Joystick Gamebar is excited to announce it’s new partnership with Illegal Food.
Illegal Food is the brainchild of Kentucky native Chef Steven Lingenfelter and his wife/business partner, Laurie Dominguez. Their goal is to bring something new and different to the Old Fourth Ward that is also affordable and available late night. Steven and Laurie’s commitment to quality food begins with using only fresh ingredients – sourced from southeastern suppliers when possible. They grind all their own meat from regional farms such as Brasstown, Meyer, and Vande Rose.
Brandon Ley and Johnny Martinez, owners of Joystick, love the idea of being an incubator for local food start-ups. Joystick recently had success with a series of pop-ups featuring local food up-and-comers and wanted to build upon that idea. Being influenced by stories such as Fox Bros. getting their start in the back of Smith’s Olde Bar, Brandon and Johnny wanted to find a start-up that complemented and enhanced what Joystick has to offer. The appeal of the incubator concept was that it gave them an opportunity to bring something great to the neighborhood while helping other small businesses make a name for themselves. The ultimate goal is for the businesses Joystick partners with to experience so much success that they have to leave the bar behind.
“We had a lot of people help us out when we started up and we wanted to return the favor. Plus, if karma exists in some form, we would want ours to be positive.” — Johnny Martinez
“Local businesses help local economies. Large corporate masters are just not something we’re interested in and we think they water down the character of emerging neighborhoods. Atlanta deserves better than food made in a corporate kitchen.” – Brandon Ley
Illegal Food’s menu combines comfort with quality. Their hamburgers are all ground to order and include classic beef burgers, pasture-raised lamb burgers, and a Vietnamese bahn mi style burger with house ground pasture-raised pork, cilantro, Sriracha mayo, green chile, cucumber, carrot, and daikon on a Holeman & Finch bun. Joystick will put Illegal Food’s Chicken and Waffles up against any other in the city. Its that perfect combination of sweet and savory that makes it a great late night meal.
“It’s easier for us to brag about their food. We don’t have any knee jerk humbleness when it comes to talking about Illegal Food. Steven and Laurie want quality food going out of the kitchen every time and, quite frankly, we think it’s some of the best late night bar food you’ll find in the city.” –Johnny Martinez
Steven’s passion for food started early when his sister would video tape him performing cooking shows in their kitchen at home. Since the age of 14 he has worked in restaurants both front and back of house, and ventured off to culinary school after high school. He has been strongly influenced by Asian street food and American comfort and soul food.
Illegal Food is exclusively available at Joystick Gamebar from 5pm till late.
http://www.facebook.com/illegalfood
