Sunday, August 30, 2020

An Abundant Life - Light And Life

I first wrote about Grand Vin in September of 2016 when it was still fairly new. A friend had suggested I go there when I was meeting with a beautiful stylist who I was writing a blog post about, and I so much appreciated the suggestion because the evening was one of the loveliest I'd had. It was such an enjoyable experience, and the food and wine were so excellent, that I told our wonderful waitress that I'd love to write a blog post about the restaurant, and asked if she could give my compliments to the owner. She went inside and after a few moments, the owner Dan Grey came out to say hello to us. He was so charming and friendly and we had a lovely conversation then and when I returned again to talk to him more in depth. It's moments like these that are part of what I love about writing this blog - people like Dan Grey are very special, and it was a pleasure to meet him and experience the beautiful treasure of a restaurant he has created at Grand Vin.

Since the time that I first met him, Dan Grey opened Saku, a Japanese fusion and sushi restaurant that I have also written about in this blog. And during these past months when the world for a time seemed as if it would never be a world full of the fun of going to beautiful restaurants like Saku and Grand Vin, Dan opened them both up again, first for takeout and delivery and then for outdoor dining, creating sidewalk parklets and additional seating in their already enjoyable outdoor areas. He also opened a new restaurant that I have yet to try, Touch The Heart. I keep hearing wonderful things about it and I'm sure it's excellent as everything that Dan does always is. He has a way about him of understanding how to allow the people on his team to shine their brightest, letting them do the things they do best and to thrive in the environments he creates with them. I've written about some of the people who work with him in the time that I have known him, and they are all very special and talented.

I was looking forward to returning to Grand Vin and on the evening I went it was so lovely. The dinner was doubling as a business meeting once again, but it was certainly the kind of meeting that was so enjoyable I wish every meeting could be like that. We were early enough so that we could sit in the front area where there is a couch and hanging chair, and it was so comfortable and so luxurious that I felt like I was on vacation. We tried a variety of things to share and taste, starting off with sparkling wine and then onto an Orange wine and finishing with Red. Grand Vin has an excellent wine list, with delicious varietals and wines also on tap, and part of the fun for me is trying things that are new to my experience. They have organic wines as well, and the list is always full of delicious options.

Grand Vin was always a lovely place to go, but now even more so with all these long months behind us that kept us away from the people we enjoyed spending time with and the places we loved to go. Having an evening to sit on an outdoor couch at Grand Vin enjoying delicious food and wine and beautiful company felt like so much more than just a beautiful night out. It felt like light and life were back in style.

Grand Vin
500 Grand Street
Hoboken, New Jersey














Blessings,

Jannie Susan
  

Sunday, August 23, 2020

An Abundant Life - Visionary Moments

Two years ago a friend was coming into town to celebrate a birthday and an anniversary, and he asked me if we could go to Antique Bar & Bakery because he'd been hearing so much about it and seeing my posts on Instagram. He's known me for so many years and he knew that something must be going on there that was worth a trip because he knows that I don't say anything is great unless it really is. On the night that we went there it was just before Pride weekend, and as we were waiting outside before going in to our table, a strikingly handsome man stopped by and handed us a postcard inviting us to the Pride party at Antique. I had never seen him before, but as time went on I began to see him there more often, and I found out that his name was Surface.

Since that night I have seen him at other events, at the restaurant and at the Antique Loft, and I've discovered he is a Chef and that his name is also Andre Montique. He made mozzarella to order at a station during an Art Event I curated at the Loft and has served and carved roasts and other delicacies on other occasions, and he regularly hosts at the restaurant on weekend nights. I realized that when I first met him I hadn't seen him before because I didn't usually go to the restaurant on the nights when he was working. The weekends are always so crowded and those are the busiest nights, but after I began to get to know him more, I'd stop in sometimes just to see him earlier in the evenings before it got too packed. And sometimes on a holiday or special occasion I'd sit at the bar where he always made me feel at home, or if a friend happened to really want to go on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night, I'd look forward to saying hello to him.

