by Paula D.
on June 21, 2022 1:43 pm in Food
Nature inspires creativity they say and the peninsula is one of the most diverse ecosystems in New York City. Besides nature’s visual beauty, being outside we enjoy an aromatic sensory experience that is truly calming.
Holland Avenue Soap Co. captures the scent and essence of Rockaway’s natural world. I learned about this new small business a few months ago when my friend and fellow Beach 91st Street Community Garden member Mike Benigno mentioned he and his wife Ellen Colwell started making soap as a hobby during the lockdown.
Meet Ellen, Leah, and Mike at their pop-up tomorrow at Rockstock!
Being the garden nerd that I am, I needed to know more. I asked Mike about their choices in local ingredients, and he explained, “Our goal is to provide a modern, hyper-local take on the traditional soap-making process using ingredients grown or harvested in Rockaway, or otherwise inspired by life on the peninsula. This winter we launched our first soleseife (saltwater soap) which included eucalyptus and tea tree essential oils and had a Rockaway seawater base. The wintry blend was inspired by Riitta Ikonen and the @SeaChanges cold water swim sessions that she led on Sundays. We also foraged for seaweed along the shore to dry into a powder, for use in our seaweed soap.
Many of our soaps have a saltwater base, which has benefits for skin. We time our saltwater collection with the local chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, which tests the water weekly on B. 92 St.
We make soaps from rosemary grown at home and around the corner at the Beach 91st. Street Community Garden. We also obtain herbs through places like Edgemere Farms and are even open to working with our customers to create custom batches made from their own gardens.”
Like so many of us, the pandemic changed the way we view the world and our lives. Holland Avenue Soap Co. emerged from the time Mike and Ellen had to reflect throughout this period. Mike shares, “During the pandemic we all found ourselves thinking in new ways about things like soap, cleaners, and products around the home – there was also a brief time early on in 2020 when soap was actually hard to find. At the same time, Ellen was looking for a craft to do at home, so I bought her an initial set of soap-making gear. Life with a one-year-old delayed us a bit, but by summer 2021, we made our first batch. We found a way to make it our own during the process by using olive oil we infused with rosemary grown on our balcony. It felt so good to create from something we took the time to grow.”
Holland Avenue Soap Co. products are all-natural using only high-quality oils, rich clay, and plant-based ingredients with no artificial colors. Mike and Ellen test each combination because there are many variables that go into the soap-making process. All soaps are mindfully packaged in plastic-free, recycled/recyclable materials, that won’t end up in our oceans. In fact, even their packing tape is fiberglass free! A core value of Mike and Ellens’ vision for their company as it expands is to make decisions that reduce harm to our environment locally and beyond.
What I found most notable is Holland Avenue Soap Co. has a commitment to giving back to our community by donating 10% of their proceeds to Laru Beya Collective, an organization that teaches safety water courses and empowers our youth. As a new small business, this is a difficult obligation but embedding a form of social good into their company was non-negotiable for Mike and Ellen. Mike elaborates, “Water safety is so important for people, especially those who didn’t learn how to swim growing up. We’ve personally witnessed more than our share of tragedies on nearby beaches and we wanted to partner with a group doing something tangible to help.”
Find Holland Avenue Soap Co. products at Fat Cardinal, Station RBNY, and Sovereign Surf & Coffee. Make sure to visit Mike and Ellen at their pop-up tomorrow at Rockstock NYC on the boardwalk at Beach 90th! Connect through their website: hollandavenuesoapco.com and for the latest soaps and scents follow @hollandave_soapco on instagram.
The first time Jenny Magniccari went to a thrift store was six years ago in Florida with her daughter. She was quite surprised by the quality of clothing for sale and she enjoyed the experience of finding a bargain.
Jenny Magniccari, a mother of three, has been a resident of Rockaway for 35 years. And she’s always loved shopping and fashion. Like most of us when the pandemic hit, she was home, with a lot of time on her hands.
Here arrives The Cellar Door NYC. Magniccari had the idea to open a consignment shop. She transformed her living room into a showroom, offering a safe space for neighbors and friends to shop locally and sustainably. Inventory began with clothes from her own closets. She had designer dresses and suits from past events that were barely worn in excellent condition. As word spread on Instagram (@thecellardoornyc), family, friends and neighbors reached out to Jenny, interested in decluttering their own wardrobes and building a consignment relationship. With this new flow of locally sourced inventory, The Cellar Door NYC was official.
Recently Magniccari launched thecellardoornyc.com, where you can now also shop online. Some of the brands sold include Stuart Weitzman, Eileen Fisher, Theory, BCBG, Max Azria, Max Mara, Free People, Red Carter, Tory Burch, Elie Tahari, Anthropologie, Banana Republic, Ralph Lauren, Coach, and Burberry.
Shrink the fabric footprint, buy gently used name brand clothing locally in Rockaway
‘Rent the Runway in Rockaway,’ a first for the peninsula, is a very popular service offered by The Cellar Door NYC. If you’d like a designer handbag or dress for a special occasion, with little planning ahead involved, this is for you!
