LOS ANGELES — The marquee of the former silent movie house on Fairfax Avenue always displays film titles, but every so often, the sign might read, "The Salsa District" or "Food Flea." It's a clue to what's inside: Brain Dead Studios, the now experimental, experiential theater and retail operation from apparel brand Brain Dead, and Slammers, one of the city's best cafes. It's just one of many businesses in L.A. merging food and fashion.
At the shop upstairs, rows of Brain Dead-branded, limited-run salsas — a collaboration with pop-up Metztli Taqueria — and jars of a new mole seasoning made with local fermentation outfit Sunset Cultures, line shelves alongside Brain Dead-branded enamelware mugs, tees, sneakers and tennis apparel. The food products are curated by Jesse Furman, the former Grá chef tapped to lead the brand's culinary arm. At Slammers, on the back patio, Furman's menu includes onigiri stuffed with gourmet tuna conserva and yuzu kosho mayo; it's shaped like "logo head," the Brain Dead brand's icon.
"I'm re-creating what it means to have a business," says Furman, who organizes the brand's food collaborations, cafe menu and culinary events, including a monthly food flea market. "The food is a thank you to people coming to the building, but also I want to be sure Slammers can be seen on its own as well. It's an interesting marriage."
