Damien Brockway, founder of Distant Relatives, transitioned from creating fancy dishes to focusing on home-style cooking that highlights African diaspora flavors. He launched Distant Relatives in 2020 as a pop-up and later moved to a food truck, gaining various accolades. By remaining the sole investor, Brockway retains control over the restaurant's narrative and aesthetics, despite the associated financial challenges. He reflects on the initial struggles of operating a pop-up and the learning opportunities it presented, ultimately leading to Distant Relatives' current success with a small team.
I knew it was going to be a difficult project because cooking modern African American food may seem polarizing for some people. But to me, it's not.
This control came with financial limitations - I could only borrow enough to set up a food truck.
After a career creating fancy dishes in a starched white chef coat, I wanted to cook food more like what I made at home.
With the pop-up, I had a schedule for pickups from a cooler outside my gate. People would Venmo me or throw a couple bucks in the cooler.
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