There’s much research on Magniccari’s end to accurately describe the material, style and pricing of the clothing, handbags, and jewelry for her clientele. She likes the process but what she enjoys most about her business is the community it’s building. You can visit The Cellar Door NYC by appointment, individually, or as a small group. It’s a fun, social shopping experience in a beautiful cozy home. Periodically Jenny hosts Sip N’ Shop events and other special gatherings.
All sizes and styles available at the Cellar Door NYC.
It’s been an unseasonably cool and rainy April/May but we made it – garden season is here! I’m behind but I’m working my way through the front and back garden. I’ve separated the Daylilies (which encourages more flowering) and took out Walker’s Low (which spreads so much). I gave the Walker’s Low and Irises to a friend who’s starting a garden for the first time. And with all the rain to encourage growth, the weeding seems endless.
4 cubic yards of beautiful compost made from NYC food scraps.
It’s been an unseasonably cool and rainy April/May but we made it – garden season is here! I’m behind but I’m working my way through the front and back garden. I’ve separated the Daylilies (which encourages more flowering) and took out Walker’s Low (which spreads so much). I gave the Walker’s Low and Irises to a friend who’s starting a garden for the first time. And with all the rain to encourage growth, the weeding seems endless.
In addition to getting my home garden in order, I’ve been doing work for the Beach 91st Street Community Garden (@beach91communitygarden). One of my responsibilities as garden manager is to procure compost every season. Since the pandemic, it’s been difficult to get a hold of. Last year we went without. I contacted my go-to source this year but got a late response. I took to Twitter for recommendations and a friend of mine suggested Big Rescue. I thought they were a thrift store selling reused furniture/appliances and home repair-type items. I went to their website and learned that they partner with the DSNY compost program! The site explains:
The NYC Compost Project Hosted by Big Reuse is part of a community-scale composting network that works to rebuild our soils by providing New Yorkers with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities they need to produce and use compost locally. We compost food scraps locally at our processing site under the Queensboro Bridge in LIC, Queens, and at our Salt Lot facility located on the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. The compost produced is distributed locally to community organizations working to revitalize NYC’s soil. We work with over 70 Food Scrap Drop-Off Sites to collect food scraps from NYC residents. We help improve the soil in our neighborhood by distributing finished compost to community greening groups and through volunteer-powered stewardship events.
I emailed Big Reuse. I got a prompt response and scheduled our four cubic yard delivery. Lou and his partner arrived ready to go. We had trouble finagling the truck between the garden gate because there was a car parked across the street, making the angle difficult. Lou is a pro and took his time. He was mindful of my concerns about the gate and telephone wire that was low-hanging.
A big thank you to the Big Reuse for doing a fantastic job!
Me in my natural habitat.
by Paula D.
on June 21, 2022 1:23 pm in Recipes
My dishwasher broke. Not the function itself but the whole darn thing got dislodged from the counter. Every time I’d open it, the racks would fly out sliding forward…sometimes the dishes too. After almost three months of getting aggravated and procrastinating, I finally called to get it fixed.
I found Gene’s Repair Service (917.913.5990) in the business directory of The Wave. I liked the vintage style ad but what grabbed my attention was that this is a women-owned and operated business. Patty McCabe picked up right away. I explained the issue and she said, “You know, you can fix this yourself. You don’t need me. I can walk you through it.” I was taken aback! I never called a repair service where they told me essentially… “Don’t spend your money.” I liked Patty’s candidness. I explained to her that I didn’t have the time to futz with it and while maybe I could fix the dishwasher, I’d rather have a professional handle it.
Patty came a few days later and got to work. She has a great laugh! The job was done in no time. We started talking about my cabinets, which also need repair. She screwed on the draw face as a quick fix and gave me some helpful leads. “Who is Gene?” I asked. Patty explained Gene (Eugene J. Burke) is her late husband who started the business 43 years ago. He taught her the trade.
If you need appliance repair around the house, Patty is your gal. Five stars – I highly recommend her business!
Speaking of dirty dishes, if you hate them, I have a delicious one-pan dinner recipe for you to try. Keep things in the kitchen clean and easy. As an (almost) vegetarian, I need alternative protein options and I love eggs. Why not eggs for dinner? Shakshuka originated in North Africa in the mid-16th century after tomatoes were introduced during the Columbian exchange. This rich and healthy meal has been adopted by many cultures with their own variations. The red sauce is easy to make on the stovetop, then just crack in the eggs and add spices and cheese. Serve with a warm pita.
Shakshuka With Feta
(serves 4-6 people)
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 5 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon each of ground cumin, sweet paprika and ground cayenne
- 1 can whole plum tomatoes with the juice, coarsely chopped
- About 1 1/4 cups fresh feta crumbled
- 6 large eggs
- Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
- Chopped cilantro, for serving and hot sauce (optional)
Directions: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook until soft, about 15 minutes. Add garlic and cook until tender, stir in cumin, paprika and cayenne, sugar and cook for 1 minute. Pour in tomatoes and season with salt and pepper; simmer until tomatoes have thickened, about 10 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Stir in crumbled feta.
Gently crack eggs into skillet over tomatoes. Cover and cook for 7 to 10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve with hot sauce.
Recipe from cooking.nytimes.com
Follow Paula for the day-to-day in the kitchen on IG @theglorifiedtomato.
