This past Saturday, I made my way to Central Park North at 110th Street. Normally, that would mean sitting by or walking around the Meer, but this time, it was to finally experience Chef Russell Jackson’s culinary mission after missing the opportunity to do so at his celebrated Harlem chef’s-table restaurant, Reverence.
After almost six years at the corner of 138th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, a time filled with highs and lows and a worldwide pandemic, Reverence had to close its doors in 2025. However, Chef Jackson’s dedication to Harlem and his reverence (pun intended) for his craft and for hospitality would not let him stop.
As the legend goes, just like a phoenix rising from its own ashes … in partnership with the Central Park Conservancy, Unity Market was born and Reverence Phoenix rose on June 20, 2026. Every Saturday until the last Saturday in November, weather permitting, the market offers regional, organic, wild, and foraged produce; artisanal and small-batch products; signature provisions; and grab-and-go foods from local Harlem food vendors.
I walked through the Farmers Gate entrance, past the welcome booth and several vendors, to find Reverence Phoenix in the heart of the market. There, under a black canopy, Jackson gave new breath to the term “open kitchen” as he prepared his team for the weekly $55, four-course prix fixe lunch service, with a standing communal table primed for guests.
What struck me immediately was not simply that Jackson had found a new place to serve his food, but that he had created a new way to think about what a restaurant could be and how it could serve its community in myriad ways. When I misnomered Reverence Phoenix as a “pop-up restaurant,” Jackson corrected me: “It’s a stand-up restaurant.” “Pop-up” connotes something temporary, while Jackson’s mission is as permanent as any brick-and-mortar restaurant. I stand corrected!
On this Saturday, my experience began with a fermented amuse bouche made with whatever produce Jackson and his team are preserving at the time from trusted purveyor Norwich Meadows Farm. A combination of beets, kohlrabi, and carrots, it was the perfect introduction to the ingredients and set the intention for what was to come.
The first course was compressed watermelon with aged Reverence Provisions vinegar, seasoned oil, salmon roe, and nasturtium. The dish hit all five tastes — sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami — in one bite. I was hooked!
Next, the local dry-aged fluke aguachile was my favorite dish of the afternoon. I watched Jackson build the plate methodically, layering fresh fluke from Aqua Best with citrus-seasoned avocado, shaved fennel, shoyu-washed spring onions, thinly sliced onion and serrano, lime zest, and house-made umami spice derived from dehydrated leaves used in their shoyu-making process. The way this dish spoke to me: clean, bright, curated. Nothing on the plate was unnecessary. No notes.
Kysha Harris photos
Amuse bouche: fermented pickled vegetables with beets, kohlrabi, and carrots. 
Chef Russell Jackson plates fluke aguachile. 
Course 2: fluke aguachile with avocado, fennel, onion, serrano, and lime. 
Course 3: cousa squash with fermented tofu espuma, herb salad. 
Course 4: fig madeleines. 
Produce from Norwich Meadows Farm at Unity Market in Central Park. 
Sugar Hill Creamery serves guests at Unity Market. 
Bee Favored founder Kimberly Gould speaks with customers at Unity Market.
Next came grilled cousa squash with fermented tofu espuma and an abundant herb salad. The squash, prepared on the plancha, received the same care as a traditional protein, while the fermented tofu added body and creaminess under the fresh herbs.
Fig madeleines closed the meal, carrying the same balance and intention as the savory courses. The dessert was composed without being fussy or unrecognizable while still reflecting Jackson’s point of view.
After the meal, Jackson took time to speak with me more about the philosophy behind Reverence Phoenix. I ended our conversation by asking him to describe it in three words. The question sparked a larger conversation before he arrived at his answer: “iconic,” “community,” and “layered.”
By “layered,” Jackson was not simply describing flavor or technique. He was speaking about the many things encompassed by his efforts: continuing the mission of Reverence, creating a restaurant outside a conventional dining room, working with trusted purveyors, supporting — and being supported by — Unity Market and its vendors, gathering people around food, and offering intentional hospitality in a public space in Harlem.
“Community” could be seen at the shared table and in the conversations around it, but extended far beyond the diners. Unity Market’s farmers, makers, and purveyors formed an ecosystem of mutual support around Reverence Phoenix. The market was not incidental to Jackson’s restaurant; it was a continuation of it. His hospitality extended beyond the final course into the people growing, producing, and sharing food around him, and into the Harlem community the project was created to serve.
“Iconic,” Jackson explained, meant that Reverence Phoenix and Unity Market have “the ability to provide somebody a quintessential New York moment.” It may sound ambitious for a project still in its first season, but Jackson’s spirit is ebullient. He is carrying the intentions of Reverence forward while expanding what the restaurant can accomplish and whom it can reach. “We’ve built the vehicle,” he said. “All people have to do is get in and take the ride with us.”
Reverence Phoenix is more than an excellent Saturday meal in Central Park. It is a chef continuing his mission, a market supporting independent producers and a gathering place rooted in Harlem. Reverence has risen again from its own ashes — not by recreating what came before, but by giving it new life, purpose, and form.
Thanks for reading, and happy eating!
Kysha Harris is a chef, culinary producer, and food editor for the NY Amsterdam News. As a consultant and owner of SCHOP!, a personalized food service in NYC for more than 23 years, she remains on the hunt for the city’s next great bite. Follow her on Instagram and on Facebook, @SCHOPnyc.
Questions, comments, requests, feedback, invitations! Email us at AmNewsFOOD@SCHOPnyc.com. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, @NYAmNewsFOOD.
