Off-Menu #2
205 x 270 mm, 160 pages
New York, US
First published 2024
Editor-in-chief: Sophie Chen
Design: Júlia Blanco Boada
A bright, community-oriented look at the food and drink industry, Off-Menu aims to celebrate ‘individuals working behind the scenes—producers, chefs, baristas, front of house, back of house, and more—in a way that is intentional and meaningful’.
Their second issue, themed ‘A New Wave’, is described as a ‘love letter to the city of endless possibilities’. Centring the New York dining scene, Off-Menu #2 delves into the emerging and shifting landscape of the food industry, leaning into more intimate and communal experiences.
Inspired by the explosion of community initiatives, supper clubs, amateur cooking and pop-ups in the city during the pandemic, the issue hones in on eight personal and inspiring success stories. Inside, you’ll find a day in the life of Eric Wang, as he preps to host the next instalment of his intimate ‘81 Eating Club’; Jess Eng sits down to indulge in a plate of traditional homemade Indonesian food at Bagus Wicaksono Ruswandi’s cosy, loft-style ‘Studio Bumi’; plus, Lorenzo Bongiovani reflects on the success of ‘Hot Soup and Bad Larry’s Sandwiches’, the simple but effective pop-up by yin-and-yang duo Russell and Reid. As ever, the stories are accompanied by mouth-watering photography of the featured plates, as well as plenty of soft-focus images of the lived-in spaces of their consumption.