Not many people have the courage to leave their high-end restaurant job to start their own thing, especially not in New York where the restaurant business flourishes in every corner. Anthony Burton isn’t like everybody else, though. Tired of the constant mistreatment and unfavorable management of his previous kitchen, he takes the leap of a lifetime: quitting his own job and starting a pop-up with his fellow line cook and best friend, Antoine. Thus, Brick and Mustard is born, a concept founded on sharing their love and passion for good food with other people.
Together, the boys dive into the pop-up culture, where they begin by mastering one dish: the pastrami sandwich, taking it into different cultures of New York, the rock culture, breweries, concerts (a girl projectile vomiting, and a rock star getting a pastrami in the face, anyone?), where the mishaps and quirky stories of everything they experience, see, and hear build into comical, and sometimes not so comical, stories.
The two chefs navigate the complicated waters that lead to establishing their own concept, always dreaming of one day building their own physical spot, learning along the way that although it sounds easy in theory, the reality of the situation is much different.
Over the course of their journey, fighting against the good, the bad, and the ugly, the two friends face personal and interpersonal problems, until fate proves them worthy and sends William, an investor who’s supported them from day one, and offers them the opportunity to expand the pop up into a physical establishment.
From the struggles of building the restaurant, to building and training the team, to sustaining the high-end clients with unique stories and experiences, get a glimpse inside the what happens behind restaurant doors
The Social aspect
Brick and Mustard helps bring awareness of the rudeness hospitality workers often face and some of the harsh realities behind the curtains. Our goal isn’t to romanticize them or anyone, but to shed light on an issue we believe deserves more awareness.
Using a medium such as a cartoon will allow us to share the message and bring different conversations to the table in a lighter way. Our purpose is to educate and showcase the reality, not only for the food service customers but also for the hospitality industry. There are some things in the industry that are not okay anymore that we aim to change and open up a space for healing conversations.
Rude Customer:
Victoria “Karen” Taylor Brown
Was born January 15, 1977. Currently, she is 45. “Karen” up in a very conservative, constraining household with parents who were excessively strict. They were said to be Christian people, but they took the teachings of the Bible and twisted them around until they no longer resembled the actual teachings. They were not example; they were legalistic and extremely strict on Karen.
“Karen” grew up in a household that expected far more any human being can give and she grew up believing that she needed to be mean, rude, and often sarcastic to get her way. She wasn’t born into a loving household and all of that affected how she views the world and how she acts when she’s with other people.
The Chef:
Anthony Burton
Born December 15, 1980. He is 42 years old. Only Child. From a very young age, Anthony knew he wanted to be a Chef. While most kids in school had no idea what to do with themselves, Anthony knew. He lived and breath the kitchen, seeking classic recipes and following the old and new Chefs who left their mark in the industry.
He cooked like crazy and for every school event he would cook things to take. At the age of 14, he landed his first kitchen job as a dishwasher, but quickly climbed as his interest and love for the craft caught the attention of those around him. By the time he graduated high school, he was a line cook.
Even though he gained experience working, he decided he wanted to refine his skills more and enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu. Before graduating from Le Cordon Bleu, he landed an internship in France and between the time it took him to graduate and leave, he learned everything he could about French culture and the language so there wouldn’t be any barriers. He literally headed to France speaking fluent French.
As Anthony’s career advanced, he began to create a diverse circle of friends. Some good and some not so good. He’d always been a very dedicated, goal-oriented person, and after managing to work at some of the best restaurants in France and forming a life there, he began to relax a little and unfortunately, he fell in with the wrong crowds.
From rarely drinking to drinking too much and playing with substances he shouldn’t have; Anthony traveled a long a dark path that took a very long time to recover from. His so-called friends left him, he lost his job, his home, and his girlfriend. It took him a while to return from that dark place and rebuild himself and go after his dreams of owning his own restaurant.
