An Abundant Life - Living Portraits

Early this year, around March or so, the Artist Danilo Peguero contacted me and asked if I had time to meet with him to discuss some ideas he had. I had met Danilo when he was part of a Residency program at Mana Contemporary in the summer of 2019 and I had written about him in my blog because I had been so impressed by not only his beautiful and skillful work, but also who he was as a person and and Artist. He works in many styles and is always exploring something new, and the new work that I saw of his when I met him as well as the work that is available to view online was impressive.

When I met with Danilo, we had a wonderful dinner together in a neighborhood where I had lived for a time when I was first born again and that I know well. Because of the experiences I have had there I am very fond of it, and the restaurant where we met was one that all those years ago I had always wanted to try but had not had the financial ability to do it. My life has changed in so many ways thanks to the wonderful ways that God has moved through it and worked his particular kind of miracles, and it was wonderful to meet Danilo in that old familiar neighborhood and to remember as I traveled there the years that had gone by and how many things had changed for the better.

Over dinner, Danilo said that he had several paintings that he had in New York that he wanted to find a place to show, and he also wanted to paint a portrait of me live so that people could see the different styles of his work. I often help Artists to find spaces and curate shows and promote their work, and because I admire Danilo I was more than happy to help him. It was also such a beautiful gesture and an honor that he wanted to paint my portrait, and so I told him that I'd think about the best place to try to arrange to have that done as well as see about where we might possibly find a space for a show.

At the time of our meeting and discussion I had already spoken with someone about a space for a possible gallery in Hoboken, but at that particular date I wasn't sure if anything would be happening with me and my ideas for that space. But then in a few months, after I'd started to reach out to other people for Danilo and after he had also asked a few people he knew, I was offered the opportunity to move forward with the space in Hoboken and create a gallery there. At first that space was being made available in June, but then over time things changed and the opening date of the gallery was moved to August. But from the first when I heard that I could move forward with planning a gallery in the space I contacted Danilo and asked if he would like to have a show of his work there and to paint my portrait as part of that show. He agreed, and we began to plan, and on August 23 as I've written about in these pages before, YES Gallery opened with a beautiful show that included many of Danilo's pieces. As I've written before, the article that was written at that time by the well respected and wonderfully talented journalist Tris McCall in NJArts was so gorgeous it felt like a dream, and Danilo and his work were given an excellent mention.

Originally Danilo and I had thought that we would do the live portrait painting for the opening of the gallery, but it seemed too much for us to do everything all at once and so we decided to schedule it for later. With my schedule and his and all the things going on in both of our lives, we finally set the date to September 29 and 30 and October 1, but then I heard from Chef Paul Gerard that he was available to be a part of another project that I've been writing about recently for the Food Systems Game Changers Lab, and that was the weekend when he was available. I contacted Danilo and we rescheduled for October 20, 21 and 22.

In its own wonderful way that date was the right date because that morning when my photographs gave me a reminder of a memory I saw that I'd begun to have a deeper understanding of why I work with Artists and feel so deeply that it's important to support and encourage and help them to keep creating and doing their beautiful work. The reminder had to do with my own mother and the way she lived her life always creating while never being recognized fully for the Artist that I now know she was. YES Gallery has so much about it that feels as if my mother is a part of it, and to have my portrait begun to be painted on that day in that gallery helped me know that something very special was happening, even more so than I had thought before.

The experience was such a lovely and special one, and this is only the beginning. Danilo worked with me for those first few days and then brought the painting back to his studio to work on it for an additional more than sixty hours. He'll be bringing it back this coming week in time to be unveiled and displayed for the next show. For now here are a few glimpses of the work that he did as we began this creative project together.

Danilo Peguero

Painting My Portrait

At YES Gallery

The First Evening's Photographs

With Gratitude to Maryna Dzhadzha

The Second Evening

Photographs And Videos

With Gratitude To Alberte Bernier

And My Own Photographs

After The Second Evening

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - An EPIC Story

 Two weeks ago I wrote about an event that was in the works for the project, "Education = Power In Choice (EPIC): Empowering Communities Through Food System Education" and at the time that I was writing the event had been planned for the weekend of October 1 and 2. That weekend was one of those hurricane season sideline rainy on and off with sometimes downpours and otherwise regular rain warnings kind of weekends, and though the rain was not as bad as had originally been predicted, it was decided to wait to move forward with the event that had been planned until the weekend of October 15 and 16. During the time of planning and the time of postponement, there were all kinds of other things that came up that seemed to be very challenging, but somehow or other we made it to the finish line and in many ways the entire weekend was such a great one that it still feels like a dream.

