Chef Zachary Mazi brings fine dining to the pop-up scene
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LionFish Supperclub Chef Zachary Mazi and owner Tighe Melville like to experiment, adhering to no specific cuisine or cooking style except simply “farm to fork.” So they’ve thrived in the increasingly popular pop-up scene, which is giving restaurateurs a new freedom to create without having to adhere to a single brick-and-mortar concept. But while many pop-ups have a guerilla aesthetic, the LionFish Supperclub duo brings a refined fine-dining element to their events. Since starting late last year, they’ve put on 14, and their next is April 11. We spoke to Mazi about their ambitious vision for pop-up dining.
GT: What can people expect at one of your pop-ups?
ZACHARY MAZI: There’s something that happens when you’re in that state of unexpected excellence that people’s walls really come down. The conversations are really rich. People often end up sitting next to strangers. It’s a neat thing to watch. It engenders communication that wouldn’t otherwise be there. We’ve had people leave there with new friendships and business relationships. We’d like to get to the point where we can actually select the people that are coming to the dinner to really promote these conversations, almost like a think tank at the dinner table. It’s almost a social experiment.
How do you decide what to prepare at each event?
There aren’t any particular themes. I’m just making it surprising and fun. It seems like it’s going pretty well. I did a pop-up in January where I picked quite a few wild plants and mushrooms, served those and really made a point to explain where the acorns are from and about the harvesting of mushrooms. I think the main point is to inspire people to dig deeper and to look for more in their experiences and their conversations. I think with fine dining you get a chance to really show refinement and your explorations.
What do you have planned for April 11?
This one happens to be a seafood-heavy Mediterranean meal. I went to a pop-up last week with the most phenomenal plating I’ve ever seen—just beautiful. This pop up, we’re really going to focus on the way we plate food and really get into a more artistic approach. I wouldn’t say any dishes in particular are surprising as much as I think the plating is going to be really cool.
On your website you refer to your creations as “sexy food.”
We’re trying to appeal to a younger demographic. It’s like you look at a plate of food and go, “Damn, that looks good!” You look at it, and it holds your attention, and it tastes marvelous. It’s sexy! On April 23 we’re doing a sensual journey of food. It’s going to be really experiential and the textures and flavors, what’s tantalizing and a turn on about food. There’s no limit to what we can do.
For details on the April 11 and April 23 pop-ups, or for tickets, go to lionfishsc.com. PHOTO: Chef Zachary Mazi and Tighe Melville of LionFish Supperclub in their garden. CHIP SCHEUER
