Helaina Hovitz is an editor, writer, and co-founder of Headlines for the Hopeful, a news site dedicated to positive news stories about people making a difference in the world. She is also the author of the forthcoming memoir After 9/11: One Girl's Journey Through Darkness to a New Beginning. She has written for the New York Times, Teen Vogue, Salon, Newsday, xoJane, New York Observer, and others. She is a contributor to Forbes, Huffington Post, Recovery.org, and is the NYC Guide Editor at The Daily Meal. Visit her at www.HelainaHovitz.com
Part hospitality school and part restaurant café in historic Hoi An, Vietnam, STREETS provides local, disadvantaged youth with an 18-month training program designed to give them the tools and skills to achieve financial independence.
To raise money for the organization, a lineup of some of the best chefs in New York City will cook up their own unique interpretations of “street” food, complemented by wine and cocktails.
“We are so excited to be sharing this momentous occasion with the New York culinary community, to whom we owe so much gratitude for their support over the years,” said Neal Bermas, founder of STREETS International.
ICE president Rick Smilow says that he and his colleagues look forward to the event each year because there are always so many new and innovative dishes to try, and people literally eat it up.
“The organization in Vietnam is so innovative and we are so happy online pharmacy that we’re able to support the culinary education and lifelong careers of young adults who otherwise would have very limited opportunities.”
The students that find their way into the program come from abhorrent living conditions, and in some cases, are even rescued from servitude or worse.
STREETS has also just opened a program in Ho Chi Mihn City, its first expansion beyond the original Hoi An school.
Katharine L’Heureux, Founder of Kahina Giving Beauty, has dedicated her career to building sustainable businesses around luxury.
After discovering argan oil on her first of many trips to Morocco, Katharine decided to create a niche beauty brand with Kahina Giving Beauty, not just offering organic products to women in Lower Manhattan and across the United States. In doing so, she provides much needed job opportunities for women in Morocco who help produce the sustainably-sourced and packaged products.
“As I came to know and appreciate the Berber women, she decided that a cornerstone of the Kahina brand would be giving back to them to elevate them and their communities,” she said.
The Downtown Chelsea resident frequently visits the Moroccan argan cooperatives from which the oil is sourced to ensure the fair and proper treatment of the Berber women who extract it. She also works with suppliers online pharmacy and local social activists to identify these women’s most urgent needs in order to give back to them in a way that directly improves their lives and communities.
For the Berber women who inhabit the argan forest in the Southwest of Morocco, the hard work of extracting argan oil offers them their only means of financial and social independence. In collaboration with cooperatives and local NGOs (non-government organizations), Kahina Giving Beauty works to enhance the quality of life for these women and their communities by supporting local educational, environmental, agricultural and clean water initiatives.
Kahina Giving Beauty donates 1% of its annual revenue to organizations that directly benefit the women in the South of Morocco and their families; Education For All in Morocco (EFA) an organization that provides safe boarding homes for girls so that they can continue their education beyond elementary school, and The High Atlas Foundation, which raises money for a number of regional initiatives including delivering clean drinking water to remote villages in the High Atlas Mountains, creating jobs and protecting the environment by planting community-run nurseries in rural Morocco.
“I was influenced early on by being raised on a vineyard in the Napa Valley to understand that products are only as good as the quality of ingredients that go into them,” she said. “The highest quality ingredients typically come from small family farms, where there is a measure of control over, and pride in, the end result.”
As for the products themselves, Kahina combines time-tested organic and natural ingredients with modern technology to provide effective formulations and packages them for the discerning customer, going beyond Fair Trade requirements and donating an additional percentage of our revenue to support the Berber women of Morocco who crack the nuts for the argan oil.
Standouts include pure Argan Oil, which is rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids which works on contact to moisturize, reduce inflammation, minimize fine lines, improve skin tone and protect skin from environmental factors that cause signs of aging. There’s also the unique Moroccan Rose Beldi Soap, a skin cleansing and softening treatment that serves as a key element in the traditional purification experience known as the hammam in Morocco. The gel-like soap is made from saponified olive oil and lightly scented with Eucalyptus Oil. Used as a body mask to soften skin and followed by massage with the traditional “kessa”, a rough mitt, this luxurious treatment cleanses and exfoliates leaving your skin detoxified and silky smooth.
Finally, the 15-minute Moisture Mask helps create a refined and rejuvenated complexion. An homage to Katharine’s wine country roots and her “first skincare love”, argan oil, extracts from red wine grapes, argan oil and prickly pear seed oil provide essential fatty acids and potent antioxidants to neutralize free radicals that contribute to signs of aging. Avena Strigosa combined with a naturally occurring unique sugar compound work to increase skin’s water reserves to plump skin and improve barrier function, while mushroom extract soothes skin.
When she’s not in Morocco, the downtown resident loves frequenting Murray’s Cheese, KISAN on Green Street for Icelandic fashion concepts, grabbing dinner at Cherche Midi on the Bowery, and taking walks along The High Line to take in the landscape and clear her head. After that, she’ll most likely stroll into the Whitney Museum or Aedes Perfumery on Greenwich Avenue.