Because of our date change, Chef Paul Gerard was no longer available to go shopping with the Artists in the collective DERTY, and so we did the meal planning based on our original discussions from the original planned weekend by text and phone and a Zoom call. I took the Artists shopping at farmers markets and at an international supermarket I know of that has a great selection of produce and usually has just about everything anyone could be looking for. We shopped and the Videographer Julian Mena filmed, and we brought everything back to the house where DERTY works out of the garage where I first met them and where we would be holding this event the following day.

There had been so many ups and downs along the way that I was not even sure on Saturday night what would be happening on Sunday, but the rough places were made plain and somehow everything was brought together including the weather to create an environment of working together for a common goal of creating something wonderful.

The Artists of DERTY took on the challenge of going the distance with a professional Chef, and Chef Paul Gerard created a meal that was miraculous. He always does more than anyone ever could imagine, but even for me who has experienced his over the top excellence in the past it was astonishing. I'm not sure if I can remember everything that was served and all the different flavors and sauces and combinations that were made, but I'll try here to give you a taste of the menu this Master Chef put together in the back yard of an Artist Collective in Jersey City Heights.

Dandelion Green and Fresh Tomato Salad with Balsamic Vinegar

Roasted Brussels sprouts and Pickled Apples

Kale and Dandelion Greens Roasted and seasoned with Lemon, Vinegar and Hot Finger Peppers

Coal Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower with Tahini and Lemon Zest

Skirt Steak with two sauces: Chimichurri and Fresh Roasted Red Jalapeño and Fresh Roasted Tomato and Cilantro

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Honey and Green Jalapeño Peppers

Roasted Butternut Squash with Maple Syrup and Cashews

Farro with Pesto and Cashew Cheese made over the coal fired grill

When I described this menu to a friend who has experienced the wonder of Chef Paul Gerard before, she said, "He's a culinary genius!" and when I described how I kept wanting to eat it all over again she said, "That's the magic of Chef Paul Gerard!" Not only was he cooking this meal but he was coaching the Artists who had not cooked or prepared much in the way of food before and certainly not food on a level like this. I've been cooking for years and I can and have cooked for groups, but I wouldn't have been able to do what he did that day. In the past whenever I would tell him how amazed I was by what he does and how beautifully and perfectly he does it, he always said that it was because he had been doing it for years. But the truth of that beautiful DERTY backyard afternoon is that he'd never cooked there before or with those Artists and he still made poetry in every moment. It was an EPIC achievement and an EPIC performance, and once again Chef Paul Gerard along with the Artists of DERTY showed the world that they can not only do what they set out to do, but they can do it with the style and finesse that comes from being their own unique and beautiful selves.

Cooking DERTY With Chef Paul GErard

An EPIC Project

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - Another Time And Place

The route that I take when I am on my way to YES Gallery has been taking me down some streets where I used to explore but haven't walked on in a while. I tend to find my favorite routes to different places where I need to go and though I love exploring, if I don't have much time and have lots to do I try to find the quickest and most enjoyable route and keep going that way. In my new adventure of walking to YES Gallery, as I try to find the best route to walk in, I've been rediscovering places that I'd seen before and that had been recommended to me but that I hadn't had the time to visit in the past.

One of the routes I've been taking fairly regularly has been leading me past Fiore's, and not only have I always heard excellent things about it, the scents of freshly made food that waft out of their building lets me know even more than the line of people who are often waiting outside to go in that this is a place worth visiting. On many days when I am on my way to YES Gallery I have appointments or things I need to bring or do there that will keep me from getting back home again until several hours have passed. Often if I need to go shopping I'll go after I leave the gallery, but places like Fiore's close earlier than some others and when I am on my way leaving the gallery they are always closed when I walk by. 

