MasterChef season 13 contestant and Long Beach local Richie Jones-Muhammad will host a post up dinner at The Pie Bar on Saturday, July 15.
Due to limited seating on Pie Bar’s parklet, the pop-up will be reservation only and will have a set price of $50, which includes a glass of wine with a three-course meal.
For the appetizer, Jones-Muhammad will cook sliced potatoes stacked together and fried in duck fat for a crispy bite topped with crème fraîche (krem-fresh). The main course will be Jones-Muhammad’s grandmother’s shepherd’s pie, and Pie Bar’s whiskey peach pie à la mode (meaning with ice cream) will round out the meal.
“Richie has been a long-time customer at Pie Bar and he came to me with the idea of doing a pop-up,” Pie Bar founder and CEO Laurie Gray said.
While Pie Bar has done collaborations with local creatives before, this is the first time there will be a chef’s dinner collaboration. The collaboration—the ultimate comfort dessert paired with the ultimate comfort food—made sense.
“(Pie Bar) was the first shop I went to when I moved here. … (My girlfriend and I) are always in there,” Jones-Muhammad said. “I’ve been such a fan for a long time, and the space they offer—it just feels so homey, and it seemed like the time is right.”
Jones-Muhammad will introduce each course and will stick around after the dinner for any guests who want to speak about the menu.
He moved to Long Beach in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to pursue music production—something that is mentioned on this season of MasterChef, where Jones-Muhammad is a contestant.
The format of the show splits contestants into America’s four regions—West, Midwest, Northeast and South. Each week, contestants face a set of challenges to cook their best dish for judges Gordon Ramsey, Joe Bastianich and Aarón Sánchez. The worst performing chef is eliminated until there’s one left standing.
Although Jones-Muhammad is a Long Beach resident, he is a Silver Spring, Maryland native and competes under the Northeast banner.
“I’ve always loved the show, I’ve been a fan my entire life,” Jones-Muhammad said. “You know, you spend so long watching other people, never thinking it’ll be you, then opportunity knocks.”
Over the past nearly three years of living in Long Beach, Jones-Muhammad couldn’t be happier exploring the city. When he originally moved to Long Beach, he lived on Chestnut Avenue and has since stayed in Downtown Long Beach and moved to a new place on Ocean Boulevard.
“I’ve never had so many great restaurants in walking distance,” Jones-Muhammad said. He takes inspiration from restaurants like Heritage Restaurant (although has trouble getting reservations for a repeat visit), Shannon’s and BO-beau kitchen.
Tickets for the dinner can be found here.
The new episode of MasterChef: United Tastes of America will air Wednesday, July 12, with the first Mystery Box Challenge – apples. You can watch episodes at 8 p.m. on FOX.
Editor’s note: This story’s headline has been updated to correct the spelling of Richie Jones-Muhammad’s last name.