🍬 Sugary Scoop: For Love of Craft

Welcome to the Sugary Scoop, my free biweekly newsletter where we help you see and experience the magic of NYC that I love so much through curated events, experiences, artists, and community stories.

Let’s get to this week’s Scoop!

🍬The Scoop 🍬

• WHAT'S NEW

• THE SUGARY EFFECT

• PAST EVENTS

• AND DON’T SAY I DIDN’T TELL YOU ABOUT…

• ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

July 12th (Union Square Park): Unsent Letter Project Mailbox Park Prose Pop-Up - Our mailbox is going out! Drop by for some light refreshments and contribute YOUR story to this amazing project. Follow the project in IG for details on the project as it unfolds. RSVP HERE _{Social Battery Level: Medium Ambivert - Crowd Size variable)}

July 21st (Upper East Side): Zombie Tag IV - Ittttttttttt’ssss baaaaaaaack! Children’s Games in Serious Places presents another installment of our wildly popular game of irreverent plague-ridden pandemonium. Traverse the halls of the MET and try to survive. We wish you luck… _{(Social Battery Level: High Extrovert - Crowd Size 100)}

July 24th (Lower East Side) - Yes Babe x Sugary Familia Dinner - Two incredible communities are coming together as we enjoy a night of incredible food, refreshments and good company.

_{(Space is very limited for each of these events so if you’d like to attend to any of these events, please hit the RSVP button below sooner than later!)}

Event Horizon

June was a banner month of firsts for the Sugary community.

All together we successfully pulled off seven (7) events this month!!!! Holy Jeeeeeezus! A new record!!!

In June we hosted:

• Two (2) Pickleball Gatherings

• Movie Screening + Fireside Chat of Dumb Money

• Summer Rooftop BBQ Celebrating our First 100 Members

• Unapologetic Leadership: Cocktails x Collaboration

• Unsent Letter Mailbox Tompkins Square Park Activation

• Unsent Letter Mailbox Inaugural “Write to Read” Salon

If that wasn’t enough, another epic achievement is that for the first time ever we pulled off two events happening at the same time on the complete opposite sides of town.

Outside of our events, members got to enjoy amazing events from NYC music month, open house exclusive invites to Othership spa, exclusive discount to Maker’s Hub and much much more!

I hope you’re taking full advantage of our offerings and we’re certainly working hard to build a robust lineup of events to come so stay tuned!

Consider joining our community membership to be invited to more events TODAY!

Chika, For Love of Craft

It was a late Friday night in the East village and I was walking toward the subway after having had dinner with a friend.

The streets were teeming with Gen-Z already making great progress in their chain of bad decisions for the evening in hopes it would lead to an opportune tryst or two.

I sauntered westbound admiring the “wildlife” and lost track of where I was exactly for a bit. As I surveyed my immediate proximity, I saw a tiny little restaurant of not more than 20 seats with a pristine interior and a tiny Japanese woman minding the closure of the space for the evening.

Deliberately and methodically, she finished packing up what looked like macaroons in a geometric container and with one precision swipe, had wrapped a fruit base in plastic wrap that was destined for cooler storage.

It was just her in that serene environment juxtaposed against the din of the life’s chaos just outside the quarter inch thick glass pane.

There was something familiar about this scene. I felt like I knew this scene and the tiny taskmaster somehow. Much of it seemed familiar yet there were obviously differences.

For one, there were more silver linings in her hair and her precise methods were carried out with a slower pace than I had remembered. For another, in a post pandemic world, something about this scene just felt a touch lonelier with a tinge of bitter sweetness.

As I had mentioned, I had surveyed around…but failed to glance upward and when I did, it became clear.

I was standing in front of none other than Chikalicious.

I remember more than two decades ago when I had attended the opening week when I took my then girlfriend to astound her with the dessert-centric delights that took the form of a rotating tasting menu lovingly prepared by this curator of confection.

I remember the command chef Chika had over the space. While her husband Don seamlessly minded the front of house, anything that touched your lips aside from alcohol came from the hands of this skilled artisan and her team.

As I gazed at her anonymously in her element I stood in silent observance of a master at work. You got a sense that if no one was watching, things would still happen exactly as prescribed. There was a certain assurance to this kind of observed resolve.

I could feel a warm regard welling within me, the result of that perfect recipe of nostalgia and veneration.

21 years, through ups and downs, through thin margins, through covid…Chikalicious stood. This dessert bar is the stuff of culinary and Gotham legend.

I couldn’t help but draw aspirational parallels to my own work. Could I build something in singular commitment for 21 years and beyond?

Long after the throngs of guests leave and the momentary fanfare of an event disappears down the sink like a suds a the end of a dripping sponge 🧽 , will I have the fortitude and commitment to press forward, to get up the next day and plan to do it all again, over and over and over…

I’d like to think so.

But there is a difference between someone walking the walk versus someone that has already walked the walked. Only one truly knows what they are talking about and the other one is at least partially banking on hope and encouragement to carry them through.

It takes a LOT of heart and hard work to believe in what you do and dedicate every fiber of your being in pursuit of that vision day in and day out.

And while the road is long, it’s helpful to take stock of your achievements and recognize the progress…something I’ve always struggled with.

On the spot, I pulled out my phone to make a reservation for one via email.

I looked forward to sampling that tasting menu once more and considered it a tiny pat on the back for the long road ahead.

After all, we all deserve something sweet sometimes 🍨…

June 24th: Dumb Money Screening and Fireside Chat - Nearly 30 of you joined us for a relaxing evening as we conducted a timely screening of Dumb Money followed by an intimate discussion with seasoned investor Kristina Tubera about the implications of meme culture and it’s permeation into the crypto as well as traditional investment space.

June 25th: Unapologetic Leadership: Cocktails x Collaboration - Over 75 women joined us for a wonderful evening of connection celebrating female success and collaboration in the entrepreneurial space…all while enjoying complimentary RevAir hair treatments and luxurious gift bags for all attendees.

June 25th: Unsent Letter Mailbox Inaugural Write to Read Salon. - The inaugural salon was a huge success. Nearly 30 you filled a packed room in the back of Ama raw bar to hear and contribute to anonymous Storytelling at its greatest. It was a cathartic and meaningful moment to share in community and one that won’t be soon forgotten, if anything soon repeated (see below).

Trousdale

There’s truly something magical when it comes to female three part harmony. Something about the resonance of the voices layered over each other is so uniquely special in my opinion.

I first encountered this LA based country pop act when they opened for the Teskey Brothers as part of their North American tour this year.

Trousdale (named for the street running through USC where they first linked up as friends and students of its prestigious music program) are known for their heartfelt testaments to female empowerment and sisterhood with their bright vocal registers pairing perfectly with their Powerpuff girl aesthetic.

The trio’s artistry conjures a blend between Dixie Chicks, Wilson Phillips and some good ‘ol vintage Cali flower child spirit.

The trio has toured across Europe and the US after quickly achieving virality across Tik-Tok and beyond.

What is clear is that the alchemy of this trio is a winning formula and this kind of earnest artistry is greatly healing for the times we are living in.

Definitely check them out!

Wouldn’t Come Back (most popular song)

Any Day Now (lesser known song)

If I’m Honest - Live From LA (newest song)