Recently when I was walking by I found myself with enough time to stop in and nothing that was pressing that I needed to do, and I decided to walk in and see explore this place that I've often seen and heard wonderful things about. On the outside of their door there is a sign that says that they are known for their mozzarella, something that I love and always like to try when I can. Years ago there was a place I used to go in Soho called Joe's Dairy, and ever since they closed I haven't been able to truly find anything to replace it. When I walked into Fiore's and said to the very nice man who asked me if I was next in line that it was the first time I'd been there, he walked into the back kitchen an preparation area and brought me back a piece of freshly made mozzarella to try. It was really wonderful and I told him I definitely wanted to bring some home with me, and then I asked him what else he would recommend. He told me their daily sandwich special that day was roast beef with mozzarella and brown gravy, and though that sounded delicious and I'm sure it was I was in the mood for something else though I didn't know yet what that something else was. I asked him if there was anything else he'd suggest and he said they had an Italian sandwich with a variety of thinly sliced prepared meats, mozzarella and sweet or hot peppers and I knew that was the one I wanted to try.

When I was growing up there was a sandwich shop in the town the next over from where my home was, and I used to always get an Italian sub there that was one of the highlights of my culinary life. That place closed years ago and now there is a store in the town where I grew up in where I can go to find something similar, but I hadn't been able to find that same kind of wonderful experience anywhere else closer to where I live now. Enter the Fiore's wonder of a sandwich, that when I first tasted it brought back all of those old wonderful memories. I asked for a mix of hot and sweet peppers and not only were they flavorful but the bread itself was such a wonderful texture that nothing on the sandwich made it too soggy. I had half of it for lunch when I got to the gallery and it made me truly feel such a warm feeling of old beautiful memories.

Fiore's itself is a place that seems as if it's from another time and another place. Though it opened in 1903 it's not old in the sense of being not up to date, but it has that rare feeling of a place that has been lost in time while still being current. I'm so happy that I walked in the door that afternoon and I have a feeling one of these days I'll be back to try that roast beef sandwich. Maybe I'll begin to plan excursions there and give myself the treat of an opportunity to try everything over time. Places like Fiore's are so special, and it's a very special blessing to be able to enjoy and visit a place like this often.

Fiore Deli of Hoboken

414 Adams Street

Hoboken, New Jersey

Enjoying A Takeout Italian Sandwich

At YES Gallery

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - Believing Is Seeing

In the past week a few things have happened that were challenging in several different areas and different ways. It was one of those weeks when just as everything seemed as if it was going along smooth sailing all of a sudden all kinds of not very smooth or easy to manage events occurred that made me begin to wonder if I could keep on going on the path that I was on. That may not be the right description, because actually I know that I can keep on going, but when things get as tough as they did this past week I begin to not want to keep going because I am wondering if I'm on the right path at all. It's at times like this that I want to run away to somewhere I love and forget everything and everyone who is causing the difficulties, but in reality I know that when I'm on the right path sometimes things will happen that will try to push me off of it. There's a description that I learned years ago when I was first born again that talks about how when you're just going about a normal but pleasant life with nothing that is particularly making any big difference in the world there are no trials to overcome and everything goes along swimmingly. It's when you are actually doing something that makes an impact on peoples' lives that you start to run into trouble, and as the old saying goes, when the going gets tough the tough get going so when that starts to happen it's important to recognize that though it seems like it would be easier to just stop going, if the going is tough you have to find a way to keep going.

There was a time when I used to have these moments and times of difficulty and doubt and I was writing daily in this blog. If I go back to those posts from 2013 I can always find reasons to keep going because it was a very deep and meaningful time of walking by faith and not by sight for me. So much has changed since then, but when I find myself in difficulty it is always important to remember that the way I am feeling and the way I am perceiving things is not the way they actually are. There is always a way to keep going along on the path as long as that path is the right one, and if it's not the right one the guidance will come to show how to go in the right way. Patience is a virtue specifically because it is something that people like me need when I'm waiting to figure out my next steps and it seems as if I'm stuck somewhere that I don't want to be or in a situation that I can't find a way through. Trust and hope go hand in hand and believing in something is the way to move forward even when what we actually see seems very different.

