An Abundant Life - Living Treasures

Inna and Anyuta Zelikson are beautiful sisters who make beautiful jewelry. I've written about them before several years ago, and I thought it was time to write about them again, especially because they have not only continued to create during this past year and a half of so many challenges, but they have reached out to others to help support and brighten all of our days and outlooks for the future.

From the moment I first met them they have been so welcoming, and that is their way, to reach out and welcome and embrace with the warmth they have to share. Their jewelry is full of their spirit and life and love, each piece made by hand and designed by Artisans who care about each piece and take care in their craft.

Earlier in 2020, I saw through their posts on Instagram that they were still creating, finding ways of connecting with those of us who know and love them with their art. They also offered to send out a pair of earrings to any Mother on Mother's Day who wanted them and could not afford them, as an act of support and caring for those who were struggling with so much during that time. It was not because their business was doing so well that they could afford to do that financially that they made this offer, but because they are Mothers too and know well the hardships that so many were facing.

Whenever I stop by their shop I receive not only the pleasure of looking at beautiful objets d'art, but I also enjoy conversation that can go in so many directions. They are both so full of knowledge and fun, and they also care to learn about the people and the world around them. They travel often for work and for pleasure, and are enjoy seeing new things and understanding new ideas. Whatever topic is on my mind when I see them, I always walk away with a new perspective.

Last year when things began to open up a bit more, they had the idea to contact one of their local government representatives because they have two shops, one in the West Village on West 10th Street near Bleecker and one in Grand Central, and with so many people not yet going back to work and very high retail rentals in Grand Central it was looking impossible for them to keep their store open. But in their remarkable way they did not just contact someone for help on behalf of themselves, they made sure to include the other small shops and owners they knew who were their retail neighbors. The result was a press conference in the Great Hall of Grand Central, that led to further conversations and help for small businesses that were struggling.

Supporting Inaya Jewelry is not only supporting these two lovely sisters, but it is a way to help a business stay alive and thrive so that they can continue to help support others in the community. Their hearts are as lovely as the pieces they create, multifaceted, precious and uniquely colorful living treasures.

Inna and Anyuta Zelikson

Founders and Creators of Inaya Jewelry

https://inayajewelry.com

Photograph Courtesy of Their Website

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

    

An Abundant Life - Treasures From The Earth

A few weeks ago when I stopped by the Farmer's Market in Hoboken, I stopped by a table I hadn't seen before. Though the market had been opened earlier, it was my first day back since last year when they ended the season around Thanksgiving, so I asked the woman at the table if she was new or if I just hadn't seen her before. She said she had been there last year, but towards the end, and that they had also begun to do delivery orders over the months when the market was not open. The reason I was so excited was that she was selling mushrooms, which I love, and not just any mushrooms. The mushrooms on her table were so beautiful they looked like precious treasure.

I had just been thinking a few days before how much I missed Balducci's, one of the old stores I used to shop at when I lived in Manhattan. They had the most beautiful mushrooms year round, all different wonderful seasonal varieties of the most special kinds. But even though I do still shop sometimes in Manhattan, the Balducci's I used to shop at was closed a number of years ago, and though there are other places I've tried, I haven't been able to find another that was quite as wonderful. When I was thinking about Balducci's, the things I was really thinking about were the wonderful mushrooms, and because I've started to go back into Manhattan much more often these days, I thought that I'd have to start looking for a new place to find them. But then I walked by this beautiful woman's table full of the loveliest mushrooms I've ever seen, and now I have a place to explore and try new varieties I hadn't ever heard about.

The first week I decided on two packages, one with "a little bit of everything" as the woman selling them described it, and another that just had pink oyster mushrooms in it. I couldn't resist them because they were so beautiful, and I really wanted to buy everything on the table, but I knew I couldn't eat them all in the rather short shelf life mushrooms have, so in order to keep them fresh I just decided on the two boxes. But I'll be back for more as often as I am able. These mushrooms or fungi as she called them are treasures of the earth that are a precious gift to have and be able to add to the bounty of a table.

Amazing Fungi And Greens

Available At The Hoboken Farmer's Market

And Online

https://amazing-fungi-and-greens.myshopify.com/

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

     

An Abundant Life - Technicolor Dreams

I've written about the restaurant Antique Bar & Bakery in these pages before and about some of the people who I have met there, but though I've been wanting to write about the Founding Partner Joe Castelo for a while now, with one thing and another it hasn't happened. This week as I began thinking about who I would write about, I decided to remedy that and write about Joe. A few times in the past when I have asked him if we could meet so that I could write a blog post about him he has been in the process of working on a project, or many, and suggested that we wait until the next phase of one of the projects was ready to be seen. At one time it was the Antique Loft, which I have also written about a few times before, and at another it was a blend of coffee, Hoboken & Sons, that he was planning to serve and sell at the restaurant along with merchandise, with a portion of the proceeds to help benefit the local Boys and Girls Clubs. Another time it was the new branding of the restaurant as they reopened in September of 2020, and more recently it was the new plans for the floor below the Antique Loft where he had envisioned a co-working members only community work space with a cafe and space to show art. With all of these projects continually in motion, along with his film projects and real estate business, it's no wonder that we haven't had a chance to meet for a longer conversation, and so I'm going ahead to write from what I know because otherwise it might never happen, and there's no time like the present as the saying goes.

