On November 3, 1992—Election Day here in the U.S.—Bruce and Eric Bromberg opened Blue Ribbon Brasserie for service on 97 Sullivan Street in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood. Since then, the restaurant has served dinner from the hours of 4:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. every day.
“It was unique in that what we did in the very beginning was serve dinner until four in the morning—and we did it at a level that no one else had ever seen before,” says David Brown, manager of Blue Ribbon Federal Grill, located on the ground floor of the AKA Wall Street.
It was at the Brasserie where the Brombergs instilled the “there’s something for everyone” approach; menu items range from a hamburger deluxe and fried chicken with collard greens to gorgeous seafood towers and rack of lamb.
The bar at Blue Ribbon Brasserie is the first thing you run into upon walking through the door. And, three nights a week, James Shrum is there to take your order; he’s been at the restaurant since day one and is now a partner with Blue Ribbon.
“If you look up Blue Ribbon in the dictionary, it says ‘James Shrum,’” says Sean Sant Amour, partner of Blue Ribbon Restaurants.
“I’m one of the first faces that they see at Blue Ribbon,” says Shrum. “And I think it’s important because of that [need] to make them feel welcome. We’re in hospitality, it’s what we do.”
“He is very, very special, he is Blue Ribbon. He helped build this restaurant,” says Brown. “He has set the benchmark for hospitality for us,” adds Sant Amour, who notes that customers look for him, rely on him and ask about him on the regular.
“He really is sort of in that category of ‘the world’s most interesting man,’” insists Brown. “He has more than just bartending skills, and what he gives is superior, especially in this industry.”
“When I first met Eric Bromberg back in 1987, he wanted people to leave his place happy,” says Shrum. “That’s a standard that he and his brother Bruce, and the entire team here, have maintained from the very beginning.”
In the world of mixology, bartenders are no stranger to the classic drunk. In Shrum’s early years at Blue Ribbon, he experienced some whoppers, including a time when a patron confused him with a professional wrestler. “He was in pretty rough shape, and he was convinced James was his arch enemy,” says Brown. “It was one of the most outrageous things I’ve ever seen.” Just another day in the life of a New York City bartender during St. Patrick’s Day mayhem.
“James has been an integral part of determining what Blue Ribbon is to so many different people,” says Sant Amour. “There are so many critical people that make a successful restaurant happen and James is a great example of that.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by people that you respect and people that you work with on a regular basis,” says Shrum. “It’s pretty humbling.”
Watch the full video below.
Video and photos shot by Kathryn M. Sheldon, an award-winning producer, photographer and editor with a background in still photography and television production. Having produced food and beverage content for seven years at NBC, she is currently producing video content for the MICHELIN Guide.
