BUFFALO, N.Y. — He's the private chef who spent the pandemic building a big Instagram following, and a long list of Bills players as clients.
On Wednesday evening, Chef Darian Bryan will officially cut the ribbon on his dream business in Larkinville.
"I'm a showman, I like to cook and entertain. When I first came here and started hibachi cooking, I'm like, 'I like cooking in front of people,'" Chef Darian Bryan told 2 On Your Side this week. "My motto is bringing the chef from the back of the house to the front."
That's the concept at his new private boutique dining experience called The Plating Society, which he opened with his wife Jessica last month. It's in the new Millrace Commons Building in Larkinville, just down the street from his summer home at the Filling Station.
You can rent it out for private parties, cooking classes, corporate functions, and other small events for thirty people or less.
"Open plan, so I can see the reaction in their face," Darian explained."They can get to talk to me, I can teach because I love to teach too, that's how this came about."
This has been Chef Darian's vision for almost a decade as he worked his way up as a chef in local restaurants. It just so happens that the model works pretty well in a pandemic.
"COVID come around, and it's the perfect space because people don't really want to be out and about with strangers they don't know," he said. "They rent the space, and they come in, it's all with your friends and family."
Even on a cold Buffalo winter's day, that makes Chef Darian feel like he's right back home.
"That's why this space means so much to me because it reminds me of back in Jamaica when we were growing up," he said. "Food is what brings us together. I'm trying to bring people together over food."
The Plating Society grand opening is happening Wednesday, January 12th. Festivities will start with a ribbon-cutting at 4:45, then Chef Darian will be serving take-out rasta pasta for $15 - $25 immediately afterward. It's first come first serve.
For more information about The Plating Society, click here.