QUESTION(NY)AIRE

The Jane Dough: HILLARY REINSBERG

2012-01-12T15:07:00.004-05:00

As two women who work in the business world, we're no strangers to the uneven balance of female presence in our office environments. That said, our day jobs afford us the privilege of working among many talented women who transcend these odds to achieve new levels of success. And when we're not experiencing their efforts first-hand, we're reading about them on The Jane Dough, our go-to site for coverage and commentary on women in business. The Jane Dough "celebrates women who have found success, dissects how powerful women are treated in the media and applauds forward-thinking companies," and the site's personal voice and conviction offer a unique edge to the content that is covered, all thanks to the strong team behind it: Publisher and Founder Dan Abrams, Managing Editor Amy Tennery, and Associate Editor (and our Question(NY)aire feature!) Hillary Reinsberg. Hillary has been involved with The Jane Dough since the site's conception, bringing her expert writing skills and extensive background in journalism to the team - her previous experience includes positions at Crushable, Daily Candy, NY1, and New York Magazine.

Male or female, we encourage you to check out The Jane Dough for your daily dose of business intrigue.

How did you get involved with The Jane Dough?
I started out by working on a site called Mogulite, which we launched last April. Mogulite was a great site and we very much enjoyed writing about powerful moguls around the world, but we recognized that our most engaging and thought-provoking stories were those about women. We ended up relaunching as The Jane Dough.

How was the concept conceived?
As I said, we were two women in our 20’s writing about powerful people in business. It's a great topic, but a broad one. Stories about women in power naturally piqued our interest -- and the stories that focused on female moguls were our best ones. After much discussion and support from our CEO, we recognized that there wasn't a blog with a strong voice covering women and business, or business through a female perspective.

What makes it unique?
There are sites that cover women in business and power, but we're doing it with a strong and defined voice -- one that's critical when it should be and funny as often as possible. We're not afraid to call out sexism, but we're also not afraid to criticize the choices of a powerful woman if we don't agree with them.

Your day-to-day responsibilities:
Writing, mostly. But a bit of everything. My editor Amy and I publish a total of about 12 posts a day, so much of the day is spent seeking out stories and publishing them. In between, I'm also seeking out women to interview for our Q&A series and promoting our stories on Twitter and Facebook. I'll sneak in a personal tweet here and there too.

The most influential businesswoman of today:
I'm going to go with Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's COO. Not only does she run the show in Silicon Valley, she's also trying to create an honest, open, and inspiring dialogue about why there aren't more ladies in the C-suite. I'm also excited to see how Virginia Rometty does as the new CEO of I.B.M.

Your greatest indulgence:
Sushi, thin-crust pizza, and most recently, marathons of Friday Night Lights and Downtown Abbey. Also, daydreaming.

What do you like most about writing in this niche?
Many of the women I get to write about are interesting, inspiring, and becoming more important and powerful by the day. It's exciting to follow them. The other people I get to write about -- sexist pigs -- are fun to trash.

Any notable encounters?
With powerful businesspeople? I've had my fair share of sightings. For a more fun NYC encounter: I once met John Mayer at a bar on the Lower East Side. He said my watch was too masculine, and then proceeded to show me a picture of his tiny white dog on his iPhone, which had a pink case.

Your favorite post to-date:
I wrote a longer piece about the fairly bizarre world of female networking at Wall Street banks. I have a lot of friends who work in banking and the culture is so different, so it was a lot of fun to relay their stories about the mythic industry. At one point, they're ridiculously told, at a networking event, to invest in an Escada suit, which is something my grandmother used to wear.

Other blogs you read:
For news and opinion, it's the usual suspects: Daily Intel, Gawker, Jezebel, Curbed, and Media Decoder from The New York Times, as well as the other sites in the Abrams network, which include Mediaite, Styleite, SportsGrid, Geekosystem, The Mary Sue, and GossipCop. I'm also addicted to reading about food and restaurants -- Serious Eats and Eater are my go-tos. And I still read Under The Button, the blog I edited at the University of Pennsylvania, as my daily escape back to college.

What makes you laugh?
Emails from my 95-year-old German grandfather. He's also on Facebook, of course.

Greatest pet-peeve:
Screaming in shared places -- the subway, restaurants, etc. And I also hate sharing drinks out of a can (bottles and glasses are okay).

Your motto:
Live each day as if it's your last. Dance as if no one's watching. Just kidding, I'm not really the tattoo-an-inspiring-quote-on-your-back type. But I'm always saying, "Wouldn't it be cool if..?" In other words, dream big and let your imagination wander.

Best part of being a woman in business in NYC:
It's definitely the best place in the world to be a working woman. For one, women with big jobs in New York aren't called "working women." They're just women. It's the norm. Also, the accessibility of everything. As a woman in NYC, there actually is time to get everything done -- thanks to the nail salons open on every block until 10 p.m., thanks the efficacy of our subway system, and so on. I mean, Fresh Direct will deliver your groceries! "City life" is always portrayed as rushed and stressful in movies, but to me it's more efficient. And even if you work well into the night, you can walk out into a lively city with tons of restaurants happy to have you no matter the hour.

Pencils of Promise: ADAM BRAUN

2011-12-18T12:11:00.000-05:00

Adam Braun has witnessed first hand the transformative power of a pencil. Pencils of Promise (PoP) is founded on the conviction that “education is a basic human right,” and since its inception in 2008, PoP has brought over 40 schools to communities in Laos, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. In addition to providing the physical structure of a school, PoP creates and guides a full educational experience through an all-encompassing approach: Identify, Build, Support, Hire, and Monitor. The success of the organization is inspiring, and it goes without saying that Braun’s personal efforts to execute and sustain his idea is astounding. Oh, and did we mention that PoP has received nods from an extensive celebrity list ranging from Justin Bieber to Desmond Tutu? The Biebs committed $1 for every ticket sold on the second half of his “My World” U.S. Tour to PoP. You do the math.

Learn how to get involved with PoP here. It only takes $25 to educate one child.

What inspired you to found Pencils of Promise?
When I was 21 years old I was traveling through the developing world. I met a young boy begging on the streets of India, and I asked him what he wanted most in the world. To my surprise he said a pencil. I gave him my pencil, and in that moment realized the transformative power of education to solve the majority of the world’s global issues. From that day forward I wanted to start an organization that one day became Pencils of Promise.

Your daily responsibilities:
My daily responsibilities include communicating the vision for what Pencils of Promise can one day become. I also lead, inspire and train an amazing staff and movement to go out and make Pencils of Promise the manifestation of their shared vision.

Number of schools you've built to date:
We’ve opened up 39 schools and have almost 20 more under construction so we’ve broken ground on nearly 60 schools.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Ideally, I hope to still receive the same amount of fulfillment that I have right now from working on Pencils of Promise everyday. By then I hope the organization is a household name in the nonprofit world and is something that enables education for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people eventually.

Who is your real life hero?
My real life heroes are the collective members of my family, but especially my grandfather who passed away. He survived the Holocaust, and then brought my grandmother, father and aunt as well as several others over to this country. Through willpower and a commitment to educating his family, he helped me get to where I am today.

Your greatest indulgence:
I love chicken parmesan. I eat way more chicken parmesan than I should.

Most prized possession:
My journal from semester at sea, it’s hands down the most valuable thing that I own.

Your proudest moment?
My proudest moment was the groundbreaking on our very first school in Pha Theung, Laos. It was something that everyone told me wasn’t possible, but against all odds, a collection of young people came together to raise the money to build one school there. It was really my proudest moment.

Most embarrassing moment:
The first time I gave a really big speech on a major stage was at a conference at the Times Center in NYC. For months beforehand, I was nervous and thought about what a big deal this speech would be. I was the closing speaker and gave this speech for 20 minutes. When I was done I thought I had done a great job and I was really happy with myself. I went to shake hands with some of the people that came up to me afterwards. While I was shaking hands, I realized that my fly was open, and that my fly had been open the whole time.

What makes you laugh?
People who don’t take themselves too seriously and have the ability to laugh at themselves makes me laugh as well. I think I’m one of those people that tries to have a good time no matter what I’m working on and I surround myself with others that enjoy laughing at pretty much anything and everything.

What do you do to relax?
I listen to music. Music is the thing that inspires me most, so when I need to really relax I’ll put on music that takes me to the place where I feel best.

What is Justin Bieber like?!
Justin’s a prankster, he’s a really fun little kid. I’ve known him since he was twelve or thirteen years old, and so we have a big brother, little brother relationship. He does a great job of acting like a little brother should towards me. All and all he’s really down to earth and someone committed to making the world better, which he exercises through all the great things he’s done.

If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
Either in NYC or in one of the countries where we’re building schools, those are the places I feel happiest and most at home.

Your personal motto:
Live with relentless inspiration around you and within you.

Favorite NYC landmark:
I walked the Brooklyn Bridge for the first time this past weekend and it was an incredible experience, so the Brooklyn Bridge is my new favorite city landmark.

Lerer Ventures: STEVE SCHLAFMAN

2011-11-20T13:06:00.000-05:00

New York City’s Silicon Alley has claimed a place among the ranks of top tech-hubs across the country such as Boston, Dallas, Seattle, and of course, its namesake and the “mothership”, Silicon Valley. While each of these start-up communities boasts its own set of advantages, Silicon Alley benefits from New York’s buzz and density people, which, in the past few years, has played into the hands of the social media phenomenon. Yet in many ways, the most important feature of any tech boom-town is the availability of funds. Enter: the venture capital firm. Steve Schlafman is a principal investor at one of these firms, Lerer Ventures, which focuses on funding companies in the “seed-stage”. That is, Lerer trudges through the weeds of all start-up hopefuls to find entrepreneurs with “product vision, consumer insight, focused execution, and unwavering ambition.” Although he is now in the position of the lender, Steve is no stranger to the experience on the other side of the table. His work experience spans from startups such as Stickybits and Turntable.fm, to more traditional environments such as The Kraft Group and Microsoft.

And what’s in Lerer’s portfolio these days? Just so happens they were one of the VC’s that took a stake in GroupMe (prior Q-naire feature, recently aquired by Skype), as well as other awesome hits like: Dispatch, Hipster, Yoke, and Venmo. Previous investments that have already made it big include: the Huffington Post, Paperless Post, Thrillist, and Business Insider.

How did you get involved with Lerer Ventures?

Believe it or not, I learned about my position at Lerer Ventures on Twitter. While I didn’t know Ken and Ben Lerer or any of the partners personally, I was close with at least a dozen folks who had strong ties to the firm. I was able to leverage these strong relationships to get my foot in the door, which is often the hardest part.

Describe your day-to-day activities:

My daily activities include meeting with entrepreneurs, conducting due diligence on potential investments, researching industries, testing new products, reading blogs to catch up on the news, and providing support to our portfolio. I also spend time meeting with other investors and strategic partners who might benefit from a relationship with one of our portfolio companies or vice versa.

Best perk of your job:

I’d have to say the best perk of my job is learning about new products and markets from incredibly smart, talented, and passionate entrepreneurs. I meet with designers, technologists, and business hustlers who are on a mission change the world and disrupt massive companies and industries.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

That’s a good question. I’d like to think I’ll continue as a VC for the long run because I truly enjoy working with entrepreneurs, giving advice, making intros, and playing around with new products. On the other hand, I enjoy making things too, so it’s entirely possible that could be running my own company down the road.

The most important factors to consider when evaluating a startup:

At the earliest stage of investing, it’s all about the entrepreneur. We look for founders who are obsessed with the customer and have an intense focus on product. We also look for entrepreneurs who understand the importance of building a great team and a special culture.

Any notable startup red flags?

There are number of red flags I look out for. If a startup doesn’t have a product demo, then it’s hard for me to take it seriously. I need to have confidence that the entrepreneur can make something out of nothing. I’m also skeptical when an entrepreneur focuses more on the their press mentions, business model, or market than on the product and the customer.

When and where are you happiest?

I love NYC but I’m the happiest outside the city. There isn’t great hiking close to NYC, so I drive nearly 6 hours to Lake Placid, NY to vacation because it’s a great place to unplug.

Your greatest indulgence:

Espresso. I’m always in pursuit of the perfect shot or cappuccino. My favorite spots include Kava, Gimme!, La Colombe, and Stumptown.

Your role model:

Is it cliché to say my Mom? She has the strongest work ethic of anyone I’ve ever met and she has an enormous heart. She worked two hard jobs so my siblings and I could live in a safe town, get a great education, and have access to the things that every kid wants. She has always put her family ahead of herself and has always stressed the importance of family. Most importantly, she has always supported our decisions and encouraged us to be unique.

