SUNDAY IN THE CANYON
Hospitality sits at the center of everything Rowan Spencer and Emma Leigh Macdonald do. Through their project Mon Petit Canard, the partners and collaborators bring together food, music, and storytelling, creating gatherings that feel as natural and welcoming as spending an evening at a friend’s home.
March 9, 2026
Photos: Jen Steele
We’ve known Rowan and Emma for years, and have loved hosting them for pop-ups at our Echo Park café. We’re always curious about what they’re up to, and joined them in Brooklyn to see how their mornings begin.
For someone encountering your world for the first time, how would you describe what you do, both individually and together?
ES: I work half in writing and half in food, and bring those things together whenever possible. I used to work more directly in the art and design worlds, but made a pivot to cooking in 2021—which is the shift that led Rowan and I to start working together in food and music, under the name Mon Petit Canard (https://mpc.restaurant) (MPC). Whether it’s writing or hosting or cooking I like to keep hospitality at the center.
RS: I would say I work half in writing too, and that the other half is a hodgepodge of work in music, hospitality, media, culture, and creative direction. A career freelancer, basically. I started working in DJ booths and kitchens while I was in school too, and I put a lot of that experience into helping open Public Records. Now it all goes into MPC.
For someone encountering your world for the first time, how would you describe what you do, both individually and together?
ES: I work half in writing and half in food, and bring those things together whenever possible. I used to work more directly in the art and design worlds, but made a pivot to cooking in 2021—which is the shift that led Rowan and I to start working together in food and music, under the name Mon Petit Canard (https://mpc.restaurant) (MPC). Whether it’s writing or hosting or cooking I like to keep hospitality at the center.
RS: I would say I work half in writing too, and that the other half is a hodgepodge of work in music, hospitality, media, culture, and creative direction. A career freelancer, basically. I started working in DJ booths and kitchens while I was in school too, and I put a lot of that experience into helping open Public Records. Now it all goes into MPC.
For someone encountering your world for the first time, how would you describe what you do, both individually and together?
ES: I work half in writing and half in food, and bring those things together whenever possible. I used to work more directly in the art and design worlds, but made a pivot to cooking in 2021—which is the shift that led Rowan and I to start working together in food and music, under the name Mon Petit Canard (https://mpc.restaurant) (MPC). Whether it’s writing or hosting or cooking I like to keep hospitality at the center.
RS: I would say I work half in writing too, and that the other half is a hodgepodge of work in music, hospitality, media, culture, and creative direction. A career freelancer, basically. I started working in DJ booths and kitchens while I was in school too, and I put a lot of that experience into helping open Public Records. Now it all goes into MPC.
For someone encountering your world for the first time, how would you describe what you do, both individually and together?
ES: I work half in writing and half in food, and bring those things together whenever possible. I used to work more directly in the art and design worlds, but made a pivot to cooking in 2021—which is the shift that led Rowan and I to start working together in food and music, under the name Mon Petit Canard (https://mpc.restaurant) (MPC). Whether it’s writing or hosting or cooking I like to keep hospitality at the center.
RS: I would say I work half in writing too, and that the other half is a hodgepodge of work in music, hospitality, media, culture, and creative direction. A career freelancer, basically. I started working in DJ booths and kitchens while I was in school too, and I put a lot of that experience into helping open Public Records. Now it all goes into MPC.
For someone encountering your world for the first time, how would you describe what you do, both individually and together?
ES: I work half in writing and half in food, and bring those things together whenever possible. I used to work more directly in the art and design worlds, but made a pivot to cooking in 2021—which is the shift that led Rowan and I to start working together in food and music, under the name Mon Petit Canard (https://mpc.restaurant) (MPC). Whether it’s writing or hosting or cooking I like to keep hospitality at the center.
RS: I would say I work half in writing too, and that the other half is a hodgepodge of work in music, hospitality, media, culture, and creative direction. A career freelancer, basically. I started working in DJ booths and kitchens while I was in school too, and I put a lot of that experience into helping open Public Records. Now it all goes into MPC.
For someone encountering your world for the first time, how would you describe what you do, both individually and together?
ES: I work half in writing and half in food, and bring those things together whenever possible. I used to work more directly in the art and design worlds, but made a pivot to cooking in 2021—which is the shift that led Rowan and I to start working together in food and music, under the name Mon Petit Canard (https://mpc.restaurant) (MPC). Whether it’s writing or hosting or cooking I like to keep hospitality at the center.
RS: I would say I work half in writing too, and that the other half is a hodgepodge of work in music, hospitality, media, culture, and creative direction. A career freelancer, basically. I started working in DJ booths and kitchens while I was in school too, and I put a lot of that experience into helping open Public Records. Now it all goes into MPC.
For someone encountering your world for the first time, how would you describe what you do, both individually and together?
ES: I work half in writing and half in food, and bring those things together whenever possible. I used to work more directly in the art and design worlds, but made a pivot to cooking in 2021—which is the shift that led Rowan and I to start working together in food and music, under the name Mon Petit Canard (https://mpc.restaurant) (MPC). Whether it’s writing or hosting or cooking I like to keep hospitality at the center.
RS: I would say I work half in writing too, and that the other half is a hodgepodge of work in music, hospitality, media, culture, and creative direction. A career freelancer, basically. I started working in DJ booths and kitchens while I was in school too, and I put a lot of that experience into helping open Public Records. Now it all goes into MPC.
For someone encountering your world for the first time, how would you describe what you do, both individually and together?
ES: I work half in writing and half in food, and bring those things together whenever possible. I used to work more directly in the art and design worlds, but made a pivot to cooking in 2021—which is the shift that led Rowan and I to start working together in food and music, under the name Mon Petit Canard (https://mpc.restaurant) (MPC). Whether it’s writing or hosting or cooking I like to keep hospitality at the center.
RS: I would say I work half in writing too, and that the other half is a hodgepodge of work in music, hospitality, media, culture, and creative direction. A career freelancer, basically. I started working in DJ booths and kitchens while I was in school too, and I put a lot of that experience into helping open Public Records. Now it all goes into MPC.
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We've followed the work of NY artist Sarah Nsikak for years, drawn to the way she moves between the functional and the atmospheric. It has felt full circle to now have one of her beautiful textiles at home in our new Brooklyn café: a lightweight panel hand-stitched organza silk and antique fabric.