Marty Winter 2011.qxd - Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz

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MESSAGE
from
MARTY
We don’t need falling temperatures to tell us that Brooklyn is cool! GQ
magazine recently called Brooklyn the coolest city on the planet! So while
you’re sipping eggnog, exchanging presents and enjoying seasonal celebrations,
remember to give to those less fortunate. Take it from me, Brooklynites are the
most generous people. So please, donate your time, your gently used goods or
make a financial donation to a group whose mission resonates with you.
There are many Brooklyn organizations worthy of help, from groups that serve
youth, education, the arts, the homeless, people with disabilities, families or seniors
in crisis. Just two examples, to feed the hungry, are the Bed-Stuy Campaign
Against Hunger (718-773-3551) and Reaching Out Community Services in
Bensonhurst (718-373-4565). According to the Brooklyn Community
Foundation (BCF)—the borough’s largest private foundation—there are 2,445
nonprofit organizations in Brooklyn providing community services. Visit BCF’s
website at www.brooklyncommunityfoundation.org for more information.
If you want to give, the Center for the Study of Brooklyn has a web
database called the Brooklyn Organizations Directory. More than 1,000
Brooklyn organizations are searchable by name, neighborhood or category.
Visit http://websql.brooklyn.cuny.edu/organizations/.
I want to congratulate my partner at Borough Hall for a decade, Yvonne
Graham, who was just appointed associate commissioner of the Office of Health
Disparities Prevention in the New York State Department of Health. Yvonne is
an expert in the health field, founder of the Caribbean Women’s Health
Association, a registered nurse and has dedicated her career to improving the
health of all Brooklynites. New York State residents are fortunate for the larger
role that Yvonne will play on the health care policy stage. We wish Yvonne the
best and offer heartfelt thanks for a job well done as deputy borough president.
Brooklyn sweethearts who have been married for 50 years or longer, join me
to celebrate love on Feb. 13 at El Caribe. See page 30 for more information.
I wish each of you good health and happiness in the new year. Please join
me for fireworks, a little bubbly and great music at 11pm on New Year’s Eve
at Grand Army Plaza opposite the Brooklyn Public Library. Come celebrate!
Send your story ideas for Brooklyn!! to askmarty@brooklynbp.nyc.gov or
call (718) 802-3700.
BROOKLYN BOROUGH HALL
209 Joralemon Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
BROOKLYN, N.Y.
Permit No. 2350
Bravo!
Deputy
Borough President
Yvonne Graham
Newly appointed
Associate
Commissioner
New York State
Office of Health
Disparities
Prevention
A Courier-Life Publication
Winter 2011
HOME FOR THE
BROOKLYN HOLIDAYS!
ENJOY THE SEASON!
4 The lights are bright every year at Frank Seddio’s Holiday Extravaganza
on Flatlands Avenue and E. 93rd Street in Canarsie.
Where better than Brooklyn to enjoy all the sights and sounds of the
holiday season? From spectacular light shows to wintry performances
to plenty of fun activities for the kids—not to mention a
romantic fireside dinner for the adults—there’s no place merrier than Brooklyn
come the holidays. So leave your cares behind, take that special someone (or
“someones”) and head out to one of the Brooklyn events that make this season so
warm even when the cold winds blow.
See page 9 for a listing of the many, although by no means all, holiday events
happening throughout the borough. And no matter what you do, have a happy
and safe holiday season in “cool” Brooklyn!
STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 9 2

BAUBLES, BANGLES AND BEADS
4 The ginger-haired shop owner Claudia
Rapisarda has a great eye for color.
WHERE NEW YORK CITY BEGINS
Looking for a stocking stuffer, a
Hanukkah gift, maybe even a treat for yourself?
Drop in Rapisarda in Cobble Hill and
shop the dazzling selection of unique jewelry,
whimsical bags and fun accessories.
Shop owner Claudia Rapisarda’s Brazilian
heritage—she’s a São Paolo native—is
celebrated in the store’s orange and blue
façade, the candy-colored interior and the
rows of brilliantly-hued merchandise, from
backpacks to bracelets and everything in
between. Rapisarda selects each piece herself,
some of it Brazilian, like the gold-filled
jewelry she carries and the ingenious bags
made from recycled plastic.
“I studied fashion here in NYC and worked in the fashion industry in Brazil, even
working as a milliner and jewelry maker,” said Rapisarda. After selling wholesale at stores
like Bergdorf ’s, she opened her own Cobble Hill store in 2003, discovering that she really
liked the customer interaction.
Rapisarda’s unusual necklaces, scarves, gloves, bags, wallets, leggings and socks—plus a
selection of women’s garments made in Brazil—make it difficult to leave the shop without
a purchase. And at prices ranging from as little as a dollar up to $200 or so, a Rapisarda
shopping spree is suitable for everyone’s budget.
So when the winter doldrums come around and skies turn gray, samba over to Rapisarda
for a little bit of Brazil, Brooklyn style. As they say in Portuguese, lindo maravilhoso!
Beautiful! Marvelous!
Rapisarda, 177 Court St. (btw. Bergen/Amity); Hours: Mon-Sat Noon-8pm, Sun
Noon-6pm; (718) 797-6863; Fax (718) 797-6864; Email at info@rapisarda.com.
4 Bernard Rougerie of Rare Posters can
help give your walls some “pop.”
ART SMART
Brooklyn has become New York City’s
artistic heart, teeming with performance
venues, world class museums and art galleries,
many transplanted here from
Chelsea. Bernard Rougerie was ahead of
the pack, leaving Manhattan in 1999 for
Park Slope and ultimately settling in
DUMBO, where Rare Posters has become
the perfect source of art for everyone from
online auctioneers to decorators and from
connoisseurs to your average homeowner.
Rougerie sells limited edition prints, museum
posters from the 1950s to present,
lithographs—basically finely printed copies
of original works—and serigraphs—also
known as screen prints—produced in the 1960s and ’70s.
With a large catalogue of thousands of prints available by artist, style or subject,
Rougerie offers high quality artwork to customers who want more than a poster but lack
the big bucks required for a painting.
While most people order from the company’s website, the store in DUMBO is also open
for business, with both the product and the neighborhood being big draws.
“Our international clients love coming to DUMBO,” said Rougerie. “Many walk
across the Brooklyn Bridge, check out places like Jacques Torres Chocolates, Grimaldi’s
Pizzeria, Almondine Bakery, St. Ann’s Warehouse—and Rare Posters, of course—then
have lunch in restaurants like the River Café!”
Another big draw? Service. Not only will Rougerie beat any competitor’s price but he’ll
do his best to find that elusive print you’ve been longing for.
Rare Posters, 135 Plymouth St., 4th Fl.; Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-5:30pm; (718) 788-0791;
Retail sales online at www.rareposters.com; Wholesale website: www.artwiseonline.com.
Spring 2003
WWW.BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
Winter 2011
“MEAT” YOUR NEW BUTCHER!
Brooklynites know quality when they taste it.
No wonder they’re lining up at Fleisher’s Grassfed
and Organic Meats in Park Slope. Of course
the Fleisher family knows beef; after all, Wolf
Fleisher set up a kosher butcher shop in Kensington
back in 1901 and great grandson Joshua
Applestone continued serving Brooklynites and
New Yorkers via delivery when the family business
moved to Kingston, New York.
Applestone and his wife, Jessica, carry on the
tradition but up the ante by offering primarily
grass-fed beef raised on local farms without hormones,
antibiotics, pesticides or herbicides. With
the Kingston business thriving, and demand for
organic beef at an all time high, the Applestones
decided it was “prime” time to reopen in Brooklyn.
4 Joshua and Jessica Applestone of
“We believe that being obsessed with humane Fleisher’s Grass-fed and Organic Meats.
animal care and meat quality mean great flavor
but it also helps people feel good about what they eat,” said Applestone.
Applestone really loves what he does, and it shows: along with the best cuts of organic
beef, homemade bacon and pork sausage, free range poultry and locally raised lamb,
Fleisher’s offers a knife skills course, a butcher training program and delivery throughout
Brooklyn and Manhattan. The couple has even penned a new book, The Butcher’s Guide
to Well-Raised Meat. If that doesn’t prove their love, check out Fleisher’s tee shirts available
on their web site. A favorite? “Live and Loin!”
Fleisher’s Park Slope, 192 5th Ave. (btw Union/Sackett Sts.); Hours: Tues-Sat 11am-
8pm, Sun 11am-6pm; (718) 398-6666; www.fleishers.com.
During the wave of immigration that
hit New York in the early 20th century,
many new arrivals from countries like
Italy, Poland and Russia were tailors by
training. In our fast-paced, ready made
world, the art of old world craftsmanship
of men’s tailoring has largely disappeared.
But we’re fortunate to have it in
Brooklyn, at Ercole’s Creative Fashions
in Dyker Heights.
“Year by year, there are fewer people
doing this,” said Frank Petrungaro, one
half of the familial duo behind Ercole’s.
Frank’s father, Ercole, began the business
28 years ago. Frank trained at the prestigious
Fashion Institute of Technology,
but rather than seeking employment with
a high-end design firm, he opted to join
his father in 1996.
SUIT YOURSELF!
4 Ercole Petrungaro and his son, Frank, are a
dapper man’s best friends!
Ercole’s is both a neighborhood store and a “destination” shop. Its custom “bench-made”
suits attract clients from as far away as California and London who pay between $1,800 and
$4,000 for an expertly tailored suit made from the finest Italian and English fabrics. That may
sound like a lot, but for those moments in every man’s life that demand a special suit, there is
no better place to find one than Ercole’s. But if that’s out of your price range, Ercole’s expert
alterations can make your off-the-rack suit look practically custom-made.
So if you’re the type of man who cares about how clothes look on you, then this is the
place to buy a suit and to make alterations to suits, pants, coats and jackets. “You don’t get
a fancy song and dance from me,” Frank said. “I’m a Brooklyn guy.”
Ercole’s Creative Fashions; 7415 13th Ave. (bet. 74th St/Bay Ridge Pkwy.); (718) 837-4352.