Surface has worked at the highest levels of the fashion and culinary industries, as a go-to Chef for the department store Barney's special events team, as an Assistant Chef at the New Yorker Club, a Line Cook at New York City's Union Square Cafe, The Coffee Shop, and the China Grill, rising to the position of Executive Chef at Cafe Liebowitz and to managing all aspects of the kitchen and food preparation at Restaurant Istana at the New York Palace Hotel. He has worked alongside Chefs such as Todd English and James Staiano and as a restaurant consultant for corporate establishments to revise menus and revitalize audiences, using his charm and vast list of contacts as a Performance Artist to manage the room's ambiance. Recently he has been hired as a lifestyle consultant for luxury beauty brands such as skin-care Bionova and BG Tom Ford, Byredo and Serge Lutens, and he was also the personal Chef for the late John Richardson, famed British Art Historian and Biographer of Pablo Picasso. After exceeding expectations with the excellence of his home cooked meals and desserts for events and large group meetings at the Corporate office of Calvin Klein in New York City and the private residence of Raf Simons, the Chief Creative Officer, he was asked to provide personal Chef service for Mr. Simons. He's always dressed in a way that is striking, elegant and altogether fabulous, and he has a way about him that carries a room. He's inspiring in that way as well as in the way he thinks, and it's always an uplifting pleasure to see him.

There were times when I'd be walking by Antique Bar & Bakery when he'd be taking a quick break for a breath of fresh air outside and we'd have a chance to have a laugh together. On other times if I was lucky enough to catch him as he was arriving for the beginning of his shift, we could talk a bit longer. He has a wonderful way of looking at life and the world and a wonderful sense of humor, and on occasion I would see something funny and he'd see it at the same time and all we'd have to do is look at each other and we couldn't stop laughing. Laughter is a gift, and it's so healthy for us, and I'm realizing as I write this how much I miss laughing with Surface.

During these past months I have been missing him. Though we've been in touch pretty regularly through Instagram, I hadn't seen him personally in a while, and I thought I could write about him which in a way could bring him a bit closer to me at least for the time when I was writing. When I write about people I often write about my experiences of them first and add in other details they share with me, so writing about someone is a time when I am focusing on them and how I met them, the things I know about them and things I discover as I write and they share new things with me.

Surface is a visionary. He's someone who doesn't tell you he is, he just is. He's his own unique and beautiful creation, and one who inspires others. He's worked in some of the finest restaurants and with some of the greatest designers, and he's had experience working as a private Chef for celebrities and at the highest levels in the fashion world. His resume lists the top names of places to see and be seen, but more than that, he brings joy and life to every situation, to every moment, and makes us think and take time to explore. It's been too long since I've seen him and I'm going to have to do something about that soon because I miss his directness, his wit and his charm and the way he has of bringing everything to the Surface.


Andre Montique - Surface
At Antique Bar & Bakery
122 Willow Avenue
Hoboken, New Jersey
https://www.antiquebarbakery.com/




Chef Andre Montique
At A Mozzarella Station
At The Antique Loft

With Jannie Wolff
On New Year's Eve 2019







Blessings,

Jannie Susan

Sunday, August 16, 2020

An Abundant Life - Lovely Days

I heard from someone who I hadn't seen in a while the other day, and he asked if I had time to meet in Manhattan and talk a bit. In these days when I'm not traveling much into New York City, though I didn't want to disappoint him, I had to say I couldn't know when I'd be able to meet him in the City again. He suggested he could come out to Hoboken, and that was a wonderful surprise. I knew just where I'd take him because I had been wanting to visit Halifax again now that they have their new expanded outdoor seating.

