When I say “fuck brunch,” I am not suggesting you, god forbid, skip a meal. To the contrary, I am rejecting the American tradition of waiting in line for the meal that is by far the easiest and most rewarding to prepare at home for yourself and for friends. The standard brunch offerings are so stale, and often times, unhealthy. Aren’t we trying to redeem ourselves on Sunday morning? This chapter proposes we trade pancakes for piles of veggies, eggs and herbaceous cocktails, because if I’m going to roll two meals into one, you better believe I’m gonna make it count.

With this in mind, I began sharing my Sunday morning kitchen experiments with the hashtag #FuckBrunch. So many of you responded echoed my sentiments and applauded my creative efforts, this became a cause for foment.

My friend Niki Nakazawa happened to be planning a visit to New York from Mexico City, and it occurred to me that would be the perfect collaborator for the first in this event series. Niki has been reinventing brunch in Mexico City since 2010 with her pop-up restaurant, Pichon, and she had completely changed my feelings on avocado toast when she appeared on my blog this past year. So, I let her take the reigns and we started crafting a menu over Skype. We soon roped in Arley Marks, the Bar Director at Dimes, along with Mexican paleta producer Fany Gerson of La Newyorkina. Together, we crafted a Mexican take on Brooklyn’s favorite meal, and our guests came in droves.

Special thanks to Masienda Corn, Cosme NYC, Material Vodka, Goodwater Farms, Arley Marks, Fany Gerson, Niki Nakazawa and Tony Shure for making this event possible. Photo credit Shay Harrington.

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Fizzy Earl Grey and Licorice Iced Tea
Black Raspberry Spritz with Pink Grapefruit Juice, Material Vodka and Edible Flowers

Barley + Spiced Ricotta Salata Bowl with Heirloom Tomato confit, Roasted Crookneck Squash, Wild Greens, Tiny Fried Fish and an Onsen Egg

Heirloom Masienda Corn Tostada (made by Cosme) with Spicy Aioli, Grilled Avocado and Goodwater Farms Microgreens, drizzled with and Pickled Coriander Vinaigrette

Choice of Paleta: Blueberry, Guava, Mexican Chocolate, Cucumber-Lime, Mango-Chile