Photo by: Paul Martinka
Photo by: Arthur DeGaeta, Courier Life
Winter 2011
Spring 2003
WWW.BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
Marty’s
4Marty hosted the semi-annual Borough President’s Lunch at the legendary
Peter Luger steakhouse in Williamsburg. The other borough
presidents joining Marty were Staten Island’s James P. Molinaro, the
Bronx’s Ruben Diaz, Jr., Manhattan’s Scott M. Stringer and Queens’s
Helen M. Marshall.
4 Among those gathered to celebrate the renovation of Coney Island’s
Kaiser Park basketball courts and field house were, from left, Borough
Park Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey, Assemblymember Alec Brook-
Krasny; Friends of Kaiser Park President Rocco Brescia; Marty; Parks
Commissioner Adrian Benepe; City Council Finance Chair Domenic M.
Recchia Jr.—who provided most of the funding—and State Senator
Diane Savino. The 26-acre park is named after Brooklynite, lawyer and
educator Dr. Leon Kaiser.
4 What, no lederhosen? The Loreley Restaurant and Biergarten on 64
Frost St. in Williamsburg took note of the start of Oktoberfest in
Munich with the traditional tapping of a keg. Even Marty is game to
try something new—it only took him eight tries to tap into the keg.
Marty was joined by owner Michael Momm, a proud Brooklynite by
way of Rhineland, who offers more than 20 German beers as well as
regional German foods.
4 Red Hook Homes is the largest affordable homeownership project in Red
Hook’s history, offering 40 affordable apartments and 20 middle-income
units. Among those gathered to celebrate the ribbon cutting were, from left,
State Senator Velmanette Montgomery; Housing Partnership Development
Corp’s Sheila Martin; Brooklyn Community Foundation’s Marilyn Gelber;
Assemblymember Felix Ortiz; Marty; Dan Wiley, representing Congressmember
Nydia Velázquez; Citi Community Capital’s Zineb Morabet; NYC HPD’s Susan
Kensky; CB6’s Leroy Branch; Councilmember Brad Lander; Fifth Avenue
Committee’s Michelle de la Uz; among others. Congrats to Michelle on the birth
of her daughter, Eliana!
ON THE BLOCK
WHERE NEW YORK CITY BEGINS
4 The annual Italian American Heritage celebrazione at Borough Hall
honored the outstanding contributions of Italian Americans in
Brooklyn, including, from left, Frank Seddio, former judge and assemblymember;
Thomas J. Fariello, first deputy commissioner, Buildings
Dept.; Rosanne Raso, senior vice president, Lutheran Medical Center;
and Sal Calabrese, president, RE/MAX Metro. Marty and Senior
Advisor Carlo Scissura are also pictured.
4 Brooklyn’s own Jay-Z, rap icon and part owner, announced that the
New Jersey Nets will be renamed the Brooklyn Nets once they’re playing
on their home court at Barclays Center in November, 2012. Joining
Jay-Z at the announcement were students from George Westinghouse
Career and Technical Education High School, where Jay-Z—then
Shawn Corey Carter—once attended!
4 Kudos to the Brooklyn Public Library’s new chief! Mayor Michael
Bloomberg, BPL Board of Trustee Chair Anthony Crowell and Marty
were on hand at the Grand Army Plaza central branch to offer the
library’s new president and CEO, Linda Johnson, the best in her new
position. BPL is the fifth largest library system in the nation!
4 Transart’s annual Jazz Treasures program paid tribute to worldrenowned
jazz pianist and composer—Brooklyn’s own—Randy
Weston, who received the Jazz Treasure Award, as well as a Brooklyn
Bridge from Marty! Gathered to pay homage to this living jazz icon
were, from left, Councilmember Charles Barron; artist and Rush
Philanthropic Arts Foundation co-founder/chair Danny Simmons;
Randy Weston; Marty; Transart’s Greer Smith; and Councilmember
Letitia James.
4 A BigApple a Day! Rick Russo, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce;
Tony Riso, Duane Reade; Dr. Amanda Parsons, NYC Dept. of Health and
Mental Hygiene; Marty; and Michael Oshins, HealthTrans. gathered to
celebrate the success of the City-wide BigAppleRx prescription discount
card—which is free for every resident of Brooklyn—and distribute them
at the Duane Reade on Fulton Mall, one of the participating pharmacies.
The BigAppleRx card has saved Brooklynites more than $295,000 in
prescription drug costs. Visit www.bigapplerx.com to obtain the card.
4 Development of the Sunset Park Federal Building #2 will create
1,700 jobs and bring more light manufacturing and retail space to
Brooklyn. Taking part in the groundbreaking were, from left, NYC
Economic Development Corp. President Seth Pinsky; Southwest
Brooklyn Industrial Development Corp. Exec. Director David
Meade; Mayor Michael Bloomberg; Congressmember Nydia
Velázquez; Councilmember Sara Gonzalez; Congressmember
Jerrold Nadler; Salmar Properties co-owners Sal Rusi and Marvin
Schein; General Services Administration Regional Administrator,
New York and Caribbean Region, Denise Pease; General Services
Administration Regional Administrator, New England Region,
Robert Zarnetske; Council Speaker Christine Quinn; and Marty.
4 Marty was honored to join T.E.A.L. (Tell Every Amazing Lady About
Ovarian Cancer) co-founder Pamela Esposito-Amery and her family at the
starting line of the 3rd Annual T.E.A.L. Walk. T.E.A.L. has raised more
than $100,000 in financial support for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund
to date. This year’s walk was dedicated to Pamela’s sister, Louisa M.
McGregor (co-founder), who lost her battle with the disease in March.
4 The 33rd Annual Brownstoners House Tour benefitted the
McDonald/Glee Jr. and Joan Maynard Memorial Scholarship Funds.
Celebrating the group’s distinguished history of community service to
Bedford Stuyvesant were, among others, Assemblymember Annette
Robinson; Brownstoners President Ava Barnett; Housing Chair
Marguerita Fletcher; founders Brenda and Wilbert Fryson; Clarence
Jones; Reggie Shell and of course, Marty.

Winter 2011
Spring 2003
Women are the only true majority in Brooklyn so it just
makes sense that we’re making history when it comes to female
rabbis. The other boroughs may have women in associate
or assistant rabbi positions, but in Brooklyn, women
have attained the top spiritual post. Here are five Brooklyn
rabbis who are leading the way!
“The Jewish community has been immeasurably enriched
by the presence of women in all aspects of Jewish
life,” said Rabbi Linda Henry Goodman, rabbi of Union
Temple of Brooklyn in Prospect Heights, where she has
been the spiritual leader since 1992. Rabbi Goodman’s Reform
congregation consists of a healthy mix of neighborhood
folks, from baby boomers to seniors to young Jewish
families. In 2012, Rabbi Goodman also will become the first
ever female president of the New York Board of Rabbis.
Goodman isn’t alone in her pioneering ways. Rabbi Ellen
Lippmann formed a progressive congregation, Kolot
Chayeinu in Park Slope, which just celebrated its 18th birthday.
Lippmann leads a congregation that, according to its mission
statement, “wrestles with tradition and refuses to be satisfied
with the world as it is.” Lippmann’s LGBTQ-and
everyone else-friendly congregation consists of 375 members,
mostly in their 30s and 40s, but Lippmann has noticed a recent
surge in membership from residents in their 20s, from all
walks of life and from all corners of Brooklyn.
Female rabbis are even heading up more traditional synagogues
like the longstanding conservative Bay Ridge Jewish
Center in Bay Ridge, which consists of mostly older members
and serves many Russians. This past July, Rabbi Dina Rosenberg
became the first female clergy hired there and she believes
WWW.BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
A WOMAN’S PLACE IS ON THE BIMAH!
WHERE thought NEW YORK it was CITY something BEGINS she could actually achieve. “I did not
think it was possible for a woman to be the rabbi of a conservative
synagogue,” she said. “Then, when I was in high school,
the Jewish Theological Seminary ordained its first rabbi and
this long-held dream became a possibility.”
Last but not least, this name might sound familiar. Rabbi
Heidi Hoover of Temple Beth Emeth v’Ohr Progressive
Shaari Zedek in Flatbush was featured in Brooklyn!! in 2009
back when she was a rabbinical student. In July 2011, Rabbi
Hoover became one of the newest female rabbis to serve
Brooklyn’s Jewish population, but she chooses to see herself
not as a pioneer, but as part of the great tradition that is Judaism.
“I don’t think of myself as a female rabbi, but as a rabbi,”
she said. “My most important task as a rabbi is to bring
4 Rabbis Heidi Hoover, Carie Carter, Dina Rosenberg, Linda people into a living tradition, helping them become knowl-
Goodman and Ellen Lippmann are making Brooklyn proud!
edgeable about it and empowering them to wrestle with it and
make it their own.”
that her congregation is growing to accept her quickly after
Helen Reddy once sang, “I am woman, hear me roar!” But
some initial doubts. “While there was much apprehension
maybe the song should go, “I am rabbi, watch me soar,” at least
about my appointment from the Russian community, I believe
here in Brooklyn, where the majority of the population just
that many of them have turned a new leaf and they have seen
cannot be “ignored.”
my success,” Rosenberg said. So far, the rabbi is definitely on
And congratulations to Cantor Suzanne Bernstein, recently
the right track. Bay Ridge Jewish Center’s membership has in-
installed as new spiritual leader of the Progressive Temple
creased by 13 percent since Rosenberg was appointed.
Beth Ahavath Sholom in Borough Park.
The Park Slope Jewish Center (PSJC) in Park Slope, also
Union Temple of Brooklyn, 17 Eastern Parkway (718)
a conservative synagogue, is following its own tradition of fe- 638-7600. Kolot Chayeinu, 1012 Eighth Ave. (718) 390-7493.
male rabbis. PSJC, whose membership consists mostly of fam- Bay Ridge Jewish Center, 405 81st St. (718) 836-3103. The
ilies of all kinds from the Park Slope area, hired its first female Park Slope Jewish Center, 1320 Eighth Ave. (718) 768-1453.
rabbi in the 1980s. In 2000, it appointed Rabbi Carie Carter. Temple Beth Emeth v’Ohr Progressive Shaari Zedek, 83
Carter, who wanted to be a rabbi since childhood, never Marlborough Rd. (718) 282-1596.