Talent you’d most like to have?

I’d love to be a world-class skier.

Greatest tech innovation in the last year:

That’s a tough question. My favorite young companies in NYC include Turntable.fm, Skillshare, and Dispatch. Turntable.fm was the first company to truly crack social music consumption and discovery. Skillshare has created a marketplace for community-based education. Dispatch has created a web-service that allows you to access all of your web files all in one place.

Define the Silicon Valley vs. Silicon Alley dynamic:

The Silicon Valley vs. the Silicon Alley debate is over-hyped. Both places are great environments to build companies because they value innovation, creativity, success and hard work. That said, Silicon Valley is run by engineers whereas Silicon Alley is run by a mix of designers, hackers, and hustlers. There’s no question that Silicon Valley has a greater pool of engineering talent, but I’d argue that New York has greater cultural diversity and density.

The advantage of running a tech startup in NYC:

First, the population density and number of businesses makes it a perfect place to find customers and strategic partners. Second, there are at least a dozen co-working spaces that are affordable and come with a built in community. New York is special too because it values self-expression, creativity, hard work and risk-taking probably more than any other city in the world. It also has ample seed capital to fund entrepreneurs and innovative ideas. So what if NYC doesn’t have the sun (or the sheer numbers of engineers) that Silicon Valley has—I’d still argue there’s no better place to start a company.

Scott's Pizza Tours: SCOTT WIENER

2011-10-18T23:44:00.001-04:00

NYC Pizza Expert Scott Wiener embraced his obsession with the popular Italian dish on tour with his rock band, where he kept track of every slice he ate on the road. When his journal of notable slices evolved into several volumes, Scott embarked on a separate quest to track patterns in pizzeria offerings by researching pizza history to better understand the "pizza universe." By "research," we mean filling his car with friends and a goal to visit as many pizzerias as possible. These day trips became so popular that his friends and colleagues wanted pizzeria-hopping to become a regular activity—in an organized fashion, by foot and by bus. With a NYC sightseeing license in tow, Scott's Pizza Tours has been running tours of pizzerias for the last three and a half years, and he has been recognized by NBC, the Daily News, AM New York, Fox News, and the Discovery Channel.

Call us “cheesy” all you want, but we think that Scott’s Pizza Tours was fated to roam NYC, paying homage to one of the city’s greatest offerings: its pizza. Treat yourself to one of his fun and filling tours—we recommend the Greenwich Village Pizza Walk.

Your day-to-day responsibilities:
I run tours just about every day of the week, but that only takes up a handful of daylight hours. Beyond that, there's the usual set of tasks required of any small business owner. I have to plan tours, market my company, do bookkeeping, etc. Then there's the fun stuff like trying new pizzerias, researching old photos and documents, talking to pizzeria owners...anything that helps grow the info base required for running these tours.

Where you see yourself in 5 years:
If I answered this question 5 years ago, there's no way I would have even been close to reality. I imagine I'll be even deeper into the pizza world than I am now, not that I know what that really means. Whatever ends up happening, I have a feeling there will be a slice in my hand.

Do you remember your first slice of pizza?
I definitely do not remember my first slice, but I'm sure it was a pretty basic Jersey slice.

Do you make your own pizza
Absolutely! I used to think that I was going to stay out of the pizza making world but once I started experimenting with dough and baking methods I started sliding the slippery slope and now it's a fully developed obsession. I am by no means a professional baker or pizza maker, but I have definitely been improving with every pie.

Your preferred toppings:
I stick to pretty basic cheese pizzas when trying out a new place, but sausage is my go-to topping because it has so many variations. I'm totally open to just about any topping and I really want to take a trip to Japan to try some of their crazy seafood pizzas with squid ink black crust. Yum!

Estimated number of slices you eat per week:
Two years ago I was hitting the 25-30 slice mark but now I have it down to a maximum of 15 slices per week. Last week I hit 15 by Wednesday and overshot the limit by 5 so this week I've been trying really hard to keep it to 10.

What makes you laugh?
It doesn't take much, but I'm a sucker for a good pun.

Your motto:
Beauty is in the pie of the beholder.

Your theme song?
It's either "Another Once Bites the Crust" or "Slice Slice Baby."

Your guilty pleasure:
I think I have a lot of examples that would fall into this category, but I don't really feel guilty about any of them. I'm an equal-opportunity pizza eater, so I'm not ashamed of any topping. There's a great BBQ chicken pizza I love at Rizzo's in Queens and I'm not against pineapple on pizza at all. Pizza is meant to be enjoyed, regardless of what somebody else feels about your odd topping selection.

Any notable encounters on a pizza tour?
I once had a couple get engaged on a tour. The guy hired a musician to serenade his girlfriend (they have since gotten married!) and it turned out to be the main guy from Rockapella (you know, the a cappella group from the Foldgers commercial and Where in the World is Carmen San Diego). That was pretty cool. Sometimes we bump into pizzeria owners if we visit the restaurant supply stores on the Bowery and that's always fun!

All-time favorite slice in NYC:
Wow, that's tough. I'll answer this as asked: just slice shops. Joe's on Carmine is excellent, Ben's has a great square, Louie & Ernie's in the Bronx is fantastic, New Park Pizza in Queens is great and Difara is just a special place with an undeniable slice.

Refinery 29: ANNIE GEORGIA GREENBERG

2011-10-05T15:22:00.002-04:00

Annie Georgia Greenberg is a name to know in NYC—you heard it here first! Ok, fine—we’re a bit biased because she’s a good friend of ours, but as the newly on-boarded New York editor of popular fashion editorial-site Refinery29, we expect for her name to be dropped in many a blog, magazine, or line at an exclusive VIP event in the upcoming months. Annie graduated from Barnard this past May with a degree in English & Creative writing (she’s a very skilled poet), and despite her rigorous academic schedule, her extensive experience in the fashion editorial industry is impressive: she’s worked for Nylon Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Vogue’s Department of Special Events, and Lucky Magazine, and her new role at Refinery 29 really brings her full circle in the industry—after all, Annie used to work as an intern for them when the site first launched a few years ago. Now, with Refinery’s rapidly growing acclaim and audience, Annie’s influence will surely captivate the “fashionista” masses for years to come.

Annie has managed to find a job that highlights both her strengths and her interests—she is gifted with words, has a great sense of humor, and most importantly a keen AND resourceful sense of style. Be sure to check out her posts here.

Photo Credit: Sam James

Your day-to-day responsibilities:

Everyday I'm responsible for writing or delegating (and always editing) 7-9 New York posts, as well as for writing the daily newsletter/main spot and promoting the posts/site on popular social media outlets like Facebook and lesser known social media sites like Twitter.

Best perk of your job:

Aside from the 5 block commute, I love knowing where to go when I'm not working. We get a lot of emails about small performance pieces, movies, etc. that I otherwise wouldn't know about. And, of course, getting hooked up at things like an all you can eat crab-feast, or access to the V-Mag party where LiLo threw the drink at that photographer. Sometimes I step back and realize how cool it all is.

Describe your writing style:

For Refinery29, it's very much an irreverent stream of consciousness -- as if I'm talking to a friend -- because mostly I just want it to amuse people and for my writing to sound like my actual voice. For poetry, it's much more about constructing a specific image with the end goal of reaching some universal truth. Wow, do I sound pretentious yet?

Your personal fashion style:

Kelly Wearstler once defined her jewelry line as "Feminedgy," so I'm going to steal that because it’s how I’d like to see myself. I think my personal style is also a direct function of the way I shop—haphazardly and not in complete thoughts or outfits. I try to be resourceful—I like to make something out of nothing. I like to think I can walk into a Target or a random thrift store and come up with something chic or funky or unexpected. I like helping people get dressed too (call me and I'll shop with you!). I think I was a stylist in my past life.

Writer you most admire?

As a contemporary poet, I think Sabrina Orah Mark is doing some cool, interesting writing that I've never seen before. Her voice is funny, makes sense to me, and evokes emotion in a really cool way. She also went to Barnard, and I've been trying to get in touch with her, so, Sabs, if you're reading this— holla at a kid. As a contemporary journalist/fashion journalist, I think I'd get fired if I didn't shout out to Kristian and the rest of the Refinery team. They do what they do really, really well (we were just named the Top Fashion Influencers by Klout) and they're always hard at work, even if their work consists of going to really hip, exclusive parties.

If you could only read one book forever, what would it be?

The Phantom Tollbooth.

Your dream job:

Exactly what I'm doing. Except in my dreams I work in my pajamas (specifically the white vintage nightgown that my roommates now lovingly call my "apartment dress" because I live in it). I'd also only work for only 3 hours a day and get paid like Bill Gates.

Hardest occasion to dress for:

Halloween. I spend months thinking about it. NYFW is kind of like Halloween because you feel like you're in costume and are all dressed up, but actual Halloween is probably hardest—gotta be topical, yet terrifying.

The hardest you’ve ever laughed?

My friends are the funniest people I've ever met (because I've never met Ellen DeGenerous, Louis C.K, or the cast of Arrested Development), and almost every time we hang out, I think, “This is the funniest thing I've ever heard/that's ever happened in my entire life.”

What inspires you as a writer?

MY ADORING FANS!!! Just kidding, I don't have fans...(not yet at least?!). I think reading something, and thinking, “I wish I had written that.” Whether it's poetry or a really funny link, reading something of undeniable quality always makes me want to produce the same. Also, and this is kind of cheesy, I want to do well for our team. I was with Refinery29 when I just turned 19, as a web show host (a good number of people reading this might remember that funny little phase) and then later as a freelancer during fashion week. At that time Refinery was a group of 6 people. Now we're almost at 45 (and counting!) and seeing that kind of growth, I know it only came out of good, old-fashioned, hard work, and I want to do that so we can really reach our full potential: world domination.

Your most essential accessory:

I can't live without a big bag. I have 3 good slouchy ones in different leather shades and they're constantly carouseling (that's not a word) through my outfits because I can fit anything in them —flats, gloves in the winter, sandwiches, even my smallest li’l friend, Al!

Item of clothing you can’t go without?

I feel absolutely naked if I'm not wearing my “birthday jewelry.” For my 21st my parents bought me this amazing trio of rings. I wear the ruby(my birthstone) and diamond one on my left middle finger and the other two on my left ring finger: one is this platinum ring that's really thin but has a lot of layers like Saturn and the other is gold and looks like a man's shrunken wedding band. It's probably bad luck to wear it on that finger and might jinx me from getting married, but so be it— I'd rather have the rings. Also, this year for my 22nd, I splurged (a hungover birthday remedy/treat) on a vintage Tourneau watch. I've never had a watch before this one, and now I'm not sure I could live without it. Definitely the best impulse purchase I've ever made.

Your most embarrassing fashion faux-pas:

Oh god. A few weeks ago: I was walking up to go to a fashion show (I think it was Michael Kors), and was rushing to get in, but as you walk up to the tents, there are street style photographers that ask to take your picture. I was posing for a few shots and then moved my hair that was covering pretty much my entire torso. Here I was, thinking I'm eye candy, when one of the photographers ran back to me and said, “Ma'am, it's out. It’s out!” I look down and realize the “it” he was referring to was one of my boobs that had slipped out of the silk top I was wearing. I don't think it was visible in the photos (fingers crossed), but as far as faux-pas go, that's a pretty classic (and avoidable) no-no.

Biggest trend at the moment:

Orange, mixing neutrals, winter white, funky nails, Navajo anything, and leather shorts (because I just got a killer pair of leather shorts).

NYC Shopping gem:

The thrift and consignment stores in the East Village. It may be a played out answer but it continues to be true. I can't remember the last time I set out with the purpose of shopping but I can't pass by one of these stores on a walk without being intrigued by something (and usually splurging for no reason).

