Canal Street Dreams — Episode Summary
Roman Grandinetti on NYC Nightlife Then vs. Now, Opening Mixed Ingredients & Regina's Grocery, and More!
Date: October 17, 2025
Hosts: Eddie Huang & Natashia Perrotti
Guest: Roman Grandinetti

Episode Overview

This lively episode features Roman Grandinetti, the "Mayor of Orchard Street," entrepreneur behind NYC anchors Regina’s Grocery and Mixed Ingredients, and former DJ. Eddie and Natashia dive into Roman's journey from his early days in the NYC nightlife and DJ scene to creating new models of hospitality and community through food—while also opening up about raising families, identity, working in teams, and how NYC has changed.

The trio reflect on the evolution of New York nightlife (from classic clubs to the modern scene), the value of self-taught paths, food culture, team dynamics, and parenthood. The conversation is rich with personal anecdotes, generous wisdom, and a lot of laughs, offering rare insight into how creative communities evolve and collaborate in New York.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Coffee Shop as the New Clubhouse

[00:39 - 02:59]

• Mixed Ingredients isn’t just a coffee shop—it functions as a spontaneous social hub, echoing what clubs used to be for creative New Yorkers.
• The craft of coffee is respected on the level of sneaker and fashion culture.
• Eddie praises the deep knowledge of Mixed Ingredients’ baristas (Pinto and Peachy) and how their passion mirrors the obsessive attention in other crafts.
  • “Their expertise goes down tremendous rabbit hole… I love the both of them… it was the way we were when it came down to understanding the nuances in a polo T-shirt or a Jordan sneaker.” — Roman [01:29]
• The overlap between Miami and New York creative circles, with shout-outs to key figures like Jason Odio for influencing both coffee and nightclub trends.

2. Genesis in NYC Nightlife & the DJ Years

[03:26 - 11:18]

• Roman recounts his entry from Bensonhurst into fashion and nightlife, being mentored into DJ culture by friends with New York and music ties, and learning from icons like Steve Rifkin and Peter Gatien.
  • “My mother and father were big into nightlife, Studio 54, all that world.” — Roman [04:54]
• Legendary clubs—Stereo, Butter, Goldbar—had powerful cross-section crowds where creativity and style trumped money.
• The boom of “superstar DJs” in the 2000s (DJ AM, Stretch Armstrong, Chairman Mao at APT), and how certain clubs let music and style lead.
• Subculture moments—like sneaking into APT with sneakers—or breaking dress codes at exclusive venues, often marked a creative’s rite of passage.
• Roman: “The crew that I was adopted by broke the rules so far that they got into fashion… at a pinnacle time, Sal wore Jordan 5s to the Met Gala… We were breaking the rules.” [10:05]

3. Nightlife Then vs. Now

[11:18 - 17:57]

• The “old way” of clubs (c. 2000s–2010s) emphasized unique crowds, DJ-driven nights, and style barriers, which have mostly faded.
• Natashia and Eddie note that today, NYC nightlife has shifted toward alternative gatherings—bars, pop-ups, daytime events, loft parties—while massive club experiences, like tech raves, are rare and tightly focused on the DJ, not the scene.
• Roman asserts this is part of a larger cycle: “Things are cyclical… People are doing it. They’re just doing it in different ways.” [15:29]
• Mixed Ingredients has become a “daytime club” organically, serving as a spontaneous meeting spot.

4. Hospitality, Food, and the Move from Nightlife to Restaurants

[20:07 - 30:17]

• Roman’s deep love of craft led him from DJing and fashion into food—despite lacking formal culinary training.
• Regina’s Grocery was a response to the dying NYC Italian sandwich shop, reshaping it with artistry and homage to his mother.
  • “We were always like these knock-around kids. Where I was like, yo, let’s beautify this thing. That’s where the grocery came in.” — Roman [21:22]
• Eddie and Natashia relate, emphasizing the importance of learning by doing, keeping traditions alive while evolving the identity and aesthetics of food spots.
• Both speak to the importance of self-taught craft, expressing pride in hiring and training “green” employees in their own ways.