The road to recovery hasn’t been easy, and he’s worked for so long that he’s at a place where he’s reached burn out. He still loves what he does, and it brings him immense pleasure but he’s at a standstill now wondering which direction he needs to take and if opening a restaurant of his own is still the path he wants to take. His finances aren’t exactly the best now and opening a restaurant would be an extremely risky endeavor. Anthony is described as a very detail and goal-oriented person. When he wants something, he goes after it until he gets it. He has laser focus and can bend his head low and work work work, which is a double-edged sword, because he doesn’t always know when to stop until he reaches crisis point.
His virtues are also some of his flaws and it’s learning to strike a balance between work and fun that becomes a vital point for him
Cocinero:
Xavier Mendoza
Was born April 13, 1987. He is currently 37 years old. He grew up in a happy, loving family household along with his parents, two brothers, and his grandmother. Food and cooking were an important part of his childhood, but he never liked the kitchen growing up. He did love to eat, though.
As a child, his family was very into cooking and holding family gatherings. Food was around him all the time, but he never took an interest in it. He loved and still loves cars to this day. They’re his favorite subject to talk about and research. He dreamt of working with cars when he was a child and while in Ecuador, he decided to do Auto Mechanics.
When he immigrated to the United States, unfortunately, he couldn’t find much in his preferred field. There was one mechanics job he managed to find, but it turned out to be a fluke and the owner lied and never paid him.
Eventually, after much looking, he ended up finding an available position in the kitchen. Ironically. His relationship with the kitchen is still somewhat in a gray area, but he’s learned to enmesh himself into the kitchen culture and has remembered some of the old recipes he learned while living in Ecuador.
He still loves cars, but he’s also taken a new interest in this new world of the kitchen and seen different sides of it. Xavier works hard to finalize his paperwork in the United States. Sometimes he pulls double shifts at the restaurant and other
times he works on the side doing mechanics stuff and gaining a few customers.
He keeps constant contact with his family in Ecuador and sends money when he can. He lives in an efficiency because it’s easier rent to pay.
He may not have all the riches he wants, or the lifestyle he came to the United States to have, but he’s hard working, he tries to keep a continuous positive mental attitude and he does everything he can to get along in life. Most people that know him would describe him as a happy, easy-going person who’s easy to get along with. He’s not shy.
He’s very boisterous and has a gift for making people laugh and feel at ease around him. He has the wackiest stories all the time and even in his difficult moments, if he can see someone who needs help, he’s always first to reach out and lend a hand.
Dishwasher:
Jeffrey Santos
Was born on August 13, 2001. He is 21 years old. Jeffrey never intended to go to jail. He never intended to hurt anyone, and he isn’t someone you could point at and call violent. He’s the kind of person who kept to himself throughout middle and high school. He had a few friends growing up and his real best friend, Kevin, stayed by his side throughout the whole journey and remains his faithful friend to this day.
He’s an avid video game player and loves everything to do with video games, from the graphics to the storyline, to the animation, to the gaming system. Everything that has to do with gaming calls to him.
He’s an incredibly intelligent person. Despite his silent demeanor, he’s very well read, and he knows a lot about technology.
While in high school, he had an altercation with one of his classmates who provoked him and when he retaliated, he punched his school mate too hard. All the evidence pointed to the classmate, but since his classmate was someone important to the school, he got blamed and charged and ended up going to jail for 3 years.
If Jeffrey was quiet before the jail incident, he became even more reclusive and silent afterward. With the help of his best friend, Jeffrey has managed to step out of it. He’s always dreamt of working at Apple, or somewhere where he can create his own graphics and video games, but for the moment people haven’t wanted to hire him due to his jail history.
Even though dishwashing isn’t his dream job, nor the place he sees himself remaining forever, he works with excellence.
One day he dreams of making video games for a living.
The Weiter
Alessandro Russo
Italian. Born December 25, 1992. Current age: 30. Alessandro grew up in a thriving business family. His parents owned wineries and restaurants and he was surrounded by food most of his childhood. Even though he doesn’t enjoy being in the kitchen, he does enjoy the service part of the industry where he gets to interact with people and make them feel welcomed. He thinks that slaving away at the kitchen all day is stifling and prefers the openness of the Front of House.
