The Sunday after Thanksgiving, we went out for Steak and Eggs in Chelsea at Jack’s Wife Freda on 16th Street and 8th Avenue.
Matt had been to church first and Ellen came from her adorable cat-sitting gig with “Slinky” (a gorgeous and athletic black Tom cat with strong soccer skills) around the corner. Matt’s wife Logan and son Freddy also joined us.
Steak and eggs is a delicious breakfast. It’s classic and evocative of childhood comfort and possibility. Ellen’s father used to make eggs for breakfast on Sunday, along with bacon, blueberry pancakes and waffles. Matt’s dad also used to make a classic “English breakfast” on Sundays. What is it about dads cooking a special meal on the weekend? There are sexist aspects, we realize. Our mothers cooked all the other meals and yet dad got a medal for making one on Sundays. There are also vegan arguments to be made. But this was a different era and we don’t want to totally shred the memories through a modern lens!
What does going out for breakfast have to do with content creation, you may ask?
As business partners, we have enjoyed working together in a way that is quite unusual. Our time with clients and writing is often more expansive than reductive. It occurred to us as we were eating steak and eggs, in fact, that the meal was emblematic of our approach to working life.
Steak and Eggs. It’s filling and it’s comfortable and it’s delicious. You can order the eggs to your liking–poached, over-easy or sunny-side-up. The steak, too. Medium-rare? Or perhaps you trust the chef’s judgment.
When the plate comes to the table, it’s a joy. Imagine if working on your content creation could feel like that. Writing and developing your ideas would be optimistic and abundant. It would fill up the proverbial plate and leave you with a warm feeling about the work. We love to create that kind of experience with our clients, while obviously getting the work done.
Ellen spent time working with food and sustainability, co-hosting salons and conversations over food at Jimmy’s 43 on 7th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, and working with Carolyn Steel’s brilliant ideas about how food shapes our cities. She has always been a fan of delicious food as a key to launching deep conversation. Recently, Matt has also become somewhat obsessed with writing about food. From the value of showing up to volunteer gigs with a cheese plate to eating simple meals such as toast, he can’t stop writing about it. And yet, here we are again!
But that’s only natural. Food is such a fundamental part of human engagement and connection. There is a moment towards the end of any good meal when the mood shifts and people feel content and more open to possibilities. That’s the spirit we like to lead with when we’re envisioning how your story should feel to the world.
Before COVID-19 it was more common to meet clients for a meal than it is these days. We work remotely with clients all over the world, from London to Ghana to California. It’s all good. But if you’re not actually eating lunch with people, it’s important to make time and space in a Zoom room for connection. If you’re curious to find out more, or even join us for some food, let’s chat. We do brunch all day in New York. 🍽️
Ellen Mendlow and Matt Davis are the co-founders of TwoMindsComms.com