Chef Kelly Whitaker wants to make an impact with each new venture, no matter what the endeavor might be.
“No matter what project we touch, we want to add value to the neighborhood. I want this to be something special for the neighborhood,” Whitaker said in a conversation with What Now.
This includes Hey Kiddo, Whitaker’s new vision for the Berkeley neighborhood at 4337 Tennyson St. A play on Japan’s Hokkaido region, the new eatery will take a more casual approach to dining than his high-end food at The Wolf’s Tailor and Bruto, Whitaker is aiming for Hey Kiddo to be an accessible, communal location that offers creative eats to the people living there and the folks that work in the service industry.
“A big focus of Hey Kiddo is on walk-ins. The idea is that this is for the neighborhood,” Whitaker said. “This is a restaurant that allows people to eat later in the evening. We’re not closing at 9 or 10 p.m. This is a place where hospitality workers can get a decent meal after work.”
First reported by The Denver Post, Hey Kiddo will serve a creative American fusion fare and feature 45 indoor seats and an almost 60-seat outdoor rooftop, complete with fire pits. In the back, guests can lounge at Ok Yeah, a separate, 16-seat cocktail lounge. An opening is planned for the end of 2022 but an early 2023 opening is likely pending construction.
In addition to not taking reservations (except for large parties), Hey Kiddo will work with Resy to connect people who are within a mile or closer to the restaurant to let them know about food specials popping at Hey Kiddo. And man, will there be a lot of dishes flying off the line. Whitaker said 25% or more of the menu could change during any one day. In collaboration with Chef Deuki Hong, Hey Kiddo will balance this constant change with consistent menu items that might shift only twice a year due to shifts in the season and farmer’s market availability.
“We’re pushing food forward here,” Whitaker said. “We want to add food and fun. Not all food concepts are fun and not all fun things are food concepts.”
This adoption of menu changes also goes to Whitaker’s Id Est Hospitality Group’s dedication to local food and renewable practices.
“Sustainability and planet welfare with a raucous vibe,” Whitaker said. “We want this work to reach people, and we want it to have meaning. We want our projects to help define and work towards solutions that are affecting our industry.”
This means working with local farmers, fermenting foods on location, and milling its own grains for flour.
“How can we do things under one roof that allow them to channel through? What allows us to utilize things through the building to be a pillar and learning point for other restaurants?” Whitaker asks.
This is the underlying meaning of the Id Est group. Latin for “that is,” we use id est to mean, “for example.” Through these ventures, Whitaker and his team are trying to lead by example to a more sustainable food system. At Hey Kiddo, this will be incorporated into a fun, funky, hip-hop vibe atop The Asher Hotel.
“Editor’s note: an update to this article corrects the spelling of Deuki Hong.“