He studied Hospitality Management in Italy, a degree that served him well when he immigrated to the United States. Despite arriving with big dreams of opening his own thing in the US, he quickly discovered that it wasn’t that easy and that it would take a while for those dreams to manifest.
He came with a basic knowledge of the English language and learned most of it speaking with the friends he made in the industry.
He found his first paid job as a waiter. At that point he didn’t have enough money to live on his own, so he became roommates with a guy he met at work who’s become his best friend. Even though being a waiter isn’t exactly his dream profession, nor the profession he’ll continue for the rest of his life, Alessandro considers it an important aspect of the industry. “Waiters are the first people guests encounter when they enter a restaurant. It’s their first impression. I think it’s important that the first interaction be special.” Alessandro is a very sweet, generous, kind soul.
He loves to lend a hand and help people whenever he sees someone in need. He’s the kind of person who will go the extra mile to cheer you up if he sees that you’re down and he’ll always deliver an encouraging and kind word.
He radiates this childlike energy and those who work with him take on a protective role around him. Even though he’s an adult, he has this childlike quality that’s endearing. He’s strong and confident and he doesn’t let people bring him down. He also doesn’t allow people to mistreat him or say bad things about him. He’s loyal to a fault and sometimes a little too trusting of people.
He likes to see the good in every person, even if at times, that has backfired.
Bartender:
Krystyna Joanna Nowak
“I’m a fighter. I’ve always been a fighter. It runs in my blood. It runs in my people’s blood.” Born on March 15, 1997, to Frédéric Nowak and Ada Nowak.
Krystyna grew up in a very loving household. Her parents have always supported her dreams and they always encouraged Krystyna to go after her dreams. One of her signature traits is she’s very headstrong. Krystyna has the unique ability that she doesn’t see a problem.
She always looks for a solution and she doesn’t stop until she finds one. She believes that every problem she’s faced with is meant to teach her something. She’s relentless, strong, and fierce.
She has a high confidence in herself and her skills. She doesn’t let other people bring her down or tell her what she can or can’t do. As an immigrant, her transition into the United States has not been easy either. European from Poland. Arrived in the US when she was 13.
Speaks Polish and is fluent in English. She’s had to face the challenges of understanding the new culture she’s in, learning the language, and finding ways to navigate the home sickness she often feels. Her parents left with her to give her a better future and more opportunities, which is fair, but she often misses her friends back home and her country. She’s patriotic and she loves where she comes from. She’s also come to love the US and the friends she’s made here. Many of the friends she’s carried with her throughout the years were the people she met during school and who continued with her.
Krystyna is very moral, loyal, and will do anything for her loved ones. She’s a fighter and she’s not afraid to stand up to no one. That being said, she expects the same in return. One thing Krystyna will not stand for are lies, cheating, and disloyalty. She’s very picky with the people she lets near her. People might find it strange that someone who is in a rock band and wants to own a bar doesn’t like getting into drunkenness and other strange things, but Krystyna believes in yes drinking, but in moderation. She likes to the refined stuff but not getting wasted. As a young person, she believes that life is meant to be lived and that each of us is responsible for finding our purpose and using it to enhance the lives of others and ourselves. She’s very giving.
She’s a phenomenal singer-songwriter and knows how to play the guitar and the piano. She’s entirely self-taught, but according to her parents, she was born with an innate talent for music. She’s worked in the best bars in the city and one day would like to own her own bar.
Has her own rock band. “You have no idea what it’s like coming to a new country and have people treat you like garbage just because you’re a foreigner. You’ll never know what that’s like because you were born here. But you want to know something? I don’t care. I don’t care how people look at me, or think about me, or even what they say. At the end of the day the only person’s whose opinion matters is my own. What do I think of myself? When my head hits the pillow at night, am I satisfied with my day? That’s all that matters.”