I've written about Halifax before a few times because it's just such a lovely place to go, and this time was a particularly enjoyable one because it does my heart good to see restaurants I care about being able to do the work they do so well. The Executive Chef of Halifax, Seadon Shouse, is marvelously talented in skill and creative ideas. Though the indoors is off limits now for seating, the design of the restaurant itself is beautiful and that feeling of peace and loveliness spills out onto the outdoor patio area where we now are able to sit and enjoy the views of the Hudson while eating the delicious dishes that arrive from the exceptional kitchen. Chef Shouse was not there the day that I visited, but the Chefs in the kitchen are superlative and everything was wonderful. The staff are so friendly and knowledgeable, and though the restaurant had a small number of staff on the day I was there, we were all so well taken care of that I never would have known how hard they were working because they do their jobs so well and with such a commitment to excellence. As I was leaving I asked our server, Marlon, for his name because he had been so outstanding and I wanted to make sure to mention him when I wrote this post. The Manager was also terrific, but I didn't have a chance to ask her for her name because she was busy helping to seat new arrivals.

Because I love the food at Halifax so much and I hadn't been there in a while, I ordered a variety of different things, and I'll let the pictures do the talking because the beautiful food is even better than it looks. I will say that the Smoked Salmon Flatbread was wonderful not only because of the delicious bread itself and the wonderful combination of flavors, but the house made smoked salmon as always was of the highest quality. The Gem Lettuce Caesar Salad was simply lovely, with the finest of white anchovies and freshest of crunchy lolla rossa under a flavorful and not overpowering dressing, topped with perfect house made parmesan croutons. The Salt Cod and Shrimp Fritters with saffron aioli and herb salad were so good that my friend who said he would only taste a small piece just to try one had two. The Bolognese of veal, beef and pork ragu over fresh saffron rigatoni with parmesan was one of those dishes that was so satisfying, the pasta perfectly al dente and the sauce richly flavorful while still somehow being light.

Though their cocktails are always delicious, the day was a warm one and so I decided to keep it lighter with a lovely glass of Sauvignon Blanc from their excellent wine list. For dessert we shared the Strawberry Rhubarb Shortcake with candied orange, whipped cream and pistachio which arrived looking so lovely that it made the already beautiful afternoon feel like a party. Strawberry shortcake is one of my favorite things, and rhubarb is too, and though I knew it would be good, I was delighted to see and taste that the shortbread was really shortbread. I just wrote recently in a post on Instagram that no one makes strawberry shortcake the way I like it, and when this one arrived and I tasted the various flavors that melded so perfectly together, I felt like I'd finally found someone who not only understood the delicious creation that strawberry shortcake really is, but who had made it in a way that was unique and memorable. Halifax is a true gem and I'm so glad to be able to visit again. Sitting on their patio and enjoying such a lovely afternoon gives me the feeling that these long months are opening up into a much brighter tomorrow.

Halifax
At W Hotel
225 River Street
Hoboken, New Jersey



 
  




A Safe and Convenient
Contactless Menu






Blessings,

Jannie Susan


Sunday, August 9, 2020

An Abundant Life - Creating History

On the last day of June I had a telephone conversation with Eileen Kaminsky, the Founder of Eileen S. Kaminsky Family Foundation (ESKFF). At this time in a normal year Eileen would have been in New York and the Spring Residency at ESKFF would have been ending, we would have been celebrating the annual fundraiser, and the summer youth mentoring program, Sol Studio, would have been getting ready to begin. But because this hasn't been a normal year at all, none of those things were happening, and ESKFF and Mana Contemporary where it is located, had been closed to the public in March. The Winter Residency had been abruptly ended and there were no Artists making art in this usually vibrantly alive and creative space. During my conversation with Eileen, she mentioned that, though ESKFF would not be able to host the youth and Sol Studio at Mana, she would be allowed to have three adult Artists in the space. She and Gina Maffei, the Director of ESKFF, had reached out to some local Artists, but they hadn't been able to find anyone who was available. I said that I could find people for her, and thought of someone immediately, the 3-D Artist Dana Gambale who I have written about before and who I knew had been wanting to apply for the Residency. I had already introduced her to Eileen at the fundraiser last year and she had donated work for it and also helped with the photography at the event. Eileen said if she was available, the space was hers and if she could find two other friends they could all do the Residency together. I sent Dana a quick message, she agreed immediately and began to contact other Artists. In the meantime I thought of someone else I could ask, and within about an hour or so we had our three Residency Artists. It turned out that one Artist was unable to do the Residency due to a prior agreement with her gallery, but the other two Artists were able to start the following week. At the end of July I stopped by to visit them for a blog post, and heard the good news that their Residency had been extended for another month.

