Pop-ups have become a go-to means for host restaurants to introduce talented chefs to their local audiences, and for visiting chefs to get their names and food in front of new diners. And while such events have become commonplace in the country’s biggest cities, one of the new year’s most exiting guest chef series isn’t happening in New York or San Francisco, but in Southwest Michigan.
PostBoy opened November 1 in New Buffalo, Mich., a town in Harbor Country that’s just over an hour from Chicago and serves as a popular vacation destination for Midwesterners. The modern American restaurant comes from chef James Galbraith, who also leads Houndstooth and Anemel in Benton Harbor, Mich., and entrepreneur Ben Holland.
Shortly after opening, PostBoy hosted a sold-out event with chef Zachary Engel of Chicago’s Michelin-starred Galit. That kicked off PostBoy’s newly announced “Abandon Ship” lineup of events, in which it’s bringing a new guest chef into the restaurant for one night each month, January through May.
. PostBoy is located in New Buffalo, Mich. Photo Credit: Gabrielle Sukich
“PostBoy is all about fun, chef-driven dining, and our goal is to bring an elevated experience to New Buffalo that is on par with what you would find in a bigger metro area like Chicago or Detroit,” said Galbraith. “Throughout my career, I’ve been lucky to work with many great chefs that I continue to look up to, and as Southwest Michigan grows, we wanted to bring some of the best in the business through our doors to meet the demand for culinary experiences that we know is here locally, but has been overlooked. We wanted our friends in the industry to be a part of our story in the region.”
First up is a six-course dinner on Sunday, Jan. 12, featuring chef David Posey of Elske in Chicago, which opened in 2016 and has maintained a Michelin star since 2017. The menu will include dishes like duck liver tarts, fried devil prawns with Lanzhou chile oil, smoked sturgeon with grapefruit and carrot, and Duroc pork with curried apple and golden beet soubise.
Tickets are $120 per person, plus tax and gratuity, and are available via Tock. Wine pairings are available for $50, and cocktails are offered à la carte.
Subsequent events will feature chef and author Matt Jennings of Full Heart Hospitality in Boston; David Jackman of Wildweed in Cincinnati; John Manion of El Che and Brasero in Chicago; and Stephen Gillanders of S.K.Y., Apolonia, and Valhalla in Chicago.
Although this initial series runs through May, Galbraith sees a future for the format.
On January 12, PostBoy hosts David Posey of Elske in Chicago for its “Abandon Ship” guest chef series. Photo credit: Elske
“We’re definitely keeping the door open for other collaborations, especially when it comes to patio season, where we will be able to see our 6,000-square-foot outdoor seating space in full force,” Galbraith said. “Spring and summer will be a busy season for us as the vacation traffic picks up, so activating that space with other restaurants, beverage, or lifestyle partners would be awesome for visitors.”
According to Galbraith, New Buffalo and Harbor Country are undergoing a renaissance as more hotels, shops, and wineries open in the region, and as more urban dwellers escape the city. He wants PostBoy to contribute to this burgeoning area through the Abandon Ship series and its everyday service.
“New Buffalo has always had a lakeside dining scene but was missing something more chef-driven,” he said. “PostBoy aims to fill that gap with globally inspired plates that are elevated but playful, hitting on some nostalgic flavors that have a broad appeal. Both my business partner Ben Holland and I have family ties to this area, and getting to be a part of the elevation of downtown is super special to us both.”
