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C Story / Ryan Castelaz
The W hen I was a kid, my parents would often bring us to Old Country Buffet,

a gleaming bastion of gluttony and overconsumption that felt like para-
dise to a growing boy with an oversized appetite for mashed potatoes
and soft serve ice cream. To my parents’ chagrin, I would often take the
opportunity to whip up one of my infamous “concoctions”: earth-shaking combinations
Power like table salt, ham, chocolate soft serve, and split pea soup, and giddily pass them to my
mother to try. To this day, I feel these were some of my most creative moments. Pure
play, with no concern as to the results.
There is something so special about these early years before we’ve been inundated
with decades of societal messaging that mandate we value the product over the process.
I find myself returning to this place frequently, embodying the childlike innocence of
play: creation for the sake of creation. The resulting drinks, without fail, are the best
drinks in our catalogue.
I’ve found this seems to be the case with all artistic endeavors. Art is the most
resonant when the artist produces it for their own sake, and generously shares it with
those around them. Art created for the sake of others is commerce, cold, and discon-
nected. As Rick Rubin, the infamous American music producer has famously stated, “The
audience only knows what has come before”. As creators, it is our job to explore the
unknown, to push the boundaries of our industry, and to provide our audience with
products that say something about who we are, and what we envision for the world.

Discourse Bar Scene - Photo / Steven Brandt

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Amuse 55
Photo / Kevin Miyazaki

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