Steve Abreu

Background

About Steve Abreu

Most of my experience I gained in the restaurant industry. Starting with my 1st job as a runner at Wall Street Kitchen & Bar in formerly owned by Tony Goldman and known to be one of the pioneers of the renaissance of the Miami Beach Strip. I eventually had the opportunity to be a waiter and bartender for many years to follow. My 1st position of management was offered to me in 2005 working at a celebrity owned restaurant owned by the legendary R&B duo Ashford & Simpson. A live entertainment restaurant offering Latin Soul food, Ashford & Simpson's Sugar Bar is a celebrity hub. Michael McDonald, Patti Labelle, Cindy Lauper and Freddie Jackson are a few accomplished singers to grace the stage at Sugar Bar. Eventually the role as manager expanded throughout my 5 year stint to include event coordinating, catering on and off site and booking live entertainment regularly. After leaving Sugar Bar the next opportunity to manage was presented at a Mexican restaurant located in the Inwood Section of Manhattan called Guadalupe bar and grill. Known for its flank steak and Guadalupe margarita, the volume of walk ins on a busy strip mall street was endless. 1 hour wait times were often the norm on the weekends. Spanish was the primary language spoken by the patrons & staff. My next opportunity in the hospitality industry was at MXCO located in the upper east side. After my departure the restaurant closed but they had some of the best gourmet tacos in town and one of the fastest kitchens I have ever worked at. My experience has helped shape me as a small business expert in the hospitality industry and since my introduction to the industry in I haven't had the opportunity again to open a restaurant. That opportunity was presented in July 2013 with the opening of Farafina Cafè. Offering an eclectic fusion menu with its base hailing from the West coast of Africa, Côte d'Ivoire to be specific, Farafina Café opened in a gentrifying neighborhood in Harlem.