Manager:
Philip Wilson Cooper
Born August 11, 1977. Age 45. Best friend of the owner. Who is the owner of the restaurant? Michael Green
Sommelier. Co-owner of the restaurant.
Philip has had a very long career in the food service industry. Him and Michael met during their time in culinary school and they both hit it off right away. There was something magical about their friendship and they continued being friends and keeping in touch as they grew up and their careers flourished.
Throughout the years both dreamt of doing something together until eventually they opened the restaurant, utilizing the skillsets each of them acquired during the years.
Michael continued with his passion in the kitchen and Philip exercised his love for wines and other drinks and managing.Philip prefers being part of the front of house.
Over the years, both built something wonderful but recently Philip has been wondering if he wants to continue managing the restaurant and the lifestyle. It’s been a major part of his life for the past 20 something years and even though they’ve had great success he finds himself yearning for something else…. something more.
Philip knows how to work a room.
He’s got the innate talent and gift of getting people to like him and see things his way. He knows how to talk to people, how to make friends, and he’s the perfect
complement to Michael who often might come off as a little aggressive.
He wears a smile when he comes into the room, and many say that working with Philip joyful.
Dolly the Ticket Machine
To the normal eye, Dolly the Ticket Machine, seems like an outdated, old-school piece of junk that has no place in the modern kitchen. To many, Dolly represents the outdated system of the kitchen where Chefs would scream and yell at their cooks.
A place where the ambiance used to be tense and difficult to work in. Where the mantra was to continue working no matter the hour, the season, or if you were feeling sick. The adage of working till you dropped played consistently and cooks got it into their heads that they needed to work work work to succeed and make it in the culinary world.
Their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health didn’t matter. That was second to the work. People glamorized workaholic tendencies and the use of substances to keep you going. It was viewed as normal.
With the modern era, many of those old and accepted actions began to be seen as harmful and uncalled for. People began to realize that they couldn’t work themselves to death for an employer that would switch them with the snap of a picture at the end of the day if they died or fell ill.
Many people in the modern view this old ticket machine and think of these old times and they reject the machine because of the bad memories that it brings. To the Chefs, however, it represents something more. It represents their upbringing, the hard work placed to get to where they are, and so much more. Even if they can admit that the actions and techniques utilized in the past were not the best, it still brings them a sense of nostalgia. Often, it’s hard to let go of the things we grew up with, knowing well it no longer serves us or that it brings bad memories. It’s a process.
Dolly often comes to life whenever an event occurs in the kitchen that didn’t happen during her lifetime. “Back in my day…” she would say. Or “That never would have happened when so and so was alive….” And to give further commentary comparing her days with how things have changed currently. Funny, quirky, commentary
Sous Chef:
Antoine Evans
Didn’t study culinary in school. He learned on the job. His family always liked food. They have a BBQ business, but he chose to walk away and into fine dining. At a first glance, Antoine is very intimidating.
He’s 6 feet tall, with a strong muscular build and a serious neutral expression. He’s the type of guy you know could shove you through a wall with a simple touch. However, looks are deceiving. Despite his strong and serious expression, Antoine is very kind.
He’s a superbly compassionate human being who loves to help other people and empower them to reach their potential. Having faced a lot of set back and insults and hardships on his way to achieving his dream not only because of the color of his skin, but because of the hurdles you face in the industry as a whole he has a soft spot for people who are trying to get in and are doing everything they can to learn.
He loves to teach. He has a very calm and placating demeanor. He’s very well-spoken. If you go to his house, you’ll find a room filled with bookshelves holding various titles from Cookbooks, Desserts Books, to Classic American novels, to fantasy, to sci-fi, to self-improvement books.
He loves to read, and he loves to educate himself. He’s observant and quiet. But he is not shy and he will let you know when something is wrong. “Education doesn’t end when you graduate. It’s a continuous, everyday activity that you need to be on top of. Everything is constantly changing, and it’s your job as a person to continuously be changing and transforming and growing as well. If you stop, you stagnate.”