Chef: ANGELO SOSA

2011-09-21T00:40:00.001-04:00

We were first introduced to Angelo Sosa on Top Chef Season 7, where episode after episode he was praised for his innovative creativity, impeccable technique, and adventurous flavor combinations. Despite dominating nearly every challenge of the season, Angelo failed to score the championship title because he fell ill (see: "Most embarrassing Top Chef moment?" below). However, our disappointment was relieved when he returned months later to compete for the Top Chef: All Stars title. Spoiler alert: he didn’t win, but he still proved himself as one of the top contestants, and his departure from the show left us longing to experience more of his culinary talents. Luckily for us (and for our blog), Angelo’s restaurant Social Eatz launched in NYC this Spring. At Social Eatz, one can indulge in some tasty, high-end, Asian bar food, and lucky visitors can also catch a glimpse of the talented chef himself (we did—it was awesome). Angelo has spent his career working in a diversity of restaurants from his early days at the Ocean Club restaurant, Dune, in the Bahamas, to Jean Georges in New York City, Spice Market in the Meatpacking District, and Yumcha in the West Village. Now Angelo has turned his efforts to building a reputation as a restaurant consultant--his client list already includes big names such as Stephen Starr's Buddakan, Morimoto, and Alain Ducasse's Spoon Food & Wine in Paris.

Prepare your forks and knives for the Top Chef extraordinaire, Angelo Sosa; we expect he'll be feeding New Yorkers for years to come.

Your culinary style:

Interpretive and innovative--I pull inspiration and flavors from the past into the future in an innovative way.

Inspiration for Social Eatz:

Inspired by my travels to Malaysia and my love and passion for Korean food. I take those flavors and apply them to American classics.

What did you have for dinner last night?

I'm on a spaghetti craze. Eating it almost every night.

If you could have dinner with anyone, real or fictional, who would it be?

I have two: Nostradamus or Anthony Robbins.

What would you cook them?

Nostradamus would already know….but I would need to create something after speaking to either of them, as I imagine I would be truly inspired afterwards.

What would your last meal be?

A home-cooked meal from my mother.

Quality you most admire in a chef:

Ability to be creative on the spot.

Biggest takeaway Top Chef lesson:

Other than always taste your food, always trust your gut and do what you think is right.

Most embarrassing Top Chef moment:

Being shot in the rump on national TV.

Your next step?

Right now, I'm focusing all of my time on Sosa Consulting Group. We have launched an NYC based concept (Social Eatz) as well as another in LA (SmithHouse Tap & Grill). In addition to that, I have a cookbook on the way, which will focus on stories and recipes all comprised of experiences and travel that have made me the chef that I am today.

Your motto:

Live one day at a time and give all you have to the day.

Your idea of happiness?

Happiness is who I have with me and around me, not defined by material but by the people who are in my life.

Restaurant you frequent most in NYC:

Toloache.

Best NYC restaurant for a special occasion:

ABC Kitchen or Restaurant Jean Georges.

NY1 Sports: PRIYA DESAI

2011-08-10T12:01:00.004-04:00

Priya Desai is modest about admitting what sets her apart from her peers in sports journalism, even though she’s a certifiable trailblazer in her industry as the first South Asian female sports broadcaster. From a small town outside of St. Louis called Edwardsville, Priya traces her love of sports, particularly football, to the “very Friday Night Lights” community. She attended Indiana University, one of the Big 10 schools where she became an aspiring sports professional. As a journalism major, Priya worked on the IU newspaper, covering the drama when legendary coach Bobby Knight was fired, and then the excitement the following year when the basketball team went to the championship game. She began her career at the bottom and tenaciously worked her way up, scoring an internship in NYC at College Sports Television (CSTV), where her boss suggested she pursue a position at big-time local news station, NY1, “And the rest,” she jokes, “is sports history.”

Now a sports broadcaster at NY1, Priya contributes to breaking all sorts of glass ceilings in a male-dominated industry, and keeps climbing the ladder by playing to her strengths and by being just plain... awesome.
Photo credit: Chad Heird

How did you end up in this career?
By ignoring my mother's pleas to go to law school.

Are you an athlete?
I've played every sport offered to a girl growing up in the suburbs. Jack of all sports master of none. I am a big fan of Zog sports here in the city. Playing softball in Central Park is a really fun experience. Plus the team who wins graciously buys the losers drinks after. It's a win-win.

How do you differ from the average female sports reporter?
I can say all the states and capitals in alphabetical order. That may set me apart.

Best perk of your job:Being able to say obnoxious things in conversations like, “Oh, when I was at the World Series this year....”

How do you get “camera ready”?
In an ideal situation, 8 hours of sleep, but that's wishful thinking. So plan B is lots of concealer and to never underestimate the power of good lighting.

Your secret to projecting confidence on camera:Some of the best advice I ever got was to just pretend I'm talking to a bunch of my friends. It really does work.

Professional you most admire:
I would have to say it's the group of female sports journalists I work alongside. Kim Jones from the Yankees Network, Tara Sullivan of the Bergen Record, ESPN's Jane McManus (to name a few) have all been so supportive from the start. It's very intimidating to be the new girl in a business that is dominated by men, and the assumption is women will be competitive or as some like to say catty (CRINGE) with one another. That just hasn't been the case, and it's an ideal I wish more women would embrace.

Any locker room mishaps?
No not really. I did have a major on the field mishap a few years ago. I was on the sidelines of an NFL game in the Meadowlands and I was walking from one end of the field to the other end. My head was turned the other way as I walked and watched the game, when I ran right into the punter who was warming up on the sidelines. I fall. He falls. I'm MORTIFIED. Everyone is looking at me, the coaches, the players, the fans. It was like one of those dreams where it's the first day in a new school and you forget to wear clothes. Except this time it's not a dream. It's 80,000 people and an entire D-line staring at you, but luckily I was fully clothed. Everyone who saw what happened was actually really nice and after the game in the locker room I kept being asked if I was alright which was actually even more embarrassing. So it was like not being able to wake up from aforementioned dream!

A time you had to be tough on the job:
I would have to say it was the first year on the job. A locker room scrum (that's when all the media surround a locker after a game to get an interview) is intense especially after a big win or worse a bad loss. In the beginning I would get blocked out all the time by some very big guys with even bigger cameras. These guys weren't about to give me a hall pass just because I'm a girl. So I would end up missing interviews all the time. I could have complained and pointed out that it wasn't fair that I was shorter and smaller but I realized I was also quicker. So as soon as I saw who I needed to interview I there first mic in hand. Those big guys with big cameras, now some of my closest friends.

What makes you laugh?
I'm a bit of a humor snob. It takes a lot to make me laugh. The Daily Show literally makes me laugh out loud. I once met Jon Stewart in a parking garage in Chelsea and made a complete fool of myself. "Oh my god—you're Jon Stewart." That's all I could come up with. Not my finest moment.

Your guilty pleasure:Pizza by the slice. No matter what neighborhood I'm in, I know the best place for a slice within a 5 block radius of my location. That includes all of the boroughs as well.

Describe New York sports fans:
Knowledgeable and aggressive. Go to a neighborhood bar and you will be schooled on any team in the city depending on what season it is. Plus if you get to witness a disagreement between two fans (like let's say a Red Sox fan in a Yankee bar), it's double the pleasure and double the fun.

Yankees or Mets/Jets or Giants:I've lived in New York a few years short of a decade. It really is the greatest city in the world. However, I have stayed true to my midwestern sports roots. I am forever a Cardinals and Rams fan and of course a proud IU Hoosier. GO BIG RED!

Favorite NYC sports bar:
My East Village apartment. As a former bartender, I have the drinks covered—and I make a mean spinach and artichoke dip. Unfortunately, I'm usually working the games and not at home enjoying them. I know, I know--poor, little sports girl. See, I said it before you could!

Comedian: SUE GALLOWAY

2011-07-28T21:23:00.004-04:00

"Girls aren't funny." If you've heard it once, you've heard it many times, along with girls "can't drive" and Lawrence Summers' favorite, "don't do math/science." As two females who often crack each other up (and know many outstanding female drivers and mathematician/scientists), we figured we'd do our gender a solid by featuring one of the funniest people we know--rather, watch on TV and then stalked: Sue Galloway. Sue has successfully navigated the NYC comedy scene, and proven repeatedly that women can in fact be funny, if not hilarious. She is a regular at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater (UCB), a freelance joke writer for SNL's Weekend Update, and an actress on NBC's comedy sensation, 30 Rock (created by fellow funny-gal Tina Fey, who also stars in the show). Playing the role of the French-Dutch, suspected nymphomaniac Sue LaRoche-Van der Hout, Sue has made a name for herself on TV in addition to the top comedic outposts in NYC. She also writes and stars in her own clever and wacky webseries, Namedroppers, which we encourage you to watch, along with the other videos available on her website, described by Sue as, "The corn kernels spurting out of a giant silo. Delicious. Breathtaking. Unique. Yellowish."

Showing up to settle the gender score is the quirky and awesome Sue Galloway at her finest.
Photo credit: Robyn Von Swank.

Are you French-Dutch?
My character is French-Dutch, but I am 100% Anerdican.

Best 30 Rock one-liner:
Best one liner I said: "I will do sex with cannibals as needed." That someone else said: "Colorful sweaters?"

Describe your work environment:
Non-stop fun. With brief periods of effort.

The funniest person you know?
My dad. He has a fantastic sense of humor, he makes brilliant jokes, and he appreciates great comedy.

Why women are essential to comedy:
We need someone to sit in the audience and laugh, right? And someone to bear new people to do comedy? Just kidding. Everyone is essential to comedy. While I'm on the subject, I think it is completely bizarre that anyone would say that women aren't funny, and that anyone else would believe them. People are funny. We are all people. Anyone who doesn't think women are funny should see me in the nude.

Your most embarrassing moment:
See above.

Your greatest extravagance?
Firefox tabs. I can't have too many of them. All up. All the time. So. Much. Information.

Your (hypothetical) Match.com profile description:
Age: Like a fine w(h)ine.
Height: I prefer depth.
Weight: 10 cats.
Eyes: Four.
Hair: Appropriate.
About Me: I'm A Woman Lady Looking for a Male Man for funs times and whatnot. We have so many to do of things! You should be intellagent and hamsome. I should be easy to find in a photograph. Please call me on my email.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Probably in the mirror and/or store windows just like usual. Oh, and eyes. If I get really close I can see myself in eyes.

Your proudest achievement:
Without a doubt, this very sentence. Oh, maybe not.

How do you relax?
A bi-monthly lard bath does the trick. Or, in a jam, sitting on a stump.

Most nagging pet-peeve:
I hate listening to people chewing. Also, I greatly dislike the destruction of forest habitats to make way for inefficient suburban housing or depressing strip malls. But mostly I really hate chewing sounds.

Most overrated virtue:
Brevity.

Sue LaRouche-Van der Hout’s sexiest NYC haunt:
Under the subways with the mole people.

Sue Galloway’s sexiest NYC haunt:
Anywhere I can go on my bike. I am not sure who this is supposed to be sexy for, is it me or other people who might see me? But I love being on my bike. And it is a granny style bike, so, you know. Hot stuff.

Sketch Comedy Troupe: HARVARD SAILING TEAM

2011-07-24T17:52:00.001-04:00

Despite stormy weather and tumultuous waves, the Harvard sailing team prevailed for the third consecutive year, defeating Princeton and winning the Ivy League championship regatta. Just kidding! That didn’t happen. Or maybe it did—but it doesn’t matter, because we’re profiling the Harvard Sailing Team, the hilarious and awesome NYC sketch comedy troupe, not to be confused with the prestigious university’s athletic team. We were first introduced to HST when nymag.com featured their satirical viral video duo, Boys Will Be Girls and Girls Will Be Boys, and since then we’ve been hooked on their comedy, showing off their collection of videos as part of our online video repertoire. The group--Jen Curran, Rebecca Delgado Smith, Clayton Early, Faryen Einhorn, Katie Larsen, Adam Lustick, Billy Scafuri, Chris Smith, and Sara Taylor—first met while studying together at NYU, but it was only post-graduation that Chris and Billy (who had started writing together) formed the team, who have since won the 2011 Nightlife Award, the Friars Club Sketch Competition, and the ECNY and INNY awards.

So if a comedy troupe that bonded through a collective affinity for argyle intrigues you (how could it not?), read on--and be sure to or check out their videos online and their weekly show at the People’s Improv Theater (PIT).
Photo credit: Eric Michael Pearson

Why “Harvard Sailing Team”?

Someone suggested Harvard Sailing Team. We were really into argyle at the time. We all laughed and it stuck. The name also coincides with our clean-cut, family friendly comedy.

Three words to describe HST:
Functioning Dysfunctional Family

What makes you laugh?
Videos of people falling down water slides, jetpack malfunctions, Steve Martin, Woody Allen…

Your idea of happiness:
A huge field of puppies—or a combination froyo/nacho machine for your home.

Your guilty pleasure:
Making up songs together—especially if they make fun of Jen. Billy also loves Nacho Cheesier Doritos.

