I was recently invited to a media dinner at Pepsico’s brand new Kola House in Chelsea. Pepsico has teamed up with Lenny Kravitz’s design firm, Kravitz Design, and The Metric, the group behind Gilded Lily, a nightclub to bring the Kola House into being.

Disclaimer: I was invited as a guest to this establishment for a complimentary meal. All opinions expressed in this post are my own

The concept behind this restaurant centers around the kola nut which is a bitter fruit that gives cola beverages its caffeine and flavor.

The menu at Kola House is curated by executive chef Jon Feshan who focuses on fresh farm to table dishes with a global flavor profile. Chef Feshan wowed us with dishes such as the ‘Fresh ricotta and Yellow Carrot Hummus’ as we feasted on shared plates all evening.

They have a fascinating cocktails program created by resident flavor chemist Alex Ott who offers mood-enhancing cocktails, made with natural elixirs and more.

We spent a better part of the evening with celebrity mixologist/biochemist Alex Ott who schooled us on just how nuanced his art of creating conscious cocktails is. We also sampled Pepsico’s new 1893 Original Cola’s paying homage to its founding year. It is made with kola nut extract, certified fair trade sugar, and sparkling water and aims to appeal to those with a more conscious palate.