Turntable: A Global Culinary Showcase in San Francisco

San Francisco’s Lord Stanley has reinvented itself as Turntable, bringing underrepresented haute cuisine to light.

Long before COVID-19, married chefs Rupert and Carrie Blease had envisioned transforming their Michelin-starred San Francisco restaurant Lord Stanley into a dynamic global culinary showcase. After years of discussions and planning during the pandemic, the highly anticipated concept, called Turntable, debuted in September 2021, featuring emerging chefs from around the world in month-long residencies.

Turntable was inspired by the Bleases’ own culinary adventures around the globe. For instance, they had a 2019 stint at the PuXuan Hotel in Beijing, a one-night-only dinner in 2018 at The Seminyak Beach Resort in Bali, Indonesia, and a spell at the Reverie Saigon in Vietnam.

“We know from experience what it’s like to cook somewhere completely different—a new kitchen with new equipment and new ingredients unique to the location,” Rupert explains. “It’s super refreshing.”

Residency Experience

As part of the Turntable residency, visiting chefs stay in an Airbnb within walking distance of the restaurant. To inspire menu ideas rooted in local harvests, the Bleases tour their international guests around Bay Area farmers’ markets and introduce them to key suppliers. Although Lord Stanley, the modern European bistro, is currently on hiatus, Rupert continues to work in the kitchen at Turntable while Carrie oversees the front of the house.

International Culinary Influences

Turntable kicked off with chefs from Argentina’s hottest eateries. Inaugural chefs Mica Najmanovich and Nico Arcucci hail from Buenos Aires, where their pop-up-turned-brick-and-mortar restaurant, Anafe, received acclaim from the World’s 50 Best as “the most exciting new restaurant in Latin America today” for its innovative cross-cultural cuisine.

Featured Chefs and Menus

For their Turntable menu, Najmanovich and Arcucci served Los Clásicos de Anafe and Jewish deli-inspired bites, including za’atar-spiced ricotta and peach chutney with warm challah. In November, Mercedes “Mecha” Solís of the acclaimed Café San Juan in Buenos Aires crafted a tasting menu that showcased Argentina’s Spanish influences and distinct asado traditions.

Until Jan. 8, chef Sebastien Pourrat is utilizing Turntable as a testing ground for his upcoming Los Angeles restaurant Basqueria. “The Spanish part of the Basque region is more famous, but there is a French part that’s interesting as well, and where I’m from,” says Pourrat, a Biarritz native.

To enhance the experience, the chef is incorporating Northern California ingredients, such as Basque cheesecake made with organic cream cheese from Sonoma County and a stuffed Dungeness crab caught off San Francisco.

Taking over on Jan. 11 is Lucho Martinez from Mexico City’s Em restaurant. Martinez’s eatery is fully booked two months in advance, as diners eagerly anticipate his French- and Japanese-influenced Mexican cuisine served omakase-style. He will not only present a seated tasting menu at Turntable but also provide takeout servings of his Mexican hot chicken, inspired by Nashville’s iconic dish.

For February, Turntable will welcome Eric Huang, a former sous chef at Eleven Madison Park who has recently launched Pecking House, a modern reimagining of his family’s traditional Chinese restaurant in Queens. Huang’s menu may feature salt-and-pepper duck drumettes or dirty fried rice with poblano peppers, as well as his popular buttermilk-brined hot chicken with Tianjin chilis and Szechuan peppercorns.

Conclusion

The early success of Turntable highlights a growing demand for authentic global cuisine, providing a much-needed escape for travel-starved food enthusiasts. “Since people have been stuck at home for a long time, going out to eat feels more celebratory,” Carrie Blease notes. “Having these chefs around for just one month makes the event feel even more special. That kind of enthusiasm translates to the table.”