Dine and DESIGN

INSIDE THE MIND OF DESIGNER KEN FULK’S CULINARY COLLAB WITH MAJOR FOOD GROUP

BY LUIS R. RIGUAL

Designer Ken Fulk thinks of himself as a storyteller of space. Much like a film director constructs new worlds with characters, dialogue, and plotlines, Fulk spins his narratives with color, texture, and details. These cinematic qualities are apparent in all his projects, particularly in his work for Major Food Group, which has yielded numerous restaurants in the United States and abroad. In Miami, Fulk’s auteur approach can be seen at MFG mainstays like Dirty French Steakhouse, Sadelle’s, ZZ’s Club, and Carbone. Aventura caught up with Fulk to learn more about his design inspo in the Magic City. (kenfulk.com; majorfood.com)

Aventura: You’ve been collaborating with Major Food Group for more than a decade. How is that working relationship?

Fulk: We really are partners. They give me a lot of leeway because we see the world through the same rose-colored lens. They all care deeply about all aspects of an experience and realize that the restaurant experience isn’t just about what you eat. It’s about how you feel and remember the space.

XWhat were your thoughts when the company decided to expand to Miami?

It seemed like a wonderful fit, a defining moment. I’ve always been intrigued by Miami and have had this sort of romantic notion about it. It is perhaps one of the most exotic and worldly of American cities. It certainly has a cinematic quality to it.

In your new book, The Movie in My Mind, you describe how you approach much of your work like writing a movie script. Is that the case with the four MFG restaurants here?

Very much so. I think all our projects in Miami exemplify us as directors of these movies. They each start as an idea pitch. For instance, with Carbone Miami I was asked to describe it, and I replied: “It is as if Maria Callas and Frank Sinatra woke up after a torrid affair, and the next morning they were on the Grand Canal.”

One of your most recent restaurants for MFG is Dirty French Steakhouse. What’s the story there?

That one has its own tale. It has little doses of El Morocco, this fantastical place that I never had the privilege to visit, but that I have long held as a vaunted place in my imagination for all its zebra decor. That, paired with this insane disco lounge that we created with rainbow chandeliers, [is like a] beautiful movie.

ZZ’s Club in the Design District seems to have different personalities, with a Japanese restaurant on the first floor and a private club on the second. What was your approach there?

We wanted people to have multiple experiences and for the spaces to holistically speak to one another but not be replicant, to each have their own flavor and flair and excitement.

One interesting aspect of all your Miami eateries is how reverentially you treat the bar. What’s behind that?

I’ve never met a bar I didn’t love. The bar starts the lubrication for the social experiment that is a restaurant, so we pay a lot of attention to it. They’re often the first impression people have of a restaurant. I know it’s cliché but first impressions matter, so we give them a lot of thought.

If you had to summarize what you do in a few words, how would you describe it?

I put things together. It’s like when [MFG partner and chef Mario Carbone] goes into the kitchen and makes something delicious. I take divergent pieces and create a magical whole out of them. That’s what I bring to the party. «