As the Pride festivities descend upon New York City this weekend, PAPER kicked things off in style with an intimate celebration spotlighting LGBTQ+ trailblazers and their supporters. On Tuesday night, PAPER hosted a dinner at The Bazaar, the innovative and theatrical restaurant from José Andrés Group located inside The Ritz-Carlton New York, Nomad.
Before dinner, guests mingled over bespoke cocktails and magnum-sized wine bottles (and caviar cones in signature José Andrés style). PAPER President Jason Ve spoke about the brand’s dedication to amplifying queer stories, while Editorial Director Mickey Boardman reflected on his three-decade legacy at PAPER and on witnessing many of the stars in the room grow and blossom into the icons they are today.
The room was filled with notable names in music, fashion and the arts, including Julia Fox, Frankie Grande, Adam Lambert, LaQuan Smith, Loren Allred, Dominique T.A.R. Jackson, Nikki Exotika, Uglyworldwide, Robot MoonJuice, Shinjiro Atae, Griffin Maxwell Brooks, Jan Sport, Jackie Cox, Richie Shazam, Davis Burleson, Dr. Charles Puza, Ian Michael Crumm, Jamie Granoff, Matthew Kovalsky and Matthew Wille.
The night buzzed with conversation around new projects and proud milestones. Grande’s debut album Hotel Rock Bottom just dropped, with its title track chronicling the emotional journey of checking out of the metaphorical hotel that once held his lowest lows. Previous PAPER cover star Uglyworldwide and Robot’s band SKUZLAND are gearing up to release their new single Poor Choices on July 17. Atae earned the unofficial “furthest traveled” honor, flying in for his first-ever NYC Pride. Over dinner, he shared with Fox and others his deeply personal journey as one of the first J-Pop stars to publicly come out.
The partnership came to fruition out of José Andrés Group's belief in changing the world through the power of food, creating meaningful conversations and lasting memories around a shared meal. This philosophy aligns beautifully with the spirit of Pride in fostering connection, inclusion, and celebration. Hosting this dinner at The Bazaar by José Andrés is a powerful expression of those values, using food as a tool to bring people together.
The Bazaar’s eclectic and global menu provided the perfect backdrop for the evening, with classic dishes upended with playful and luxurious spins. Dishes ranged from traditional pan con tomate to cotton candy foie gras (kind of exactly what it sounds like) to avant-garde liquid olives (almost like tapioca pearls!) and washugyu strip loin steak. Dessert of mochi Valenciano and pan con chocolate finished the evening with the perfect balance of sweet. Everyone left with smiles on their faces and skincare goody bags courtesy of La Roche-Posay to keep the good vibes going through the rest of Pride and beyond.
Reserve a table at host restaurant of the PAPER Pride Dinner at The Bazaar by José Andrés at The Ritz-Carlton New York, Nomad.
Photography: Duke Winn
Managing editor: Matthew Wille
VP brand partnerships: Jamie Granoff
President: Jason Ve
Publisher: Brian Calle
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