An Abundant Life - A Beautiful And Special Place

I've written about Chef Ashfer Biju in these pages before and a few weeks ago I wrote about a lovely dinner he'd created with inspiration from Shalini Haut Parfum. At the time, though I didn't know it, he was on his way to a new position as Executive Chef at the Baccarat Hotel New York, and I decided to visit him when he was there and enjoy Afternoon Tea.

When I was very young and into my teens, my mother and I used to go to Afternoon Tea together at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Boston.  One of my favorite books as a child was E. B. White's "Trumpet Of The Swan" and it still is a very special book to me. The swan in that story stays at the Ritz Carlton and orders room service of tea sandwiches because of the watercress in them. Somehow or other my mother found out that we could actually go to the Ritz for tea, and so we did and it was one of the most lovely experiences. We went often together for special occasions and sometimes just for fun, and ever since then I've searched for a place to enjoy Afternoon Tea but haven't found one that matched those memories.

The idea of visiting the Baccarat Hotel was wonderful in itself, and knowing that Chef Ashfer Biju was there made it even more special. He is a marvelous Chef and a truly wonderful and kind, humble person. The food he has created that I've had the honor to enjoy in the past has always been so excellently full of flavor and colors and textures, with the freshest and best ingredients artfully combined for not only a beautiful experience of taste and scent but for visual beauty as well. Add to that the experience of Afternoon Tea and it was a day that I will remember always with a smile of delight as I look forward to more adventures in this marvelous place.

From the moment I walked in, everything and everyone was so wonderful and lovely and kind and welcoming. The signature scent of the hotel is so enjoyable to the senses as it creates a feeling of peace and relaxing, calm, luxurious elegance. Every person who greeted me had such a gift of hospitality that every moment I felt not only taken care of but as if I were someone special. The Afternoon Tea itself was wonderful, with every taste and flavor and creation as wonderful in every way as they were beautiful, and the Grand Salon where it was served is a room so lovely and filled with the beauty of art and design and crystal chandeliers and refracting light, including prisms that hang as a covering for the windows, that I could happily sit there every day and enjoy the peace and tranquility of a beautiful afternoon.

Every touch down to the quill pen that is given for signing brought back beautiful memories from my childhood and my growing up and gave me new memories to add to this chapter of my life. As I prepared to go I caught a glimpse of the bar area and I began to dream about my next visit to this very special and beautiful place.

Afternoon Tea At The Baccarat Hotel

Executive Chef Ashfer Biju

In New York City

28 West 53rd Street

New York, New York

https://www.baccarathotels.com

A Prism Of Light Creating Rainbows

From The Cascading Crystal Windows

With Executive Chef Ashfer Biju

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - A New York City Story

A few weeks ago Linus Coraggio sent me an email with links to videos by the gorgeous Filmmaker Nancy August and her filmmaking partner Shane from a project that they have been filming about Artists in the Lower East Side arts scene in the 1980's in New York City. Linus is one of the Artists who they have been filming and interviewing, and because I have written about Linus in my blog and there are several pieces of his and a variety of styles of his work at YES Gallery, I reached out to Nancy to let her know how much I enjoyed viewing the videos Linus had shared and to see if there was a way that we could perhaps have an Artist talk at the gallery with her and Shane and with Linus and possibly show some of the video footage. She responded to me right away and suggested we have a call to talk more, and when we did there was so much that was so wonderful to talk about, including some stories of my own history with Linus Coraggio, that she asked if she could come to the gallery to meet me and interview me there. The footage they have already created is so excellent and done with such beautiful artistic energy, vision and care that I was honored to have her invite me to be a part of what they are creating.

On June 1, Nancy and Shane visited YES Gallery, and it was such a beautiful day. The weather was lovely and our visit was so inspiring and full of such a wonderful energy. I chose to wear a dress from the 2001 spring and summer collection by the Marvelous Couture Designer Jean Paul Knott who I have written about in these pages before, who I worked with in his first years in New York City when he arrived from Belgium for New York Fashion Week after being introduced to him by the marvelous Artist, Designer, Photographer, and Producer Eugene Galles who I have also written about and have had the honor to know for a number of very special and creative years. Although the dress was not from the 1980's, the spirit behind the work that we all did during our time together had so much impact and influence on my own creative life and vision.

There will be more to come that is beautiful to share from the meeting with Nancy and Shane, but for now I'll share some of the early videos they've begun to share with me that they have edited from that beautiful and very special blessing of an afternoon.

