A South African native and the brother of a Silicon-Valley tech billionaire, Kimbal Musk seems to have two words constantly on his mind: real and food.
When he isn’t aiming to marry the two through restaurants and food-related projects in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, or Boulder, where he lives, the 45-year-old can likely be found in Memphis. Here in the Bluff City, the entrepreneur has opened nearly 100 outdoor classrooms he calls “learning gardens,” as well as the Shelby Farms chapter of his restaurant brand The Kitchen and The Kitchenette, a grab-and-go restaurant in the Shelby Farms visitor center.
His latest venture is the Crosstown Concourse establishment Next Door American Eatery, where he held a meet-and-greet with customers before the holidays. I met up with Musk before the event to talk about his cowboy hat, his big brother Elon, and his hopes to help mend America with nourishing food.
Memphis: How does a billionaire who lives in Colorado become so interested in Memphis?
Kimbal Musk: I don’t like to really think of myself that way. I just love working with America and finding these beautiful gems like Memphis that have so much potential. There are so many great things going on to recognize and join the community here. The restaurant scene here is amazing, the school scene with Dorsey E. Hopson as superintendent of Memphis schools. It’s just a wonderful community.
Have you heard any good Memphis music?
I’ve gone to Raiford’s many times, which is amazing. I’ve brought a lot of my friends there. It’s the star attraction, I think, in the whole city. And then, just enjoying the serendipitous musical discoveries — going to Loflin Yard and hearing a band you’ve never heard of, but they’re great. That sort of stuff is really fun for me.
So you’re basically aiming to take the country’s food system focus back to healthy, organic food rather than food with chemicals.
I like to use the phrase ‘real food.’ We are not here to preach ‘healthy.’ We think healthy has a bad reputation. It means food doesn’t taste good. We work very hard to make sure our menu is gluten-free, or at least absolutely accessible to people who are gluten-free, and vegetable-forward. But there’s a kickass cheeseburger, and there’s a kickass pork sandwich. It’s all real food — food that you trust to nourish your body, nourish the farmer, and nourish the planet.
You haven’t been without critics. Some people have said, “His heart is in the right place, but he doesn’t know this or that.” How do you usually convince these critics that, while you are a billionaire, you get your hands dirty and you know what you’re doing?
You know, I think I work very hard. I don’t phone it in, so to speak. And I think all of those folks who you are mentioning are wonderful people and very much a part of the movement. For me, just working hard and delivering delicious, real food is what I focus on.
How do you convince millennials to stay away from chains like Taco Bell?
The most important way is with your taste buds. Real food just tastes better. If you go to Next Door and you have a cheeseburger versus any of the fast food chains out there, it’s just so much better at Next Door. It’s delicious, it’s nourishing, it doesn’t make you feel crappy afterward. It’s a really good cheeseburger.
Following 9/11, you spent six weeks volunteering as a cook for firefighters. What was that experience like?
Honestly, it was an awful and wonderful experience at the same time. To see these giant piles of melting metal — still melting after six weeks — moved me to my core. And to feed these firefighters ... They would connect with each other, eat the food, and thank us, then go right back into these giant piles of metal and save American lives. It was such a wonderful and difficult experience, but I’m forever grateful I was able to help a little bit.
Do you think food, in a sense, is something that can heal some of the divisions in this country?
Food is the most wonderful way to bring people together from different viewpoints to different income levels, educations, races, and countries. Food is the gift we give each other three times a day. Let’s make it real food and delicious.
You’re a younger brother and you used to cook for your family. Brothers don’t always get along. Is there something you cooked that your brother turned his nose up at and didn’t like?
My brother, and my whole family, are actually pretty picky eaters. But it’s a labor of love and, slowly but surely, they’re all just enjoying their food more … Since I was 12 years old cooking for the family, it was a wonderful way to get my family (which is a family that never sits still) to sit down, connect with each other. To me it was wonderful because it was my gift that I could give to them.
I’ve got to ask about the hat. Disney just announced they are remaking The Lion King with a new cast. Are you holding out that they also remake Toy Story? Would you accept the role of Woody if you had the opportunity?
Oh I love that ... I totally would, that would be amazing. I’ll take it.
Has it been the same hat the whole time?
I’ve actually only had two in my life. The first one lasted for about three years, and I really pushed that one to the edge. This one I’ve had for about six months, and I’ve broken it a little bit, but that’s part of the character. But it’s a really simple hat. It’s a working hat. It’s not a fancy hat. I started wearing it, and I’ve spent a lot of time on farms. And it’s a fun symbol of America. I love America. It’s my adopted country, so for me, supporting the American way is really good for me.
(Editor's Note: A multi-story package on the restaurants at Crosstown Concourse appeared in the February issue of Memphis magazine. For the online edition, look for individual stories, including an interview Todd Richardson., and a story on Mama Gaia. )
