On Meeting a Man on the Street

Between a Colombian café and a hard place, a man asked me to sign his petition. Against every instinct in my burgeoning New Yorker identity, I said yes.

 

The man tucked his clipboard under his left armpit and shook my hand, introducing himself as Erick Matista, 27. We were standing on Steinway street, an epicentre of activity in Queens. It was an activity Mr. Matista was doing his best to take advantage of.

 

‘This place,’ he said, gesturing to the empty restaurant ten feet to my left, ‘is my family business. It’s going to be the first five-star dining experience in Queens.’

 

Where there had previously been a hookah lounge, and before that, a sake bar, stands Vida. Mr. Matista’s family are the new stewards of the property, a soon-to-be-open classic steakhouse. After years of planning and months of waiting and delays, they are set to open this winter.

 

‘We’re gonna have tomahawks, prime rib-eyes – all kinds of steaks.’ There’s a palpable excitement in his voice as he rattles through more of the menu, gesticulating with his one free hand to mimic spooning melted butter over a sizzling steak. Yes, he made the sounds, too.

 

The Matista family has been trying to get the restaurant up and running for almost three years now, and Erick is particularly eager on that front. He’s going to be the manager, and it’s a position he has been working towards for some time.

 

Another passer-by stopped to sign the petition. Mr. Matista put the pen behind his ear as the lady walked away. He turned to me, and pointed around the corner.

 

‘I went to high school just a few blocks that way’, he said. He recently attended the Borough of Manhattan Community College, and came away with a degree in business. That, combined with his experience in restaurants on and around Steinway, Mr. Matista seemed proud of what he had accomplished so far.

 

He got his start in the restaurant business just down the street from where we were standing, on Steinway Street, near 30th Ave. Reminiscing on his laundry list of a resume, he spoke of applying for any job he could get in the industry. Though his sights are firmly set on being a manager, he recalled fondly his time as a chef prep. Quite simply, though, he loves being around food.

 

‘It’s my passion. I want to learn how to cook someday, too.’

Mr. Matista

His love of food and its many incarnations seemed rooted in his upbringing in such a diverse neighbourhood. ‘It’s very multicultural here,’ he said. ‘You could come here and go from halal food to Greek food to Spanish food. And I’ve seen over the years how all these locations have opened up. For me to see the community change – it changed dramatically good. It changed for the better, you know.’

 

That’s not to say there have not been struggles. Mr. Matista outlined the family’s burden during the pandemic, having to pay rent on a building that couldn’t be anything but empty. They had planned to open earlier this year, but on top of the restrictions, they simply couldn’t get workers in. He was quick, though, to put those sentiments in perspective.

 

‘I honestly just feel bad for some of the business owners that lost their businesses because of Covid. Just on this one block, even.’

 

Mr. Matista, though, remains cautiously optimistic about the family’s prospects.

 

‘Every restaurant I worked at I gained a knowledge out of it and I gained an experience out of it. And now all my experiences which I’ve learned – I’m gonna put it into this.’

Vida

The Matista’s old friend and business partner, who is investing in Vida, has also had some invaluable experience with owning and running restaurants, even in that neck of Queens. It does appear, though, that this is his most ambitious project yet. But their mission is clear, and within reach.

 

‘We’re calling the restaurant Vida because we’re trying to give new life to people – give someone a new life experience when they come in,’ he said. Inclusivity appeared a vital part of his pitch, too. ‘No matter who it is, we want to give them the VIP access, the best treatment. Wherever there’s steps, we got a ramp, too.’

 

Mr. Matista remains aware, though, of the fickle business that is a restaurant, and wasn’t going to minimise the family’s investment. He acknowledged that this was their first, and that they were risking more than they probably knew.

 

‘But it’s, like a poker game – you gotta put all your chips in the middle.’

 

And so, it would appear, they have.

 

Before I left and thanked him for his time, it struck me that I still had no idea what the petition I had signed was for. After talking to him for so long, I felt particularly invested in his answer to this question.

 

‘It’s for our liquor licence,’ he said, cracking a smile. The New York Liquor Authority has wait times starting at 22 weeks. Mr Matista was campaigning for 500 signatures, hoping that might expedite their case.

 

‘You can’t go to a restaurant if there’s no bar. If you come in with a nice steak, you want a little booze with it, you want something nice to drink with it.’

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On Being a Man On The Street