Hollywood’s upper-class elites have found a new way to show that they’re out of touch. And I fell for it. Chain, a recent darling of social media and beneficiary of articles that speak of its nostalgia-fueled good times, promises the in-the-know somewhat exclusive access to the latest celebrity chef creations, specifically those from Tim Hollingsworth of the late, great Otium .
The hook: The food is themed around dishes found in popular franchise-focused eateries, only this is fast food reimagined. Chain is designed to rekindle memories in a way that excites your now-sophisticated taste buds. At past events, you could try an elevated Blooming Onion-inspired appetizer, a Wagyu beef-enchanced Taco Bell dish or a Pizza Hut-like pan pizza with 24-month aged Vacche Rosse Parmigiano — all with the help of a Michelin-starred chef.
At a Chain event, which has taken place in New York and L.A., and often at one-off pop-ups at its buzzy headquarters in Virgil Village, you enter a fantasy world where fast food is haute cuisine.
The food of the common person — the meals scarfed down when everyone is too tired to cook, money is tight or the kids just need to be placated — is, in actuality, the food of the elite. To the Chain, fast food is marketed as a uniter, a bridge between classes, as long as you sign up to receive a text message notifying you of its next not-so-secret event and rush to buy tickets. (And a Chain event isn’t cheap — I balked at a recent pizza night that to.