Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Bell
Alex, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Much like everyone else in 2020, I found myself feeling a bit adrift, you might say. The world I had pledged my life to had been decimated and relegated to creating the closest thing to the intentional cuisine in a takeout and fast-food fashion. My industry, the hospitality industry, was beyond struggling; we were strangled as we attempted to move forward through a fog of uncertain length and outcome. I spoke to my compadres in the culinary community, and we all lamented what we missed: the connection, the hospitality, the passion, and more.
One of the greatest gifts in the restaurant industry I had discovered throughout my 20 years of service in concepts ranging from dive bars to debonair was the confessional known as the Chef’s Table. The intimacy of sitting in front of an artist as they performed their craft in front of your eyes, creating edible masterpieces rich with both experience and personal narrative. Sharing the inspiration and connection to the plate with a small group of people is akin to a painter sharing the influence behind the canvas of their life’s work. To me, it is one of the most memorable dining experiences I both contributed to and enjoyed. 2020 didn’t just quiet this art form; it had silenced it completely, and its chapters were potentially sealed forever.
Like everyone else, I had been reading and studying the literature about the virus, learning what was safe and what wasn’t—how we could still maintain some semblance of normalcy while never compromising anyone’s health.
– No more than 10 people to a gathering.
– Open-air settings.
– 16 feet apart.
– Masks and gloves.
– Lysol is king.
You remember the commandments, right?
So, as I sat outside in my overrun, overgrown, and neglected backyard, surrounded by winged vampires and various gardening relics, I began to have an idea. The devil may find work for idle hands, but the devil’s lettuce can certainly open the mind to some creativity on the best way to put them to use. With the help of a few remarkable gardening professionals, extensive searching through second-hand options from Craigslist to Facebook Marketplace, and a Hail Mary to a dear friend whom I regarded as one of the best chefs in the city, I set out to create a safe space for dining—a backyard speakeasy. A dinner series called Midnight in the Garden of Good During Evil.
Our first dinner featured four tables, with two guests per table, totaling eight guests, Chef Damien Brockway, and myself. I measured the distance between each table to ensure a safe space for diners. I had Lysol procedures in place for restroom use inside my home. We were gloved and masked up, ready to treat these 16 individuals, eight per reservation time, to what seemed like an impossibility…
It was challenging, it was chaotic, it was rocky, but it was service, and it was poignant. Thus, Midnight in the Garden was born.
Since then, it has been one of the greatest and most rewarding adventures of my life as we have continued to create intimate, one-of-a-kind dining experiences for the community of Austin and partner with some of the greatest chef talent, both local and beyond. We have created restaurants in greenhouses, cathedrals, rooftop balconies, and more…and while we have no idea where we’ll end up next, we couldn’t be more excited.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Eh, I would say it’s been smooth like my face was in middle school, but if I hadn’t had those acne-riddled days, I don’t think I would appreciate the blessings of mostly clear skin today. Starting a concept during the pandemic obviously had its own complications, and we experienced the swooping highs and lows. Just as we began to see the other side, or so we were told, we got slammed with version 2.0, and things seemed even scarier. We wanted to bring the tables together; we wanted to create a community among our diners, but it just wasn’t safe until we knew we weren’t jeopardizing anyone’s health to do so. We began to get there with the vaccine, but then came the divide of vaccinated vs. unvaccinated. As a business, I had to provide that safety net for my guests, so we required testing to start and then vaccination to attend…obviously, that came with its own struggles.
Looking back, those were easily navigated in comparison to the real challenges…how the hell do you get people to believe in this? How could I convince chefs of the professionalism and respect that we would provide to them to come create? How do I get guests to trust that with no menu and no location, they weren’t getting catfished into some crazy Fyre festival-like disaster? I don’t think I had ever responded to so many dm’s in my life, but we built this amazing community of guests who were curious about what we were doing and wanted to support. As for the chefs, I can’t thank those who took a chance on us in those first few experiences as they were the ones who showed proof of concept and, I believe, helped spread the word to other chefs that what we were doing was not only professional but celebratory of who they are and the incredible work they do.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’ve been working in the restaurant industry since I was 15—shout out to Longhorn Steakhouse for taking a chance on this boy—but I fell in love with the art of dining long before that. My grandmother, Nammy (we could not enunciate G’s as little ones, so Gammy became Nammy and it just stuck), used to take my mom, my brother, and me on vacation every summer. Part of our vacations, hell, part of our gatherings together no matter where we were, always included at least one dinner out together. When I reflect on these dinners, I never think of them as being strict, but I do remember them having structure as Nammy and my mom instilled in us the manners of how to dine out correctly. These dinners were where my brother and I were integral parts of the conversation, being spoken to as adults, ordering for ourselves as honored guests of the table, and going through the full spectrum of a dining experience. Some of my greatest memories as a child are those dinners with my brother and these two monumentally influential and wonderful women in my life.
I was living in Rome during my junior year of college when I caught the wine bug. I had promised myself a Dionysian level of delights before going abroad, and with The Band’s cover of Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece” as my soundtrack, the days and nights were drenched in wine. I had done a lot of memorization study of wine before living in Rome as a means to pad the check average at different establishments in Philly where I had worked, but it was while I was indulging in such great abundance that I started to take notice of flavor profile, varietal and regional variations, the influence and sexiness of terroir. It wasn’t some classroom, book-bound dive into theory but instead a soulful soaking up of the culture of wine as the Italians lived it. I reveled in the community that wine created, the stories it would help usher out of new and old friends alike, and the richness of both its poeticism and historical provenance.
When I decided to make wine my life several years later, I always knew that I wanted to approach wine with my own unique voice. I’ve always tried to channel what I loved about my long days and late nights in Rome, making wine this fascinating and compelling beverage that is meant for everyone and removing any exclusionary element to it. I love creating this fun, wild energy around wine and waxing poetic about all the nuances it can provide while pouring glasses tall and sharing my knowledge in a digestible and connective way.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
When I organized my first dinner, I put forth every effort to bring my imagination to life. From the candle sculptures on the table to the arrangement of each place setting and the ambient lighting that complemented the moonlight, I tried to control everything except for Mother Nature’s predetermined choices. By the end of the evening, I was proud of what I had created, both experientially and visually. However, I had no idea of the true potential these experiences held until my partner, Jaycee Grover, took charge of the documentation and design aspects.
Jaycee and I began dating just as I was starting Midnight. I honestly believe that the confidence I gained from completing my first Midnight event played a significant role in me landing a woman like her way out of league. As we began our relationship, she was incredibly supportive of my creative pursuits, volunteering to assist with photography, design, and various other roles. Once she took over the documentation and design components of Midnight, it was as if the concept transformed from using a box of 16 crayons to coloring with the behemoth box of 124. The floral designs and tablescapes flourished with ever-changing arrangements that were symbolic of the dinner’s storyline. Her photography elevated our work, capturing not just the ambiance but also the energy of the experience.
Without Jaycee’s involvement, I don’t think I would have had the confidence to take Midnight to the level it has reached, nor would it have become as captivatingly beautiful as it is today. She embodies the spirit of Mama Midnight, and the concept has come to life in a technicolor dream thanks to her contributions.
Pricing:
- Tickets to our experiences run anywhere from $185-$225 per person
Contact Info:
- Instagram: _midnightinthegarden_
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thiswaytothegarden