Theme song:
The Growing Pains’ “Show Me That Smile” theme song.

Comedic role model:
The Muppets.

What makes a good team?
Friendship…and a shared appreciation for food.

The secret to great improv:
Being unafraid to fail.

Your proudest achievement:
The longevity of our weekly show at The People’s Improv Theater. It’s been running for the past 5 years. Also, staying friends throughout this process.

Your motto:
Ivy League Sketch Comedy.

Do you get stage fright?
Faryn gets stage fright for all of us before every show.

When did you realize you were funny?
We’re still not sure we are.

Best way to ease an awkward situation:
Avoid interacting with other people at all costs. If you have to, tell them you don't have a television, which is probably why you haven’t heard about what they are talking about. Also, try to stay away from handshakes—they can get pretty awkward.

Saturday Night, 2AM, NYC: where are you?
Stuck on the subway or already in bed.

Fashion Photographer: BEN FINK SHAPIRO

2011-07-18T23:43:00.005-04:00

Ben Fink Shapiro perceives the world through the lens of photography. In fact, he jokingly admits that while his memory for names may falter, he never forgets a face in a picture he's taken--proof (we think) that his camera is a natural extension of his mind. Originally from Cincinnati, Ben discovered a talent for photography as a teenager and developed his skills while at Vassar College, where he earned a BA in Media/Film Studies. After interning in and commuting to NYC for shoots throughout his time at Vassar, Ben moved to start his career here in the city post-graduation. Since, Ben’s work has been published in Elle, Vogue Mexico, QUEST, Q Mag, and FutureClaw, among others, and his fashion clients include Alexander Berardi, Alice + Olivia, Brunello Cucinelli, Metalskin NYC, Miguelina, RD International, Tibi, & Reece Hudson Handbags. Furthermore, his portfolio features some of our personal favorite celebrities: Adrian Grenier, Bob Saget, Chloe Sevigny, Rainn Wilson, and Rob Lowe.

Ben’s the real deal: his artistic eye, humor, and genuine appetite for photography set him apart, and as far as we can tell, he’ll be making people look beautiful for many years to come. See for yourself: Ben's Photo Diary .

The moment you knew you’d pursue photography as a career:
In tenth grade I put together my first “real photo shoot” with a girl from my high school--I was hooked. Having a darkroom in my parents’ basement also allowed me to experiment with lighting and film, really getting into the craft of photography.

Best perk of your job:
Getting to work with such interesting and talented people. No two days in this line of work are the same and I really enjoy that. Also working in really beautiful places--I much prefer location shooting over studio.

What makes a good model:
Being comfortable and confident in who they are. Once their inhibitions are gone they can become a rock star. I personally like working with outgoing people who have a sense of humor.

Your most marked characteristic:
Drinking Cool Blue Gatorade all day on my photo shoots while most others on set are drinking coffee.

Your theme-song:
Rick Ross’s “‘Hustlin’” (everyday I’m hustlin’ hustlin’ hustlin’...).

Describe your photography style in three words:
Sexy, playful, and colorful.

Your dream photography subject and why:
Avedon or Newton. I think I would learn a lot just having them sit for me. It’s difficult in my opinion for photographers to shoot other photographers.

Your definition of beauty:
Confidence.

How do you make someone beautiful?
I’m definitely in the business of making people and things look beautiful. I enjoy making people look good, perhaps better than they do in their everyday life. It’s a skill I guess I’ve been perfecting since I was about 15 yrs old, when I got interested in how fashion photography blurred the line between fiction and reality. After doing this a while, you get an understanding of different body types and proportions, and what works for different types of people. In addition to more obvious factors that might include pose, lighting, makeup, hair, outfit, and music, it’s sometimes a matter of convincing the person that he or she does in fact look great that makes all the difference.

Most memorable shoot:
I’ll never forget the thrill of my first magazine editorial at the age of 19: a shoot with a 30 person team (8 models) in what was then PM nightclub on Gansevoort Street. Even though in retrospect I was probably in over my head (I had not yet discovered the genius of lighting assistants!), we pulled off the shoot.

Photographer you most emulate:
Helmut Newton for the bold eroticism of his work, and Mario Testino for his use of natural light and playful sense of glamour. Newton’s autobiography was one of the most fascinating books I’ve read.

Your most extravagant indulgence:
My fridge is always filled with a large Tropicana OJ (lots of pulp).

What makes you laugh?
I definitely crack myself up all the time. My older brother and I just have to look at each other and we pretty much start laughing. Ordinary things make me laugh--the way tourists experience our city is also really entertaining to watch at times, especially on the subway.

When or where are you happiest?
I love what I do, so I would have to say I’m happiest when I’m shooting. When I’m not working, I’m probably happiest when I’m with people I love and whenever I’m near a body of water or enjoying the outdoors.

Your favorite restaurant in NYC:
Freemans for neighborhood style points and Barrio Chino because it never disappoints. For cheap eats I like The Commodore in Williamsburg for the best fried chicken in the world.

Best place for a NYC photo shoot:
My roof. It’s ultra-simple and raw, but I’ve got a studio set up there and it gets beautiful north-facing light. I also love shooting in hotel rooms.

Immaculate Infatuation: CHRIS STANG & ANDREW STEINTHAL

2011-06-21T20:29:00.005-04:00

Chris Stang and Andrew Steinthal are of the opinion that, “In a city with so many great choices, is there any reason to eat mediocre food? No dice.” And we couldn’t agree more. Luckily for us—and for other hungry New Yorkers—Chris and Andrew founded the acclaimed foodie-website “Immaculate Infatuation” to air their fresh perspectives on NYC’s culinary world. In addition to capsule reviews and recommended dishes, Immaculate also presents other original content ranging from “Friday Fives” interviews, to “Infatuation TV”, to general features. Despite the site’s wild success and professionalism, Immaculate Infatuation is only an early morning/late-night hobby of Chris and Andrew’s; their days are spent pursuing careers in the music industry--Chris at Atlantic Records and Steinthal at Warner Bros. Records. However, their jobs often require them to entertain clients with a meal before a show, and so they developed a list of go-to’s and misses that they would recommend or warn against to a circle of friends. Now, with Immaculate, that circle of friends has grown to be enormous—and their credibility is hard to beat for diners looking for restaurants with the perfect balance of price, atmosphere, service, and food.

We take our hats off to blogger-professionals extraordinaires, Chris and Andrew, for bringing a hobby to a whole other level. We don’t remember how we ever chose restaurants before Immaculate Infatuation.

How did you meet?
We met at a CMJ music convention in NYC 11 years ago. We were both in college and music directors at our respective stations--Stang at KCSU/Colorado State and Steinthal at WICB/Ithaca College. A mutual friend of ours put together a group of his favorite music directors and we actually met on set at TRL. We realized we had a lot in common--namely making fun of Carson Daly and thinking the smoking-hot head of production was into us (she wasn't).

How many people follow your blog?
A lot. It's kind of crazy how fast this thing has grown over the last two years. We remember how excited we were to get to 100 people a day. Then 200. Then 500. Then suddenly we were bummed if we had less than 1,000 a day. We're way past that point now, and the site continues to grow every month...so we're happy.

What did you have for dinner last night?
Nothing too exciting, actually. Steinthal had a buffalo chicken slice from Muzzerella Pizza on Ave A, and Stang ate some kind of crazy falafel from a place near his apartment. When we're not out reviewing, we have to keep it simple...and cheap.

What are your day-to-day Immaculate responsibilities?
Writing. A lot. Since there are only two of us, we need to find time in the day to create all the content. That means early in the morning or late at night.

How does it fit in with your day jobs?
Well, we don't do any writing or blogging while we're at work. With our jobs in the music business, we both have a lot going on and that stuff gets our full attention. We'd like to keep our paychecks coming in so we can pay for all these dinners.

Your team mantra:
Can't stop, won't stop.

Three words to describe each other:
Steinthal on Stang: “Weirdo Adrian Brody.”
Stang on Steinthal: “Jewish Mark Sanchez.”

What do you do when you disagree on a dining experience?
Honestly, we're usually on the same page. If we both have different experiences at the same restaurant, we'll go back before reviewing.

Earliest indicator that a meal will be a success:
When you look around and see smiling faces genuinely enjoying themselves at a restaurant, chances are you're in for a good meal.

A disaster?
When there's a crew of dudes wearing Ed Hardy gear at the table next to you.

Friday Five you were most proud to score?
Stang: Mike D of the Beastie Boys.
Steinthal: Mark Hoppus of Blink 182.
Both are childhood idols turned Immaculate Infatuation contributors. Life comes full circle.

Talent you’d most like to have:
Steinthal: To be an NBA caliber basketball player.
Stang: I'd like to be really good at the Cupid Shuffle.

Most overrated virtue:
Not sure how to answer that and not sound like we’re bad people.

Your guilty pleasure:
Steinthal: Taio Cruz's “Dynamite” (put those hands in the air).
Stang: Meet the Press.

Best burger in NYC?
Steinthal: The Bash Burger at Burger & Barrel.
Stang: The Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien.

Slice of pizza?
Steinthal: Joe's, no contest.
Stang: Agreed.

Gramercy Tavern: MICHAEL ANTHONY

2011-05-25T13:09:00.011-04:00

Acclaimed chef Michael Anthony has bridged the divide between town and country in both his career and his cooking, innovating traditional “classics” with his contemporary and “New American” approach to the culinary world. Chef Anthony made a name for himself when he served as the executive chef at Dan Barber’s Blue Hill at Stone Barns, in Westchester, NY, where he was introduced to the wonders of cooking with locally sourced, farmed ingredients. Now at our personal favorite NYC restaurant, Gramercy Tavern, Chef Anthony brings the freshest of food from local farmers to the chic Manhattan tables in Gramercy. However, it was through an international affair that Chef Anthony first realized his life direction--with degrees in Business, French, and Japanese form Indiana University, Chef Anthony began work in a Tokyo restaurant under chef Shizuyo Shima, where he was ultimately inspired to follow his talent and enroll in the renowned culinary school, Le Ferrandi, in Paris. After learning in some of Paris’ most esteemed kitchens, Chef Anthony returned to New York with stints at Daniel and March, and took over at Blue Hill Stone Barns in 2002. In 2006, Anthony moved into business with restauranteur Danny Meyer, and took over the helm of Gramercy Tavern from chef Tom Colicchio. And if his windy road of accomplishments isn’t enough, in both 2008 and this year Chef Anthony was nominated for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef in New York City chef among impressive peers such as April Bloomfield of The Spotted Pig, Wylie Dufresne of wd~50, Gabrielle Hamilton of Prune and Michael White of Marea.

So, we are left with two questions: 1. Can we trade lives with Chef Anthony? and 2. When can he cook for us next?

Where did you learn to cook?
I worked in restaurants for fun in high school and college, but my first professional cooking job was in a French/Japanese bistro in Tokyo called Bistro Shima.

Your culinary style:
Contemporary American.

What did you eat for breakfast?
Oatmeal—leftovers from my 16 month old daughter.

Most important quality in a chef:
Patience.

Earliest indicator that a meal will be a success:
When a customer’s head starts to nod at the table.

What is your greatest cooking fear?
I’m not ready to face those fears yet…

Chef you most admire:
Pascal Barbot.

What makes you laugh?
My three daughters.

Seasoning that most inspires you:
Wild ginger.

What would your last supper be?
Soft shell crabs cooked in any style.

Favorite late-night indulgence:
Beer.

Best farmer’s market in NYC:
Union Square Greenmarket.

Restaurant you frequent most in NYC:
Sushi Yasuda.

New York City Ballet: JONATHAN STAFFORD

2011-05-04T21:52:00.003-04:00

Jonathan Stafford knew he wanted to pursue ballet as a career when he was 15 years old during his first time in the audience at the New York City Ballet (NYCB), the renowned dance company where he is now a principal dancer. Originally from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Jonathan started dancing when he was 8 years old, and made the move to New York City when he was 17 to study at the School of American Ballet (SAB). A year later, he was invited to join the NYCB. Now, at 30, Jonathan is still dancing with NYCB, is a faculty member at SAB, and is also pursuing a degree in Organizational Leadership at Fordham University Lincoln Center. It is clear that Jonathan’s career will continue to lead him to new levels of success. And fun fact for all you Center Stage fans out there: Jonathan was in it.

Jonathan’s ambition and talent from a young age allowed him to make the cross over from the audience to the stage--which, if you think about it, is pretty much statistically impossible. Bravo!

Photo credit: Henry Leutwyler (c) 2010.

