“Nicole is making two varieties, pollo (chicken) y verduras (vegetables) — you’ll be able to choose which you prefer, or a combination”
If you want to know what other restaurants are going to be doing in the future, you can always look at what Josh Lewin and Katrina Jazayeri are doing at Juliet in Union Square and Peregrine in Beacon Hill. From producing media that reaches fans and foodies directly, to their virtual programming during the pandemic, to the delicious art their team puts on the plate, the couple is a bellwether.
Now, they’re doing something that a lot of us with more restaurants would do—putting the spotlight on one of their back-of-the-house workers who, up until this point, has played the background. From the sound of what’s in store, it promises to be a breakout moment. More from Lewin and the Juliet team below:
One of our Peregrine cooks is taking over Juliet for a very special takeout night on Wednesday, August 10. She is preparing dobladas guatemaltecas (Guatemalan fried, filled, tortillas), the same ones she likes to prepare for staff meal at the restaurant. In other words, I’ve had them, and trust me, you don’t want to miss them.
Nicole will be doing all of the preparation casero (homemade). Dobladas (folded) are thick, fresh, tortillas (did you know this word you probably use all the time means something like “cake”? — think “torta”) that are filled and fried. Nicole is making two varieties, pollo (chicken) y verduras (vegetables) — you’ll be able to choose which you prefer, or a combination.
Your ticket is an order para llevar (takeout) of two dobladas. You can pick it up on Wednesday, any time between 6 and 7:30 pm. When you are placing your order, you will have the option to agregar más (add more) from Nicole mismo (herself) including a ceviche guatemalteco (Guatemalan), licuada (fruit smoothie), o ensalada (I think you’ve got that one).
Katrina has included an easy option to add wines (tinto, blanco o espumoso) or beer at a great price.
Trust us for dinner this Wednesday. Las ventas irá a la propia Nicole (the sales will go to Nicole herself), after expenses for food and a small percentage to the restaurant for overhead.
“I learned to make these [the dobladas] from my sister,” Nicole said through a translator. “I have been making tortillas since I was a baby. Others were in the crib, I was making them. We all learned to make different things from her.”
“Before there was a Juliet, Katrina and I got our start just like this,” Lewin said. “Popping up at first just one night de vez en cuando (once in a while), pouring ingredients out of a Zipcar, and borrowing someone else’s space (usually not even a restaurant). We would cover all of our own expenses, and then negotiate a share of the ticket sales with our borrowed venue of the night. This was actually a huge benefit at the time, reducing fixed expenses, but allowing us to make our partners happy when we had a hit. Eventually we settled into two longer term residencies like this, before finally opening Juliet.”
He continued, “Part of the mission of this new/old space will be a return to more community oriented programming, including events like this one. Opening up our space to members of our team, or the community, to give something a try, the way we tried many times before — but with our support.
“Anyway, Nicole will have the chance to share her food and culture with you this Wednesday, but she is also learning to plan a menu, the systems of organization to bring it to life, and manage a budget (without any risk of failure with us behind her). A larger part of the mission of Juliet has always been, and will always be, creating great jobs, with the opportunity to learn and grow. I am excited to extend this for the first time all the way back to the roots of our company, inviting Nicole to run a risk free, but otherwise very realistic trial run of a business, just the way we used to.”
Get tickets for Wednesday here
Dig Staff means this article was a collaborative effort. Teamwork, as we like to call it.