Home for the Brooklyn Holidays!
(CONTINUED FROM COVER)
PERFORMANCE/CULTURAL EVENTS
RFK Memorial Holiday Party at Bed-Stuy Restoration
Corp: Kids ages 5-12 will find fun holiday activities that promote
literacy and healthy lifestyles. Dec. 10, 9am-noon. FREE
but you must register at www. restorationplaza.org.
Town Square and the Greenpoint Y’s Santa Parade & Holiday
Extravaganza: Parade starts at 11am at the Greenpoint Y, 99
Meserole Ave. (btw. Manhattan/Lorimer). Dec. 10, 11am-4pm.
The Colonial Nutcracker at Brooklyn College: Dance
Theatre in Westchester performs an abridged, narrated version
of Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet set in colonial Yorktown. BC’s
Walt Whitman Theater. $7. Dec. 11, 2pm-3:30pm.
The Brooklyn Heights’ Grace & Spiritus Chorale:
Community Sing, Montague St. Promenade Tree Lighting
Ceremony and caroling. Dec. 14, 5:30pm-7pm.
The American Ballet Theater’s performance of Alexei
Ratmansky’s Nutcracker: BAM’s Howard Gilman Opera House.
Dec. 14-31.
Brooklyn Youth Chorus Academy: Holiday Harmonies
Concert at Our Lady of Lebanon Church in Brooklyn Heights.
Dec. 16 and 17.
Jingle Bell Jamboree: Holiday music, dancing and sing-a-long,
the Congregation Beth Elohim in Park Slope, FREE (Suggested
donations: $5 per child/$10 per adult). Dec. 17, 7pm.
The Kings Bay Y’s ’Tis a Light Celebration: Kids can make
Hanukkah candles from scratch in the Kings Bay kitchen.
www.kingsbayy.org or call (718) 648-7703. Dec. 18, 2pm-4pm.
Soccer is truly the world’s sport and in
Brooklyn it’s becoming increasingly popular.
Now there’s a place where soccer fans
of every stripe can cheer the night away—
in Prospect Heights at the homey
Woodwork Restaurant.
With strollers lined outside the restaurant
during the day and soccer fans applauding
kickoffs through the wee hours,
Woodwork’s customer base is just like
Brooklyn: eclectic. Whether you eagerly
await the World Cup or not, you can’t resist
tucking into the mac ’n cheese special
that Time Out New York rated among the
city’s top 100 dishes. There are Nutella
waffles with bacon available all day. But
A KICKING CUISINE
COME OUTSIDE!
Jane’s Carousel, in DUMBO’s Brooklyn Bridge Park. Who
needs decorations when you have ornately carved, beautifully
WHERE NEW YORK CITY BEGINS
restored steeds to carry you away this holiday season? Open Nov
6-Apr 5, Thurs-Sun, 11am-6pm. Children aged 4 and older are
$2.00 each.
FIDO Bark! The Herald Angels Sing: A sing-a-long with dogcentric
lyrics, hot beverages, plus Santa posing with your pooch!
Long Meadow in Prospect Park. FREE. Dec. 10, 8am-10am.
Santa Rides Again: Santa and his horse-drawn sleigh glide
down 3rd Ave. at 88th St. in Bay Ridge to kick off the holidays.
Nov. 25 at noon at 88th St.
Visit www.thirdavenuebayridge.com for more information.
COME INSIDE BY THE FIRE!
Many Brooklyn restaurants feature real, woodburning fireplaces.
Call ahead for reservations.
Applewood, 501 11th St. in Park Slope; (718) 788-1810.
Buckley’s, 2926 Ave. S. in Marine Park; (718) 998-4222.
Café Enduro, 51 Lincoln Rd. in Prospect Lefferts Gardens;
(718) 282-7097.
Cebu, 8801 3rd Ave. in Bay Ridge; (718) 492-5095.
Five Spot Restaurant, 459 Myrtle Ave. in Clinton Hill;
(718) 852-0202.
Greenhouse Café, 7717 3rd Ave. in Bay Ridge; (718) 833-8200.
Marco Polo Ristorante, 345 Court St. in Carroll Gardens;
(718) 825-5015.
The Pearl Room, 8201 3rd Ave. in Bay Ridge; (718) 833-6666.
Scottadito, 788A Union St. in Park Slope; (718) 636-4800.
Sheep Station, 149 4th Ave. in Park Slope; (718) 857-4337.
4 Ross Greenberg’s Woodwork in Prospect Heights
is popular with soccer fans and foodies alike!
cheering on your favorite team, be that Canarinha (Brazil) or Azzurri (Italy), is thirsty
work. And Woodwork’s wide array of imported beers and wines—including five $3
beers—sets the “pitch” for an exciting match!
One of the bar’s big draws is its sustainable and eco-friendly nature. Chef Ross Greenberg
chooses only organic products, purchased from farmers who raise animals humanely
and grow hormone-free produce, resulting in some truly sumptuous meals. Woodwork’s
building was constructed with recycled floorboards from a century-old dairy farm. And
then of course there’s the name.
“Goalposts used to be made of wood, so they’d say a close goal ‘went in off the woodwork,’”
said Greenberg. “It seemed the perfect name for my sexy soccer bar.”
With soccer fans and food lovers alike, Woodwork certainly scores big.
Woodwork Restaurant, 583 Vanderbilt Ave; Mon-Fri 2pm-2am, Sat-Sun Game time-
4am; (718) 857-5777; or visit woodworkbk.com.
WWW.BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
Winter 2011
GO SHOPPING!
NYCreates Eighth Annual 2011 Holiday Crafts Fair at the
Brooklyn Historical Society. Dec. 7-11.
Visit www.brooklynhistory.org Spring 2003
DeKalb Market at 332 Flatbush Ave. Extension will feature new
vendors Jacques Torres, Alessi, Dub Pies, Pip & Estella, An Etsy Artist
Assembly, Grumpy Bert, Brooklyn Flavors as well as old favorites.
Open seven days 8am–10pm. Weekend hours 10am–7pm.
LIGHT UP THE NIGHT!
Metrotech Tree Lighting: in front of 2 MetroTech Nov. 29,
4:15-5:45pm.
Atlantic Avenue Local Development Corp’s (AALDC)
Holiday Tree Lighting Party at the Belarusan Church (at
Atlantic/Bond). Dec. 1, 6pm.
Frank Seddio’s Annual Holiday Lights Extravaganza on
Flatlands Ave. at E. 93rd St. in Canarsie begins Dec. 4, 5pm.
Borough Hall Holiday Tree Lighting, FREE. Dec. 5, 5:30pm.
The Borough Hall Plaza Menorah Lighting, FREE.
Dec. 20, 5pm.
The Largest Public Menorah Lighting in Brooklyn features
free latkes, music and children’s gifts at Grand Army Plaza, at
sundown Dec. 20-27.
Dyker Heights Neighborhood Lights (between 80th and 86th
Streets from 10th to 13th Avenues) begins after Thanksgiving.
CELEBRATE THE NEW YEAR!
Join Marty to ring in the New Year with live music, bubbly
and Fireworks at Grand Army Plaza. FREE. Dec. 31, 11pm.
Keep checking our website for updates to holiday events
throughout the borough! www.brooklyn-usa.org
COME FLY WITH ME!
Ever dream of being a pilot?
How about piloting a model
airplane instead? If you’re serious,
check out the Pennsylvania
Avenue Radio Control Society
(PARCS), which flew
into Brooklyn in the early
1950s and now boasts a membership
of more than 190 radio
controlled airplane model enthusiasts.
Members range from
teenagers to folks in their late
80s, but they all have one thing 4 Learning how to soar at Floyd Bennett Field!
in common.
“A love of modeling and aviation is what brings most of us to the hobby,” said PARCS
president Mike Casey. The club flies remote controlled airplanes all year round at Floyd
Bennett Field in Mill Basin, competing with each other for the best tricks and the fastest
speeds. Members meet once a month at the Ft. Hamilton Recreation Center.
Airplane enthusiasts build their own planes, which can be quite expensive, with larger,
more sophisticated models costing thousands of dollars. But anyone interested in model
aviation can join and flight instructors are happy to teach novices how to control their
models free of charge. Membership is a suggested donation of $145 the first year.
Along with flying, PARCS members started Fly for the Fight, where, in exchange
for donations to a breast cancer awareness charity, donors get flying lessons. September’s
event was a huge hit and PARCS’ corresponding secretary Sam Maysr hopes to
pilot another Fly for the Fight this spring. Members also treat Boy Scout troops to introductory
flying lessons.
For more information, check out the club’s website at www.flyparcs.com or contact
Mike Casey at mike@flyparcs.com.
Photo by: PARCS