Describe yourself as a dancer.
I consider myself somewhat of a quiet dancer and by that I mean that I'm not flashy. I can't do all kinds of flying acrobatic tricks or multiple turns which might make me stand out. Instead I focus on the technique and the feeling of what I'm dancing and I try to make it as smooth as possible.

Do you read your critical reviews?
I read about half because sometimes I can't resist seeing what the critics have to say. I think you have to take a critical review in stride, and understand that it is one person's opinion and that we aren't out there on stage performing just to impress critics.

The most challenging part of dancing?
To avoid being too hard on myself. Ballet dancers are constantly striving to be as close to perfect as possible. It’s one of the aspects of ballet that is incredible and horrible at the same time because we will never achieve perfection.

The most rewarding:
Performing. There is nothing like the rush I get when I’m out there and am feeling good. I'm having fun and all my stress and worry just disappear.

Your favorite role:
My favorite role to dance is the male principal in the Diamond's section of George Balanchine's Jewels. My debut performance of Diamonds was one of my all-time favorite performances ever, and the part will always be special for me.

Accomplishment of which you are most proud:
Making it into a professional company as a ballet dancer--it’s like making it to the major leagues in baseball. It requires a lot of hard work, determination, and luck, and I have been so fortunate to have made it where I am today.

What do you hope to be doing in 5 years?
I hope to be in the dance world either dancing or teaching. It is what I love to do, and I hope that I am fortunate enough to still be involved in the ballet world for years to come.

Your greatest fear:
That ballet will lose its foothold in our world someday. Support for the arts in general is harder and harder to find these days, and ballet is no exception. It kills me to think that other young people like myself might not have the chance to have all the experiences that I have had dancing with a major ballet company and that all of our fans might someday lose something that they love.

How do you deal with performance nerves?
You would think that since I did my first performance at age 8 and am now 30, I wouldn't get nervous anymore...but I still do at times. Leading up to a performance I just try to get myself and my body as prepared as possible so that I will be confident in my ability to dance the best I can when the time comes. My nerves basically go away right before I go onstage and the adrenaline kicks in.

Your guilty pleasure:
I love food. It’s hard for me to ever turn down food, especially chocolate. And steak. And cheese.

Most overrated virtue:
People have told me that I am very patient. I think that’s a compliment from a teacher’s perspective, where I know that I have to be very patient in the classroom to be a good teacher. However, I can be a very impatient person outside of the ballet studio. I hate waiting for anything and can be impulsive.

Your current state of mind:
I am a happy guy right now. It is spring, which is my favorite season in the city, and we start our 6-week spring season tomorrow at NYCB. I always look forward to getting out on stage again. With the warm weather also comes the opportunity to play some golf, which is my favorite hobby and I am committed to lowering my scores this year.

Talent you’d most like to have:
I wish I played a musical instrument really well. We are so fortunate to dance to some of the most beautiful music ever created, and I would love to be on the other side of that and make that same music.

Music that most inspires you:
The classical music that we dance to is incredibly inspiring. Just warming up backstage and listening to the piece before mine is all I need to remember why I love ballet so much.

Your motto:
Have integrity and go about things the right way even if it is the hard way. The rewards in the end will be much greater if you earn them and if you do it fairly.

Favorite place to perform in NYC:
I would have to say the David H. Koch Theater in Lincoln Center, which is our home theater. A lot of the biggest moments in the last 13 years of my life have been in that building and it will always be a special place for me.

Joyride: LEV BRIE

2011-04-19T23:20:00.006-04:00

The Joyride enterprise has hit the mark by combining the three things that almost every New Yorker regularly seeks: caffeine, convenience, and guilt-free sweets. Lev Brie, the founder of Joyride, first brought these essentials to the streets via foodtruck, offering highly delicious Stumptown Coffee, organic frozen yogurt, and...drumroll, please... the world's first caffeinated fro-yo, "Buzzed" (genius, no?). The truck also offers other innovative menu options, such as the “Jeffrey Paul,” a decadent coffee and espresso combo made with Stumptown's Hairbender roast and Mariebelle chocolate. Joyride has some of the friendliest staff of any food truck we’ve ever seen, and it is thoroughly “green” by diesel truck standards, using the “quietest, most efficient generator on the market,” as well as ice coffee cups that are bio-degradable and made of corn. Raised in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, Lev has moved around quite a bit, and is a man of academics and business--he studied undergrad at Stanford and Columbia, earned a Masters in France at 'École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, and started a PhD at the University of Chicago. After dabbling in tutoring and web design, Lev is now an owner of Endeavor Tutoring and Test Preparation, in addition to Joyride Trucks and its successful spinoff venture, Joyride Coffee Distributors. Joyride Coffee Distributors is the official supplier of Stumptown Coffee and is the first company to provide “third wave” coffee delivery at almost any location in NYC.

So, if walking to the truck at its daily locations to get your Buzz on is too strenuous, call 917.670.3314 to get Stumptown delivered to your office or next event. And don’t forget to nominate the Joyride truck for the Vendy Awards on streetvendor.org!

Where did you get the idea to start Joyride Trucks?
To be perfectly honest we just loved the coffee. It was really that simple. The truck, the fro-yo, all of that came later as part of our attempt to get Stumptown out there by any means necessary. We figured what better way to get Stumptown to the people than driving around in a big beautiful truck serving it up all over the city?

How did it evolve into Joyride Coffee Distributors?
Owning a truck is hard work! You're at the depot in Astoria at 5:30 in the morning and some nights, you don't finish cleaning and prepping until after midnight. The first truck gave me hypertension. A second would give me a coronary. I love the truck, but with the response we got from it, we realized we had hit on something much bigger than even a fleet of trucks could handle. Every day we get complaints that we are only available at each location one day a week. Half of our customers tell us they want us to be at their office every day, and the other half want to hire us for catering somewhere else. How do you remedy that without killing yourself through a combination of caffeine overdose and sleep deprivation? By bringing the best coffee in the world straight to the office; and thankfully between the hours of 9am and 5pm. And we’re in the midst of developing our catering arm to handle all our special events requests.

Will Joyride trucks still exist?
Oh yes. The truck isn't going anywhere...figuratively. We love the truck, and we have a dedicated staff of awesome baristas, who are really amazing at what they do, and we don’t ever want to stop bringing the goodness of Stumptown to the streets—we just want to take that goodness upstairs as well.

What about the Buzzed fro-yo?
Buzzed has been on hiatus for the winter, but once the weather turns for good, it will be back with a vengeance.

Funniest reaction to caffeinated fro-yo:
"Oh my god, yes. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god, where have you been? Oh my god I am so happy right now. Oh my god."

Your greatest accomplishment:
Um...have you seen my truck? That thing is hot as shit!

Your daily responsibilities:
I wish. Every day is different: calling potential clients for Joyride Coffee Distributors, designing materials, dealing with suppliers, managing employees, working on our menu, perfecting my coffee brewing and pulling technique, emergency mitigation and management, occasional shifts on the truck. We are a small business and basically, on any given day, I could be doing anything from tinkering on the undercarriage of the truck, to giving an office tasting to a law firm in Manhattan, to coding a new part of our website, to tweeting about our latest batch of cold brew. Sometimes I’m even forced to do some accounting. In the beginning the sheer breadth of the job was overwhelming, but now I couldn't imagine it any other way.

Joyride’s greatest competitor:
A general willingness on the part of too many New Yorkers to happily drink brown piss from a paper cup.

Best part of your job:
The smile I get when they taste our coffee for the first time. A close second are the Wednesday cuppings the whole office gets to go to at the Stumptown Roastery in Red Hook.

Worst?
Filling our water tanks outdoors in Astoria at 5:30 in the morning in the middle of January. In the snow. After forgetting my gloves at home. Imagine it’s 10 degrees out, you’ve just gotten completely soaked in ice-cold water, and when you start to move around you realize your pants are literally frozen – they crunch and crack every time you take a step. Now imagine that moment is the very beginning of your day, and you’re about to go try to find and then squeeze into a parking spot in midtown Manhattan for your 21-foot behemoth of a truck. But then you get there, pull yourself a perfect double shot of Stumptown’s Hairbender, steam and texturize a latté’s worth of whole, organic milk to glossy perfection, dip it right into the espresso so that you get that thick, uniform golden-oak-colored liquid, and suddenly it all goes away.

Describe your ideal coffee experience:
Hmm, I think that was it actually.

How many cups of coffee do you drink a day?
Anywhere between six and eight cups, not counting espresso.

Talent you’d most like to have:
Welding. I wish I could make things out of metal. Either that or yodeling.

Your greatest indulgence:
My motorcycle.

Three things you'd need on a dessert island:
1. My i-Phone and a solar charger.
2. A 118 WallyPower superyacht with onboard La Marzocco Strada espresso machine, Mazzer grinder, Fetco brewer and full bar of 20+ year old scotch, complete with a crew of four (Captain, Maid, Chef [Skilled in the French School with substantial experience in Japanese cuisine] and Personal Trainer).
3. Flint and steel.

What is the future for 3rd wave coffee delivery to offices?
New Yorkers are becoming increasingly coffee-conscious, and coffee is the sine qua non of at-work beverages. New Yorkers descend in droves on the city’s 2 dozen or so great coffee shops, and they take time out of work to do so. 3rd wave is the future of office coffee. We’re about to see a deluge of demand for great coffee at the office—coffees like Stumptown’s are orders of magnitude better than commodity-level coffee, and only pennies more expensive per cup. It’s already that way in Portland, where most offices won’t even consider anything else. I predict that in the next five years, New Yorkers are going to come to feel the same way. The decision is just so simple it’s a no-brainer: fresher beans, better coffee, fairer business practices, less trash. And it’s by far the most reasonable, most cost-effective way you will ever find to instantly and permanently boost employee morale.

Explain NYC’s relationship to coffee:
New York is the city of people who need to get shit done. We’re also a city of people who know how to love what they need. We have about 37 hours of stuff to do on any given day and coffee is a tool we use to shoe-horn it all into that 24-hour period. But that doesn’t mean we can’t love our coffee. The difference between a stale roast of deli coffee and a freshly brewed airpot of Stumptown is the difference between using a blunt cleaver and a hand-balanced Japanese chef's knife: they will both cut a piece of meat, but one does it a lot better and is a pleasure to use.

iWould: JON BUDISH

2011-04-05T20:36:00.007-04:00

Modern times have brought almost every imaginable type of human interaction to the digital world--with a host of social media devices available, communication has become nearly inextricable from the Internet. After working in customer support and account management at the site most responsible for this digital trend, Facebook, Jon Budish’s inside scoop planted an idea that given the amount of time people spend on the site “Facebook-stalking” the profiles of their romantic interests, users should be able to connect with their crushes. And so, Jon created iWould, bemoaning: “Over and over, we witnessed people not ask someone out because of the risk of embarrassment from possible rejection...So we decided to try to fix this problem. We sought out to create a safe, easy, and most importantly, private, place to help people get past the awkwardness that is finding out if someone they like, likes them back.” iWould isn’t a dating site--it’s a Facebook application, a “complement to your existing life on Facebook,” explains Jon. After all, if you are already checking out the Facebook profiles of people you like, why not find out if they are checking you out, too?

So if you’re itching to know if your crush likes you back, give the app a try! You might find yourself pleasantly surprised...

How did you come up with the name “iWould”?

An old girlfriend from college used to always jokingly say it. And then I started saying it...and then I realized that a lot of people say it.

How do you ensure privacy for the site?

Privacy was our biggest concern. We are aware of the sensitivity of the material, and have an extremely talented team of developers who work diligently to secure the information.

What happens once a match has been made?

There are no iWould rules for after a match. iWould is meant to connect people who otherwise weren’t connecting. Once two people know they like each other, hopefully great things happen.

Your ideal first date:

Grab a few drinks, hit up a sporting event or an outdoor concert, followed by dinner.

Your greatest fear:

It’s a tie between tunafish and waking up in the morning and not being excited about what I’m doing. I’ve had some jobs that I hated and it really broke me. I don’t want to wake up in 20 years with any regrets.

Talent you would most like to have:

I wish I could dunk a basketball.

Accomplishment of which you are most proud:

I set a goal before I started my MBA that by the time I graduated, I would launch a business. For this reason, iWould is the accomplishment I am most proud of. I’m really excited about iWould, the people I am working with, and the future of the business.

Most important quality in a significant other:

Someone who loves to laugh and is upbeat.

How has technology changed romance?