YES Gallery Video

Created By Nancy August and Shane

Interview With Jannie Wolff

Gallery Owner And Director

June 1, 2023

YES Gallery Video

With New York Story

Of Meeting Linus Coraggio

Created By Nancy August and Shane

Interview With Jannie Wolff

Gallery Owner And Director

June 1, 2023

Blessings,

Jannie Susan 

An Abundant Life - Nights and Days

I've written about the marvelous DJ Kris Graham in these pages before, and some of the venues and New York City nightlife hotspots where I've had the wonderful experience of hearing and dancing to his music. I met him a number of years ago when he was DJ'ing at an opening night event at a new club that I'd been invited to because of my blog and my instagram posts about people and places and lifestyle and nightlife and events and other wonderful things I am blessed to know and meet and see, and at the time when I met him, though I'd thought he was terrific, he told me that it wasn't the usual kind of party he did and he began inviting me to some of the other parties that he is really known for. Often in those days I wasn't able to go because they either began later in the evening or he started his set later, and though I'd once been a night owl my life has changed so much and I try to get my rest to wake up with energy for very busy days. On a few occasions I was able to go see him, and every time I was always impressed not only with how great his DJ'ing is, but also with the venues and with the feeling and experience of being there.

Years ago when I first moved to New York and even before that when I would visit friends, going out to clubs and hearing live music and DJ's was always a part of what made life so fun and enjoyable. Dancing was the best, and if there was even a fairly good DJ I'd be out on the floor. With Kris Graham, the music and his production and style are so wonderful that everyone just feels like dancing immediately when they walk into any space where he is. He is able to do that indescribable thing that really excellent DJ's do which is to read the room over the course of an afternoon and evening and know what people need and want to hear just when they need and want to hear it.

Before Memorial Day he sent me a message with an invitation to a rooftop party where he was DJ'ing on Sunday evening, and though I'd planned to have a quiet weekend and spend time at YES Gallery, the thought of seeing Kris and hearing his music in what he described as a rooftop space near 12th Avenue in the 50's in Manhattan seemed too wonderful an invitation to say no to. Traveling from New Jersey can be difficult on weekends sometimes and especially on holidays, but I decided to leave early to give myself enough time to get there, thinking that I'd leave the party early as well in order to get home on the earlier side. I was able to get there before many people had arrived and they were still setting up, but from the moment I walked in I was having such a good time that as more people began to arrive and things got very busy, it had gotten very late before I knew it. I felt like Cinderella at the palace, looking at my phone and realizing that I needed to leave but wishing I could stay. This party was that kind of wonderful fun that I hadn't had in a while.

In addition to the wonderful music Kris was playing, the other thing that made the evening such a beautiful and joyful and memorable one was the Host and Promoter, Jason Chaos, who is one of the leaders of the Alternative Nightlife Promoters and Curators in New York City. I"d never met him before and he was so charming and gracious that it was not only an honor to meet him, but it was pure pleasure. It's not often that someone who has that kind of fame and recognition is also so kind and such a wonderful host, and having the opportunity to meet him and to talk with him throughout the evening made what was already such a wonderful event an even more enjoyable and memorable one.

In one of my posts in Instagram, I reposted a photograph that Kris Graham had posted of a group of us talking, and I made the comment about the photograph that it showed so much of what we all felt that night. We were having fun, we were laughing, we were dancing, we were joyful, and we were also talking and listening and enjoying each other's company, sharing our stories and history and having meaningful moments in the laughter. That's what makes New York City so special, and that evening brought back so many memories of beautiful times in the past while creating new ones.

Sunday Sunset Party On A Rooftop In Manhattan

Hosted By Jason Chaos

With DJ Kris Graham

  

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - Excellence With A Purpose

I received an invitation to an event in Brooklyn at a venue that had been transformed into The House of the Macallan. For a short time a number of years ago I had lived in the area where the event was being held, and I was interested to travel back there and have a sort of memory lane experience. The venue itself was interesting, the former Williamsburg Bank Building, and Macallan is a brand that I've always enjoyed so it seemed like something that would be fun and interesting to attend.

From the moment I walked up to the building, the experience promised itself to be a very special one and it was more than I had imagined. Outside the building, very pleasant and professional, elegant representatives wearing stylish black showed the way into the building, and once inside another lovely representative offered to take photographs of the guests in front of the Macallan backdrop at the entryway. From there we were shown the way through a beautiful garden that had been planted on the first floor, with beautiful views and aromas that led up to the area where the first cocktail was being served and explained. The presentation was very special and the beauty of it encouraged us to sip and enjoy it while we wandered through the garden meadow and relaxed.

From that first lovely area we were directed up to the second level where what was described as the full experience had been installed. Inside the main hall there were excellent hors d'oeuvres and a large bar area that made the space feel welcoming and enjoyable. There was another area just to the side of that for a tasting room, and within all of the spaces there was information about not only the beverage we were tasting, but about the history of the company including their focus on sustainability and community education and service.

