When it comes to BarChef — the word “bar” may be in the name, but it’s so much more than that. Frankie Solarik, the visionary behind the immersive modernist cocktail paradise — and also a judge on the hit Netflix show Drink Masters — opened a second location for the downtown Toronto-based culinary space in Midtown Manhattan earlier this year.
In just a few months, Frankie and his team have successfully created an elegant Empire State rooftop oasis using a sweet blend of science and storytelling. We sat down with Frankie to discuss his journey bringing BarChef to New York City, his vision for evolving modern mixology, and what’s next.
This interview has been condensed for clarity and understanding.
Can you tell us about the experience of bringing BarChef to NYC?
The experience of bringing Bar Chef from Toronto to New York City has been absolutely incredible. It was a fairly quick renovation process, it was basically ready to go. As soon as I saw the space, I knew that it would be the perfect fit for our concept and we have this beautiful kind of elongated space here, which is very similar to the space that we have in the Vibe in Toronto.This new addition of this beautiful rooftop here, which opens up at the Empire State Building, we have our modernist counter here, which really showcases all the chefs and the work that they put towards the program. From a guest perspective, you can sit at the counter and see and be immersed into the world of modernists and the modernist cocktail.
What inspired you to choose NYC?
The main inspiration of our expansion into New York City is just the challenge of opening in this amazing city and such an established cocktail community here. That’s an honor. It’s an honor to bring our approach and showcase what we do and what really differentiates our approach to the craft of the cocktail experience. To open in this amazing location, it’s truly a gift and it’s something that we don’t take for granted. I am truly honored to be here.
What’s your favorite cocktail on the menu? What inspired you to create it?
They’re all so special. They all have their own contribution to what’s brought Bar Chef to where we are today. The Spring Thaw, for example, is one that we have on our current program. I’ve actually had guests come up to me following their experience with the Spring Thaw and tell me that the aroma from the presentation made them cry because it brought them directly back to when they were a child and they were able to just smell instantly those same aromatics of being in their grandma’s backyard and playing as a child. As an artist, that’s truly the goal is just to create that emotion in your guests that you’re able to convey such a story through our art. That’s what inspires us every day, to be honest.
How do you continue to find inspiration and push boundaries in cocktail culture?
One thing I’ve noticed with my particular creative expression now is that it’s kind of evolved from being behind the bar and creating cocktails to overall experiences. One of my main inspirations is to see the growth in our team. For me, that’s the top of the top for inspiration creatively.
What do you want people to know about this immersive multisensorial experience?
The goal and the reason we do what we do convey emotion in our guests. I want guests to come here to BarChef and leave with an entirely new perspective on what’s possible with the cocktail experience, like various textures and flavors and aromatics and visual presentations. There’s always intent with what we do, like the dry ice for example, it’s not just there for this beautiful smoke, it’s there because you know it’s a vehicle of aroma. It’s the idea of utilizing the guests as part of the overall composition to tap into nostalgia, and all these various things to create a visceral experience, something very emotional and special.
Where would you like to see the next evolution of BarChef or your other concepts go from here?
I’ve just finished my second cocktail book. I have a cocktail book coming out in 2026, which is amazing. That’s going to focus on the modernism and the modernist cocktails of what we do. As well, we’re looking at expanding the brand into major international cities so we have a few parties that are interested in bringing the brand to all over the world.
Modernist techniques are around for a long time now, but how do you see the role of modernist techniques evolving in the cocktail industry?
It’s very different now versus when I opened a bar chef in 2008. Now, you have more access to information online and videos and tutorials and equipment. The idea of evolution in any medium is kind of expanding on the possibilities so you have access to more tools and more ingredients. For us, it’s always just been a matter of evolving technically, always doing something new, always working with new flavors and flavor pairings. It’s been amazing bringing people on to the team that are very creative, like the beverage director and culinary director and executive chefs, that contributes so much to the program. That’s the key to evolution: it is not a one-man show. There’s [around] 100 people. They all deserve to be recognized for their efforts so that’s a big part of the evolution of the program for BarChef for sure.
You would say that community is an element of your project?
Community is a huge element of what we do. Everyone that’s on our team is authentically excited to share their passion and share the love of what we do as a company and philosophy and ethos. For me, that love and that passion translates through to the guest experience. You can taste the love in the cocktails. I’m just so honored and blessed and so proud of the team. I wouldn’t be sitting here. If it wasn’t for every single person, from the dishwashers to the director of operations,every single person is so integral in this company. For me, as a philosophy and main inspiration is that I want to bring everyone with me as we grow, we’re all going to do well and have a great time doing it.