For my part, I absolutely adore meditation, and I absolutely hate silent meditation.
I especially hate 35 minutes of silent meditation.
Fortunately, a new studio called INSCAPE has opened at 45 W. 21st Street, welcoming all those who need a break—and a bit more than just a room full of fellow meditators and silence—to dwell in one of their two sanctuaries.
Colored lighting, ethereal sounds, music and ambient noise are all paired, in most cases, with a guided meditation over a speaker that echoes throughout the whimsical, open space. If you’re one of those Buddha-on-earth types who loves a nice long stretch of silence, you can book one of those sessions , too. Delivered by audio guidance, the content incorporates three primary meditation techniques: focus, mindfulness and mantra, while music cues gentle body movements and breath work to engage and center the meditator.
There’s nothing quite like this in the city right now, and, of course, it’s happening downtown. It is a high-end experience to be sure, but actually costs about as much as the average yoga class.
Designed by renowned architect Winka Dubbeldam—who Khajak Keledjian met at INTERMIX 10 years ago—the space honors the traditions of meditation while infusing modern design and technologies to foster immersion and reflection.
INSCAPE’s Alcove
“We thought it was too small for her, but she was actually inspired by the idea. Turns out we have parallel interests in yoga and meditation,” Keledjian said. “Winka’s been meditating since her early 20’s. We collaborated to design the space thoughtfully. Working with someone who authentically understands not only the design you’re imagining, but its essence, is invaluable.”
Khajak Keledjiansays that INSCAPE is the first multi-platform meditation and relaxation experience that incorporates a studio and an app, one that provides audio-guided direction to bring the meditator through a unique flow of movement, breathing and meditation technique, step-by-step.
“We created INSCAPE to empower people to connect with their best selves, find balance and live life to its fullest potential, anytime, anywhere,” said Keledjian.“We wanted to create modern, secular and accessible meditation online pharmacy and relaxation experiences that represented an of-the-moment approach to an age-old practice.”
By combining modern technology with ancient techniques, Keledjian hopes INSCAPE will not only help busy city folks find a little Zen, but increase their ability to focus, think creatively, and up their “emotional intelligence.”
Over the last 10 years, as Keledjian practiced and refined what mediation style worked for him, he constructed his “mindful space” internally.
“It all started as a bet that I could not sit still for 15 minutes, when I was leading a hectic lifestyle. It ended up inspiring me to make meditation more relatable and accessible,” he said.
A New Yorker since his teenage years, he built his first business here and knows firsthand the need for balance and calm.
“If you can connect with yourself, you can better connect with others, which makes urban settings like this more manageable,” he said. “If we can reimagine meditation here, and create a cohesive community bringing together like-minded individuals in a big, over-stimulated city like New York, we can do it anywhere.”
Interestingly enough, in a world full of distractions and devices that make us reachable at all hours and threaten to push our boundaries of availability every day, technology is not, he says, the enemy: like with our thoughts during meditation, we have to learn to use it in our favor.
“There is a misconception that people need to detach from technology to find balance and create mindful environments. We want people to understand they can control how they interact with technology, rather than feel they are controlled by it,” he said. “The reality is that technology is part of the evolution of our society and it can enhance and enrich our everyday lives if we utilize it mindfully.”
If you ask me guided meditation is a great way to go—just the right amount of gentle stimulation when you’re seeking a break from an apartment or office full of screens and a city full of: insert frustrating/loud/rude/noisy/annoying/delayed thing here.
In a city notorious for serving up the best slice on earth, you’d think that this idea would have emerged sooner: two separate ovens cooking the crust two separate ways to optimize the pizza for in-house versus delivery enjoyment.
At Adoro Lei, in-house pies are made Neapolitan-style, baked in a 100% Maraforno wood-burning oven imported from Naples. Twelve-inch pies are baked at approximately 800 to 1000 degrees, which takes about 90 seconds.
As for the delivery pizzas, which are more of a “New York style pie,” the chefs use a Marsal brick oven that uses gas as its heat source to bake at 600 degrees. This method takes slightly longer, about eight minutes.
The only difference between the two pizzas — there are over a dozen varieties — is the dough recipe.
“The Neapolitan-style pizza has an airier crust and, because of the high temperature in the wood burning oven, the dough blows up very quickly causing air pockets in the crust. This is why it only takes about 90 seconds to cook,” said the restaurant’s Chef Mario Gentile. “If you put a hot pizza in a box it causes steam, and this steam causes the air bubbles in the Neapolitan pizza crust to deflate which creates a soggy texture. ”
The gas oven, which cooks the New York style pizzas, cooks at a lower temperature so that the crust does not create air bubbles. This results in a more condensed pharmacy online crust that can withstand the steam for a longer period of time, making it much better suited for delivery or takeout.