Having YES Gallery to go to each day has given me a kind of sanctuary to rest and reflect in. As I begin to prepare for the next show and make additions and adjustments to the decor, I found myself making a sign for the door this week that was very simple but in its own way very profound. There is an Artist who has made me a sign for the gallery, but I haven't had a chance to pick it up yet and I don't know where I will be placing it, so this week I decided in the middle of all of the things that were happening in what seemed like chaos at times, I found time and space in the quiet place of the gallery to create a sign that will be used to show if the gallery is open or closed. With the advent of colder days the door may not be able to be open much longer, and so this sign will let people know they can come in. In times when its hard to see which way to go or even know if you can go forward, doing what you can to keep moving in a positive direction does wonders and is a reminder that though you might have to be patient, there are still things you can do that bring a spark of joy. I love my little sign, and having it there is a way to let the world know that even if the door is closed, sometimes it's really still open.

YES Gallery

408 6th Street

Hoboken, New Jersey

  

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - A Dream Come True

In 2019 I started talking to Chef Paul Gerard about an idea that I had to teach nutrition and health and wellness classes in partnership with a Chef who was working at the highest level. I asked Chef Paul if he would help me with the pilot program that I was developing with an organization on Manhattan's Lower East Side and share recipes from his own kitchen so that I could share them with the youth and adults in the workshops. The pilot program was the seed of an idea to begin a community kitchen that would educate and support the community in learning about healthy food, nutrition, wellness, food preparation and other topics around eating healthier meals, and Chef Paul Gerard agreed to share his recipes with me to share with others. The workshops were a hit and we had planned to begin a longer and more in depth series in 2020, but then of course that became impossible. And as I've written before I began developing the Love & Plenty project which was also in its own way an outgrowth of the community kitchen concept, and then Love & Plenty grew and expanded and I was connected with a group of people from around the world through the Food Systems Game Changers Lab to begin developing a solution to the question of how do we create a more equitable food system through education. That solution became "Education = Power In Choice (EPIC): Empowering Communities Through Food System Education" and we presented it at the UN Food Systems Summit in 2021. Following that we were given the opportunity to apply for a grant to further the growth of our solution, and I've been in the process this past year of developing the video community cooking class and food system education model that we were awarded the grant to create.

A very short few weeks ago I sent Chef Paul Gerard the logo that had been created by the beautiful Artist Dana Gambale for the EPIC project, and he responded that he thought it was great and said that he was around for a bit and if I needed any help he was available. I knew exactly what I wanted to ask him, which was something that I'd asked him indirectly before, because the entire project from the very beginning was something that I'd designed with him in mind. He was the inspiration for Love & Plenty, his food was the model for the logo for that project, and as Love & Plenty was introduced to other ideas and people from around the world and it began to grow and develop in concert with them, EPIC was the result and it still had its roots in the kitchen and food and personality of Chef Paul Gerard.

When I described what I would like in my dream of this project for him to do, I gave him the option of working with us remotely. I had originally written the proposal with that idea as a fallback in case people were not available or the issues surrounding the health crisis of the past few years kept people from traveling or meeting together. There is a wonderful Artist collective in Jersey City Heights that goes by the name of DERTY. I've written about them before in these pages and I had begun to discuss having them be a part of some aspects of the project. They're very young and very interested in learning about things, and their brand also has a foundation of being devoted to the ideas of sustainability and recycling, saving the planet and changing the world for the better. It seemed an excellent fit for the project and something that would bring a sense of fun and hip coolness to the concepts we were trying to share with people and help them get inspired and energized around. Two of the members of DERTY are brothers, and their mother is a wonderful cook. I'd already spoken with her and with them about having one of the video shows be focus around her working with a Chef to create a community meal at a DERTY pop up event. When Chef Paul Gerard offered his help I described the project I was thinking about, and somehow or other though the combination of all of the people involved and the information I described he said yes.

He came out to New Jersey for a meeting with DERTY and the mother of the two members, something that to this day seems like a miracle occurred. In all my wildest dreams and with everything that I'd been speaking with him about these past two years the fact of him standing in the DERTY Garage, talking about art and food and planning an event really felt like I was dreaming. And now here we are and with so much that has happened in the past week, not only do I know that I'm not dreaming but the reality is better than any dream I had ever was. As one of the beautiful people involved in this group of friends and family surrounding DERTY said, "And this is only the beginning."

Cooking DERTY With Chef Paul Gerard

Blessings,

Jannie Susan