Sam Monsour Is Going National With His “Future of Junk Food” Series

Sam Monsour will be taking his Future of Junk Food series to a national audience. Photo courtesy of Sam Monsour/Facebook

Back in May, Eli Feldman of 3 Princes Consulting posed the question, “How do we keep and grow our talent pool for restaurants in Boston?” Too bad “changing the weather” isn’t a feasible answer.

One of Boston’s most exciting young chefs, Sam Monsour, is packing his bags at the end of August for the more temperate climes of West Hollywood. “My wife and I went to Puerto Rico for two weeks at the end of February and had an amazing time,” Monsour says. “When we got back to the winter climate, we both looked at each other, and with no hesitation said, ‘the lease is up at the end of August, lets move somewhere without harsh winters!'”

Since his days at JM Curley, when he was stuffing doughnuts with foie gras and jerry-rigging a basketball pump for his morel-infused Easy Cheese, Sam Monsour has been wowing Boston with his innovative, whimsical take on food. Now, he’s taking all that inventiveness and culinary savvy—not to mention his Future of Junk Food series—to a much larger audience.

Mark O’Leary will join Monsour in Los Angeles for the fifth installment of their Future of Junk Food pop-up, then host events in other cities where their sponsor, Kitchensurfing, has a presence. Besides Boston, stops will include New York, the Hamptons, Chicago, Seattle, Washington D.C., and even Berlin. In addition to finishing up his gourmet hamburger cookbook with Richard Chudy, Monsour will help out a friend who is currently building a restaurant in West Hollywood, launch his Project Hunger line of chefs aprons, and eventually open his own brick and mortar spot.

“I am truly hoping to take a huge leap forward with my apron company,” Monsour says. “L.A. is loaded with world-class denim outfitters, and I’m hoping to do a collaboration with one of them soon, so we can start aiding in the fight against hunger in America. The plan is still to benefit Lovin’ Spoonfuls. Ashley Stanley has the best model for hunger relief that I’ve ever seen, and is also one of the most inspiring humans I’ve hugged. So, if Project Hunger Apron can play a tiny role in her quest to minimize waste and feed those in need, it would mean the world to me.”

Prior to his fall move, Monsour will be sharing the spotlight with Matt Jennings and Michael Scelfo at Alden & Harlow’s “Biggie Brunch” on August 24. After that, he plans on revisiting Boston four times a year to “cook with family and friends.”

“I never want to lose touch with my folks in this bad-ass town,” Monsour says. “Boston is loaded with the best people I have ever encountered. They’re hard working, smart, funny, hungry and best of all, fucking real. We’re not laid back here. We get shit done. We work hard. This city has grown so much since I first moved here, and I truly feel lucky that I have been able to witness its progression, and meet the wicked talented and passionate folks that have helped aid in the cities growth. I can never say thank you enough! And as much as I’ll miss it here, I promise, I won’t be a stranger.”