a. kitchen and a. bar

Intent: Open trendsetting restaurants designed to confer quality to the AKA hotel brand while maintaining a sense of authenticity among the dining public.

Client: Korman Communities, Inc., PA–based real estate developers

Role: Creator–consultant for two acclaimed Three–Star restaurants in the luxury extended-stay hotel AKA Rittenhouse Square. Work Included concept and menu development, project and operating budgets, architecture oversight, key personnel hiring including chef and GM, as well as creation of Philadelphia's most progressive wine list. Also actively opened and managed both spaces during the first several months of operations.

Outcome: Philadelphia Magazine 'Best of Philly' Wine List 2012

"This spare but elegant blond-wood, open-windowed jewel box has become an ideal model of a modern Philadelphia restaurant–cafe-casual in ambience but sophisticated in the details." (Craig Laban, restaurant critic, Philadelphia Inquirer)

Jason Wilson, in the Philadelphia Daily News writes: "I'm just going to go out on a limb: a. kitchen signals a new direction in highbrow-casual dining in the city, a new challenge to the established conventions of our dining scene, and that's a good thing."

www.akitchenphilly.com

Cira Centre South

Intent: Elevate AKA hotel/apartment brand standards and design and create a new model for future AKA luxury high-rise projects.

Client: Korman Communities, Inc., PA–based real estate developers

Role: Consulting on a new Pelli Clarke Pelli-designed glass 49-story mixed-use tower at 30th and Walnut Streets in the vibrant University City neighborhood. The tower includes 268 apartments designed and managed by AKA Hotels. Role includes owner's representative on apartment, residential lobby, and amenity floor design and programming including furniture design in coordination with design architect Edward Asfour, of NYC's Asfour Guzy, and project architects BLTa, as well as providing consulting services for the concept and development of a 3,500 square foot lobby restaurant.

Outcome: Successfully sourced finishes and materials at reduced costs in order to maintain high-level of design while adhering to Brandywine's GMP budget. Project is currently ongoing.

Cira Centre South

Salt

Intent: Looking to switch careers from photography to the restaurant world, and identifying a need for an urbane, small-scale restaurant in the heart of Rittenhouse Square, I opened Salt in 2002.

Client: David Fields and investors.

Role: Conceived, financed, developed, and operated this trailblazing Philadelphia restaurant. Salt was renowned for it's progressive wine list, refined decor, and flavor–forward Spanish-inspired modern food.

Outcome: Named one of Food and Wine's '10 Best New Restaurants in the World' upon opening.

Restaurateur Stephen Starr says 'To this day, Salt is still remembered as a restaurant that dramatically modernized the Philadelphia dining landscape for the better.'

AKA Beverly Hills

Intent: Using limited funds, strategically upgrade this four-story apartment building into a world-class extended-stay AKA hotel.

Client: Korman Communities, Inc., PA–based real estate developers

Role: Provided oversight for extensive renovations to an 88-unit apartment building during its conversion into an AKA luxury extended-stay hotel. Work included acting as owner's representative for budgeting and design for 16 new penthouse apartments and lobby; design and procurement of a new furniture collection for all 88 apartments, as well as oversight for the renovation of main lobby and outdoor lounging space. Coordinated services of architects Asfour Guzy, Santa Monica's Koning Eisenberg, and construction management firm City Constructors Inc. of Los Angeles.

Outcome: Finalist for Best Large Apartment Renovation 2013, Interior Design Magazine. Apartment building dramatically altered and improved.

AKA Beverly Hills

The Fat Ham

Intent: Create a compelling, brief, wine list for chef Kevin Sbraga, one that would achieve critical notice and also match the level of quality of the food and cocktails menu.

Client: Chef Kevin Sbraga, Sbraga Dining

Role: Curated a small, compelling, natural wine list for 'Top Chef' winner Kevin Sbraga's Three–Star Southern country–cooking inspired restaurant in West Philadelphia. Set reasonable pricing and chose select wine importers.

Outcome: Increased wine profits by 45% and gave credibility to the wine list, which is now in accord with the existing serious cocktail program and flavor-forward cooking.

The Fat Ham

AKA Wall Street

Intent: Completely transform a former university housing building into a luxury AKA hotel and condominium, elevating the brand's design standards to create a new model for future AKA luxury high-rise projects.

Client: Korman Communities, Inc., PA–based real estate developers

Role: Owner's representative for extensive renovations to a Wall Street area 16–story building during its conversion into 137 AKA luxury extended-stay hotel apartments. Work included acting as owner's representative for budgeting and design for 137 new penthouse apartments and lobby as well as design and procurement of a new furniture collection for all apartments. Coordinated services of architects Asfour Guzy, and construction firm Collaborative Construction Management Inc. Additional advisory work includes finding and completing a management agreement with a top NYC chef as operator for a 2,500 square foot lobby restaurant and 800 square foot cocktail bar.

Outcome: Project is currently under construction.

AKA Wall Street