03/28/2019
'5 Young Chefs Shaking the New York Art World'
Excited to share this writeup from Cultured Magazine on our beloved chef Michael Stember's eccentric journey from LA sushi parties through Ponyboy Omakase.
"When he was a freshman at Stanford, Stember became a sushi fanatic for one simple, if highly ambitious reason—to qualify for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Suspicious of carbo-loading, the captain of the university’s track team hosted weekly dinner parties with his teammates, a kind of “sushi art club” fusing elements of performance art with the high-octane protein of sustainable raw fish... Today he’s replicating that spontaneity at Ponyboy, his new bar, restaurant and concert venue in Greenpoint. From the open kitchen, Stember serves up modestly priced fish tacos next to his upwards-of-$300 omakase—delivered with the gusto of a natural showman. “It’s definitely a show, and the kitchen’s a stage,” he says. “Everyone’s watching.”"
https://www.culturedmag.com/five-young-chefs-shaking-new-york-art-world/