believe that the products we market will have a purpose after consumerism. The channeling of resources to the community organizations that do the fieldwork is the driving force behind this practice, ”says Serrao. “With Beats by Dre, we shed light on Sweet Freedom Farm and Herban Cura who fight against social injustice. With CRUXGG, five percent of our revenue is donated to various organizations fighting against food insecurity across the country, it is a permanent donation. It is always a big picture for us. We want to do our part to make sure everyone eats.

This summer, Ghetto Gastro presented Gastronomical. Its certified non-GMO, vegan, and gluten-free waffle and wavy pancake blend features helpful ingredients like coconut and cassava flour, papaya and hibiscus, which fed the people of Africa, Asia, and Africa. of the Americas. This choice illustrates its mission as Ghetto Gastro. “Our goal is to build our global community using food or the culinary arts as an artistic discipline,” says Serrao. “Our country is built on years of storytelling that is woven into different artistic practices disguised as practices such as painting, music, dance and food. We might wonder if artists like Basquiat, Macaroni and Cheese, or hip hop are more essential to some aspect of American history.

Given the collective’s emphasis on breaking away from the conventional, it’s no surprise that they’ve also taken a non-traditional approach to food photography. Traditionally characterized by professional lighting and cameras, food photography can be seen as outdated and inaccessible to some. Deviating from the norm, Ghetto Gastro relies on iPhone photos to share his creations on Instagram: “With the new Macro feature of the iPhone 13 Pro, you can achieve that insane level of focus on food. . We don’t necessarily need advanced lighting to take great food photos, because in my eyes there is nothing better than natural sunlight for photographing food, ”says Serrao. This advance in the iPhone camera allows a new level of detail in shots, and in the hands of professionals like Ghetto Gastro, food photography is even closer and more personal, making capturing their art an art.

In addition to increasing the accessibility of photography, Ghetto Gastro has made strides in filling a diversity void within the “cooking show universe” with its “Stease the Day” Instagram series. These short 3-minute videos walk users through recipes ranging from mango food to tostones, in a relaxed way, allowing Ghetto Gastro chefs to: “Keep the codes on and be ourselves while presenting. people delicious and fun dishes and techniques to help improve their Stease or their style in cooking and life. By uniting cuisine, fashion, art and social change under one brand identity, Ghetto Gastro pushes the boundaries of what it means to be a modern brand and invites others to explore the same multidisciplinary practices.

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