In an interesting turn of events, when I initially asked Dana who her friend was so that I could share her name with the Director of ESKFF so that she could be on the lookout for her online application and also begin the process of helping her get a badge to enter the building on a regular basis, when Dana said it was Alice Hepburn the name rang a bell. I had known an Alice Hepburn many years ago but I had not seen her in about fifteen years. The last time I saw her was at a Thanksgiving dinner at her mother's loft in Tribeca, and I was pretty sure that the age of that Alice Hepburn would match up with this one. I asked Dana if Alice was related to Pamela Hepburn, a Captain who is a well liked and respected member of the sailing and historic ship community in New York Harbor, and Dana said Pamela was Alice's mother. In a moment's time I was brought back to another part of my own life, when I lived in Soho and was a neighbor of another friend of Pamela's, the Artist Arden Scott and her husband Keith who owned a loft in Tribeca and whose daughter Kate belonged to the same theater company I had belonged to since I first moved to New York. And there was also a time when I was sailing quite a bit on historic ships in New York Harbor and attending many events in the sailing community, and all of those different worlds of my life were suddenly brought right into my present.

On the day when I first went to visit Dana and Alice at ESKFF we talked about their work and lives. They had some work in process but I decided to return the following week when they would have more to show me that I could photograph. Each time it was as if I was going to visit a whole group of people from my own past, because when I look at Alice I see her in my mind over the years when I knew her surrounded by the people and places where I had spent so much time of my own creative history. The work of both Artists is so vastly different and their process and materials are worlds apart from each other, but somehow visiting with them is an adventure into their combined creative process and vision, and like traveling to different planets in the solar system the experience works very well together as a whole.

Dana is developing a new series of work, some things that she has had in her mind for a while. As I've written before, I love the way that Dana's mind imagines and sees life because it is just not the same as the way my own or anyone else's does. She has such a unique vision and such a wonderful way of seeing the world. Her new work is exploring at times a type of psychedelia, with a Warhol Banana in more glittery and cosmic colors and spin paintings created on her own custom designed contraption that uses the mechanism of a fan for its spinning wheel and motor. Iconic imagery and fragmented Barbie Dolls float through some of her created cosmos skies, while words and language tell stories and make statements that give us a moment to reflect on language itself.

Alice's vision and her work are very different, but a similar quality of being so incredibly unique makes visiting with her and Dana together very refreshing. Alice is a photographer, and the series that she is working on combines footage that she has created using models, sometimes herself, in different environments and thoughtful or dreamlike stages. She layers the images, at times playing with the exposure or the shutter speed, slowing things down so that the images have a quality of being almost film-like. I kept thinking of Andy Warhol when I looked at her work, and she also adds another dimension of words and language to layer onto the images, taking passages from Ovid and working with her own knowledge of the classics and the help of a classics professor at Columbia University to find a translation that brings the words into a language that fits the world and life and experience of today. She described the process as being one that brings her back in her own  memory to the time when she was in school, studying the classics and searching for translations for certain pieces that spoke to her and seemed to come alive in her present day life. The resulting images combined with language are beautiful and thoughtful, creating a life of their own and an inner world of stories within stories that feel both contemporary and timeless.

In this time of such great upheaval and uncertainty, to have Artists be in this space creating art feels in some way revolutionary and historic. As I've written before, Art is healing and powerful, and the Artists who share their unique voices and vision are capable of bringing light and healing into the world.


Dana Gambale And Alice Hepburn
At ESKFF At Mana Contempory
888 Newark Avenue
Jersey City, New Jersey





Dana Gambale
In Her ESKFF Studio
With Selected Work


A Fan Modified For Spin Paintings








Alice Hepburn
Processing And Developing Negatives
In The Studio At ESKFF
And Sharing Some Of Her Inspiration


   





A Few Early Proof Prints
And Notes With Ideas And Early Translations







A Printed Series 

Selected Individual Work







Blessings,

Jannie Susan