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Former Seattle chef Eric Rivera is bringing a unique pop-up dinner club to Raleigh.
Trying to pigeonhole chef Eric Rivera into one cuisine, one business venture or even one city is like trying to play pin the tail on the donkey—except the donkey is ricocheting around the room. And that’s what makes his new private dining club, Forknife, so intriguing.
The invite-only pop-up dinner series launched last month and is featuring two more dinners March 9–17 and March 22–30, with an additional two slated for April as well. Only two reservation slots are available per night, each seating up to six people.
Although events will be based on a theme—such as Puerto Rican BBQ and pasta—no meal will be the same. So, essentially, there’s 50 unique dining experiences to enjoy between February and April alone, with more to come.
“I purposely try to forget,” says Rivera of his ever-changing menus. “I aim to give people flavors they’ve never had.”
Rivera is frank about his process on the Forknife website, which is password protected: “I do not share menus ahead of time, nor will I make a dish that you had that one time at that one place. Let me do my thing please. It’s rad for me, and you’ll all be better off.”
This same unpredictability was the backbone of his former Seattle-based restaurant, Addo, which earned him the title of 2018 Chef of the Year from Eater Seattle. Addo has now morphed into a full-fledged tour, keeping Rivera on the road for the last year. The renegade chef has built quite the following across the country, hosting pop-ups in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, DC, Puerto Rico and Raleigh.
With Raleigh as his new homebase, Rivera’s wayfaring mind is making an extended pitstop in the Triangle, where he plans to open a double concept space—essentially two restaurants in one—later this year. He’s also introducing a delivery-only online market that offers a handful of cooking staples, including his sazon spice blend, hot sauces and dried pasta.
But if you really want to get to know Rivera, Forknife is a great place to start. He not only cooks but also serves the food, giving guests a chance to chat with the chef in a fun, low-key setting.
“I am presenting food in a chill environment,” says Rivera. “People can come as they are.” So how do you get a seat at Rivera’s table? Send him an email (really) and grab five of your closest friends for a night of good food, good tunes and good vibes.
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This con artist burned every bridge he had in Seattle. Don’t fall for it Raleigh, you are smarter than this.
This guy is such a scumbag
hey huxandwux
“This con artist burned every bridge he had in Seattle. Don’t fall for it Raleigh, you are smarter than this.”
we just did the “experience” you are wrong .. it’s the best dining experience in the greater raleigh area.
silent genius with pots and pans, and tools, and things and science.
even if all bridges were burned in Seattle, good … it has upped his game.
nothing but one of the best eatery experiences by far ……
you sound jealous…but fuck you
Zbass hates women just like his hero Eric Rivera does.
Food aside, this couple is burning bridges in Raleigh too. Beware of doing business with them!
I would read this thread about how he is trying to cancel other entrepreneurs in other cities for no apparent reason before blindly supporting him! https://x.com/dumbbitchcap/status/1716405999706439942?s=46&t=75bJjPOiMNCAUjJ09SBruA
The Quartering has a video on YouTube about what Rivera tried to do to a restaurant he worked at in New York. I don’t care what his food is like, I want none of it.
Eric Riviera is a cancelling lil B* boy. Terrible human who can’t mind his own business when people are trying to live. F* him and his bullshit cooking. reading that he’s a con artist makes total sense now.
Hes a dog, i’ve already turned several groups thinking of using him away XD
Thank you! We don’t need support anyone who is just going to cause trouble in our food community.
He’s a dog, i’ve already turned several people who were going to use him off of him XD
Imagine calling people a colonizer when you are the whitest man alive, its like meghan markle pulling the race card, nobody knows or believes you have ‘heritage’
This guy recently trashed a woman for opening a sushi restaurant calling her colonizer and culture appropriation because she is white. I read several of his interviews and he seems to have a problem with white people. Yet its okay for him to appropriate Italian culture when he opened a pizza restaurant. This guy is a real piece of s—t.
Yes, just read an article in the NY Post and he’s trying to burn an Australian who opened a sushi place. This guy has a lot of hate in him.
This guy is a hateful misogynist and a racist. He attacked a woman in New York for having the audacity to open a sushi restaurant because she was white. Yet, he blends other cultures into his recipes like a hypocrite.
This guess is a racist hypocrite who doesn’t know a thing about how food cultures have developed over time.
The absolute worst kind of human being… such a shame this piece of trash brought himself to Raleigh… everyone in the 919 would be much happier if he would’ve left himself on the west coast. Total failure as a chef, and a person. Burn
This guy is everything wrong with society today. Hateful, misogynistic, racist, and hypocritical. Typical behavior for a person like him, no talent whatsoever except for running his mouth. If he does decide to open a restaurant in the triangle, I hope he knows the inevitable.
This man’s apparently one of the most hated chefs in Seattle… and blindly tried having another chef in New York cancelled over cultural appropriation, even though he ALSO dabbles in Japanese cuisine? there’s something wrong with this guy.
This guy sucks. He started a vicious campaign against a young woman to get her restaurant shut down, for no reason. Who wants to support the business of someone who tries to harm others? Horrible person.
I wouldn’t piss on him if he was on fire, he’s a hateful piece of S@#t.
I wish his restraunts were open so we could bombard HIM with 1 star reviews like the mindless troll horde he sicked on that poor woman in NYC!
This guy is a racist, a hypocrite, and low-rent joke of a “professional” chef! I can only hope Raleigh remembers what he did whenever he finally has the balls to crawl out of whatever cesspit he’s currently hiding in since the truth about his cultural appropriation BS came out!
Frankly if anyone deserves to go out of business IT’S HIM!!!!!!
Just saw on Grubstreet this clown is trashing an Aussie chef in NY cultural appropriation and they called him out, apparently he had a sushi joint. Jokes on him, looks like the place is doing just fine. Just that he asked people to attack someone at a place he has never dined at shows you what a dirt bag he is. Just from five minutes looking up this guy online, I can’t wait until he leaves town. In fact, who invited him?
I don’t care what kind of food ideas he’s offering, I’d be afraid to eat anything that he cooked just on the basis of that hairdo. I try to not judge others by appearance but in some professions, the appearance of cleanliness is important – and food service is one of them. Ick.
Whoa… after doing a bit of web surfing to see if he actually cooks with his hair like that, I do believe he may be making fun of us! https://twitter.com/i/status/1638914020269862914 A bit rude for someone trying to set up shop here, eh?
I wouldn’t be surprised if he uses his restaurant to poison White people. Be careful, NC. This guy hates White people real bad.
This guy is disgusting. He “washes” his meat, which is a euphemism for he spreads salmonella over all surfaces of his kitchen before serving you. You’re much better off poisoning yourself than paying him to poison you.