au marché: haven's kitchen

For most people (in fact, a growing percentage of modern society), the kitchen has become a scary place. Far from the comforting 1950s symbol of domestic bliss, it has become the most intimidating room in the home - a sort of torture chamber, in which fearful instruments of various sizes and unknown purpose await.

Allison Schneider, the founder of Haven’s Kitchen - the recently opened cooking school, retail shop and event space in Chelsea - does not suffer from kitchen-phobia. On the contrary, she has worked at GrowNYC, established CSAs at her children’s schools and is currently finishing a Masters Degree in Food Studies at New York University. But that doesn’t mean she’s forgotten the fearful masses. In fact, she designed Haven’s Kitchen to be a literal safe haven for the famished in body and soul.

The evening I visited Haven’s Kitchen, Allison was preparing to teach a handful of students how to make gnocchi by hand. Even though I had only stopped by for a quick tour, Allison invited me to sit in on the class. After a warm welcome and the requisite hand-washing, she mentally prepped the class with a brief overview of gnocchi history, economics and culture. Needless to say, this is not your ordinary cooking school.

The class quickly continued with a quick overview of gnocchi cooking methods, led by Katie Carey, Haven’s Kitchen’s sous chef, and former head chef at Casellula Cheese & Wine Café . As Katie encouraged the students to start chopping potatoes, Allison jumped in with some kitchen science - explaining that it’s important to start boiling your potatoes in cold water, rather than hot (for the record - it heats the potato slowly, so that it cooks more evenly).

In addition to this multidiscliplinary approach to cooking, the mission to support sustainable, local food production distinguishes Haven’s Kitchen from the city’s other cooking schools. The message pervades the decisions made by the staff on a daily level. For example, Katie selected one of the sauces for the gnocchi because there was leftover basil from a summer- themed photo shoot that morning. And the tarts baked for said photo shoot? They were up for sale at the coffee bar.

Which brings me to the retail shop. When I first approached the entrance of Haven’s Kitchen, I couldn’t help but notice the constant stream of turning heads - neighborhood regulars curious to catch a glimpse of the elegant newcomer on the block. From behind the glass, artisanal goods from a carefully curated crop of local purveyors beckon - Bellocq Atelier’s artisanal tea, Old Field Farm’s raw honey and maple syrup, and Salvatore Brooklyn’s ricotta, to name a few - as well as Haven Kitchen’s house granola and pancake mix. The shop also sells books by modern sustainable chefs like Yotam Ottolenghi and Tamar Adler. And the aforementioned coffee bar sits just behind a friendly communal table, bedecked with a gleaming refurbished espresso maker that serves up coffee from La Colombe.

Beyond the retail shop is a winding wooden staircase to the second floor event space (to be expanded in the future with a third floor and rooftop garden). The stairwell is hung with vintage Parisian prints and movie posters, as well as an eclectic, minimalist “chandelier”. The upstairs cocktail area continues this aesthetic, with homey accents and a mildly mod, Parisian flair, while the dining room has a cleaner palate and features a kitchen for on-site food preparation. It’s easy to imagine you are a guest in a very chic friend’s apartment, which is exactly how events team, wants it. "The goal is to make Haven's Kitchen feel like you're in your own home - complete with a kitchen, dining room, and living room. We want to help throw your dream party minus the stress." I could easily envision planning a birthday, office party or even a wedding in the charming space.

The overarching result is an inviting escape from the city streets - in large part due to frequent French accents, hand-selected by Allison at Parisian flea markets. The black, white, yellow and wood accents (the gorgeous floors, by the way, are originals that were discovered during the renovation) are stylish, yet subtle, and the staff is equally chic and nonchalant, happy to answer questions or pause for a chat. In fact, there’s nothing dogmatic or overdone about Haven’s Kitchen, right down to the understated, hand- scrawled manifesto:

"Food : Buy it with thought; Cook it with care; Serve just enough; Save what will keep; Eat what would spoil; Home grown is best; Don’t waste it”.

Haven’s Kitchen 109 West 17th Street (212) 929-7900 http://havenskitchen.com/

*Article originally published in Müdd Magazine

au marché: richard lenoir market, paris

It is difficult to pick a favorite market in Paris - some have the best prices, others have higher quality or more unusual products and a few have simply incredible ambiance.  But if I had to pick one market in Paris to be the "best" market for first-time visitors to the city, I would pick the Marché Richard Lenoir.

This renown market is impressive in both its size and the diversity of its products.  Stretching north of Place de la Bastille (under the watch of the famous monument's gleaming angel), this twice weekly market fills a fountain-lined promenade with a motley crew of both vendors and shoppers.  As you enter on the Bastille end, you will walk past cheap clothing and hygiene/beauty products, followed by kitchenware merchants.  You will then see stands of prepared/hot foods, fruits and vegetables, and eventually dairy, meat and seafood.  Once deeply entrenched in the market, specialty vendors of Italian goods, honey, spices or wine will also dot your path.  (Word to the wise: it is worth walking the entire loop of the market before deciding on any purchases.  And a line typically means that a vendor has good value and/or high quality products).