Winter 2011
TASTY PASTRY
Spring 2003
As a young girl in North Carolina, Debra
Henderson learned to bake at her mother’s side
and ever since has associated sweet treats from
the oven with love and care. Over the years,
Henderson’s baking skills caught the attention
of those around her and she was soon the goto
gal for cakes, pies and other Southern-inspired
baked goods.
It’s one thing to bake for family and friends
and quite another to start a business, but that’s exactly
what Henderson did in 2003 when she
opened Debbie’s Sweet Treats. “I worked in the
corporate world for years but always dreamed
about owning my own business. I created my versions
of the pastries of my childhood and through
word of mouth, people wanted to buy them, the
next step seemed natural,” said Henderson.
Henderson’s pastries may have southern roots
but they’re made in East Flatbush from scratch with fresh ingredients and lots of love.
Her signature pastries include sweet potato muffins, red velvet cake, Mother’s Legacy
pound cake and key lime cheesecake. A complete list of the muffins, cakes, cheesecakes
and cookies available are on her website.
Satisfied customers include Pastor Joel and Victoria Osteen, New York’s Planet Hollywood,
acting coach Tracey Moore and the cast on the set of Law & Order SVU. Many
other customers would surely concur with Henderson’s motto that “your table is not complete
without some Debbie’s Sweet Treats.”
You can order pastries at www.debbiesweettreats.com or email her directly at
debra@debbiesweettreats.com.
WWW.BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
4 Debra Henderson brings a southern
sensibility to her Sweet Treats.
GUZZLING FOR GOOD
WHERE NEW YORK CITY BEGINS
Are you a bartender looking to give back? Do
you want to turn every beer you serve into a
helping hand for the needy? In Brooklyn, where
the residents are generous and bars and restaurants
abound, Brian Floyd created the Barman’s
Fund to bring drinking and donating together!
Floyd works the bar at the Vanderbilt restaurant
in Prospect Heights, where he started donating
one night’s tips per month to charity.
When a few of his fellow bartenders followed
his example, he started the Barman’s Fund earlier
this year. Since then about a dozen bartenders
in Brooklyn participate.
Floyd’s altruism doesn’t fall far from the
tree; his father challenged him to help Japan 4 The Barman’s Fund’s Brian Floyd.
in the aftermath of the earthquakes, so he
gave a shift’s tips to the Red Cross. Floyd was amazed when the idea caught fire with
other bartenders eager to help—and it’s become a positive excuse for customers to carouse
with friends on donation nights. “It’s a great way to get active with your community; simply
by drinking a beer or cocktail, you can significantly impact many needy people.”
Donations from the Fund benefit local residents directly through food pantries,
women’s shelters and other reputable charities. So go ahead, have another drink—just
don’t get behind the wheel!
Brooklyn bartenders who participate in the Barman’s Fund can be found at: Freddy’s
in South Park Slope; South; The Vanderbilt; The Brooklyn Inn; Fulton Grand; and
Sharlene’s. To find out which bartenders participate, visit www.thebarmansfund.org,
email Brian Floyd at thebarmansfund@gmail.com or friend him at facebook.com/thebarmansfund.

Winter 2011
TOMATO LOVERS GET LUCKY!
Spring 2003
Are you dreaming of the bright red,
flavorful tomatoes of summer? Hey, in
Brooklyn, anything’s possible. After all,
where do you think premier restaurants
like Peter Luger and Shake Shack get
the delicious tomatoes they serve
throughout the year? Since 1978,
Lucky’s Real Tomatoes has provided
field grown, sun ripened tomatoes to top
chefs, restaurants and food distributors
in New York City all year ’round.
Wherever there are real tomatoes
reaching their peak flavor—North Carolina
in late summer, South Carolina,
Georgia and Florida during winter—the
Lucky’s crew hustles down in their own
WWW.BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
4 At Lucky’s Real Tomatoes, the pickins’ are
good! Dan Martin, Lucky Lee, Latisha Wallace
and Diego Fajardo of Lucky’s in Greenpoint.
trucks and rushes them back to their Greenpoint warehouse. They don’t sell hothouse tomatoes
or those that are picked green then chemically altered. “We specialize in flavor,” said
Lucky Lee, vice president of sales. “And we’re lucky to have a closely knit family in the business.
My brother, Alan Marcelli, is the president. Our dad, Tony Marcelli, helped us start up
30 years ago and my other brother, Marc, has developed the food safety program. Linda, our
mom, is a principle, consultant and source of inspiration for all these years,” said Lucky.
Where can Brooklynites get Lucky’s Real Tomatoes? Quality food purveyors like Foragers
Market in DUMBO have them; you can call Lucky to find the closest store; or if you have
to have them right away, you can get them at the Greenpoint warehouse. When you’re this
proud of your tomatoes, you want to make sure people can get them—fast!
Lucky’s Real Tomatoes, 29 Meserole Ave. (btw. Franklin Ave./Banker St.); (718) 383-
2580; www.luckytomatoes.com.
JANE’S GOT THE REINS
WHERE NEW YORK CITY BEGINS
Jane Walentas is a woman on the go. Which
makes Jane’s Carousel in DUMBO—the circa
1922 carousel she gifted to Brooklyn and all
New York—a fitting symbol of her life as an
artist and philanthropist.
Educated at the Moore College of Art & Design
and NYU, Walentas spent her career art directing
big accounts like Estée Lauder and Avon.
If the frenetic ad trade and hectic pace of family
life with husband, David, and son, Jed, weren’t
enough, Walentas devoted almost thirty years to
refurbishing the carousel after purchasing it at
auction in 1984. All this is in addition to the family
businesses, Two Trees Management—the
DUMBO development company run by David
and Jed—and Two Trees Stables, an equestrian facility
in Bridgehampton, New York.
Walentas adores horses, but the restoration of the
carousel’s 48 intricately carved steeds, carriages and
4 Jane Walentas spent three decades
restoring the magnificent
Jane’s Carousel, and now home at
Brooklyn Bridge Park.
scenery panels was a true labor of love. Up to ten layers of paint were removed and the original
palette was restored through meticulous applications of paint, stenciling and gold leaf.
“I did a tremendous amount of physical work, as well as executing the overall vision of
the restoration,” said Walentas. A crew of six woodworkers and artists under her thoughtful
leadership ultimately brought the carousel full “circle” to its early 20th century glory
and its current home in the Jean Nouvel-designed pavilion at Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Thanks to Walentas, Jane’s Carousel is turning once again!
Jane’s Carousel at Brooklyn Bridge Park; Fall/Winter hours Nov 6-April 5, Thurs-
Sun 11am-6pm; www.janescarousel.com.
Photo by: Billy Farrell Agency

WHERE NEW YORK CITY BEGINS
Spring 2003
WWW.BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
Winter 2011

Winter 2011
PARENT GUIDE
Spring 2003
How do I enroll my child in a city
school?
Are there school buses to serve my
child?
What are the different high schools available
to my child?
Parents, get answers to questions like these
and more from the first ever Brooklyn Parent
Help Guide!
The guide provides instant access to both
websites and phone numbers at the Department
of Education to help you find your way
to the services you need. Whether it is enrollment
information, how to transfer, how to
find your zoned school, get safety or transportation
services, or if you need to speak to
someone about the many choices of programs available for your child—just use this guide
and you can instantly find the web page or call the person you need.
Marty and the Borough President’s Office created the Brooklyn Parent Help Guide! as
well as Brooklyn Parent Help Guide!—which provides free classes for parents on subjects
like financial literacy, special needs advocacy and reading and math help for your kids—and
this office is the first in the City to bring co-location workshops to schools struggling with
issues surrounding co-location. The more information parents have, the better our children
do! And the better our children do, the better Brooklyn, New York City and the nation do.
Enjoy using the Brooklyn Parent Help Guide! Thanks to the Borough President’s Education
Policy Analyst Margaret Kelley for all her hard work compiling the guide.
For a digital version of the guide, visit www.brooklyn-usa.org. For a hard copy pick
up at CEC offices or at Borough Hall.
WWW.BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
THE FAMILY FOUNDATION
WHERE NEW YORK CITY BEGINS
Bay Ridge’s Vincent Eaton is your average
16-year-old: he’s a senior at Manhattan’s
Xavier High School, obsessed with lacrosse,
and trying to decide which college to attend.
But since he was seven months old, Vincent
has undergone more than 20 operations
to address a rare bone disease called
multiple hereditary exostoses (MHE) and
he was later diagnosed with bone cancer.
Like any family, Vincent’s parents, Craig
and Susan Eaton, didn’t sit passively by.
They established the MHE Research Foun-
dation to raise awareness and funds for research
that they hope will be a cure for this
“orphan disease,” which is characterized by
4 Vincent Eaton, far left, with his brother
Christopher, mother Susan, father Craig
Eaton and sister Danielle.
bone tumors, limb length discrepancies, skeletal malformations and other lifelong symptoms.
Craig Eaton—a senior partner at Eaton & Torrenzano and chairman of the Kings County
Republican County Committee—knew that finding a cure would require financial support.
Said Eaton, “Thousands of children and young adults suffer from MHE. The fundraisers—
most recently the Funtasia 2011 at the Dyker Heights Golf Course—and the medical conferences
MHE has coordinated since 2000 raise awareness; and the Foundation’s efforts have
spread the message throughout the United States Capital, Albany and City Hall.”
The next MHE Conference is scheduled for November 2012 in Philadelphia, with more
than 50 orthopedics and musculoskeletal disorder experts expected.
Vincent wants to be a pediatric orthopedic surgeon so maybe one day he’ll be a speaker
at an MHE conference. He is committed to finding a cure for the disease that has forever
changed his life. Bravo Vincent!
For further information or to donate visit www.mheresearchfoundation.org.

