Chef Mina Stone Takes Over MoMA PS1’s Restaurant
By Something CuratedFor over a decade, New York chef Mina Stone has been an integral figure in the art world’s dining scene. She originally began cooking for artists to sustain her career in fashion, eventually going onto cook fulltime as her love for making food grew. A staple fixture, Stone regularly creates beautiful meals for artists’ openings and studios, having worked with the likes of Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, Elizabeth Peyton, and Urs Fischer, among others. Asked to describe Stone’s meals in a 2016 interview, Fischer said: “I sit down, and like seeing a good work of art, I cannot do anything but enjoy it. At times, her meals are true masterpieces! It’s like eating your favourite work of art. Shortly after, it’s all gone. Like a mirage.”
This April, Stone will open an eponymous restaurant at MoMA PS1, named Mina’s, replacing the M. Wells Dinette that’s been the museum’s in-house eatery since 2012. At Mina’s, diners can traverse an alternating menu of unpretentious, cheerful dishes influenced by Stone’s Greek heritage and seasonal ingredients alike, along with a natural wine programme selected by Molly McIver. Artist Alex Eagleton will be handling interiors for Mina’s with architect Isobel Herbold, and plant design is coming from Fleurotica.
Stone conceptualised the menu with Eagleton, who, in addition to designing the space, is notably skilled at making meats and braises. The preliminary menu features dishes such as whipped feta, beetroot, toasted cumin seed, and coriander sandwiches, and greens seasoned with mint, toasted sesame seeds, and a yogurt dressing. The offering will also have a changing daily special, which ranges from toasted pine nut, lemon zest, and Parmesan orzo to braised chicken with cinnamon and clove.
While Stone describes the physical space’s design as “a little Miami beach, a little Greek island, and a little New York,” the concept for the eatery is largely based on her 2015 book Cooking For Artists, which comprises a generous edit of dishes riffing on Greek home cooking. An opening date has not yet been confirmed by the museum, but as it stands, M. Wells Dinette will close at the end of the month with renovations taking place in March, and Mina’s is set to open its doors in early April 2019.
Mina’s at MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Ave, Long Island City, Queens | Opening TBC April 2019
Feature image: Mina Stone: Cooking for Artists (via Mina Stone)