East Side Poke Project

**Pete** · 03-01-2018, 07:00 AM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 1, 2018

OKLAHOMA CITY’S NORTHEAST 23RD STREET RESTAURANT AND RETAIL DEVELOPMENT ANNOUNCES FIRST TENANT
Local Hip Hop Artist, Teacher and Businessman, Jabee, Partners with LA-Based Restauranteur and Entrepreneur Andy Nguyen - Creator of the Sushi Donut - to bring New Flavors, New Opportunities to the East Side

OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, Pivot Project, an Oklahoma-based real estate development company, announced that West Coast restaurateur and entrepreneur Andy Nguyen will partner with local hip-hop artist, businessman, teacher and community leader Jabee, on a new fast-casual restaurant called the East Side Poke Project. This is the first retail tenant of Pivot Project’s Eastside Redevelopment project at NE 23rd and Rhode Island in Oklahoma City.

Nguyen and Jabee plan to welcome local residents, nearby workers, and guests from all over at this new poke (pronounced po-kay) concept where they’ll serve high-quality, flavorful poke bowls, sushi burritos, and even Spam fries, made fresh to order.

"I knew when I tried Andy’s Project Poke in LA, I wanted to bring a similar idea back home. I love good food and just want to introduce some fun new concepts like this to the place I grew up, and to the people I grew up with,” said Jabee.

Project Poke surged in early 2017 when the Sushi Donut became an overnight hit on Instagram, resulting in lines of people wrapped around the building, and stories running in outlets like US Weekly featuring Nguyen and his photogenic culinary creation. "We couldn't predict this, but it completely changed how people view the store," said Nguyen.

While best known for Project Poke, Nguyen is also cofounder of Milk Box Boba, Pig Pen Delicacy, Wingman Kitchen and Afters Ice Cream, which initially took root at Coachella and now has locations all over the West Coast.

Raised in Orange County, CA by Vietnamese immigrants, Nguyen learned to make big things happen with very little. After a successful, but less personally rewarding career in real estate, Nguyen founded a unisex street style line called IMKING with his best friend in 2007. He began his foray into restaurants as a hobby, but it soon became a way of life.

Jabee and Nguyen were introduced by a mutual friend and forged a relationship over their common bonds in hip hop culture and street style, a love of food, and a strong desire to help others. “I’m always talking to school groups, sharing my story of growing up first generation American and how I became a serial entrepreneur,” said Nguyen. “That’s what attracted me to partner with Jabee – he works hard to follow his dreams, but also makes time to teach kids how to follow theirs, too.”

This particular development is unique as tenants not only sign leases, they also receive a percentage of ownership in the real estate. Almost $10MM is being put into two 19,000sf projects along this stretch of NE 23rd Street. In addition to Pivot, efforts from longtime Northeast OKC businessman and community leader Sandino Thompson, as well as The Black Chamber and NE Renaissance made this happen.

“We are excited about this relationship and honored that such a successful entrepreneur would bring his energy to our most important work to date,” said Jonathan Dodson, partner at Pivot Project. “This is just the first of several upcoming lease announcements. As leases are signed, we’ll get the word out. We can’t wait for everyone to turn east on 23rd and come see what these energized business owners have planned for OKC.”

**Roger S** · 03-01-2018, 07:09 AM

Even if you don't like Spam... I recommend giving Spam Fries a try... It totally changes the texture.... They will probably deep fry theirs but I do them in my air fryer and they are awesome!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd1NNvYB...=ok_whirling_s

**sooner88** · 03-01-2018, 08:49 AM

Dang that's 3 poke places on 23rd street coming this year?

**warreng88** · 03-02-2018, 06:30 AM

NE OKC development attracts hip-hop artist-backed restaurant

By: Brian Brus The Journal Record March 1, 2018

OKLAHOMA CITY – Eastside Redevelopment on NE 23rd Street will be successful not merely because it’s being launched by a novel new restaurant concept backed by a popular hip-hop artist, but also for its ownership structure, Pivot Project partner Jonathon Dodson said.

When Jabee Williams Jr. signed on a contract to open East Side Poke Project a few blocks west of Martin Luther King Avenue, he also bought a share of the property.

“In neighborhoods that are gentrified, property values typically start low until you get artists and retailers to go in and create value,” Dodson said. “That increases value, and then you get a wave of developers like myself who go in to buy the properties for a little more to charge tenants a little more. Then leases on the first tenants come up for renewal and they’re driven out.

“We realized that if we gave our tenants ownership in the real estate, that would give them upside and reason to see it through,” he said. “We want to go side by side with the tenants.”

Williams, who started rapping in the area when he was 7 years old, said he wanted to pay something back after winning attention for his musical talents with a regional Emmy award. His latest collection released through Grand Union Media, Black Future, is titled after a poem written by an Oklahoma City teacher.

Williams sought out West Coast restaurateur and entrepreneur Andy Nguyen for ideas on how best to highlight northeast Oklahoma City’s diverse culture and untapped vitality. Nguyen co-founded restaurants such as Milk Box Boba, Pig Pen Delicacy, Wingman Kitchen and Afters Ice Cream. Nguyen’s cuisine gained meme-level popularity because of a picture of a sushi donut.

Williams and Nguyen decided the East Side Poke Project needed poke bowls as well as sushi burritos and Spam fries. Poke, pronounced pokay, is a fish salad.

“To me, Oklahoma City is cool,” Williams said. “There are plenty of opportunities throughout the city, and people asked why I wanted to choose the east side. But I believe people need access to different restaurants from different cultures, mixing with a wide range of people. That’s important.”

Williams plans to hang out at the restaurant as much as possible. Eran Harrill, president of the Oklahoma City Black Chamber of Commerce, said he expects the business and Williams’ presence will attract other entrepreneurs with just as much enthusiasm.

“I think that area is ready to be an anchor for a redevelopment explosion,” Harrill said. “It’s been hard to get developers to do anything and retail and restaurants to come there. This really starts to chip away at that attitude and show the potential for redeveloping northeast Oklahoma City.”

Finding a bank for financing has been difficult. After several approaches, Dodson finally found a friend in First Security Bank & Trust Co. to purchase the two buildings at NE 23rd Street and N. Rhode Island Avenue. The Oklahoma City Council also helped last year in approving a tax increment finance district, or TIF, to provide $1.3 million for infrastructure improvements. A total of nearly $10 million is being invested in the redevelopment.