Winter 2011
Spring 2003
4 At the 6th Annual Brooklyn Book Festival, Marty caught up with Senator
Joseph Lieberman, who recently published “The Gift of Rest, Rediscovering
the Beauty of the Sabbath.” The senator was a panelist—along with Pastor
A. R. Bernard, founder of the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn—called
“Recharging through Spirituality,” which was moderated by Rabbi Joseph
Potasnik, who is executive vice president (and former president) of the New
York Board of Rabbis.
WWW.BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
Marty’s
4 Cheers to that! Michael Brooks, Peter Medford, Ayo Akinnuoye and Rotimi
Akinnuoye celebrated the opening of their brand new boutique wine shop,
Bed-Vyne Wine, in the heart of Bedford Stuyvesant at 370 Tompkins Ave. (at
Putnam Ave). Marty was on hand to toast their inevitable success; the store
specializes in serving the right wine for every customer at every price point.
4 In an effort to ensure the safety of residents, Flatbush’s Community Board
17 has launched a Civilian Observation Patrol in partnership with the NYPD’s
67th Precinct, the Flatbush Shomrim and everyday Brooklynites. CB 17 Chair
Terry Hinds (at podium) was joined by, among others, from left, 67th Precinct
Captain Jeffrey Schiff; Assemblymember Nick Perry; Councilmember Jumaane
Williams; NYPD Assistant Chief Thomas Chan; Flatbush Shomrim founder
Chaim Deutsch; Assemblymember Helene Weinstein; Marty; CB 17 District
Manager Sherif Fraser and other members of the community and the NYPD.
4 The School for Human Rights at the Wingate High School Campus in
Crown Heights, Marty’s alma mater, has brand new computers and “smart
boards” thanks in part to Borough Hall’s support. Gathered to cut the ribbon
on the new technology were, from left, Principal Michael Alexander; students
Jasmine Rivera and Emperess McDowell; Marty; students Kamirah Orr and
Makaelah Taylor; and Assistant Principal Denise Jennings.
ON THE BLOCK II
WHERE NEW YORK CITY BEGINS
4 Celebrating the ribbon cutting of Downtown Brooklyn’s
Schermerhorn, 216 units of affordable, supportive residence for single
adults in the arts as well as the formerly homeless, were, from left,
NYC Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate Levin; HRA Deputy
Commissioner for HIV/AIDS Services Jacqueline Dudley; NYC
Homeless Affairs Commissioner Seth Diamond; President/CEO
Actors Fund Joseph Benincasa; Center for Urban Community
Services Exec. Dir. Tony Hannigan; Common Ground Executive
Director Brenda Rosen; HUD NY/NJ Regional Director Adolfo
Carrión; Actors Fund Chair Brian Stokes Mitchell; Common Ground
Board Chair Peter Ezersky; Time Equities’ Francis Greenburger;
Marty; Hamlin Ventures’s Abby Hamlin; and Councilmember
Stephen Levin. The project was sponsored by Common Ground and
the Actor’s Fund. The Brooklyn Ballet is also headquartered here.
4 The Kings Bay Y at Windsor Terrace on Prospect Ave. near
Vanderbilt St. serves Kensington, Prospect Heights, Park Slope and
Windsor Terrace with educational, social and cultural programs.
Gathered to celebrate the ribbon cutting of the new satellite center
were, from left, Assemblymember James Brennan, Kings Bay Y
Executive Director Leonard Petlakh, Marty and just some of the
many Brooklyn children who benefit from the Y’s multiple services.
4 Save Our Streets Crown Heights, a neighborhood-based violence
prevention program, sponsored a peace march on Eastern Parkway
in which hundreds of community members walked in support of the
victims of recent violence and to demand an end to the gun violence
that has had such tragic consequences in our Brooklyn neighborhoods.
Marty; Councilmember Jumaane Williams; Amy Ellenbogen,
director, Crown Heights Mediation Center; and SOS Program
Manager Allen James were among those who joined the march.
4 Play ball! Students of Sunset Park’s PS 172—one of the top performing
public schools in NYC—have a brand new, fully equipped
playground for exercise and fun. Gathered for the ribbon cutting
were PS 172 award-winning Principal Jack Spatola; Marty;
Assemblymember Felix Ortiz; District 15 Community
Superintendent Anita Skop; BP Senior Advisor Carlo Scissura and
some pretty happy kids. The renovation was made possible by the
nonprofit group Out2Play, as well as support from Marty’s office.
4 The Spring Creek Tower’s (Starrett City’s) Breast Cancer Walk-athon
brought many dedicated walkers, including the United Steppers
from the UFT Charter School. Joining the students were educators
from the Elementary and Secondary Academies including, from left,
Deatrice Bacchus; Michelle Bodden-White; Althea Headlam; Merlin
Simms; Timothy Allen; Olunbunmi Ajasa; Selma Withingham; Nilsa
Quinones; and Torrai Caldwell, as well as Marty. The United
Steppers will compete in the Disney Step Classic at Disney World in
February! The Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in
Prospect Park also took place in Brooklyn.
4 Pratt Institute celebrated its 125th anniversary with a kickoff event
at the Brooklyn campus. Gathered for the celebration were, from left,
Mike Pratt, chair, Pratt Institute Board of Trustees; Thomas F. Schutte,
president, Pratt Institute; and Marty. The kickoff event saw more than
1,200 alumni, students, families and friends gather to mark the beginning
of a 16-month celebration of Pratt’s rich history of creativity. The
125th Anniversary Kickoff Weekend was timed to coincide with the first
day the Institute held classes on October 17, 1887.
Photo by: Rick Darby
4 Rev. Dr. Joseph Louis
Parker, of blessed memory,
was the beloved pastor
of the Wayside Baptist
Church in Bushwick for
three decades and recently
the intersection of
Broadway and Chauncey
St. was co-named in his
honor. Present at the ceremony
was, from left, son
Barry, wife Frances, son
Reginald, and of course,
Marty, who presented the
family with a proclamation
on behalf of the
grateful residents of
Brooklyn.
4 The Atlantic Avenue
Local Development
Corporation (AALDC) paid
tribute to entrepreneur, community
activist and
Brooklyn’s own Charlie
Sahadi, a third generation
owner and the current vision
and heart of the celebrated
Sahadi’s Speciality and Fine
Foods that has served residents,
tourists—and now
online customers—alike since
opening in Brooklyn on
Atlantic Ave. in 1948. Marty
was on hand to present a
Brooklyn Bridge to Charlie,
of proud Lebanese descent,
who is as enthusiastic about
Brooklyn as Marty!

