Joseph “JJ” Johnson, the award-winning chef known for his Afro-Asia style of cooking, has leased restaurant space at 109 Lenox (above) for his first solo venture.
Field Trip will be a grain and rice concept where diners can eat to a soundtrack of 1990s hip-hop and R&B playing in the background and his signature neon “JJ” letters in the window.
“Field Trip is set to make rice the new Ramen. Johnson’s concept is the newest in eatertainment, offering a shared experience through a culture-influenced menu of rice with a global flair,” said Faith Hope Consolo, chairman of the retail leasing team at Douglas Elliman.
The Faith Consolo Team exclusively represented the landlord and the tenant in the lease of the 1,125 s/f space at 109 Lenox Avenue between 115th and 116th Streets, a neighborhood with a “spectacular culinary scene,” according to Consolo.
Local eating options in classic soul food at Amy Ruth’s, SottoCasa Pizzeria, Sugar Hill Creamery the neighborhood ice cream parlor, restaurant and event space MIST Harlem, Barawin,e a French wine bar and restaurant, Harlem Pizza Co., and Harlem Shake a local burger spot.
Johnson who is best known for cooking food of the African diaspora. He most recently served as Executive Chef at The Cecil and its sister restaurant Minton’s and is recognized for having the longest-term residency at Chefs Club, the Nolita restaurant where chefs from around the world take turns heading up the kitchen. As the co-author of cookbook Between Harlem and Heaven, Johnson developed a passion for rice as he traveled the world.
