Mark Birnbaum - The man behind the thriving night-life in the Meatpacking District

Mark Birnbaum is an iconic personality in the hospitality industry. He is the driving force behind the flourishing nightlife in the Meatpacking District. After starting his career as an event manager, Mark went on to become one of the co-owners of the leading hospitality Management Company, the EMM group.


The group came into business in 2006. Mark’s endeavors and passion for the hospitality business got the company lots of recognition and fame, for creating a portfolio of successful night venues and high-end restaurants.  Each of his company’s venues offers top-notch ambiance, atmosphere, sophistication and quality services.


Mark’s idea was to setup an establishment that offers multiple services under the same roof. With that concept in mind, Mark along with his partners, established lounges and nightclubs like: Tenjune (2006), the Chandelier Room, W Hoboken, and Catch Roof (2011).

New York's Serious Eats Chats with Thiago Silva

Thiago Silva has been rather busy as of late. Not only does he run a cereal-inspired doughnut section at EMM Group's The General, but he's also busy plating up delicious warm cookies at Mark Birnbaum and EMM Group's restaurant, CATCH. New York's Serious Eats recently sat down to chat with Thiago to catch up. Here's a great excerpt from the interview below:  

Does your heritage play into your menu? I feel like I put a little of me in everything. I don't think it's necessarily noticeable but I always try to put a little Brazil into my desserts.

Like where? Like the sticky coconut cake at The General. Coconut's a big thing in Asia but it's also big in Brazil, and I use the same soak that I use in my Brazilian cakes. Sweetened condensed milk is in Brazilians' cabinets everywhere and I love to use it. You can't go wrong. Even the custards in the doughnut are Brazilian-style custard that I used to do when I was little.

What, to you, is the most important thing about knowing how to cook? It's just so gratifying. Not only when you've had a rough day and you make yourself something but also when you do that for your family or a friend—they come home and are miserable and you see how much better it makes them feel. No matter what happens, or how bad life is, people always want to go out and eat. It's just something that you have to be able to know how to do—to cook for people and see how they feel, how gratifying it is. I think if you're a chef, that's why you do it—it's a lot of hard work, but it all pays off. I just want my son to eat everything.

In case you were wondering what some of the delicious pastry's look like that Thiago puts together, below are a few photos. And yes, they taste just as good as they look.

Sticky Coconut Cake at The General: coconut water sorbet
candy pineapple, mango sauce, candied pistachios

Banana Brûlée Split: Raspberry Bombe, Gianduja Bombe, Cookie Dough Bombe (at Catch)       

(Img src)