New 1891 Manager Curates Dining Delight

By Jake Ten Pas

Everyone needs a North Star, a shining beacon to follow when the sky is dark and the right direction can’t be discerned using earthly points of navigation.

Looking at the career of new 1891 Manager Brandon Hightower from a great height, it might appear that the metaphorical celestial bodies he chases are stars of another kind — celebrity chefs. He’s helped James Beard Foundation Book Award winner JJ Johnson and Top Chef champion Michael Vignola open restaurant concepts in New York, and his first big gig after moving to Portland was complementing Gregory Gourdet’s Haitian inspiration at Kann.

But rather than navigating by these stars, Hightower is much more concerned with the earthly delights of the tastes they make. “I definitely knew I wanted to follow the food, so I followed the food,” he says of what drew him to Portland and his current association with MAC and Executive Chef Matt Christiansen. “I was looking at Nashville, I was looking at Miami and other similar destinations, and I thought, ‘There’s something a little too familiar in those bigger, faster-moving cities.’”

“Portland popped up in my feed somewhere, and it was an article about the food carts. It was the height of that era in Portland, and it seemed like it was a place where all the non-traditional people were going to create these really weird, fun, exciting dishes.”

So, Hightower journeyed to this gray, rainy corner of the country, ready to face the unknown of Oregon because of his commitment to great food. Then, two or three months after arriving, COVID hit, and he found himself in a basement apartment with little daylight and no idea what was next.

“It was an interesting time for me because I wasn’t sure if restaurants were coming back, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to have a career here. I decided to stick it out and push through, and the first opportunity that presented itself to me coming out of the pandemic was Kann.”

Much has been written about Gourdet’s stellar career, from his time at restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s establishments to his decade redefining Asian fusion at Portland’s Departure, his two seasons on Top Chef, and his book, Everyone’s Table: Global Recipes for Modern Health. Kann is a full-on phenomenon of pan-Caribbean and Pacific Northwest flavors, and Hightower says it was this mélange of disparate influences that attracted him.

“I’ve always been following cultural food. JJ Johnson was the first Black chef in Midtown Manhattan doing Pan-African cuisine. From traditional Indian with Top Chef Masters winner Floyd Cardoz to New American with Chef David Burke, I’ve been involved with a lot of very interesting, different flavors and profiles. That led me to Gregory and what he was doing, and it felt like home,” says Hightower, who built the operational guide for service at Kann and its bar counterpart, sousòl.

If it wasn’t for physical therapy, he might still be at Kann, and MAC members would be less lucky for it. A fall after Kann’s win for Best New Restaurant in America at the 2023 James Beard Awards resulted in a dislocated and fractured ankle that laid Hightower up for a spell, during which he reflected on the best next steps for his life. While looking for a physical therapist, he discovered MAC. “I learned about all the food and beverage programs in this one building, and once it was in my algorithm, opportunities started popping up. During my time of healing, this job came to my attention, and I thought, “That could be really cool!”

By the time he took the job, Hightower knew intellectually that MAC was a world unto itself, but that didn’t prepare him for joining the team at the height of the holiday season. With a Holiday Fashion Show and Holiday Open House now under his belt, he’s settling into a more normal routine, and the possibilities inherent in his new home are beginning to present themselves.

“I think we’re right at the cusp of change for 1891, and we’re all figuring it out together. It’s like very fresh soil, we’re just planting seeds, and excited and expecting. Where it’ll go, we don’t know, but everyone has a voice, and getting to know the members and what they want is a really big part of it as well.”

In previous roles under celebrity chefs, Hightower largely was tasked with executing their visions, but he’s been pleasantly surprised at how collaborative his relationship has been with Christiansen. “It feels like more of an equal partnership, where Matt is going to be coming with his ideas from the kitchen, and I’m going to be coming with my ideas for what I envision service to look and feel like here,” he explains.

For his part, Christiansen also appears pleased at the way the collaboration is taking shape. “Brandon’s warm smile and genuine personality effortlessly disarm concerns, providing a sense of ease and assurance that each person is truly seen and cared for.”

Culinary & Events Director Erik Anderson concurs: “He brings a fresh, upscale, eclectic look to the 1891 scene. From his New York roots to his Portland vibe, Brandon brings the class and panache that we long for in the upcoming vision of MAC's fine dining scene.”

Longer-term visions aside, Hightower’s shaping of the atmosphere in 1891 can vary from day to day. Depending on how many reservations the restaurant has, what events the club is hosting, and what day of the week it is, he’s refining aspects of the ambience on the fly. From musical genre to noise levels to lighting, “I’m just moving the needle just a little bit to make sure the experience overall fits what the guests want the room to be,” he says. “Because this is a more private space, we have more flexibility and the ability to curate each night, and that’s fun for me. It’s about staying ahead of the guest’s wants, needs, and expectations, and being impressive every time.”

Balancing the club’s legacy with evolving industry trends is another key balance he hopes to strike, and as Hightower’s origin story illustrates, he’s got his finger firmly on the pulse of life outside the club as he continues to get to know the internal community.

“Everyone’s ideas of what food and what drinks can do is changing. Social media is driving in a really big way the idea that food can be cool, and a dining experience can actually blow your mind. The name of the restaurant is 1891, so we’ve already established that we’re historical in many ways, and so I want to stay true to that but also create space for new ideas to come in.”

The main goal remains for everyone who comes in — whether they’re working, just got done working out, or there specifically to dine — to arrive happy and leave happier, Hightower says. That means working with Bar Manager Roni Pervizi to develop a zero-proof beverage program that plays as nicely with the dishes as any cocktail could, among other ongoing refinements.

“I feel like I’m at a really, really great place in my career. Whether MAC found me, or I found MAC, I’m not sure, but it feels very special to have made it here,” he sums up. “Being around great food and people, those are the two things that really excite me. I’m an all-in kind of guy, and now I’m here 150%.”