Technology makes everything easier. Easier does not necessarily mean “better,” but think about it--people couldn’t text 12 years ago. When I was in high school, if I liked a girl, I actually had to call her.

Why is it hard for people to connect in New York?

New York is a big city. People are always really busy and there is definitely a lack of familiarity. It’s hard to date when you are working all the time, so for all you college students--enjoy it while it lasts.

Best date spot in New York City:

I gotta go with Posto. It’s this little gourmet pizza place in Gramercy. The food is incredible, and the place is really charming. Pizza is pretty important to me, so if a girl I’m dating isn’t a fan, that’s probably a bad sign for the future of our relationship.

Funologist: JESSICA HAMMER

2011-02-15T23:50:00.004-05:00

“I’m a professional funologist!” exclaims Jessica Hammer, a PhD candidate in cognitive studies at Columbia University, when describing her career. Jessica develops games that help to change the way people think in order to overcome cognitive challenges and addictions. If you thought quitting smoking, exercising more, or managing anger had to be a painful process, Jessica hopes to prove you wrong. As a member of Columbia University’s Teachers College EGGPLANT Game Research Laboratory, and of the Creativity, Cognition and Learning research group, Jessica has presented her work at academically distinguished meetings in the US and internationally. Prior to her time at Columbia, Jessica was a consultant and game designer, with a focus on serious games and social software. After graduating from Harvard University with a BA in Computer Science, she went on to earn her masters degree in Interactive Telecommunications from NYU. Jessica has since created the game design course sequence at Teachers College, which has turned out students who have produced award-winning games. If Jessica doesn’t seem busy enough to you already, you should know that in her free time she runs an experimental storytelling group in New York City.

With Jessica’s help, people will be able to change their lives by tackling the hardest issues in the most fun ways possible. Get ready to play the game of LIFE-- literally.

Describe your day to day activities:
I read academic articles in half-a-dozen fields and figure out how they might apply to game design. I play a lot of games—some enjoyable, some really terrible!—and analyze how they function. I watch people play games while taking notes on their behavior (sometimes I hook them up to machines, too). Then I use all that knowledge to design and program games of my own, ones that help me ask interesting research questions and are still fun to play!

Explain your career path thus far:
As a kid, I designed games to play with my friends at birthday parties. I read everything I can get my hands on. I’ve had some fantastic mentors, students and colleagues. Presto! A career!

The best perk of your career?
My secret underground lair, stocked with games of all sorts that I am professionally obligated to play. This is also known as a game research lab.

Define a “funologist”:
Someone who hunts down the elusive beast of playful experience - then pins it to a board, cuts it open, and gets elbow-deep in the guts of how it works.

What is your idea of fun?
Improvisation. Solving a hard problem. Singing at the top of my lungs.

Why do games work to change people's lives?
There’s no one answer to that question, but recently I’ve been thinking about how games can help with the New Year’s Resolution problem. Many of the things people want to do have short-term costs and long-term rewards, like quitting smoking, or exercising more, or managing anger. When you’re faced with an actual choice, though, those long-term rewards seem awfully far away. You pick up the cigarette, or skip the gym, or lose your temper. Games can help refocus your attention on the moment, both by making the right decision a more pleasant one and by giving you some short-term rewards to keep you going.

What inspires you to create a game?
Life.

What is “experimental story-telling”?
I want to understand the impact of new technologies and new ideas on how people make and consume stories. In practice, this means trying a whole lot of different things, from multi-media theater to role-playing games to smartphone-enabled improvisation, and then thinking carefully about what worked and what didn’t.

Your greatest accomplishment:
When my students go on to achieve amazing things. For example, a group of my game design students won a grant to develop their final project from my class. Then they turned around and hired me as their game design consultant. I can’t think of a higher compliment as a teacher, or as a game designer!

Your real-life hero:
My father, Michael Hammer. On a personal level, he taught me to be curious, intellectually eclectic, compassionate, skeptical and determined. He believed that everyone needed meaningful work in their lives, and he always encouraged me to find mine. On a professional level, his work on business has been surprisingly useful to me as a game designer. For example, the chapter on company metrics in his last book could be called “Feedback Mechanics 101.” He died in 2008, but he still inspires me every day.

When or where are you happiest?
Right now.

What makes you laugh?
My husband.

How do you spend your evenings?
I block out at least two hours a night for screen-free thinking and reading. It’s a good way to make sure I stay intellectually engaged and active beyond the world of games, and makes me a better designer to boot.

Most fun place in NYC:
My house. It’s full of games and books and fascinating people and pie. Everyone likes pie.

ALIOMI: CAROLYN PRIDE

2011-02-10T13:29:00.007-05:00

It is no wonder that with 5 New Yorker’s at the helm of its success, fashion-site ALIOMI lives and breathes New York style. Carolyn Pride, ALIOMI’s Director of Operations, manages the development, design, operation, and improvement of the systems that create and deliver ALIOMI to the masses. Designed as a “street-couture fashion blog and online boutique that sells vintage, DIY, and resale pieces,” the site was founded a year ago by Carolyn’s high school pal, Naomi Bishop, and her college friend, Allison Sparkhul (“ALI”+”OMI”). The founders sought to incorporate Carolyn into the venture because of her solid background in market research and business development, as well as her enterprising and upbeat attitude. Carolyn is a formidable individual who contributes her wide-breadth of experience to the group; having attended Connecticut College (‘08), she not only played on the Varsity Basketball team, but also majored in Economics and Sociology, and was selected to study Economic Development at Hanoi University of Finance and Accounting. Carolyn has brought her business savvy, sense of humor, and boho-chic style since day 1, and ALIOMI has been on the rise ever since.

ALIOMI is just what every NY fashionite needs--be sure to visit the site to browse through their wonderful selection yourself (and if you're wondering who took this awesome shot, it was Elias Wessel).

How did you become involved with ALIOMI?

ALIOMI was founded over a year ago as a resale hustle on e-bay. Naomi and Allison asked me to become involved with ALIOMI in order to help further develop the concept. The initial idea had so much potential that I was able to quickly convinced that it would be in our best interest to make ALIOMI our own e-commerce site and lifestyle brand, seperate from e-bay. We then began developing ALIOMI, LLC. I am a business woman after all...why give e-bay a percentage if you don't have to.

Your day-to-day responsibilities:

I am responsible for market research, managing our inventory, cultivating B2B relationships, our quarterly news letter, organizing and analyzing the effectiveness of ALIOMI's operations. We all blog, Facebook, help at the photo shoots, tweet, manage interns, event plan, prospect, etc.

Your greatest pre-Aliomi accomplishment:

In college I actually chartered the schools chapter of the NAACP. For this I was awarded a grant for Social Entrepreneurship.

Three words to describe growing up in NYC:

Super effing crazy.

Describe your personal style:

My personal style is bohemian chic. I really enjoy tribal patterns, heavy metal jewelry, blacks, greys, whites, and classic lines...DIY “Urban Zen.”

Basketball jersey or cocktail dress?

Basketball jerseys are actually not that comfortable. Cocktail dress for sure.

Most essential accessory:

Besides my Blackberry? Pearl earrings.

Most disturbing fashion faux-pas:

It's a tie between VPL (visible panty line) and high-heels that are so worn-out the heal is diagonal and they lean out to the side. Both are super gross.

NYC: Fashion capital of the world?

No way. Stockholm is the fashion capital of the world. NYC is simply THE capital of the world. For sure.

Define “hipster”:

A hipster is a person who tries to participate in and/or emulate underground urban youth culture simply because it is “hip.” A hipster doesn't understand the relevance of the movie Kids and can be heard saying "White Mike...who?".

What makes you laugh?

Everything. My sense of humor is rather inappropriate.

Fashion icon that most inspires you:
Grace Jones.

Greatest pet peeve:

Fakeness. In any capacity.

Most important quality in a friend:

Ironic. I've had to think about this a lot recently. Acceptance, Non-Judgement, Unconditional Love.

Your current state of mind:

Over worked and under paid, but loving life.

Favorite NYC clothing boutique:

ALIOMI NYC, obvi!

Manhattan vs. Brooklyn:

Brooklyn has great Beer Gardens, but Manhattan is the concrete jungle where dreams are made of...

New York City Ballet: LYDIA WELLINGTON

2011-02-05T18:12:00.004-05:00

It is rare for a childhood activity to become an adult career, but for Lydia Wellington, it was a natural progression. Lydia was born in New York City and began dancing in 1997 at the School of American Ballet at the age of seven, where she gained her stride in the dancing world in children’s roles in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker and Serenade, Jerome Robbins’ 2&3 Part Inventions and Fanfare, and Christopher Wheeldon’s Scenes de Ballet--all this while balancing her studies at LaGuardia High School, where she graduated with awards in five subjects. Lydia continued her pursuit of dance to become an apprentice with the New York City Ballet in June 2008, and then succeeded in joining the Company as a member of the Corps de Ballet in October of the same year. Lydia has been recognized as a dancer with enormous potential, and was awarded the Mae L. Wien Award for Outstanding Promise in 2008 by the School of American Ballet.

Lydia is at once living in a world of sugar plumb fairies and Vivaldi that seems so distant from the lives of most New Yorkers, yet she is fiercely down to earth with a secure sense of her environment.

One sentence to describe the ballet world:
We are a really big family full of problems (and happiness).

How many hours a week do you rehearse?
From 10-25 hours, and that's on top of class every day and shows at night.

Your thoughts on Black Swan?
It actually caught on to a lot of truths about the ballet world, but over-exaggerated these to an extreme.

Most accurate stereotype about ballerinas:
We watch what we eat. I don’t mean this in an eating-disorder way, though, which is the stereotype. But a dancer cannot perform every night and look in peak shape by eating McDonalds every day, no matter how much we want to.

About ballerinos?
I think about half of the male dancers in any company are gay.

The most challenging part of dancing?
For me, it’s the swollen feet. Sometimes they’re so puffy that it’s hard to fit your feet in your pointe shoes, let alone walk in them. It puts you in the worst mood, and then everything about dancing is challenging.

The most rewarding:
When you come home from a day of rehearsals and your body and mind are so tired that the only thing you can do is pick up the phone to order in food, take a warm bath, and crash on the couch. That feeling makes me satisfied that I’ve put everything into my day at work.

Your favorite role:
Second Violin in Concerto Barocco.

When did you first know you wanted to pursue ballet as a career?
There was never a moment when I decided—it was more of a progression.

Accomplishment of which you are most proud:
Getting into New York City Ballet, and then buying my apartment.

What do you hope to be doing in 10 years?
I feel like I’ll be starting to retire in 10 years. It’s a short career, especially with the amount of dancing we do at NYCB. Maybe I’ll be transitioning to a smaller company in Europe to wind down, or maybe I’ll be married and starting a family. But it’s too early to think about that now.

Your greatest fear:
Finding out that I have really bad financial credit.

How do you deal with performance nerves?
I shake my arms out and try to take big deep breaths, or just groan. But usually there’s nothing you can do—just let those nerves make your performance more exciting.

How do you unwind?
Sit on my couch with snacks and watch The Office. Or swimming for 15 minutes and then going in the sauna.

Your guilty pleasure:
I’m really stingy when I go shopping, so buying something that costs more than $20.

Most overrated virtue:
Being honest. I am known for this, and I’ve actually made a friend cry before by being honest. But then again, this is what my friends like me for...in moderation.

Quality you most value in a friend:
Someone who can get me out of a grumpy mood and put a smile on my face.

Dancer that you most admire:
Wendy Whelan. She has the most unique qualities to her dancing, and she’s also an incredibly humble and approachable person.

Music/composer that most inspires you:
Vivaldi always makes me want to dance.

Your motto:
Be true to yourself and do what will make you happy.

Your favorite place to dance in NYC:
A friend’s living room late at night.

What2WearWhere: KAREN KLOPP

2011-01-30T20:03:00.003-05:00

Karen Klopp founded go-to digital retail boutique and blog What2WearWhere in order to help women answer the eternally pressing question, “What should I wear?” After experiencing various industries and roles such as a producer for documentary films, a writer, and an event-planner, Karen has truly found fun and joy in her current position. A conservationist, traveler, board member for various organizations, chair of countless events and wife and mother of three, Karen has a well-rounded understanding of how to dress for various occasions in a woman’s life. Karen and her staff of ten formidable women seek to make getting out of the door and feeling good easier for the busiest of people, or those just searching for a bit of objective fashion advice. And what’s more--the website not only promotes fashion events that contribute to charitable organizations, but also donates 25% of its retail commissions to charities that help women and the environment.