5. The Value of Self-Taught Paths & New Ways of Working

[27:10 - 38:33]

• Roman and Eddie discuss how nontraditional backgrounds—self-taught as a chef or creative—allow for unique innovation, adaptability, and confidence borne from necessity.
  • “If you do break the mold, it’s amazing and it’s beautiful.” — Roman [29:50]
• They debate how hard-wired persistence, problem-solving, family expectations, and “no Plan B” mentalities shaped their careers.
  • “There’s a difference between working on your brand and for your brand.” — Roman [45:08]
• Praise for self-taught team members: “I’m very prone to hiring someone with no experience because you teach them how you learned.” — Roman [24:14]
• Teamwork insights—“If he dies, he dies” attitude—and mutual acknowledgment that success is a function of resilience and uncompromising standards.

6. Family, Parenting, and Being Partners in Life and Work

[30:51 - 44:23]

• Roman, Eddie, and Natashia open up about the challenges and joys of becoming parents, translating their hustle and exacting standards for excellence from nightlife/restaurant life to family life.
• The shift from partying as professional and social necessity to embracing new social patterns (pop-up, daytime gatherings).
• Honest reflections on their upbringings and how that gets passed down: toughness, expectation, love.
• Dynamics in marriage and parenthood: pushing partners out of love to be their best, learning from each other, changing through parenting.
  • “You were like, you need to be a better woman. You need to figure it out and get your sht together… If you’re showing up for sht that doesn’t matter, you’re gonna always show up.” — Natashia [37:45]
• The importance of strong parenting partnership: pouring into each other to become the best for their children.

7. Neighborhood, Italian Roots, and Preserving Dying Food Traditions

[47:51 - 53:39]

• Regina’s sandwiches reflect classic New York Italian flavor, upholding “dying arts” like the hero/hoagie in a city where many such places are vanishing.
• Discussion of regional sandwich cultures (e.g., roast beef shops in Massachusetts, Italian delis in NY and LA), and nostalgia for old-school, immigrant-run shops.
• Roman: “Making a sandwich, the classic East Coast hero, is a dying art.” [53:32]
• Importance of maintaining tradition, resisting fads for “chef-driven” novelty when classics still matter.

8. Looking Forward

[44:28 - end]

• Roman is focusing on playing supportive, behind-the-scenes roles in new ventures—especially in beverage—and shifting from being the “face” of a brand to refining brand experience and quality control from afar.
• Commitment to keeping tradition alive in an era of rapid change.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Their expertise goes down tremendous rabbit hole… it was the way we were when it came down to understanding the nuances in a polo T-shirt or a Jordan sneaker.” — Roman [01:29]
• “The crew that I was adopted by broke the rules… We were wearing shorts to 10 June. You had to wear shoes and dress pants. We were walking in with shorts.” — Roman [10:05]
• “I just want to create something that’s New York. And I think I’m just a product of my environment.” — Roman [17:29]
• “If you do break the mold, it’s amazing and it’s beautiful.” — Roman [29:50]
• “There's a difference between working on your brand and for your brand.” — Roman [45:08]
• “Making a sandwich, the classic east coast hero is a dying art.” — Roman [53:32]
• “You gotta stress test things… sometimes shock therapy works.” — Eddie [47:26]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:39] — Coffee culture, Mixed Ingredients as social hub
• [03:35 – 11:18] — NYC nightlife, DJ pathways, iconic clubs, peaking at Butter and Goldbar
• [12:00 – 15:29] — Evolution of nightlife and what replaced mainline clubs
• [20:07 – 24:14] — From DJing/fashion to opening Regina’s; importance of food craft
• [27:10 – 30:17] — On being self-taught, learning by doing, nontraditional paths
• [30:51 – 39:00] — Parenting philosophies, family expectations, growth in marriage
• [47:51 – 53:39] — Sandwich culture, preserving the old neighborhood Italian deli
• [44:28 – end] — Roman’s shift to brand development & behind-the-scenes roles

Conclusion

This episode offers a rich, honest, and often hilarious look at NYC creative culture—then and now—through the eyes of three insiders. Roman’s journey from nightlife to hospitality, the trio’s ruminations on team grit, family, and sustaining community traditions deliver a masterclass in reinvention, resilience, and keeping real New York vibrancy alive.

Recommended for: Anyone curious about NYC subcultures, food entrepreneurship, nightlife history, creative community-building, or just how three friends juggle ambition, art, and growing families in the city.