New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Two-time GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter and Blue Note recording artist
Gregory Porter began his career in New York as a chef before he got discovered as a musician. Porter puts as much soul into his cooking as he does his music—both rich with family traditions, imbued by real-life experience, and inspired by a global sense of community. Now Porter invites you into his family kitchen in Bakersfield, California to share his favorite recipes and the stories behind them as the host of The PorterHouse with Gregory Porter, Presented by Citi, a new six-episode cooking series launching on May 12.
New episodes of The PorterHouse will premiere at 9a PDT / 12p EDT / 5p BST / 6pm CEST each Wednesday on The Infatuation and Zagat's YouTube channels, each with its own theme, special song inspiration, or life experience behind it. The series will feature highlights from Porter's music catalog throughout, including selections from his latest release, 2020's GRAMMY-nominated (Best R&B Album) ALL RISE. Tune into the first episode on Wednesday (May 12) HERE: https://bit.ly/3eXcCEt
"Music and food, two things in life I truly love, have always been connected," says Porter. "The kitchen was actually my home before I ever stepped on stage. Food is not just food, it's tradition, it's family, it's roots, and that's what music is. When I make a beautiful dish, something that makes people feel good and it brightens their face and lightens their mood, this is the way I think about music. Writing songs and creating dishes have always inspired me."
Presented by Citi, The PorterHouse will feature Porter sharing recipes inspired by his local community, experiences from touring the globe and family traditions from growing up in Bakersfield with his mother and seven siblings. The sixth episode will showcase the importance of giving back amid record levels of food insecurity in the United States, with a food donation at a local ministry and soup kitchen operated by Porter's brother Dionne. As part of its support of The PorterHouse, Citi has pledged an additional donation to longtime partner No Kid Hungry to provide up to 100,000 meals for U.S. families in need.
"We are always looking for exciting ways to give Citi clients access to exclusive talent and experiences," said Carla Hassan, Citi's Chief Marketing Officer. "The PorterHouse with
Gregory Porter allows us to do that while also supporting No Kid Hungry in their fight against childhood hunger, an area Citi is committed to driving progress in."
The series' first episode is centered around Porter's beef borscht recipe—a dish he enjoyed on his first tours of Russia that incorporates elements of his wife Victoria's family recipe. Select episodes will feature entrees paired with wines from Halleck Vineyard, an award-winning family winery based in Sebastopol, California.
Halleck Vineyard has been judged among the finest wines in the world for years running. Located in Sonoma County, California, the winery partners with worthy causes across the country to build and sustain community.
After the first season's sixth episode airs June 16, Citi will present an exclusive finale event for cardmembers on
Thursday June 17. The hourlong virtual event will feature an intimate Q&A with Porter, followed by a full-band, multi-song concert performance — Porter's first in over a year. Citi cardmembers can register for the event HERE. The first 100 cardmembers to sign up will have the opportunity to participate in a virtual Halleck Vineyard tasting that will kick off the Q&A and performance from Porter, and receive a shipment of Halleck wines to sip along at home.
Gregory Porter worked as a chef at the same restaurant where he started performing music in Brooklyn, and cooking and music have always gone hand-in-hand throughout his life and career. Around this time Porter's music career began to ascend, and his first two albums—Water (2010) and Be Good (2012)—both received GRAMMY nominations. In 2013, he released his Blue Note debut Liquid
Spirit which quickly grew into a global phenomenon, selling more than a million albums and earning Porter his first GRAMMY Award with NPR declaring him "America's Next Great Jazz Singer." His 2016 follow-up Take Me To The Alley won Porter his second GRAMMY for Best Vocal Jazz Album and firmly established him as his generation's most soulful jazz singer-songwriter. In 2017, Porter released the heartfelt tribute album
Nat King Cole & Me, and in 2020 returned to his original songwriting on the uplifting ALL RISE, both of which received GRAMMY nominations. Porter is the host of the podcast The Hang, a conversation series featuring his famous friends that explores the musical and creative threads that join us all together.
Halleck Vineyard was planted in 1993, the first in the hills of Sebastopol, western Sonoma County. Intended as a college fund for their sons, in 2002, they earned #1 Pinot in the United States. In 2019, Halleck Vineyard Pinot Noir was again judged "BEST OF CLASS", #1 in North America, in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the largest in country. Sunset Magazine anointed their Sauvignon Blanc "BEST OF CLASS" in the United States, and the California
State Fair judged their Dry Gewurztraminer #1 White Wine in California. Now in 2021, Halleck Vineyard wines earned again, ""BEST OF CLASS", in the prestigious North Coast Wine Challenge by their peers in Northern California.
