An Interview with Ty Hunter (August 18th, 2025)

In honor of the Met Gala, and more importantly, Beyonce’s attendance, I wanted to reflect on my interview with Beyonce’s long-time stylist, Ty Hunter. Last fall, through my internship with DCW, I was able to attend Hunter’s birthday celebration and interview him. The article I wrote for the DCW website is below:

DCW Celebrates Black Excellence by Partnering with Black Businesses to Host Beyonce’s Stylist’s Birthday Dinner

By Kylah Nicole Bryant

“Culture, community, and connection” were the three words Nigerian Italian chef Tayo used to describe Tuesday’s birthday celebration hosted by D Collective Wardrobe (DCW) for Beyonce’s long-time stylist.

Celebrity stylist Ty Hunter’s birthday celebration included a trip to the One World Observatory, and a five-course dinner experience cultivated by up-and-coming chef, Tayo Ola. 

Hunter’s long-time friend and seasoned celebrity stylist Esther Lamour partnered with local black business DCW’s CEO Diandra Monk to organize the 2-part luxury event in Manhattan. 

Multiple black businesses and public figures were a part of this special night: Chef Tayo’s Ebi-Ayo Supper Club, Chef Reuel Vincent, TikTok food-influencer, Christie Monk (@iamchristie), and several celebrity stylists including, Carl Curry (@carlcurrynyc), Harrison Crite (@iamharrisoncrite), Rodney E Haile Jr. (@jazzi_banks)

The presence of black businesses was crucial to Hunter. “It is important for us to always help and uplift each other. I love the elements of us; I am inspired by us. I look to my people for elevation”, he stated.  

Chef Tayo’s company, The Ebi-Ayo Supper Club has been hosting private pop-up events across the country, but he has recently settled on a permanent location in NYC. The seamless blend of his Nigerian background and his experiences in Italy provide a unique eating experience for his guests.

The meal consisted of two starters, two mains, and one dessert, as well as two wine pairings and a choice of coffee or tea.

Starters:

• Amoree Pepper Soup with Lamb Meatballs
• Truffle-infused Yam served with Garri Polenta and Honey Suya Chicken

Mains:

• Lobster Jollof Risotto
• Fried-Fufu Gnocchi with 24-hour slow-cooked Oxtail Stew

Dessert:

• Golden Puff-Puff   

The Nigerian-born chef emphasized the importance of building community through sharing food.

At each dining experience he wants people to “come in as strangers and leave as family.” He shared that growing up at his parent’s home in Nigeria, strangers would come to eat and by the end of the night, they would be considered family.

“Family and community is big in both the Italian and Nigerian communities”, stated Ola, which highly influenced his decision to fuse the two.   

The earlier event included a trip to the One World observatory located in the World Trade Center, where Caribbean chef Reuel Vincent prepared a tasty lunch for the group to enjoy.

DCW will be holding more events in the future. To keep up you can check out our social media page(s): TikTok @dcollectivewardrobe; @Diandra_collective_

To learn more about Chef Tayo, use the following link: Home – Ebi-Ayo Supper Club

To learn more about Chef Reuel Vincent, check out his Instagram: @reuelvincent