stage /stahzh/ (n., from stagiaire)
— a period of practical training in a professional environment
[ 01 — the concept ]
Founded by three Duke students who interned — or “staged” — at fine dining restaurants, [ stage ] hosts intimate 5–8 course tasting menus where we experiment with techniques and ingredients that inspire us, and larger pop-ups of 80–100 people built around good comfort food.
[ 02 — the menus ]
Seasonal, regional, and a little experimental — each menu is typed up, printed, and served once. Here’s one from the archive.
browse past menus →300 Swift
Amuse Bouche
chasu pork mousse, pickled lion’s mane
Crudo
salmon, radish, kumquat, basil
Celtuce Tartare
pickled celtuce, cashew, chive oil
Ruffled Feathers
roasted eggplant, hainan chicken breast, chili oil, nasturtium
Palate Cleanser
frozen grapefruit, cucumber sorbet
Dessert
chocolate lava cake, red pepper coulis, pink peppercorn vanilla icecream, red caramel disk
Mignardise: Macaron
miso brown butter, sesame
![The [ stage ] team laughing together](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2Fteam-group.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
[ 03 — the point ]
We exist to bring students and professors around the same table — for conversations that don’t happen in a classroom.
meet the team →seats are limited — dinners are announced on instagram