A Student Turned His Dorm Room Into A Restaurant And The Results Were Delicious

by N/A, 10 years ago | 3 min read

Jonah Reider is a senior at Columbia University studying sociology and economics, and he's already operating his own businessâ€“what makes it so cool is that it's within the confines of the prestigious school.Â PithÂ is the name of his restaurant, and it's getting massive attention from foodies not just in attendance Columbia, but from people all over NYC.

He explained toÂ GrubStreet: "I recognize how presumptuous it is to casually cook and get so much attention." Let's see how far he can take this.

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So, meet the entrepreneurial mastermind, Jonah Reider...

He started the small bistro by working out of his dorm room's communal kitchen. His table had room for four, and one day he realized the potential literally sitting at his table. The idea is to improve his craft while hanging out with friends and meeting new people.Â

Hogan Hall, Suite 4B is where you can find Reider whipping up delicacies for diners. He's gained massive attention for his efforts, and the food is phenomenal, but the idea behind this endeavor is cost-friendly...

The idea is that visitors contribute between $10 and $20 to accommodate for the cost of groceries and his valiant efforts in the kitchen. It's one of the hottest pop-up restaurants in NYC and it's that cheap. Seriously, this is an incredible happening.

He encourages people to sign up in groups of four, but happily welcomes date nights for just two people. The fact is, he's over bookedâ€“through the Christmas according to the Today Show.

That's simply jaw-dropping. Pith is in high demand, and Reider couldn't be happier about it. It's a chance to experiment in the kitchen and meet countless new people. "Thereâ€™s no curtain between the kitchen and the living room...whoever comes over will have a great time and hopefully will spend some time with me, too." So, what exactly is this hot new restauranteur experimenting with?Â

Well, he often welcomes guests with a cheese board like this, which looks like it's fit for royalty...

Starters may include a braised celery root soup...

You may have some beet and orange pepper shavings...

If you're lucky he'd recreate this seared scallops, chanterelle polenta, date and chile oil dish...

You may even see some mahi mahi, lime, peppers on the menu...

And a plethora of of salivating options. ReiderÂ explained: "People's palates develop as they get older. Itâ€™s important to eatÂ tons and tons of different dishes."

You can watch him explain the entire operation, how he goes about getting things together and everything in between in his interview with NBC. Yes, this little experiment has gained so much traction it's getting attention from NBC:

Pith was never intended to turn a profit and Reider even explained: "This is not sustainable at all except for the fact that Iâ€™m in my last year of college and can spend two hours chilling and cooking dinner."

But, with multiple 5 star reviews on Yelp and the attention he's receiving for his talents in the kitchen, maybe it'd be worth looking in to. Of course, he need to find new digs, because after graduation he won't be able to stick around in his campus housing/place of business at the moment.

"Can I create a venue for food and interaction thatâ€™s different from a restaurant? Itâ€™s making me think about what it means to have a dining experience." We're ex