Halley Chambers & Kip Gleize
Fort Greene, Brooklyn
At the heart of Fort Greene’s dining scene, Margot has quickly become a neighborhood staple (as we in the neighborhood can attest.) With a warm, seasonal menu, the team leans into French techniques, and plenty of seafood, handmade pastas, and naturally driven wine and cocktails. Ever since opening in 2023, the restaurant has reflected co-owners Halley Chambers and Kip Gleize’s shared vision of joyful, accessible hospitality and thoughtful cuisine rooted in comfort and curiosity. We sat with the pair to muse on the meals and mentors that shaped their approach, and the dishes they’d send a first-time guest straight to the kitchen for. Start taking notes for your next dinner ;)
Full name, age, and where are you from?
HC: Halley Chambers, Chicago!
KG: Kip Gleize, 24, South Carolina.
What are your titles at Margot?
HC: Co-Owners.
KG: No idea lol.
What was the spark that led you to open the place together?
HC: A shared sensibility toward caring for others, a similar taste in restaurants, and most importantly, that Kip brings all the talent and I couldn’t do it without her.
KG: We have a shared sensibility for making people feel welcome. It also helps that our taste in restaurants is very similar. But mostly we are friends who really enjoy hanging out, makes the work much easier.
What, to each of you, is the best city for food right now?
HC: I was recently in Santa Fe and had some absolute bangers of meals. But also San Sebastian!
KG: Mexico City!
Was there a pivotal moment, meal, or person that shaped your vision for Margot’s wine and food program?
HC: Though our menu looks very different now from when we first opened, the DNA of Margot still feels very much like Prune (my favorite restaurant of all time, and one we derive a lot of inspiration from) to me. Warm, accessible, comforting, with a bit of irreverence.
KG: We decided to open Margot after back to back meals at Au Passage and Verre Volé in Paris - this evening was full of good food and wine. We often reference these meals when developing new ideas for our restaurants.
Before Margot, what experiences most influenced your approach to hospitality?
HC: I have a corporate background, and also didn’t eat out much growing up. I was 21 years old, interviewing for a job in Washington, DC, and took myself out to dinner at Rasika, the iconic Indian restaurant that I had no business eating at (also probably the first time I ever went out to eat alone?). The staff was so warm, welcoming and kind, and it really shaped my understanding of how hospitality can be transformative.
KG: I’ve always been surrounded by deeply hospitable people, who naturally put the needs of others before their own. I knew my life would be rooted in some form of service. We view restaurants and hospitality as an exercise of selflessness and connection.
What is the most blissful food moment from your upbringings?
HC: A vacation on Captiva Island in Florida, the first time I tasted coconut cake.
KG: Too hard to pick! Low country boils, pasta lunch on Sundays, getting donuts on Saturdays with my father.
Where have you been drawing inspiration from recently?
HC: Watching the next generation of chefs cook food that is uniquely theirs, with fearlessness. Fidel @ Corima and Sunny @ Sunn’s are two who come to mind!
KG: I’ve been reading lots of homestyle cookbooks, mostly southern and French. Just simple food prepared humbly and lovingly. I hope our restaurants always feel a bit like home!
If it's my first time stopping into Margot, what are your order recommendations right now?
HC: Bring a friend, get a burger to share (snack), the spaghetti limone, and the chicken a la zuni cafe.
KG: A burger!