Winter 2011
Spring 2003
4 Brooklyn Amity School—an accredited, private Turkish-owned school
that celebrates Turkish culture and proudly educates students of every ethnicity—opened
at the former Golden Gate Motel on Shore Parkway. Among
those gathered for the celebration were, from left, Assemblymembers Helene
Weinstein and Rhoda Jacobs; NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly; outgoing
Consul General of Turkey in New York Mehmet Samsar; Marty;
Assemblymembers Steven Cymbrowitz, Alan Maisel and Alec Brook-
Krasny; and Executive Director of the Amity Board Kilic Mehmet; as well
as representatives for Senator Martin Golden and Councilmember Lew
Fidler, educators and students of the school.
4 Finnea Abdessalam, pictured here with father, Zayne Abdessalam,
and mother, Beth Baltimore, was among those enjoying the fare of the
recently opened Le Paddock in Windsor Terrace, a bistro that along with
classic French cuisine offers wood oven pizzas, a raw oyster bar and
grass-fed beef burgers.
4 Take a Walk in Our Shoes! The American Lung Association New
York (ALA) and Brooklyn Smoke-Free Partnership organized a walk
in Bushwick—and all NYC—to educate residents about the dangers
that tobacco advertising poses, especially to young people. Among those
joining the Brooklyn walk were, from left, ALA’s Lisa Spitzner; El
Puente’s Martha Laureano; Marty; Brooklyn Smoke-Free
Partnership’s Rachelle Rochelle; Councilmember Diana Reyna;
Chinese American Planning Council’s Eunice Huang; as well as members
from the Chinese-American Planning Council, El Puente, and
students from IS 318.
4 Marty was thrilled to join the Rapid Realty team for the grand opening
of the new South Park Slope office on 4th Ave bet. 21st/22nd Sts.
Rapid Realty CEO Anthony Lolli is pictured next to Marty, along with
South Slope franchisee and co-owner Valoneecia Tolbert. Rapid Realty
also opened a Windsor Terrace office on Vanderbilt St. at McDonald Ave.
with franchisees Alyce Serrano, Myra Cordero-Ware and Jason Ware.
WWW.BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
BROOKLYN BEAT
4 The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of USA sponsored a blood drive
at Maimonides Medical Center in remembrance of the victims of 9/11.
Nearly 100 bags of blood, capable of saving 300 lives, were collected.
Among those gathered to contribute blood were, from left, Mubasher Alam,
Naeem Janjua (giving blood), Imam Daud Hanif Sahib and Ali Murtaza.
The same day, the 8th Annual Children of Abraham Peace Walk, which
brought Jews, Christians and Muslims together by the hundreds as children
of One Almighty also remembered those who died on 9/11.
4 As one of America’s premier book festivals, the 6th Annual Brooklyn
Book Festival brought out the literary heavyweights, including
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri, New York-based writer
Liesl Schillinger and Brooklyn Literary Council Chair Johnny
Temple, who organizes the festival and is also co-founder of Brooklyn’s
own Akashic Books.
4 The Army Community Covenant fosters state and community partnerships
to improve the quality of life for soldiers and their families.
Among those gathered for the signing were, from left: Renee Citron,
Deputy Commander Fort Hamilton, NYC Recruiting Battalion
Soldiers; Marty; Assemblymember Peter Abbate; General Peter Deluca,
Army Corps of Engineers; Councilmember Vincent Gentile; Major
General Michael Linnington, Military District of Washington; Ft.
Hamilton Citizen Action Committee President and CB11 chair Bill
Guarinello; Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis; Command Sergeant
Major Sylvia Laughlin; Congressmember Mike Grimm; Colonel
Michael Gould, Ft. Hamilton commander; FHCAC’s Brian Dolan;
Ralph Mattola, Ex. American POW; Howard Dunn, WW2 vet; Bay
Ridge activist Maureen Stramka; and Senator Martin Golden.
4 All of Brooklyn joined in spirit to celebrate Claire Kardeman’s
100th birthday in Sheepshead Bay recently. Even though Hurricane
Irene postponed her party, the birthday gal was all smiles for the raindate
celebration which featured a big cake for a little lady!
WHERE NEW YORK CITY BEGINS
4 Students from Brownsville’s Mott Hall Bridges Academy walked
across the Brooklyn Bridge to symbolize the “rite of passage” into the
next stages of their lives. Marty is pictured with Principal Nadia Lopez
and students at Borough Hall.
4 Traditional Polish dancers were among those entertaining the
crowds who gathered for Borough Hall’s Polish-American Heritage
Month celebration. With the largest population of Polish Americans in
the US, Brooklyn is also known as Polonia, USA! Honorees included
Barbara & Edward Blyskal, community activists; Izabela Joanna
Barry, senior librarian, Brooklyn Public Library; Zofia Klopotowska,
editor-in-chief, “Kurier Plus;” Frank Milewski, president, Polish
American Congress, Downstate New York Division; and the Pulaski
Association of Business & Professional Men. The event was organized by
Rich Mazur, executive director of the North Brooklyn Development Corp.
4 Park Slope resident and German American Samantha Brown—who
is host of Travel Channel’s “Passport and Great Weekend” series on cable
TV—was grand marshal at the German American Steuben Parade in
Manhattan and afterward participated in the Central Park Ockoberfest
giant beer stein holding contest. Zum Wohl!
4 The Borough President’s Office honored outstanding members of
Brooklyn’s Latino community at “Una Celebración de Latino Heritage.”
Pictured, from left, were Italia Guerrero, BH’s Latino liaison; Annette
Roque, executive director, La Nueva Esperanza (organizational honoree);
Patricia Ruiz, president, Boricua Festival Committee (organizational
honoree); honoree businesswoman and philanthropist Erminia Rivera of
Park Avenue Building and Roofing Supplies; Marty; honoree Angelo
Falcón, president/co-founder, National Institute for Latino Policy;
Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez; and BP counsel Jason Otaño.

BROOKLYN’S THE COOLEST
ONE OF ALL!
Brooklynites all talk about our borough being
the best. But now we’ve got proof, in writing!
GQ, the ultimate arbiter of cool, has proclaimed
Brooklyn the “coolest city on the planet” in its November
2011 issue. That’s on the planet! And the
mention wasn’t just a blurb or a sidebar: GQ gave
seven full pages to shopping, strolling, noshing and
imbibing in Kings County. It’s hard not to let it go
to your head when GQ claims Brooklyn is “the place
where everything’s happening before it’s happening.”
GQ’s marketing tag is “Look sharp, live
smart,” and we’ve got that last part covered—
since we live here—and the first part, well, anyone
whose been to Bed-Stuy or Williamsburg, 4 Remsen Street in Brooklyn Heights.
Greenpoint or Gowanus can catch some fashion
trends before they’re trendy.
Also covering Brooklyn, Travel & Leisure, the self-proclaimed “definer of modern
global culture,” just cited Brooklyn Heights as one of the country’s ten most beautiful
neighborhoods in the October issue. Not Manhattan’s Sutton Place or Queen’s Forest
Hills Garden or the Bronx’s Riverdale or Staten Island’s Todt Hill but Brooklyn Heights,
baby! And it was the only New York City nabe to make the list. Travel & Leisure also
featured a full page in the November issue on Williamsburg’s great food and design.
With high-end publications in places like Australia, Canada and Israel also touting Brooklyn’s
cache, our borough is becoming the mecca for the well-heeled traveler who must see it all.
To read the GQ story, go to www.gq.com/food-travel/travel-features/201111/brooklynnew-york-guide-food-dining.
And visit www.travelandleisure.com/articles/brooklyn-bound
to read the article in Travel & Leisure.
WHERE NEW YORK CITY BEGINS
“EXPO”- SURE IN Spring BROOKLYN 2003
Marriage equality means more than just
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender couples finally
enjoying the same rights and privileges
as everyone else; for businesses that cater to
everything matrimonial, it’s an opportunity
to reach new clients planning their special
day. On Sunday, January 15, Brooklyn Borough
Hall will host the first major wedding
expo of its kind in New York City, presented
and sponsored by the Brooklyn Community
Pride Center on Atlantic Avenue in
Downtown Brooklyn/Boerum Hill.
The 2012 Wedding Expo is expected to
draw thousands of guests and some 100
vendors—representing banquet halls, caterers,
florists, travel agents, lawyers, financial
advisors and planners as well as organiza-
WWW.BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
Winter 2011
LGBT NUPTIALS GET
4 For all your wedding needs put the
January 15, 2012 Wedding Expo at
Borough Hall on your calender.
tions, retailers or services who wish to solicit the lucrative wedding market. The event will
also feature honeymoon packages and elaborate giveaways from regional and national sponsors
as well as a silent auction of merchandise redeemable locally.
“It is a comprehensive showcase for both local retailers as well as many national companies
who want to congratulate Brooklyn and New York gays and lesbians on their victory
for equal rights,” said Daniel Brooks, the expo’s director.
So we “propose” that you stop by the expo and make Brooklyn—home to one of the nation’s
largest LGBT populations, particularly our lesbian community—and your “fabulous”
nuptials a happy couple. And hey, if you happen to be straight, you’re welcome, too!
For details, including vendor information and sponsorship opportunities, contact
Daniel Brooks at weddingexpo@lgbtbrooklyn.org or (215) 431-6674. Advanced tickets
available beginning December 1 at www.lgbtbrooklyn.org.

CHOCK-A-BLOCK WITH CLARKES
4 Maybe they should call it Clarke Street! Jason
Clarke, Erin Torres, Donna-Marie Galvin Torres,
Angel Torres, Emily Torres, Liz Clarke and Michael
Clarke, just some of the extended Clarke family that
owns four homes on the same block.
When patriarch Edward Clarke
bought the house at 415 18th Street
in the South Slope back in 1950, he
didn’t know he was starting a trend.
Today a number of homes on 18th
Street are owned by Clarkes and that
begs the question: are they related?
A quick chat with Edward’s son,
Michael Clarke, reveals that yes, they
are. Michael and his wife, Elizabeth,
bought their house at 423 18th
Street in 1984. “I was born in the
house at 415,” said Michael, “and my
sister, Clorita, still lives there.” While
Clorita may be a “Galvin” by marriage,
she’s still a Clarke, and it doesn’t
stop there.
Not to be outdone by the older
generations, Michael Clarke, Jr.—Michael and Elizabeth’s son—purchased the house at
417, which just happens to be the house his mother, Elizabeth, grew up in, right next to
the house his father was raised and just down the block from the place Mike Jr. called
home. But it doesn’t stop there. Michael Sr.’s niece, Donna Marie Galvin Torres, bought
421 18th Street.
What is it about the Clarkes and 18th Street? “It’s a quiet block, with beautiful trees,
fairly low property taxes and pretty good parking,” said Michael Sr.
Of course having so much family nearby has its perks, like the Clarke family block
party—ok, other families are invited—and when you need a cup of sugar, your father or
your son or your cousin or your aunt just can’t say no!
DR. KING’S REPORT CARD
4 Dr. John B. King, New York State
Education Commissioner
WHERE NEW YORK CITY BEGINS
At the age of 36, Dr. John King has realized
the dreams of his parents and made
hope possible for thousands of urban students
who would not have dared to dream.
Born in Flatlands, King is the product of
educators. His dad, John King, Sr., was the
first African American principal in Brooklyn
and later the City’s executive deputy superintendent.
His mother, Adalinda King, was a
guidance counselor. By the time John was
twelve, he’d lost both parents to illness, but
his path toward educational excellence was
already set. He received his undergrad degree
from Harvard, a doctorate in education from
Columbia and a law degree from Yale. He attributes
his success, in part, to the legacy he
wanted to uphold and to a nurturing public school education.
Between earning his degrees, Dr. King became managing director of the Excellence and
Preparatory Networks of Uncommon Schools that oversees Excellence Academy, an elementary
school in Bedford Stuyvesant, and Williamsburg Collegiate Charter School, a
high school in Williamsburg. Both schools have been ranked number one on the Chancellor’s
progress report for their respective grade levels.
King was recently named state education commissioner, becoming the State’s first
African American to hold that position and among the nation’s youngest educational leaders.
His drive, he insists, comes from a sense of urgency to give children the kind of chance
that he had. “I feel an incredible devotion to make that possible for more kids.”
In the capable hands of Dr. King, the educational “dreams” of this generation will not
be “deferred.”
Spring 2003
WWW.BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
Winter 2011
BROOKLYN STAYS CLASSY
4 At Brooklyn Brainery, you can learn everything,
including how to make-up like a zombie!
There is no question that Brooklyn’s got
brains, and thanks to the Brooklyn Brainery,
they’re being put to good use. The
Brainery offers reasonably priced classes
(some as low as $5) that meet for one to
three weeks at their Carroll Gardens headquarters.
The Brainery is the brainchild of
Jen Messier, a fundraiser for the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, and Jonathan Soma,
a web developer. “We always liked to take
classes around the city, but that can get expensive,”
Messier said. “We wanted to create
something fun where people could learn
things without spending a lot of money.”
The Brainery’s class offerings are as diverse
as Brooklyn. You can learn the ins
and outs of City government, get a crash
course in medieval history or learn the origins
of capitalism. But you can also master
Ethiopian cooking, tie a fishing fly and make the perfect cocktail. Want to know how to be
a karaoke champion? How about creative writing using pie as a muse? The Brainery has
even offered crash courses in Spanish and Haitian Creole.
And if you have knowledge you want to share with the world, the Brainery wants to
know. Think of it as your one-stop knowledge shop. Where else can you learn PowerPoint
one day, and the art of applying zombie makeup the next? “The zombie class came to us
out of the blue,” Messier said. “It was the most random thing. But everybody had so much
fun doing it.”
Brooklyn Brainery, 515 Court St; brooklynbrainery.com