When I first met Joe it was at Antique Bar & Bakery, when I first went there to have lunch and write a blog post about it. He invited me to come back for dinner and then for the Halloween party they had that year with a Silent Disco. As I wrote at that time, he and his lovely wife had the best costumes and made such wonderful hosts. The evening was a wonderful one, and the dinner of course was too, and the rest as they say is history. Over the years as I've walked by the restaurant on my way to and from my usual errands, sometimes I would see Joe outside, and though we would chat a bit he is always so busy with so many things including being a great father and husband and son along with the other myriad of projects he's always envisioning.

In 2019 right around Christmas, his daughters decided to organize a charitable giving day for the Hoboken Shelter and they put out a call to the neighborhood that anyone who wanted to donate toiletries could drop them by the restaurant on December 22 and have a cup of Hoboken & Sons coffee. That afternoon I had a chance to talk with Joe for longer than usual, and I found out a bit more about his family history and his own goals and dreams and aspirations. He shared with me his heart to help the community, and that there were so many things he wanted to do to help as many people as possible. I had already heard from the owner of Vintage on First that Joe had stepped in and helped him when he had almost lost his business because of an unfortunate event with his landlord, and it had been such a striking story that I had included it in my blog post about that owner when I wrote about him and his store. As I spoke with Joe that December afternoon I started to realize that this was a person who had truly noble aspirations, and that there was something in him that wanted to reach out to others to give them a hand.

It's a rare person who, though busy with a full life, has the heart to take the time to do good deeds in the community. Having that kind of a heart can be overwhelming at times and the goodness of it needs to be encouraged. If I had one prayer to give to a heart like that, it's to know and understand that we're not alone in this journey, and that whatever we are able to give from our heart will be multiplied and made greater than we could ever do on our own.

As a filmmaker, he is always creating something new, short films for the restaurant and for the businesses of friends and for his family, as well as the feature films you can see on his resume such as "The Preppie Connection", "American Saint", the Indie Spirit Award-nominated "The War Within", and "Death Metal Angola" among others. He writes the screenplays for his films with his wife Ashley who is his writing Partner, and together they are raising their family to be lights in the community. Filled with charitable aspirations, with his visionary projects, and the many hopes and dreams he has for the future, Joe Castelo's life is a life lived in Technicolor.

Joe Castelo

With His Wife Ashley and One of Their Daughters

On Their Way To Deliver Gifts To The Hoboken Shelter

On December 22, 2019

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - Love Shared

When I started to think about what to write about this week, I realized it would be July 4th when I posted my blog, and it seemed that somehow I should come up with something that reflected freedom. There are always wonderful people and places I could write about, and because I only write about people and places I really think are wonderful the idea of freedom in a way could be a part of any story, but then it came to me that the Love & Plenty project has just moved into a new phase, and that an update of that would be a wonderful way to celebrate the 4th of July.

A few months ago I heard that the Open Ideo team was asking for submissions to something called the Food Systems Game Changers Lab. They had an open call for ideas from people around the world that asked what we would do to change the food system to make it healthier, more sustainable, stronger and more resilient and equitable. It seemed to me that Love & Plenty was a perfect fit for this question, and I had been wanting to submit it a version of it as a proposal to this same organization in 2019 before I had come up with the name and begun to refine the idea during the health and economic crisis that began in 2020 when the restaurants were shut down. At the time when I first wanted to submit the idea, they had been asking for projects that were already put together and had partners and all the pieces of the puzzle ready to go. I had reached out to several people, but though there was interest, I couldn't find the partners to commit to more than discussion. After the health and economic crisis began, the organization put out other open calls, but each one needed partners and professional for profit and not-for-profit businesses and advisors already in place. And then I read about this new challenge, and they said we could just have an idea, and when I began the application, I realized that all of the writing I'd been doing, all of the conversations I'd had, and all of the work I had done up to this point could be applied and collected to tell the story for the proposal. It took a great deal of time and thought to write it, and when I'd submitted it and I read some lovely comments by a group who had read it, I was thrilled. The judges are all such impressive people in their fields and the opportunity is a very special one. The day I received the acceptance I hugged myself and was so excited because this project means so much to me and it was validation that the idea is something that others whose opinions I respect see value in. We've just started our weekly calls and begun to develop our working relationships in our cohort. Hearing about the other people and organizations and ideas and the collective knowledge and experience and passion for helping address the issues of food insecurity, nutrition and health and education, and equity within the food systems of the world is life changing in itself. It's an honor to be a part of Cohort 21 and to have this experience of connecting with others around the world to make a difference and begin to make change for the better.   

I grew up in Massachusetts, and though other places celebrate Independence Day with wonderful events, New England has such a personal history of it that there's something very deeply rooted in my memories of the holiday. When I was very young we celebrated one year in Lexington and Concord, and every year we went in search of the most beautiful fireworks, taking a picnic cooler full of delicous specialties my mother made especially for the celebration. At least one year when I was in the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra we played in the band shell in Boston and other years have memories of Tanglewood and other beautiful towns by rivers and lakes and oceans. This year, because of this new phase of Love & Plenty, whatever I do and wherever I go I will be reminded of the excitement of having this project be recognized on a new level and of having the love that was created and that inspired it begin to be shared as it is multiplied.

Love & Plenty

Part Of The Food Systems Game Changers Lab

An Open Ideo Challenge

Connecting Thinkers Around The World

Love & Plenty

Logo Created By Dana Gambale

Love Created

Love Delivered

Love Shared

Love Multiplied

Blessings,

Jannie Susan