Traveling brunch

JILLIAN KNOX • artist & stylist

WORK • Wednesday Routine

JILLIAN KNOX • artist & stylist
Neighborhood you live in: The Mission

It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
It’s pretty low-key — a lot of maintenance with the studio, cleaning, organizing, checking orders, putting things back, coffee. Usually, I’m ordering a breakfast sandwich from Rad Radish.

What’s on the agenda for today?
I’m working on a project that starts shooting on Monday. It was confirmed two days ago, and it’s a five-day shoot, which is nuts. But I’m excited about it because it’s a creative agency out of my hometown (Washington, DC), and I’ve been wanting to work with them for a long time. It involves lots of online ordering, all of which arrives at my house today through Sunday, which is going to be insane. My neighbors are going to be like, “What the fuck?”

Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Yesterday, I went to the Museum of the African Diaspora for a talk, and then all my friends went to Minnie Bell’s in the Fillmore. They don’t really have that many vegan options, so I had some collard greens. My usual spot is El Chato in my neighborhood. I just love what they’re doing. They’re so community-oriented, the food is lovely and beautiful, and the wine selection is really good.

How about a little leisure or culture this week?
On Sunday I’m hosting Black Brunch Club. George McCallum started it years ago, and ever since it’s been a traveling brunch. I hosted it last year, and we had about 50 people show up, which is crazy in my apartment. This round, we’ll see, but that’s the adventure. It’s a potluck, so George assigns categories to people, and they all bring something sweet, savory, salad, or wine.

Any weekend getaways?
We love going to Mendocino for staycations up there. My friend has a place in Sea Ranch, so usually I can persuade him to let us stay. I usually just cook, because his house is so nice and cozy. I bring a ton of groceries, and I’m recipe testing, experimenting on new things.

What was your last great vacation?
We went to Michoacán for Day of the Dead, and that was amazing. My husband’s family is in Acuitzio, and that was the first time I got to see where his mom and dad grew up, and his grandmother’s house — all the homes are adobe. I highly recommend going to Pátzcuaro for Day of the Dead. It’s the most culturally rich experience. Everyone is decked out, there’s so much art, and so many vendors. I also really liked Tzintzuntzan; the historical cemeteries are there, and all the graves were decorated with so many marigolds. Even driving or walking around, you’d see truckloads of marigolds.

What store or service do you always recommend?
I love eBay, and I love vintage Gucci, so I’ve been keeping my eye on a couple of pairs of shoes. ShopRelove is also amazing — they have a lot of pre-owned, pre-loved, high-quality vintage.

There is also a record company that’s so cool called Nudie Records. They do vinyl, and everything gets pressed in Canada, but they record and master and all that locally. I found a few albums that I really like — a psychedelic rock album and two spaghetti western records. One of them has mariachi vibes.

Photo: Karen Santos Photography.