Winter 2011
Spring 2003
Name: Atef Ladhari
Age: 38
Restaurant: Tanoreen, one of
Zagat’s top rated NYC restaurants.
(7523 3rd Avenue, corner of 76th
St./3rd Ave.)
Bay Ridge
Cuisine: Classical Middle Eastern/Mediterranean
Homestyle
Cooking
Lives in: Bay Ridge
Hails from: Tunisia
Interests/Hobbies: Atef is an avid soccer fan who enjoys
both playing and watching the game.
Trademark: “Good is never good enough,” is how Atef sees
it; he always strives for perfection.
Why he likes waiting tables: Atef believes that restaurant work
is a career, not just a job, and has logged ten years with Tanoreen.
He brings restaurant experience from his native Tunisia, where
much of his extended family is in the business. He also believes
that people are fundamentally nice and being in the restaurant
biz puts him in contact with all kinds of people.
Favorite Dish: Stuffed artichoke hearts with filet mignon and
pignoli nuts.
Most interesting/famous person you’ve ever waited on:
Italian soccer-playing sensation Alessandro Del Piero.
WWW.BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
WORTH THEIR “WAIT” IN GOLD
Name: Ryan Colwell
Age: 31
Restaurant:
Walter Foods
(253 Grand St.)
Williamsburg
Cuisine: Chops,
Seafood, Raw Bar
and more
Lives in: Greenpoint
Hails from: Kansas
Interests/Hobbies: Ryan is an independent
theater producer, loves to fly fish and can be
found most weekends hunkering down listening
to American popular standards as “spun” by
WNYC’s Jonathan Schwartz.
Trademark: Ryan prides himself on the great
service he delivers by being well-informed
and honest.
Why he likes waiting tables: “The owners and
the customers are great, the food is fantastic
and the environment is fun and relaxed. Plus, I
get to pick out my own bow tie!”
Favorite Dish: The French dip sandwich.
Most interesting/famous person you’ve ever
waited on: Singer Norah Jones.
WHERE NEW YORK CITY BEGINS
Name: Anne O’Neil
Age: 40
Restaurant: The Good Fork
(391 Van Brunt St.)
Red Hook
Cuisine: New American
Lives in: Red Hook
Hails from: Northern California
Interests/Hobbies: Anne owns a local
store called Tiburon Brooklyn
(www.tiburonbrooklyn.com) that features handmade and vintage
items made mostly in Red Hook.
Trademark: Anne makes a really good Manhattan cocktail and can
often be found wearing a Hawaiian dress.
Why she likes waiting tables: “I get to work with interesting,
creative and fun people—the staff and the customers—and it
allows me a lot of freedom to do what I want to do creatively.
Plus, I love food.”
Favorite Dish: Anne’s most special dish at the Fork is the duck,
but she usually likes the pasta dish the best. Right now it’s the
ravioli stuffed with Swiss chard and ricotta, topped with
chanterelles.
Most interesting/famous person you’ve ever waited on: Lots of
awesome people have come to the Fork, including Michelle
Williams, now starring as Marilyn Monroe in My Week with Marilyn.
Mad Men’s Roger Slatterly has also visited the restaurant.

THE CHEER-UP SQUAD
In 2003, Rabbi Shimshi Heskel
had an “aha” moment visiting his second
cousin, who had leukemia and
was hospitalized. Although the young
patients were being treated medically,
no one was there to cheer them up
while they sat through chemotherapy
or during long hospital stays.
So in 2003, Rabbi Heskel and Rabbi
Shlomie Reichberg started the nonprofit
Mekimi. Their mission? To visit
and help entertain physically ill, hospitalized
or homebound kids without regard
to race, ethnicity or religion. Today
7,000 patients are served
worldwide—4,000 in Brooklyn alone.
4 A Mekimi volunteer visits with children
in the hospital.
Mekimi headquarters is a state-of-the-art facility in Borough Park with 12 national
and international chapters, from Toronto, Canada to Tel Aviv, Israel. Mekimi is run by
volunteers—the Brooklyn office has 350 alone—and is always looking for more. But volunteers
must have a real skill to offer, from juggling to puppetry to arts and crafts. Mekimi
offers something hospitals can’t provide: entertainment, goody baskets, birthday parties
and they even arrange digital hookups for youngsters who are too ill to attend
important family celebrations, like weddings.
“When you see the news, you can feel very helpless about children dealing with life
threatening diseases,” said Rabbi Reichberg. “Mekimi can help a child get through a
rough patch, maybe even make him or her smile.”
So if you know a child who is challenged by a serious and lengthy illness, call on
Mekimi, where the smiles are free.
The Mekimi Cheer-Up Squad, 1274 49th Street, Suite 297 Brooklyn, NY 11219;
(718) 437-4939 or toll free at 1-866-635-4641; To volunteer or make a donation, visit
www.mekimi.org.
WHERE NEW YORK CITY BEGINS
Spring 2003
WWW.BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
Winter 2011

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT
WHERE NEW YORK CITY BEGINS
Etta Dixon is a trendsetting,
79-year-old East New
York resident who embodies
conservation and saving the
environment. She said goodbye
to the oil company that
heated her home and water
and goodbye to the gasoline
that fueled her car. Dixon has
gone green, installed solar
panels on her two-story
home and joined the ranks of
hybrid car owners. This may
4 Etta Dixon is one sunny lady!
sound like the action of
young environmentalist, not a
semi-retiree—Dixon logged 34 years with the MTA and currently works part time for DC
37’s Retirement Association. There is personal history behind all her decisions.
Born during the Great Depression, Dixon was often without enough food and clothing
and that helped define the woman she became. Even as a young child, she recognized how
wasteful things like paper towels were. “It didn’t make any sense to use something once
and throw it away,” she said. And when it comes to energy she said, “There is energy out
there. Why pay for energy that is free?”
In 2006, Dixon became the first person on her block—and probably one of the first residents
in Brooklyn—to install solar panels. The substantial tax rebate and savings on her
oil bill allowed her to buy her eco-friendly Honda Civic. So if you ever see a carful of jazzy
seniors jetting along the streets of Brooklyn, it’s probably Dixon and her girls heading out
for a night of dinner and dancing. And if you ask Dixon what’s next for her, that’s easy: a
backyard garden to grow her own food!
JUST US GIRLS
4 Ann Marie D’Onofrio, Kelly Adamita and
Rosemarie Esposito of Physique Total Wellness.
Physique Total Wellness is Brooklyn’s
only gym owned by women, operated
by women and devoted to women.
Launched seven years ago by Rosemarie
Esposito, AnnMarie D’Onofiro, and
Kelly Adamita and located in the heart
of Dyker Heights, the gym is a haven
for a woman’s physical as well as emotional
rejuvenation.
“Total health begins from the inside
out,” said Esposito. “So often we
women are the caregivers, wives, mothers,
sisters and daughters who seem to
end up putting ourselves last.” Those
are issues that are not addressed in a
traditional gym. Another advantage at
Physique Total Wellness is that mem-
bers can “come as they are,” without worrying about being a size four or with perfect makeup
and every hair in place. Women come to work out and have a good time with friends.
With a membership of more than 500 it would seem difficult to develop relationships. But
each and every member feels like part of a family through the personal attention, the warm and
cozy environment and the owners’ belief in the wellness of the whole woman.
One of the most popular classes is the Zumba class that caters to upwards of 250 women
per week spread out over nine to 13 classes. Other services offered are personal training,
meditation, reflexology and private yoga as well as the very popular Kids Fit & Fun and
Family Fitness classes.
Physique Total Wellness, 7204 13th Avenue; (718) 837-3711 or visit
www.physiquetotalwellness.net.
Spring 2003
WWW.BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
Winter 2011
MOONSHINE OVER BROOKLYN!
The holidays are just around the corner
so for those libation-loving adults on your
guest and gift list, why not consider genuine
Brooklyn hooch? Some enterprising
Brooklynites are getting in the distillery
biz and turning out the best vodka, gin and
whiskey this side of the Mason-Dixon.
Brooklyn Republic Vodka (BKR)
may get their grains from the Midwest,
but blending takes place right here in
Clinton Hill where local water is purified
multiple times and the final product is
bottled by their master blender in small
batches. BKR prides itself on its “medium
body vodka with a smooth finish.” 4 Gary Shokin of Brooklyn Republic Vodka.
www.brooklynrepublicvodka.com
The Breuckelen Distilling Company uses only organic grains from upstate New York
to make Breuckelen Gin at its South Slope distillery. By milling the grain immediately before
they start the process, they ensure the freshest product. Breuckelen Distilling also produces
a small batch whiskey. www.brkgin.com
Kings County Distillery is the first legal whiskey distillery in NYC since Prohibition!
They make handcrafted bourbon and “moonshine” in East Williamsburg and recently won
“Best in Category” for corn whiskey at the American Distilling Institute’s Craft Spirits
Conference. www.kingscountydistillery.com
New York Distilling Company (NYDC) is slated to open this month in Williamsburg
and, when it does, it will be the largest artisan distillery in NYC. First from the 1,000-liter
copper still will be gin, then whiskey, followed by other artisanal spirits. NYDC is headed
by Tom Potter, of Brooklyn Brewery fame. www.nydistilling.com.
Donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Donors will receive no special access to
City officials or preferential treatment as a result of a donation.