What I had thought would be a pleasant trip was more than I had expected, and as I made my way home I kept thinking about how much I had enjoyed myself and what a lovely evening it had been. It was such a special experience and I have even more respect for the company than I did before. I'm looking forward to finding out more and connecting with them in the work that I do in the community in the areas of sustainability and education that mean so much to me.

   

At The House Of The Macallan

Brooklyn, New York

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - A Neighborhood Treasure

Last summer when I was walking one evening on Ogden Avenue in Jersey City Heights, I saw two people standing outside of one of the houses that always has wonderful displays for every holiday. When I say wonderful, I don't use that term lightly, because these displays are full of wonder and joy and light and life. The front yard area is not very large, but it is so overflowing with good cheer that it feels like a world of its own. There are installations that are within the installation too, like a holiday village around Christmas time or little areas full of their own special decorations within the larger beautiful display of holiday messages, and often there is music that goes with the holiday theme.

As I walked along and saw the two people, at first I thought they were the owners of the house who were looking over their display and perhaps adding some touches to it, but then when I got closer I saw that it was two people who were admiring the decorations and were so overjoyed by what they were seeing that they were almost dancing with delight. I stopped and said hello and something along the lines of isn't it great, and then somehow or other it became clear that these two people had not seen this house or this display before. We began to talk a bit and I found out that one of them lived in the area, but hadn't lived in the neighborhood for very long, and the other was visiting from another country and had just arrived not long before our meeting. I told them about the house and that though I didn't know the owners, I always walked by when I could to see what new wonderful decorations they had installed for the holiday.

I became friendly with the two people I met, and discovered that they are both Artists. Because of our meeting that night, one of them, Marcio Donasci, did live painting at YES Gallery for the second show that opened during the Hoboken Art Walk and Studio Tour weekend last fall, and his paintings are now at the gallery. After he left to go travel a while to be with his family, I sent him photographs and a video of the house when it was decorated for Christmas. His response to me was that this is performance art, and I agree that it is and that it is of the best kind their is because it makes everyone who sees it stop and smile at least for a moment if not for very much longer.

On Friday evening as I walked past, I saw one of the owners of the house finishing up decorations for Memorial Day, and I was able to stop and thank him and tell him about the story of meeting Marcio and how much he had enjoyed the installation. It was so nice to be able to let the owner know how much light and life his decorations bring and that there are so many of us who are able to smile as we walk by because of the wonderful vision he has to decorate so lavishly and celebrate the holidays with joy.

Christmas Time Decorations

On Ogden Avenue

Jersey City Heights, New Jersey

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - Sensory And Sensational

I've written about the gorgeous Haut Parfum Designer Shalini in these pages before, and also have written about the marvelous Chef Ashfer Biju and the Marvelous Pierre Hotel and Restaurant Perrine where he has been the Executive Chef for many years filled with excellence. On several occasions I've had the wonderful opportunity to visit The Pierre and Perrine, and to experience the wonderful food Chef Ashfer Biju creates there, and I've also had the beautiful experience of meeting Shalini and experiencing her Haut Parfum line at events at The Pierre. A few weeks ago when I heard from Shalini that there would be a very special Chefs Social Club Dinner at The Pierre with Chef Ashfer Biju's food paired with and inspired by scents from a variety of Shalini's Haut Parfums, I knew it would be an experience that I would not want to miss.

The evening was held in the Rotunda, which is such a lovely room in itself that anything that happens there seems like a dream. Everything from the flowers to the arrangements as usual were so beautiful and artfully arranged that every moment was filled with a sense of the most lovely and arresting moments that life has to offer. The food was marvelous as always, with each of the five courses paired with wonderful wines and a scent of one of Shalini's pur parfums. We were seated on a long and luxurious banquet table and truly it felt as if we were in some very special and magical land.

Each course as it was served looked so beautiful, and everything was prepared with such care and time to insure the most enjoyable evening possible. The entire experience was such a special and memorable one that it will live on in my memories as a culinary and sensory highlight.

