Premium cookware brand All-Clad took over Russ & Daughters Cafe on Orchard Street for an unforgettable, one-day-only popup: All-Clad Premier Provisions with Chef Melissa King.
On June 11, the legendary brand brought an upbeat celebration of craftsmanship and cross-culturalism to the Lower East Side. The free, open-to-the-public event ran from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and gave New Yorkers a front-row seat to watch Top Chef legend Melissa King reimagine the city’s favorite deli classics through a Chinese-American lens. The venue was buzzing all afternoon, complete with a live DJ, inviting staff, and a crowd eager to witness the celebrity chef in action.
(Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for All-Clad)
Chef Melissa King is a true icon in the culinary sphere. King skyrocketed to fame after winning Season 17 of Bravo’s Top Chef. In addition to winning the competition and being voted the season’s fan favorite, King also cemented her place as a Top Chef legend by breaking (and holding) the record for the most challenge wins in the show’s history. Her unique style combines her Cantonese-Shanghainese heritage, high-end training, and California upbringing, creating bites that bring expert craftsmanship and cross-culturalism to casual dining.
But King’s reputation is built on much more than just her culinary skills. As a proud queer Chinese American, King uses her platform to speak on the importance of inclusion and representation. She’s partnered with organizations like Stop AAPI Hate, World Central Kitchen, and No Kid Hungry, and famously donated 100% of her Top Chef Fan Favorite winnings to support Asian American and LGBTQ+ communities.
(Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for All-Clad)
With Russ & Daughters’ open-format kitchen as her stage, King gave guests an inside look into her process. This included a live demonstration of her pastrami technique. Onlookers admired as King managed to sear the dish to perfection, narrate each step, and answer questions, all while charming the audience with witty conversation. Though not on the menu, King’s charismatic, approachable nature added as much to the experience as the dishes themselves.
The specialty menu reimagined familiar New York deli classics through a Chinese-American Culinary lens:
- Mapo Tofu Chopped Cheese Fries: silky mapo tofu meets ground beef, onion, and melty cheese, all piled over crispy fries.
- Shanghainese Pastrami Sandwich: black vinegar-glazed pastrami with mustard, kraut, and dill pickles packaged in challah bread.
- Bagel with Lemongrass Lox & Yuzu Schmear: an everything bagel topped with lemongrass-infused lox, bright yuzu schmear, shoyu salmon roe, fried shallots, and shiso.
- Gluten-Free Fried Mushrooms: crispy maitake mushrooms tossed with Thai basil, jalapeño, and lime salt.
King shared that her goal when crafting this menu was “maintaining the essence of each dish without overdoing it.” She described the importance of having the foundational flavors be recognizable, even as she layers in creative twists. That balance, delicate as it may be, managed to come through in every bite.
Most would assume that a menu so inventive yet cohesive would take weeks to perfect. However, King impressed yet again by sharing that the entire menu came together in just a few days. When a project excites her, she said, creation flows easily.
(Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for All-Clad)
The pop-up also offered a glimpse into King’s cookbook, Cook Like a King: Recipes from My California Chinese Kitchen. The book features 120 original recipes and gives personal insight into how King’s heritage, upbringing, identity, and techniques have shaped her cooking. The book was recently nominated for the 2026 James Beard Media Award, one of the culinary world’s most prestigious honors.
King also spoke on her fondness for All-Clad, remarking that quality and reliability top fancy gadgets any day. “People think you need all this fancy equipment to make good food,” she said. “You don’t need the tricks! And you don’t need the gadgets! You just need a good pan.” She noted that All-Clad has remained a go-to throughout her career due to its versatility, durability, and precision. She even shared some of her top tips, removing the intimidation factor that comes with stainless steel cooking.
As a celebration of the intersection of craftsmanship, All-Clad Premier Provisions embodied exactly what makes New York’s food scene so special. King’s cross-cultural perspectives, paired with Russ & Daughters’ deeply rooted legacy, created an inviting, multicultural celebration that gave tradition a spunky, approachable twist. This joyful collision of cultures is the foundation of New York’s culinary history. Inviting passersby to experience others’ talent and heritage inspires us to remember how the city’s multiculturalism first took root.