The days of relying on your friends for fashion advice are over--W2WW has got your back with their researched opinions on what looks best.

What inspired your blog?

Trying to figure out what to wear! Women, including me, spend too much time at it – I wanted to simplify the process. Today’s busy women who work, volunteer, parent and care-take simply do not have time to shop.

Describe your daily responsibilities:

Keeping the site fresh and the content relevant is what we do all day, everyday. We constantly shop on-line retail sites, finding fashion for our collection. Every item we pick has to be special in some way and provide good value. We have just started a weekly video post, Shop the Street Style, which is a blast because we are out on the street shooting New York’s stylish women – rain or shine, boiling hot or frigidly cold.

How much traffic does the site get?

All I can say is that we are up 500% from last year and are on the rise from here.

Its key competitors?

Department Stores that have really updated their on-line shopping experience...but even those sites take an enormous amount of time to get through.

Your style icon:

New York women--they can accomplish so much in a day while still looking fabulous. Not to mention that every New York woman I know is deeply involved with charity work on top of their already hectic schedules.

Most essential piece in your wardrobe:

It changes all the time. Right now, it’s skinny pants. They’re so flattering and look great with flats, heels, or tucked into boots.

The secret to classic style?

Find a style that suits you and stick with it. I think that “classic style” is being comfortable in what you are wearing.

Your most prized possession:

Whatever I have bought last. In this case, it is a pair of Tory Burch wedged boots.

Most overrated virtue:

Patience. I cannot stand waiting for anything.

Pivotal moment in your career:

Well, I have had a few careers! But with What2WearWhere, women whom I don’t even know have been coming up to me and telling me they love our site and I think, “Okay--this is working.”

The worst fashion faux-pas?

Stockings with open toed shoes or sandals--it is a terrible look.

Your most embarrassing fashion experience:

Wearing something that is too tight and spending the day pulling on it and being distracted by it. When you are between sizes, it is better to take the larger size and have it altered.

Your real life role model:

My friends. I am so fortunate to be surrounded by women who reach out and help each other.

Your favorite color to wear:

I love all the neutrals from cream to caramel. I think eventually you are drawn to the colors that look good on you.

Your prediction for the next major fashion trend?

I think Ka te Middleton will have a huge influence on fashion. Women will want to replicate her chic and appropriate way of dressing.

Your motto:

To misquote the most inspiring of statesmen, Sir W inston Churchil: "Never, never, never, never give up.”

Favorite place to shop in New York:

Actually, my computer. I can get more done in an hour of on-line shopping than a day spent in a store.

Actor: CHEO BOURNE

2011-01-26T22:41:00.008-05:00

Cheo Bourne has certainly come a long way since his acting debut as the Happy dwarf in first grade. The Boston native began his career at Connecticut College, where he took the stage in nearly a dozen university productions over the course of his tenure. He returned to his hometown after graduation, kicking off his career by working in reputable regional theaters for two years. He recently decided to move and showcase his talent in the theater capital of the world--New York City, obviously!--where he soon after landed a role in an off-Broadway production of Shine! The Horatio Alger Musical, as part of the New York Musical Theater festival this past October. Cheo’s resume impressively boasts 4 years of dance and a capella, and his past experience on stage (not to mention his mastery of 4 speech dialects) ensures his capability to successfully portray a wide variety of characters.

This guy’s got talent, and we can’t wait to see him make it big on Broadway--keep your eyes peeled for his name on your Playbill.

When did you first know you wanted to act?
I became interested in becoming an actor when I realized how attracted I was to the challenge of storytelling.

Your first role:
My first grade play: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in which I played Happy.

The most difficult aspect of acting:
Knowing that there is no right answer—that's also one of the most exciting parts as well.

Most important trait in an actor:
Vulnerability.

How do you muster tears on stage?
I usually chop onions backstage immediately before I walk out for a crying scene.

The part of which you are most proud:
A role that has really stayed with me is Coalhouse Walker Jr. in Ragtime.

Your greatest fear:
Losing family and friends.

Actor that most inspires you:
It's too difficult to honor the word "most," but an actor that has inspired me recently is Colman Domingo.

Pre-performance rituals?
Depending on my nerves, my rituals could include one or all of the following: Ricola throat lozenges, speaking all of my lines and/or lyrics, personal steamers, pep talks, and prayer.

Any superstitions?
I always sing the song "Opening Night" from The Producers on opening night.

Your favorite playwright:
August Wilson.

Favorite Broadway show:
Recently, The Scottsboro Boys.

Do you live theatrically?
Yes.

Most embarrassing moment on stage:
Doing a split leap in tech rehearsal and splitting my pants. They fell down, too!

Your motto:
Just keep swimming.

Most accurate stereotype about actors:
We love to laugh.

Best off-Broadway venue in NYC:
Second Stage.

Children's Author-Illustrator: MONICA WELLINGTON

2011-01-10T12:23:00.003-05:00

Monica Wellington has been writing and illustrating children's book for over 20 years. Her first book, Who Is Tapping at My Window? was published in 1988, and she has since published about 35 books here and abroad. From Crepes By Suzette to Apple Farmer Annie and Mr. Cookiebaker, Monica’s books are filled with brightly colored illustrations and fun, relatable characters for young audiences. Monica has been teaching at the School of Visual Arts in New York City for over 10 years, and classes she took there in 1986-7 helped launch her illustration career. As a child, Monica’s family lived in Europe before settling in the United States, and after studying pottery, painting and printmaking at the University of Michigan School of Art, Monica traveled widely and has now lived in NYC for about 30 years.

Monica’s diverse life experiences have inspired an array of characters and subjects for her books. She passes on insight and skills to her students at SVA and she continues to develop her creativity as she works on each new book.

How did you get your start as a children’s book writer and illustrator?
A lot of luck. I was working hard on my portfolio and some book ideas, and then I had the good fortune to meet some people in publishing when I was taking classes in Japanese and chemistry. This was at a time in my life when I was trying a lot of things in New York—the city where anything is possible!

How is this genre different from others?
A lot of people think children’s books must be easy to write because they’re short, when picture books are actually more like poetry—every word counts. A manuscript typically has 200-500 words. I agonize over every single word right up until the end, when I finally finish painting the pictures.

What do kids like best?
My guess is that children like humor, although that is not one of my strengths. So I compensate with bright colors.

How do you form insights into children’s minds?
I really don’t. I think about what I want to paint a picture of. I might want to paint a purple monster because I love purple and it’s a fun character. When my daughter was little I used to ask her questions, but now that she’s 21 I don’t have anybody to ask. So I just go with that purple monster.

Your favorite fairy tale:
Hansel and Gretel. When I was little we lived in the Black Forest in Germany. The dangers of the forest were fascinating to me. One day a black panther came out of the forest and fought with our beautiful Siamese cat. He had a slit in his ear for the rest of his life to show for his battle. And of course I loved the idea of a house of candy.

Favorite fictional character?
For children’s books it’s Babar. I’ve loved Babar the Elephant since I was a child.

Favorite character that you’ve created:
Suzette from Crepes by Suzette. This book has a lot of meaning to me because it is set in Paris, and I took many trips there with my daughter when she was little.

How do you start writing a book?
With difficulty.

Color that describes your personality:
Blue. It ranges from green-blue to purple-blue, so it’s not just a peaceful color.

What authors inspire you?
One of my favorite author-illustrators is John Burningham from Great Britain. I love how he explores the imaginative world of children versus the concrete, logical world of adults. His artwork is very loose and spontaneous—kind of the opposite of mine. Sometimes you admire opposites.

The best part of teaching your craft?
When I feel that I’m helping my students do their best work.

Indulgence that helps your creative process:
Chocolate.

Your greatest achievement?
Raising my daughter to be a strong, healthy, and creative young woman who is pursuing her dreams and passions.

The best perk of your career?
As a freelancer, you don’t really get any perks. You don’t get that free car or an upgrade into first class. But you do get to wear the same clothes two days in a row without anyone noticing.

Your idea of happiness:
Reading a good book with my two cats laying on me at the same time and both purring.

Where do you go to think?
I seem to do good thinking when I’m swimming, when I’m bicycling, and when I’m taking walks in nature (i.e., Central Park).

Favorite bookstore in New York City:
For children’s books, Bank Street Bookstore at 112th Street and Broadway.

Rarities Fine Jewelry: CAROL BRODIE

2011-01-03T16:11:00.001-05:00

Carol Brodie built her reputation as the Global Director of Communications at Harry Winston, developing her skills as a celebrity jewelry stylist with a trove of jewelry maintenance and style tips. In 2009, she launched her very own Rarities Fine Jewelry line on the Home Shopping Network (HSN), showcasing both the attractive package of her jewelry line as well as her ease in front of the camera. Rarities Fine Jewelry offers elegant pieces with the high-end look of Tiffany or Cartier at a price that won’t cost you your first born. With notable media attention and a handful of celebrity followers like Michelle Trachtenberg, Emmy Rossum, and Terri Hatcher, Rarities has grown significantly since its start and continues to draw fans--after all, its wide selection of pieces appeals to all ages.

Carol is truly a gem connoisseur and her background in style ensures that her jewelry will elevate any ensemble. Keep your eyes peeled for her on HSN on January 5th from 9-11pm.

What are your day-to-day responsibilities?
Well, it depends. As a mother, I am responsible for the well being of my rarest gems, Noah (13) and Grant (10). As for my business, I am responsible for marketing, sales, product development, PR, customer relations, social media outreach, design, merchandising and quality assurance.

Explain your design process:
I am a curator and a passionate collector of fine jewelry. I am obsessed with antique jewelry, which serves as my inspiration for the majority of my collection.

Describe Rarities’ style in three words:
Empowering, eclectic, accessible.

Your goals for Rarities in the next year?
Under-promise and over-deliver.

What makes a good salesperson?
Passion and expertise!

What is the most challenging aspect of selling on TV?
I don’t sell, I tell: I share stories and my tips and expertise. The product and the host are key to sales.

Do you remember your first piece of jewelry?
A Tiger’s Eye bracelet that my dad ordered for me from the back of a cereal box. I treasured it until the paint wore off and I lost all of the tiger’s eye pieces.

Stone that represents your personality and why:
Diamond! After all, I am an Aries, and the diamond is my birthstone. It is pure, rare and authentic. I hope I represent the same qualities.

Your most prized possession:
Unconditional love, inner peace, and my children (although I guess they’re not really possessions--even though they do cost a fortune!).

Best tip for shrewd jewelry shopping:
Shop from a reputable source. Make sure the jeweler has been in business long enough to have created a strong following with excellent referrals. Make sure you understand the return policy!

Best tip for keeping pieces looking new:
Always pack jewelry individually in soft cloth bags so pieces do not scratch each other. Store in an anti-tarnish jewel box. Don’t abuse your jewelry--it’s precious and should be treated with respect.

Your real life hero?
Within each of us lives a hero. I have still yet to find mine.

Your current state of mind:
Wide open.

Most important quality in a friend:
Loyalty!

Favorite jewelry store/area to window shop in NYC:
Barney’s and Bergdorf Goodman are two of my faves, but the close-out estate jewelry dealers are number one on my list.

Sir Kensington’s Ketchup: MARK RAMADAN

2010-12-08T14:31:00.003-05:00

Heinz ketchup, meet your match—the days of only one ketchup option are over thanks to Mark Ramadan and Scott Norton, founders of Sir Kensington’s Gourmet Scooping Ketchup, a high-quality, abundantly flavorful alternative to the pedestrian ketchup we’ve squeezed from the bottle our whole lives. Mark, a long-time lover of all things culinary, met Scott at Brown University, where he did “a lot of business-related stuff” while balancing not only a double major in Economics and International Relations, but also his personal food blog, Black Napkin. After graduating in 2008, Mark went on to work for the reputable consulting firm McKinsey & Company in New York until this past June, when he left to pursue Sir Kensington’s full-time. Sir Kensington’s ketchup comes in two flavors, Classic and Spiced, and for $9/jar you can enjoy this high-end condiment with any dish (Mark recommends trying it with omelettes).

And if you were wondering, “Who is Sir Kensington, and what hath he wrought?” refer to the website for his full biography and priceless “Kensingtonisms.” Monocled, mustached legends do exist!

Why ketchup?
Ketchup is everywhere—stores, schools, restaurants, hotels, airplanes, you name it. Unlike almost every other food and beverage category, though, there's really only one brand available: Heinz. We think that there's room for a more sophisticated, healthy, and gourmet option.