Chefs Social Club

At The Pierre Hotel

With A Menu By

Executive Chef Ashfer Biju

Paired With And Inspired By

Scents From The Full Line Of

Shalini Haut Parfum

shaliniparfum.com

instagram.com/shaliniparfum

Champagne Taittinger

To Begin The Evening

Hudson Valley Steelhead Trout Crude

Paired With Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 2021 

And Shalini Haut Parfum Fleur Japonais

Spice Roasted Magret Of

Long Island Duck

Paired With Bethel Heights Estate Eola-Amity Hills 2021 

And Shalini Haut Parfum Jardin Nocturne

Cleanse Course Of Sakura Sorbet

Paired With Duval Leroy Brut Rosé

Angus Beef - Bordelaise Short Ribs And Filet

Paired With Chianti Classico Tenota di Nozzole Riserva 2019

And Shalini Haut Parfum Amorem Rose

Apricot Olive Oil Cake

Paired With Heymann-Lowenstein Riesling Schiefferterrassen Mosel

And Shalini Haut Parfum Vanille Rêve

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

     

An Abundant Life - A Walk Around Town

Just as I was getting ready to begin preparations for installing the new show at YES Gallery a few weeks ago, I was introduced to one of the lovely women who founded the organization Main Street Pops. I had met two of the women a few years ago when they had organized a Christmas Market near the PATH Station in Hoboken that a friend had invited me to, and at the time we had spoken about the work that I do with Artists and the shows I had been curating in the same building where the market was. But that was in 2019, and of course in a few months the world as we know it was turned completely into something else, and though I occasionally had seen or heard that they were beginning to do some events and pop ups again, I hadn't had the chance to speak with them since that time when we first met.

Last November, during the Hoboken Art Walk and Studio Tour weekend when I opened the second show at YES Gallery, the two women I had met before walked in the door of the gallery on one of the days and began speaking with me about some of the events they were planning for the future. There was an event that they told me was named Through The Windows which was a citywide Art Walk and celebration, and I remembered seeing some of the signage the year before. Now that I have a gallery full of art and large windows and a door with a window that opens onto the street, they suggested the idea of the gallery participating in Through The Windows and I agreed that it sounded wonderful. After speaking a bit more about some of the other projects they were working on, they took my business card and were planning on following up with me for a longer visit, but somehow time went by and I didn't hear from them and with everything else that has been filling up my schedule and taking my attention I thought that perhaps it had already happened and I'd somehow missed it. But then I attended the event in support of Commissioner Anthony L. Romano, and one of the members of his staff introduced me to the one founder of the organization Main Street Pops who I hadn't met yet, and so the dots were connected and I was able to participate in this wonderful event that began on May 1.

For six weeks, businesses throughout Hoboken will have artwork from local Artists in their windows, and there was an opening celebration citywide with parties at several of the venues on May 3. There will also be tours and other events throughout the weeks from May 1 - June 15, and each business that is showing artwork was given a sign to put on the sidewalk out front to identify that there is artwork in the windows. As a gallery, this is such a wonderful experience, because nearly every piece of art can be seen through the front windows and door, and when people arrive they are always so excited because there is so much art to be seen. I had a party on the evening of the citywide opening celebration, and one of the wonderful musicians from Ocean Channel, the wonderful band that performed at the opening of the current show, put together two acoustic sets to play and sing solo for the event. His name is Jack, but his solo performance name is Visionary Module, and it was such a beautiful blessing to have him at the gallery to play live music for the celebration.

Right before the end of April I had found a street sign from another business that had been left on the sidewalk as a giveaway when they closed, and I took it to YES Gallery and gave it a good washing and drew my own sign and added a quote from my Mother. It was something that she'd said when I was very young that she and I often repeated, "Art can inspire you to do the impossible," and it just seemed right to add it to the sign. I had been planning to paint the name of the gallery and the quote, but I have some chalk that was given to me when I first opened the gallery by the woman who has had the vintage store for many years where the gallery is, and I used the chalk to make the sign. As with everything that happens in that space, somehow it looks just right, and it feels as if it has always been there and was meant to be the sign for YES Gallery.

The opening event for the Through The Windows Art Walk was another wonderful evening. In addition to the wonderful live performance, there is some new art at the gallery that was brought in by the Artist Jeremy Roche who I met through the group Ocean Channel and the musician who has performed at the gallery in the past, Rose Image. For food I chose sweet and savory pastries from a wonderful place where I've gone in the past, The Old German Bakery, and fresh and smoked mozzarella with a variety of antipasti from Fiore's, and there are some lovely flowers that were shared with me after a very special event I attended at The Pierre Hotel that grace the counter top, adding their beauty  to my already existing floral arrangement bouquet that has been an ongoing joy at the gallery. The festival is sponsored by the Hoboken Business Alliance which is also such a wonderful organization and it was so wonderful to have a chance to meet the Executive Director when she stopped by the gallery on the night of the opening celebration. There's so much good that can happen in communities when there are great minds and hearts thinking and working together to make a difference and planning for ways to make life for everyone a better and more beautiful place.

A Look

Through The Windows

At YES Gallery

408 6th Street

Hoboken, New Jersey

Opening Celebration At YES Gallery

With Solo Acoustic Performance

By Visionary Module

A New Sign

At YES Gallery

Blessings,

Jannie Susan