Caring for Brooklyn’s 877 glorious park
sites is a tall order. And not a shovel hits the
ground nor ribbon gets cut without the careful
planning and follow-through of Martin
Maher, Brooklyn chief of staff at NYC Parks
Dept. With 26 years of service, Maher brings
valuable institutional experience plus a passionate
commitment to the parks he loves.
A lifelong Brooklynite who still lives in his
childhood home in Windsor Terrace, Maher
joined Parks in 1984 as a ranger. Maher oversees
more than $250 million in capital projects,
including renovating parks and playgrounds,
building cricket pitches and sports fields, rebuilding
pools and beaches and restoring historic
sites. But it’s a team effort. “I work with an
amazing staff and with wonderful communities
who care about their parks,” said Maher.
Maher loves Coney Island, but wants residents
to know about gems like the Old
Winter 2011
HITTING THE MARK FOR PARKS BROOKLYN MOURNS
Spring 2003
WWW.BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
SPOTLIGHT ON
SERVICE!
Brooklyn Parks’ Chief of Staff
Martin Maher
Stone House in Washington Park or the
Prison Ships Martyrs Monument in Fort
Greene Park.
A 24-year U.S. Coast Guard veteran who
commanded a gun boat in Operation Desert
Storm, Maher brings his leadership skills to
the Boy Scouts of America, where he’s
taught thousands of scouts and leaders over
his 40-year commitment.
Another passion is the Revolutionary
War and the Battle of Brooklyn; in fact,
Maher is credited in the book 1776. Other
hobbies include colonial cooking, which he
teaches, and vexillology, the study of flags.
Rounding out this renaissance man’s accomplishments
is his membership in several
veterans associations and the Society of
Old Brooklynites.
For more information on Brooklyn
parks, visit www.nycgovparks.org.
4 Senator
Christopher Mega
4 Sr. Bishop
Landon E. Penn
4 Richardene
Eleanor Potter
WHERE NEW YORK CITY BEGINS
Sherman Adams, 28-year-old Brooklynite who died while training
at the Police Academy. Adams was dedicated to protecting New
Yorkers and served four years as a corrections officer before entering
the Academy • Allen Bernstein, Brooklyn-born chair emeritus of
Morton’s The Steakhouse, responsible for huge growth of the chain
during his 17-year chairmanship • Al Davis, former Brooklynite and
longtime owner of the Oakland Raiders and member of the Pro
Football Hall of Fame • Helen J. Greene, beloved mother of CB16
District Manager Viola Greene-Walker • Theauther Love, assistant
minister of New Frontier Baptist Church • Senator Christopher
Mega, former legislator who served in the NY State Court of
Claims, in the NY State Senate from 1979-82 and 1985-93, as well
as the NY State Assembly from 1973-78 representing Bay Ridge
and other parts of Brooklyn and Staten Island • Greg Murjani, activist,
poker aficionado and aka “Mr. Rubbish” for the trash removal
business he started and the self-compacting solar trash cans he installed
on Park Slope’s Fifth Ave. • Sr. Bishop Landon E. Penn,
pastor/founder/presiding prelate of Universal Temple Churches with
four decades of community activism in Brownsville and a longtime
Canarsie resident • Richardene Eleanor Potter, civil rights activist,
charter member of the Women’s League of Science & Medicine,
founding member of the National Council of Negro Women Brooklyn
Chapter and an active member of the NAACP and the Lions
Club Clarendon Meadows • Joyce Ross, active in the parent/teacher
program at PS/IS 73 as well as District 23 • John Salogub, CB18
board member, former president of 69th Precinct Community
Council, member of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Canarsie
Lions and a longtime resident of Canarsie • Andrew
Torregrossa, president of Andrew Torregrossa & Sons Funeral
Homes and founder and former board chair of American Italian
Coalition of Organizations (AMICO).

Photo by: Paul Martinka
Winter 2011
CROSS CULTURAL BREAD
Spring 2003
4 Peersada Shah and Zafaryab Ali, new owners
of Coney Island Bialys and Bagels.
WWW.BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
Bialys are a true Brooklyn treat—
dense little rolls of oniony goodness
made even better with a schmeer of
cream cheese! Bialys go back many
years in Brooklyn and thanks to two
Muslims, one iconic bialy purveyor
lives on.
Brooklyn’s oldest bialy store, a landmark
in Gravesend called Coney Island Bialys
and Bagels, was set to close. But Pakistanis
Zafaryab Ali and Peerzada Shah are coming
to the rescue. (Much like Egyptian
owner Mohamed Salem did for Adelman’s
Kosher Deli on Kings Highway).
When owner Steven Ross decided to
close the popular bialy store, Ali and his
roommate, Shah, opted to take over. Ali worked as a baker at the eatery for more than
ten years and not only learned the secret to their signature bialys but developed a real love
for the business.
“We will preserve the tradition of great bialys and bagels started more than 90 years
ago,” said Shah, who was a bakery equipment repairman back in Pakistan and who has
also spent time at culinary school. Between his background and Ali’s experience at the
shop, the partners are well on their way to keeping the well-loved business alive and even
have plans for improvements. “We are renovating the place and adding a counter,” said
Shah. “The one thing we’re not changing is the recipe. We still don’t add preservatives
and we hope to be certified kosher within the next few months.”
Coney Island Bialys and Bagels, 2359 Coney Island Ave. (bet. Aves. T/U); (718) 339-
9281; Current hours are 6am-6pm seven days a week.
GETTING YOUR FILL—AND THEN
WHERE NEW YORK CITY BEGINS
SOME—AT THE GOURMET GRILL
We all know it’s better to eat
healthy meals like salads and veggies.
And who hasn’t been warned
to watch their salt? But what
about taste, you say? Mill Basin’s
Gourmet Grill let’s you have it
both ways: healthy and delicious!
Known for its salad bar, vegetarians
will salivate at Gourmet
Grill’s huge selection of healthy
salads and toppings. Meaty choic- 4 John and Jack DiSanto of Gourmet Grill.
es like burgers, steak and chicken
make sure that your average carnivore won’t leave hungry. The drink selections range from
soda to smoothies to protein shakes. Beer and wine are also available. But for those of you
who want a little “olé” in your evening, don’t leave without trying their signature sangria.
With a brand new menu, welcoming ambiance and limited use of salt, the Gourmet
Grill is the neighborhood joint with friendly service, great food and a commitment to
health. “We were the first restaurant in the City to list calorie counts on our menus, way
before it was cool to do so,” said manager John DiSanto.
The DiSanto family takes pride in its Bergen Beach roots and continues to serve the
community by buying from Brooklyn-based vendors and making sure that their prices
remain reasonable.
With so much healthy food at competitive prices to choose from, dining at Gourmet
Grill is almost “slim”-ful.
Gourmet Grill, 6334 Avenue N (at E. 64th St); (718) 241-2345; Hours: Mon-Wed:
11am-9pm, Thurs-Sat 11am-10pm.
BROOKLYN WELCOMES TWO
NEWLY ELECTED OFFICIALS!
U.S. Congressman Robert Turner represents
the 9th District, which includes
Flatlands, Gerritsen Beach, Marine Park,
Midwood, Mill Basin and Sheepshead Bay.
Most of the district is in Queens.
Assemblymember Rafael Espinal, Jr.
represents the 54th Assembly District,
which covers Bushwick, Brownsville,
Cypress Hills, East New York and parts of
Bedford-Stuyvesant.
CONGRATULATIONS
AND BEST WISHES TO THEM BOTH!