Pharrell Williams toasted his new venture as a restaurateur on Thursday (25Oct18) at a launch party for his Miami, Florida eatery.
The Happy hitmaker has teamed up with nightlife guru David Grutman for Swan and Bar Bevy, his first hospitality project, and they were joined by guests including comedian Trevor Noah and supermodel Winnie Harlow for the private bash, where they were treated to a preview of dishes by acclaimed French chef Jean Imbert, who won reality show Top Chef Europe's season three.
Pharrell first fell in love with Imbert's food during visits to Paris, and he soon had Grutman jetting across the Atlantic to indulge his tastebuds.
"I kept telling my friends you have to try this chef's food. It is something really really special," the hip-hop star smiles to CBS Miami.
Grutman adds, "He made me to fly Paris to try food. I'm hooked. Everybody's hooked. The food is amazing and something Miami hasn't seen before. Everybody is going to be like, 'Wow.'"
The stylish 250-seat restaurant is located on the ground floor of the spacious building in the Miami Design District, with cocktail lounge Bar Bevy one floor above, and Pharrell cannot wait for fans to visit the city's latest hotspot when it opens to the public on 1 November (18).
"Swan is a curated experience from my partners and I," he tells Food & Wine. "Taste begets taste, and there should be environments to foster conversations over meals and drinks. The proof is in the details."
Although the restaurant marks Pharrell's first step into the hospitality industry, he has already built up some experience in the culinary world, after establishing The Williams Family Kitchen, a line of specialty products inspired by his dad's cooking and other family recipes, which he unveiled last year (17).
He has also used his entrepreneurial skills for a vast array of other ventures, including his clothing line Billionaire Boys Club and multimedia creative collective, i am OTHER.
