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Ghetto Gastro's Jon Gray On His Journey From Hustler To Food Mogul

Ghetto Gastro's Jon Gray On His Journey From Hustler To Food Mogul

FromThe Limits with Jay Williams


Ghetto Gastro's Jon Gray On His Journey From Hustler To Food Mogul

FromThe Limits with Jay Williams

ratings:
Length:
33 minutes
Released:
Jun 7, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

When New York multi-hyphenate Jon Gray set it upon himself to bring the Bronx to the world through food, he faced two battles: establish a successful business at the tail end of a recession, and overcome the high-end culinary world's historically white gaze.Now, Ghetto Gastro, the food collective he co-founded, is connecting the dots between fashion, design, hip-hop and the culinary arts. They've created unforgettable food experiences and products in collaboration with Nike, Microsoft, Airbnb, Beats By Dre and more. They're known to bill corporate giants well into the six figures for just a few dozen dinner guests.Jon was raised in a nurturing, education-forward household in the Bronx. As a teenager, he sold drugs to afford things his peers couldn't. In conversation with Jay, he talks about how he transitioned from that lifestyle--and applied some of those same skills--to a multidisciplinary career in the arts that he "reverse-engineered," in his words.He also explains how Ghetto Gastro is not only about creating value, it's about capturing that value, circulating it back to Black people through donations, and thereby channeling new opportunities into the community directly. For sponsor-free episodes, weekly bonus content, and more, subscribe to The Limits Plus at plus.npr.org/thelimits. On this week's Plus episode, Jon discusses his personal and spiritual connection to the late designer Virgil Abloh.Follow Jay on Instagram and Twitter. Email us at thelimits@npr.org.
Released:
Jun 7, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (52)

Today, the art of celebrity doesn't look like it used to. Now, it's all about betting on yourself and expanding your personal brand—sometimes even beyond your comfort zone. Few understand the art of rebounding your life better than Williams, now an author, entrepreneur and ESPN host. Each week, he'll go deep with heavy-hitters from the worlds of sports, entertainment, and pop culture to understand the principles of faith, vision, and grit they live by in order to see past doubt and build their empires. From rappers-to-moguls, to talk show hosts-turned-CEOs, you'll learn the ways that successful people define, push, and conquer their limits.