As for specifics, The Casanova and The Rosina pizzas are two sides of a very popular coin – the Margherita pizza. The former is “Italian” and made with San Marzano tomatoes, pecorino, Buffalo Mozzarella, and the other is more New York style, made with tomatoes, pecorino, Parmigiano, basil, and fresh mozzarella. For veggie lovers, The Isabella is made with tomatoes, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, pecorino, oregano, and fresh mozzarella; or, if you’re a fan of truffle anything, The Pietro, made with marinated cherry tomatoes, basil, pecorino, wild arugula, prosciutto, Parmigiano shavings, and truffle oil.
If it’s chocolate pizza you’re after—because, of course you are—don’t miss the two pizzas created from a collaboration with world-renowned chocolatier Jacques Torres, The Giacomo, made with a savory cocoa crust, Jacques Torres cocoa and nibs, house made mozzarella, bacon, fig puree, gorgonzola, caramelized onions; or The Henriette, made with sweet cocoa zeppole pie, Jacques Torres cocoa, chocolate ice cream, fresh cream, berries, and chocolate drizzle.
You go to any steakhouse expecting to be treated like a royal, fully prepared to brace for impact when the steam from the sizzling tableside steak hits your face.
The newest steakhouse on the scene definitely lives up to expectations.
Several of the wait staff from Wolfgang’s Tribeca have joined Strip House Downtown’s General Manager Alfred Cetaj in migrating uptown to open Royal 35 Steakhouse, a brand new restaurant that boasts a walk-in meat locker purposely placed right before the main dining room for all diners to see.
The purpose of its placement, according to management, is to “stress the importance of their quality of meat and unique dry aging process.” At eight feet tall and over five feet deep, it houses 2,000 pounds of short loins and 500 pounds of ribeye at any given time. All of their beef is dry-aged there for 35 days using Pink Himalayan sea salt blocks, a method intended to ensure a more tender and flavorful piece of meat.
The Royal 35 team
The 5,000 square foot restaurant offers steaks ranging from an 8 oz. filet to a 76 oz. steak for four, all cooked in an 1800 degree broiler and presented sizzling at the table.
It also features legendary head bartender, Sherif Nezaj, who has been bartending and operating restaurants in New York City for almost 50 years. Nezaj started bartending at the famed Mamaleones in 1969 where he served regulars like Frank Sinatra and Joe Namath. From there, he bartended at the notorious Sparks Steakhouse from 1979-1984, leaving just two weeks before gangster Paul Castellano was whacked. Nezaj left to open Il Monello Restaurant, an upper east side Italian favorite, which he managed and owned for 22 years. Following the close of Il Monello, Nezaj went back to the steakhouse world where he was head bartender at Wolfgang’s Steakhouse for the last six years. Now he joins the Royal 35 team behind the bar full-time.
So does the aging technique really affect the meat, or is it one of those fancy pharmacy online allures meant to draw in the curious?
Let’s put it this way: what little leftovers we had didn’t last very long.
Ever since I took my first sip of Kusmi tea, I was hooked. I usually resorted to ordering on Amazon, but can now walk right on over to their 800-square-foot space at Westfield, which they recently opened on the cusp of their 150-year anniversary. With 53 boutiques in France and 23 additional international boutiques, this latest opening marks a significant moment for the brand’s presence in the United States.
Located within the Oculus, the store’s design was conceived by Christopher Jenner, whose firm has also collaborated on designs for luxury brands including Liberty London, diptyque Paris, L’Artisan Parfumeur Paris. The aesthetic references the brand’s Franco-Russian heritage through a baroque and modern lens, including a central tasting station that brings a sense of ritual to the Kusmi experience.
Raphael Camp, the company’s COO, spoke with Downtown about the decision to open up shop downtown and what sets Kusmi apart from the David’s Teas and Teavanas of the city.
Raphael Camp: The revival of Lower Manhattan represents both a memorial site and a business district. Westfield World Trade Center is the perfect expression of this dynamism, and Kusmi Tea naturally found its place in this visionary upscale new mall that attracts visitors from all around the world.
Does the location hold any significant meaning for you, personally?
RC: To me, the Twin Towers symbolized the grandeur of New York. On September 11, 2001, my mom was on a business trip to New York and personally witnessed their destruction. This memory is very emotional. Today, I don’t live far from the new World Trade Center myself and am proud to participate in the revival of the area.
What sets Kusmi’s tea apart from other teas?
RC: Kusmi Tea is one of a kind. It is a brand with a heritage of 150 years. The teahouse was founded in St. Petersburg in 1867, and since then, Kusmi Tea has carried the same exclusive tea recipes — like Prince Vladimir and Anastasia — that were created at the end of the 19th century. Classic teas like Karavan recall times when tea pharmacy online was originally imported from China to Russia via camel caravan. However, Kusmi Tea is also a modern teahouse that has adapted to contemporary tastes by creating wellness blends like the Detox line.
Some foreign tea shops have had to shut down their New York City flagship stores, stating that the “tea-culture” in New York City is different than in Europe…
RC: The Anglo-Saxons have always been great drinkers of tea. It is true that Americans belatedly appreciated high-end loose-leaf tea, but things are changing, especially in New York City.
