The latest installment of our Long Lunch series is extra fashionable. Adam Shapiro, the founder of the communications agency L52, joined us with Georgiana Huddart, the founder of fashion brand Hunza G, to talk shop over cheeseburgers, shrimp cocktail, and gallons of iced tea.
The good life, according to Adam…
Adam, is the Long Lunch a habit or aberration for you?
It’s both. On holiday, every single day. There’s nothing better. In my working life, though, lunch is usually more purposeful. Our industry runs on conversations and socialising, so many meetings happen around a table rather than in a meeting room, but they’re rarely as laid-back as I would like.
What makes a Long Lunch enjoyable, versus a chore?
Ambience, food, drink, company. Naturally. If you’re somewhere you genuinely want to linger, with people you genuinely love talking to, and you’re not constantly checking your phone or thinking about the meeting you’re rushing back to, you can really settle into it. That’s when lunch stops feeling like another item on the day’s agenda and becomes something to enjoy in and of itself.
If you could Long-Lunch with absolutely anyone on the planet — no offence to Georgiana — who would it be?
Liza?
What are the qualities of an excellent Long Lunch companion?
It depends on the lunch, but the best companions are clever, funny and genuinely enjoy the experience. I was there with Georgiana, who I know through L52’s work with Hunza G but also count as a friend, so the conversation moved naturally between work, travel, and everything else. I also think it’s important that someone embraces the occasion. A Long Lunch is much more enjoyable with someone who loves good food, good chat and isn’t watching the clock — or just pushing three leaves around a plate.
What did you eat and drink?
We shared the Gotham shrimp cocktail, which I will order without fail whenever I see it on a menu. I followed it with the pan-roasted sea trout because I wanted something light enough to get me through the rest of the working day without making me pass out. To drink, I had iced tea. I’m from New Orleans, and if it’s hot, I’ll always order one. When I first moved to London 16 years ago, asking for iced tea was usually met with confusion, condescension or both. Thankfully, that’s changed, and The Park’s version was excellent.
What will you order on your next Long Lunch at The Park?
I’m a complete creature of habit, so the Gotham shrimp cocktail is almost certainly happening again. After that, it depends on my mood. The New Orleans crab cake with spiced remoulade is excellent, as is the steak tartare, and I’d happily be persuaded by the sea bass or the butterflied prawns. It’s an incredibly appealing menu.
Tell us about your favourite Long Lunch of all time.
I’ve been lucky to have a few memorable ones over the years, but I love the little taverna, Manolis, on the Greek island of Sifnos. The sea is a few metres away (and a swim in between courses is totally encouraged), and lunch unfolds over endless plates of Greek salads, fried balls of everything and whatever’s freshest that day. And ends with the orange pie. Probably two of them, actually.
And would you like to review Georgiana’s lunch order?
Luckily, we shared a few things, so I didn’t feel I was missing out. I think Georgie had the burger? And it did look delicious.
What is your favourite time of year (or weather) in which to enjoy a Long Lunch?
I don’t think I can choose just one. The obvious answer is a beach somewhere, where lunch starts late, your feet are in the sand, and the afternoon drifts by until it’s cool enough for another swim. But I also love a long ski lunch after a morning on the slopes. White wine will be involved regardless.
And the best day of the week for a long lunch is?
Saturday.
ADAM’S DOSSIER
Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana.
Neighbourhood: Notting Hill.
“Short” lunch strategy: Something quick at my desk. Waa waa. If I do make it out, it’s one course, something light, and a coffee before heading back. The Long Lunches are for when there’s actually time to enjoy them.
Cocktail: White wine or a spicy margarita.
Workout: A combination of Barry’s, Pilates and sessions with a trainer who forces me to lift heavy weights despite serious complaining
Bookshop: Octavia Books in New Orleans. It was a fixture of my childhood, and although it has moved, it’s still one of my favourite places to browse.
Favourite park: Regent’s Park, especially with a walk up Primrose Hill afterwards. The Rose Garden alone is worth the visit. Honourable mention: City Park in New Orleans with the beautiful sculpture garden.
Current projects: L52, my communications agency. We’ve recently opened our Mumbai office, which has been incredibly exciting.
Any recommendations for us? Widow’s Bay is the best thing I’ve watched in quite some time. How it’s so funny and spooky simultaneously… and the acting… it deserves all of its Emmy noms
Georgiana, what about you?
Is the Long Lunch a habit or aberration?
Aberration, but something I love on the rare occasion I have time to do it.
What makes a Long Lunch enjoyable, versus a chore?
No time limit and good company. It’s got to have an element of light. non-sinister gossiping.
What are the qualities of an excellent lunch companion?
Engaging — good at the balance of conversation going back and forth. Being made to be the only person talking or not getting in a word is annoying, so balance is key. When you find the right person….. never let them go! Adam and I work together, but he is also a great pal, so this was the perfect combo of gossip and some work.
What did you eat and drink?
A cheeseburger, because I was tired from having been at The Serpentine party the night before. And I drank iced tea because Adam told me to and I was trying to impress him. Then I ditched the iced tea and had a Diet Coke which felt more like my vibe!
Tell us about your favourite Long Lunch of all time.
They normally happen on holiday. I had a great one with Adam recently in Ibiza. But I specifically remember one in Ibiza 11 years ago when I was very, very young at Xucla with a bunch of friends. We just ate gambas, drank beers and went swimming around the cliffs for about seven hours. It was really special.
If you could Long-Lunch with absolutely anyone on the planet — no offence to Adam — who would it be?
I know this is a bit basic, but I would love to chat to Marilyn Monroe. She was so smart and witty, and I’m intrigued to hear about her life. That or Jennifer Saunders, whom I actually saw here at The Park last time I came for dinner.
On the days that you are Long-Lunching, do you dress differently?
No, I wear exactly the same clothes, but I make sure they work for going on somewhere, as you don’t know where the day will take you. I am never super casual, but never smart, either. I was wearing a Saint Laurent top, Helmut Lang jeans and Alaia flats.
What is your favourite time of year for a Long Lunch?
Spring or autumn, as my birthday is in October.
The best day of the week for a Long Lunch is….?
Thursday — nearly the weekend, but not quite. It’s still a bit naughty but not too stressful to be MIA for a few hours…..
GEORGIANA’S DOSSIER
Birthplace: London.
Neighbourhood: Ladbroke Grove.
Cocktail: Martini, always.
Workout: Pilates and running.
Bookshop: Daunt in Kensington Park Road.
Favourite park: Kensington memorial, because it’s near my house. I went to an amazing one on Embankment the other day with my daughter by the Savoy.
Current projects: All secret! But we just launched a collaboration with Joe Sweeney, an amazing artist, on a line of T-shirts for Hunza G which was pretty fab.
Any recommendations for us? I am a telly addict so literally anything and everything. Your Friends & Neighbours, Margot’s Got Money Troubles, London Falling, the Tracey Emin exhibit…and Paddington at the theatre. I cried six times.