Hospitality Design - November 2022 - 23

Above: A rendering of the recently opened Hav &
Mar, featuring a design by Montreal-based Zébulon
Perron
Left, clockwise from top left: The light and airy
Marcus at Baha Mar in the Bahamas, designed by
Meyer Davis with architecture from SB Architects
restaurant to reflect the artist community. A dear
friend of mine is artist Derrick Adams, and he
came in here as creative director [and to create
artworks for the space]. We did this mood board
together with images from Ethiopia, Sweden,
and New York. We also wanted to think about
curves and warmth. Thematically, we looked
to the ocean and water. We thought a lot about
Black mermaids, for example, which show up in
the logo. To be in the Starrett Lehigh Building,
art galleries and the audience are right there.
That's inspiring to me. It's a building where
creativity is celebrated.
Who inspires you from a design
perspective?
There are people who have transformed the
industry in terms of design. When you think
about [designer] David Rockwell, for example,
he made it much more theatrical to dine in the
room. When you're in New York, you get inspired
by great art and great design. I'm also inspired by
people like Alberta Wright, a Black woman who
owned Jezebel restaurant in Hell's Kitchen. She
was not an architect, but she designed it herself.
She had her gut feeling. When I created Red
Rooster, it was matching the energy of Lenox
Avenue with an African American cultural voice.
When you step in, you should never doubt where
you are.
How has art influenced you?
I've been extremely influenced by artists like
Kara Walker, Julie Mehretu, Lorna Simpson,
Derrick Adams, and Mickalene Thomas.
They have helped me think about how I want
my restaurants to feel. I might think about it
traditionally from an architectural point of view,
but then I layer in style. That was the luxury of
coming up in New York. I came up at the same
time as Sanford Biggers, Julie Mehretu-some of
the best African American artists in the world.
Someone like Thelma Golden [director and chief
curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem] has
been extremely informative for me and helpful
as a friend, but also as a mentor in terms of the
art world. Being introduced to these incredible
people-and not just going to a gallery but
being in their homes, cooking with them-has
informed how I view things. As Black creators,
our lens is different. It just is. That's something
I want to build on, and that's what Hav & Mar is.
It's showing that Black excellence can come out
of anywhere.
How would you describe yourself as a
leader?
I draw a lot from the fact that I've traveled and
lived in so many places, so I can relate to a lot of
different people. I can relate to how it feels to be
on the outside looking in. That's an experience I
bring to the table. I want to collaborate, especially
when I don't have the answer to something,
whether that is a financial question or front-ofthe-house
solutions. I want to inspire. People
come to restaurants because they want to see
people in the room, they want to feel something.
They don't come to a restaurant because they're
hungry. They come because they want to be part
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Hospitality Design - November 2022

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