How is “scooping” ketchup different?
We believe high-quality ketchup should be scooped, much like a fine mustard or jam, rather than squirted and squeezed from a plastic bottle.

Who is Sir Kensington (and does he actually look like that)?
An international man of mystery—and I'll leave it at that.

What makes Sir Kensington’s ketchup “gourmet”?
Our ingredients speak for themselves: we start with a base of whole pear tomatoes, add in tang with apple cider vinegar, and sweeten naturally with honey, agave nectar, and brown sugar.

Is it your own recipe?
Of course! We first developed eight recipes at the outset and threw ketchup tasting parties with friends to isolate the best two.

Ketchup goes best with...
Burgers and fries would be my go-to, but omelettes have become my new favorite.

Ketchup’s main competition:
I suppose salsa, but ketchup holds such a unique place in people's minds and stomachs that it's not going anywhere anytime soon.

How often do you use ketchup?
Daily, perhaps hourly.

When or where are you happiest?
When I'm creating something new, particularly when it's something other people enjoy.

“A spoonful of ketchup makes...”
...the day delicious.

Best burger & fries in New York City:
Ah, this is constantly changing, and no one location wins my heart for both. I think Minetta Tavern's Black Label Burger is still my winning choice for burgers, but for fries...Shake Shack is great, as is Pomme Frites in the East Village.

Tracy Anderson Mind & Body: STEPHANIE STAHL

2010-12-05T12:57:00.002-05:00

Stephanie Stahl’s latest endeavor in a series of impressive positions over the course of her career is CEO of Tracy Anderson Mind & Body, LLC. For years, Tracy Anderson has been refining her fitness method through training celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Courtney Cox, and Shakira. Tracy has put these women, who are known for their amazing physiques, into tip-top shape by strengthening smaller muscle groups to pull in the larger muscles, resulting in a lean figure that is strong but not bulky. In addition to her committed circle of A-list privately trained clientele, Tracy has two Method studios located in downtown Manhattan and Los Angeles, which unfortunately currently have waiting lists. However, the rest of us can benefit from the Method through her DVD’s—including Dance Cardio and the Perfect Design Series—and her 30-Day Method book with both fitness and nutritional advice. It is fitting that such a dynamite trainer and her business partner Gwyneth Paltrow have hired Stephanie to take the company to the next level. Stephanie graduated from Stanford in the Class of ‘87 and Harvard Business School in ‘92. She moved on to work in Boston Consulting Group’s New York office until 2003, where she was a Partner, and then as Chief Marketing Officer of Revlon until 2006. Although Stephanie’s credentials speak for themselves, we find her most inspiring because she has maintained remarkable balance in her life—married with three children, and continuing to achieve professionally.

Keep an eye out for more from Tracy Anderson Mind & Body!

Describe your career path:
Amazing jobs that, in hindsight, have formed a career.

How did you get involved with Tracy Anderson?
Incredible good fortune.

What is the Tracy Anderson Method?
Brilliant, defining, empowering fitness.

What are your current goals for the company?
Make training the Method possible for everyone who wants these incredible results.

Your day-to-day activities?
Manager, Mom, wife, friend. In no particular order.

Your current state of mind:
Focused.

How many hours a day do you exercise?
More than I used to but less than I should.

Most challenging part of your job:
Pace.

How do you unwind?
A glass of wine and The Post. Not at the same time.

Best perk of your job:
Training the Method.

Your greatest achievement:
My family.

Your idea of happiness:
Being with all my boys.

Most influential moment in your career:
Understanding that it wasn't about me.

Your real life role model:
My Mom.

Talent you would most like to have:
Deflection.

Your motto:
“Anything worth doing is worth doing well.”

New York City’s attitude about fitness:
Intense.

Stirrings Naked Bartender: CARLO ROMERO

2010-11-30T21:32:00.005-05:00

Carlo Romero has brought the Naked Bartender fantasy to life. After leaving the trading floor at a Wall Street bulge bracket firm, Carlo moved to a career in modeling, when he nabbed the role of spokesperson for Diageo’s highly-enjoyed “Stirrings” brand. Diageo is a premium drinks business with a collection of international brands across spirits, wine, and beer (including Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Baileys, Guinness, and Jose Cuervo), and Stirrings is their line of all-natural drink mixes that make quality cocktails easy to come by. Its motto, “The Naked Bartender believes that nothing should come between you and simply better tasting cocktails,” (implied: not even clothes) is brought to life by the fun-loving and bold Carlo, who at age 26 epitomizes going “au naturel.” Carlo’s expressed mission is to hit the road and shake drinks à la nude, “spreading joy, fun, and good times wherever he goes.” Jealous yet?

Luckily for us, Carlo calls New York his home, and upon hearing that Carlo makes event appearances, Stirrings has suddenly become our favorite brand for the holiday season.

Explain your career path:
It's nonlinear.

Traits that traders and models share:
Eyes. Ears. Opposable thumbs.

What is Stirrings?
Stirrings is an all-natural cocktail mixer that was created by a couple of guys in Nantucket in 1997. It's a simple solution for entertaining with cocktails at home. Instead of going to the store and buying a long list of ingredients and then going through a series of procedures in order to make a mixed drink, a host can simply buy Stirrings and just add spirits.

What inspired you to enter the contest to be the Stirrings Naked Bartender?
I was browbeaten with phone calls from a third party agent until I agreed to do it.

What does the Stirrings spokesperson position entail?
I run around in an apron and shorts and tell people how great Stirrings is. Often I do it on camera.

How does it feel to be the naked bartender?
Cold.

Do you prefer it to doing the job while clothed?
What job?

How does it compare to being a trader?
Obviously the pace of the work is a lot different. Shooting segments as the Naked Bartender is a lot more relaxed than trying to make money in the financial markets. There's a lot less pressure of course; if I make a mistake as the Naked Bartender we can just shoot another take, whereas mistakes in high finance are often very costly. In many ways though, I'm still selling.

Best tip for “going au naturel”:
It helps to take your clothes off.

Best place to be au naturel:
In the shower.

Your current state of mind:
Content.

Your greatest indulgence:
Travel.

Cocktail that describes your personality:
Sex on the Beach.

Most embarrassing moment on the job:
As you might guess I'm not easily embarrassed.

Best perk of your job?
Hotel slippers.

Your greatest accomplishment:
Lies ahead.

Your idea of happiness:
It's a choice.

Your motto:
I don't have a motto. I just try to live a balanced life.

Where to get the best cocktail in NYC:
Downtown.

Money Makers: DAVID SNIDER

2010-11-22T12:26:00.002-05:00

David Snider, 25, has successfully co-authored the book he wished was written when he was entering the workforce after graduating from Duke University in 2007: a guide to the most selective fields in business and finance from the experience of seasoned industry leaders themselves. David started his career after college in management consulting at Bain & Company, and is now working at Bain Capital, one of the largest private equity and alternative asset managers in the world. Money Makers has been enormously successful since its release this year, so much so that it was sold out of Barnes & Nobles in the entire Manhattan area when we first went to purchase it in the fall (the Columbia book store clerk even asked us if it was on some reading list because it was “flying off the shelves!”). Robert McDonald, the CEO of Procter & Gamble, agrees: "Money Makers does a super job of explaining how the elements of finance integrate to fuel our economy," especially given the altered economic landscape following the global financial crisis. David and co-author, Dr. Chris Howard, have succinctly laid out the differences in career paths, lifestyles, and work environments of jobs in an investment bank, venture capital and entrepreneurship, private equity, hedge funds, management consulting, and in Fortune 500 companies through interviews with success stories like Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase, David Rubenstein, founder of the Carlyle Group, and Shona Brown, Vice President of Business Operations at Google.

David exemplifies many of the qualities which he himself has identified in business legends, so will we not be surprised if he ends up on the other side of a similar project in years to come.

Greatest challenge in writing the book:
Balancing writing the book with a full-time consulting gig at Bain & Company.

How did you find your writing partner?
I met my co-author, Chris Howard, at a conference when I was in high school and he was working at GE. Chris became a mentor to me and I helped him with a not-for-profit he founded. When I had the idea for the book he was one of the first people I called to see if the project had any merit. He was excited about it and offered to collaborate, so we teamed up.

Your career path:
I got a taste for a few different careers through internships—politics, film-making, and working in a small business—but my full-time career path has been two years of management consulting at Bain & Company in Boston and roughly a year and a half in private equity at Bain Capital in New York.

Where do you hope to be in 5 years?
In a job where I continue to be excited coming to work and am constantly learning.

Most influential interviewee (to you):

Seth Klarman, who runs a hedge fund called Baupost. He was incredibly articulate in describing the difference between value investing and speculation. In value investing the underlying ‘value’ of an asset or company is based upon its ability to generate cash while with a speculative investment, your entire investment upside comes from the likelihood that someone else will come along and pay you more for it (e.g. owning a building with tenants vs. a rare bottle of wine). Both types of investing can be very lucrative, but understanding the difference is important.

The secret behind Money-Making:
The ability and appetite to take risk. The people I interviewed who had achieved the most monetary success had taken the risk of starting a new business or investment firm.

Three most common traits of Money-Makers:
Skill within ones field, excitement about the work, and luck.

Your current state of mind:
Active.

Achievement of which you are most proud:
Being invited back to my alma mater to discuss Money Makers.

Talent you’d most like to have:
Ability to speak more foreign languages.

Your guilty pleasure?

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Your motto:
“The world belongs to the energetic.” --Ralph Waldo Emerson or, as, Jack Donaghy on 30 Rock puts it: “Life is about minimizing regrets. You're young and you still haven't blown it completely, so don't start now.”

Favorite restaurant to splurge in New York:
Recette.

Rick's Picks: RICK FIELD

2010-11-17T13:55:00.006-05:00

Rick Field’s passion for pickles developed at a young age, when he would make them with his family as a fun activity. In his 20’s he "rekindled that interest in pickle-making and picked it up again, at first as just a casual enterprise, but over time [he] became more invested and obsessed with it, and eventually started doing it every weekend." In 2004 he decided to further explore the world of pickles and capitalized on his obsession, opening popular pickle-joint Rick’s Picks on the Lower East Side. Rick’s Picks offers a unique selection of pickled vegetables, famous for their unusual and tasty flavor combinations, and they also carry a collection of fun pickle-y apparel as well as Rick’s own cookbook, Williams-Sonoma The Art of Preserving (co-written with Rebecca Courchesne). Rick’s pickles are distributed in over 400 locations across the United States, including major grocery retailers Whole Foods, Dean & Deluca, and Fairway, and Murray’s Cheese, as well as in many specialty stores and local farmers markets.

Rick’s “picks” are truly one-of-a-kind, and as self-proclaimed pickle-fanatics we suggest that you taste one of the many varieties immediately--we recommend the Pepi Pep Peps.

When did you make your first pickle?
When I was 12.

Who makes the pickles?
They’re made in Amish Country, Pennsylvania, and in Kingston, New York, in the Hudson Valley. All the recipes are my own.

How many types of pickles do you offer?
14.

Most popular pickle:
Phat Beets.

Strangest thing you’ve ever pickled:
Phone bill.

Most pickles you’ve eaten consecutively:
I’ve been known to put away an entire jar of mean beans in one sitting. But I do like to savor them--they’re delicious.

Best pickle-inspired dish:
Smokra Turducken: slip a sliver of mild cheese inside and wrap it in prosciutto.
I also like Friday’s Friend (particularly appropriate for Thanksgiving): Green Tomato pickles on a panini with leftover turkey, caramelized onion, and cheddar cheese.

When do you most crave pickles?
When I’m pregnant--oh, wait...you know what? There’s never a bad time for a pickle. I crave ‘em morning, noon, and night.

Why do pregnant people like pickles?
There’s a certain time of mouthwatering savoriness that people who are hungry and are feeling in a craving mentality...the pickle gets right in there. Eating pickles can be addictive! When people get pregnant their brains are rewired and they really start to want things very decisively.

Estimate how many pickles are consumed in New York City per day.
77,583.

What’s your current state of mind:
Optimistic and looking forward to a nap.

Your idea of happiness:
Rolling around on the floor with my children (two eleven-month old daughters).

Your motto:
Sleep is a God, God is asleep.

Best part about your Lower East Side location:
It’s a thriving community. The Lower East Side has a lot of creative energy right now, not just in the food business but in a lot of arenas--so it’s a fun time to be situated there and feed off of the excitement that happens on a daily basis.