Pastry Chef:
Ana Lucia Vega
Born: March 11, 1997 Age: 25 years old.
Nationality: She was born in the United States, but her heritage and her parents are from Nicaragua.
Role: Executive Pastry Chef.
Appearance: Wavy brown hair with rich brown eyes. She is 5’6’ in height.
Her parents are still together, and she has a younger sister named Vanessa.
Her parents’ names are: Unlike most of her colleagues, Ana Lucia wasn’t born into a family that liked to cook.
Food wasn’t a big deal in her family save for the annual birthday parties over the years.
Her interest in cooking came when she was trying to figure out what to do with her life and she started watching Chefs on the Food Network. She began to see them make all these fancy and beautiful plates, but it wasn’t until she saw them
make desserts that something sparked inside of her.
She began to research the topic and started trying her hand at making the yearly birthday cake for her family members. Later, she decided she would go to culinary school to study pastries and become a pastry chef.
The Owner:
Michael Green
From an early age, Michael Green has loved anything to do with food. He has French influence on his mother’s side who is a born and raised Parisian woman with an exquisite taste for the good things. Although his mother wasn’t a professional Chef, she excelled in the kitchen, and she taught him most of the things he knows now.
This influence inspired his already growing love for the culinary world.
He tried doing culinary when he was younger but somehow it never clicked together. He studied Hospitality where he met his best friend Phillip Wilson Cooper. Both took a couple of sommelier courses and for one reason or another, Phillip continued exploring the field he studied, while Michael drew away from it.
He began to investigate how to make money in the Stock Market, all with the intention of one day opening his own restaurant, and the more he fell into the investing world, the more it pulled him in and away from the things that he loved.
Over the years, he excelled in the Stock Market, learning how to make millions of money and becoming a highly powerful man. Money stopped being an issue in his life and it wasn’t until he was in his early forties that he began to feel the dissatisfaction of what he was doing.
They say the dreams we’re meant to pursue and never do haunt us constantly, and that’s what Michael began to feel. His desire to return to what he loved most called to him every day. It wasn’t until his mother passed away suddenly, the major influence in his life, that he decided he would no longer postpone his dreams.
Well versed in the world of investments, he knew that skill would help him along the way, and he began to pursue his desire to open his own restaurant. He began to wonder what he would do and one day it all clicked together in a little pop up in Brooklyn.
Michael had been eating their sandwiches ever since they started and loved them! It was the kind of thrilling moment when he realized why he hadn’t thought of it before.
On that pop up he met Anthony Burton and Antoine Evans, owner of Brick and Mustard, and he decided they would be the project he would invest and help grow
The Influencer:
Maximo Duarte
(Male Karen-TikTok Influencer)
Only child. Born on September 15, 1986. He currently works in IT in a software company. He’s a lover of fast food and he constantly goes to restaurants and records his experience.
He became famous in TikTok after one of his videos in a famous restaurant went viral. After day he started making more reviews without knowing anything about food or prices and now he’s an official TikToker making reviews of restaurants.
Maximo is 36 years old, experiencing a middle aged crisis.
He used to be a Yelp Elite reviewer until he was expelled for reasons he always refuses to divulge and when pressed, quickly changes the subject.
He’s also the kind of person that dresses in highly expressive colors with no real coordination. He makes money, but he spends it just as quickly without thinking of his finances or the future. He likes to live the luxury life, and making it seem like he’s richer than he actually is.
Maximo makes lots of money from his TikTok and his brand deals, and if he was a bit wiser with his monetary habits, he wouldn’t always feel like he’s up to his neck in bills and debt.
He enjoys flaunting his status as a TikToker with high views and fans, and he’ll talk about it to anyone who listens to him. On the inside, however, he feels lonely and sad and in great need of self acceptance without flaunting every little thing he does or accomplishes.
