Make Room for ETI NYC
We recently caught up with the duo behind the new Brooklyn-based bakery project, ETI to discuss bread, connection and creativity during the pandemic.
What and who is ETI?
ETI is a bakery, for now. It’s a collaboration between chef Nir Sarig and partner Quinton Mulvey.
Where did the idea originate?
QUINTON: ETI is an opportunity to make something beautiful out of a time that has otherwise been quite isolating and grim in New York. We want to bring people together with the simple pleasure of bread and expand beyond the contemporary notion that quality dining experiences have to be exclusive.
I met Nir through mutual friends and I fell in love with his cooking through the intimate dinner parties he would throw at his apartment. Four or five of us would gather and sip wine while he brought out plate after plate of the most beautiful pairings I'd never tried before. His food is very simple yet inventive, and his presentation is never intimidating. Everyone would leave thinking, "Damn, I wish every night could be like this." That's the feeling we are aiming for at ETI.
Of all the foods, why bread?
NIR: Bread is a spiritual process. It reacts to you. You have to listen to it. Sometimes it requires stillness, sometimes it requires action. It’s very meditative in that way.
What flavors excite you, the most?
NIR: I practice Ayurveda so when cooking for myself, I use flavors based on my Ayurvedic Constitution. When creating dishes in general, I really couldn’t choose what flavor profiles excite me over others. They are all important.
A soundtrack for your sourdough?
QUINTON: We’ve been curating playlists inspired by the symbolism and spiritual significance of the various ingredients we use. For example, our SESAME loaf playlist was inspired by an Assyrian legend where the gods drank wine derived from sesame seeds the night before they designed the Earth. We selected tracks that ignite creation and a sense of prosperity within us.
Where do ideas come from when making / baking?
NIR: Before I moved to New York, I’d walk around Carmel Market in Tel Aviv and only buy ingredients that my body was naturally drawn to. It was interesting because oftentimes the produce I’d bring home would all be in the same range of colors. Somedays red, somedays green. When creating dishes now, I follow that same practice. I create from my cravings and natural inclinations.
Most essential kitchen utensil?
NIR: An appetite.
QUINTON: A speaker.
What has been the most challenging part so far?
QUINTON + NIR: Insecurity.
And the most rewarding?
QUINTON: I’ve been hand delivering bread around Brooklyn in these early stages to really connect with our community. Those exchanges and conversations have been the most rewarding part for me so far.
NIR: It is rewarding to be present in this process. It feels good to work toward something. To create.
What can your community look forward to in the future?
QUINTON: We look forward to building far beyond a bakery concept. We aim to keep things constantly surprising, comforting and connected.
For more, see @eti.nyc
Photographed by Carolyne Loreé
21 - 09 - 20