There are two elusive and addictive foodstuffs sold at this market that I have never found of equal quality elsewhere in the city.  The first of these is fougasse, a doughy webbed bread, that I prefer stuffed with black olives.  This particular Parisian delight is an obsession of my bread-loving sister (who, ironically, doesn't like olives, but apparently loves olives encased in perfectly fluffy, soft bread).  The second time I lived in Paris, my apartment was steps from the Richard Lenoir market - and I can actually recall waking up at the crack of dawn, rolling my suitcase to the bread stand (before they were even officially set up),  and purchasing still-warm fougasse, just to hail a taxi and hop on a plane back to the 'States - just so she can have it (relatively) fresh. (Yes, it's really that good).

The second of these products is less portable, unfortunately.  Pain au thym  is a lebanese flat bread spread with olive oil and za'atar - a middle eastern spice blend of thyme, marjoram, oregano, sesame and salt.  Heated over a cast-iron dome, the circular flatbread is then folded into parchment paper, piping hot and ready to eat.

After thirty seconds of impatience (which are necessary, I have in overeager moments burned my tongue), the fragrant bread is ready to bite - inundating your taste buds with an herbaceous, salty and slightly acidic punch.  An empty stomach is an undisputed prerequisite for such a market trip, but filling that stomach immediately with pain au thym more than gratifies the short-term sacrifice (and may help inspire moderation during the rest of your shopping experience).

Last but not least, this is a market well-worn by savvy tourists, and thus easier to navigate for English speakers than others (for example, the nearby Place d'Aligre market, which is very popular and often preferred for daily shopping by full-time residents of the quartier).

If you have the chance, check out the Richard Lenoir market early on a Thursday.  It is far less packed than it will be on Sunday, and thus easier to grab the elusive fougasse (which tends to sell out in the first couple hours).

For more coverage of the Marché Richard Lenoir, check out expat foodie David Lebovitz's perspective.  And don't forget to visit Catherine, his favorite chicken lady.

au marché: Grubstreet at the Hester Street Fair

After a long Saturday of singing and shaking along to the newbie bands of CMJ fest, I rolled out of bed this Sunday, a bit too early and questioning my desire to embark upon another weekend-day of sensory over-stimulation.

For the second year in a row, the much-lauded, LES small business laboratory-cum-market known as the Hester Street Fair was to go 100% grub (well, Grubstreet).  The number people at last year’s inaugural event shocked both attendees and organizers – the Pies ‘n’ Thighs line alone nearly suffocated the small, formerly-abandoned lot where the Hester Street Fair takes place each Sunday.

So you can I imagine my (pleasant) surprise when I arrived on bike to find 1) a parking spot next to the fair's entrance and 2) the event had (far) more than doubled in size, overtaking an adjacent lot that stretched all the way to Grand Street.  The new roomy digs meant that the weekly H'Street vintage/jewelry purveyors were permitted to stay on site and sell their wares in the beer garden area, while the actual edibles relocated to the larger lot.

Hunger peaked by the long bike ride downtown, I eagerly scanned the offerings.  Pies ‘n’ Thighs was in attendance, yet again - but this time I wizened up to the inevitable line, immediately buying myself - not a chicken biscuit – but a molasses cookie. Necessary backstory: I have a serious thing for molasses/ginger cookies – and the Pies ‘n’ Thighs iteration, in particular, has haunted my memory since last year's fair as “the one that got away”.  (Sure, I could have gone to Brooklyn and bought one anytime I liked.  But unrequited love is so much more fulfilling, no?)  Anyway, all the anticipation was well worth it – because that bendy, spicy, chewy delight of a cookie wow’ed not only me, but also my “uninterested in sweets” dining companion.

Speaking of sweets, there were really too many.  The ratio of hot dishes to cold cookies, popsicles, shaved ice, ice cream, etc. was definitely disproportionate.  This did, however, help us decide quickly upon a short-rib, shredded pork and hominy chili from Char No. 4.  Certainly spiced, but not really “spicy”, the slow-roasted meat and fluffy hominy combo was definitely a winner – leaving us satisfied and comforted, without the typical post-chili paunch.

The afternoon sun finally made an appearance, and we took the tour of the remaining vendors - most more-or-less familiar from other NYC markets.  Among the exciting newcomers was The Comfort Kitchen, a budding business run by a French Culinary Institute Grad., Suzanne Michaud.  Most noteworthy among her wares were the Florentine biscotti – authentically inspired by the recipe of an old Italian family friend.  Light and toasty with a touch of amaretto – these old world cookies were a significant upgrade from the dense, coffee-destined biscotti I recall my elders eating as a child.

But my favorite of all the market newbies was White Belly, a wood-fired pizza operation on wheels.  The WB chef already owns one familiar food stand, Daisy Duke’s BBQ (which makes a great Arnold Palmers, by the way), as well as the Warren St. eatery, Brick.  It’s a shame that the latter brick-and-mortar establishment doesn’t have a wood oven, because White Belly's Bruha pizza was a picture-perfect pie.  Light and fluffy, but not overly floppy, this barely al dente crust was topped with homemade ricotta, sweet butternut squash and slightly singed sage.

With that perfect-for-early-fall flavor trio lingering on my tongue, the Hester Street/Grub Street collaboration hit its high note.  I strolled back to my awaiting bike on Essex more than satisfied…. and had to laugh at the incomprehensible queue for the omnipresent Mr. Softee, right outside the fair’s gates.