Beginners try their Hand at Filling a Canvas

Beginners try their Hand at Filling a Canvas

By Claudie Benjamin Wish I could paint…that longing, not so much to be an artist or live an artist’s life, but to have the experience of putting paint to canvas and making an image to take home, is not that unusual according to Marci Freede, owner of The Paint Place...
If Granite Walls Could Speak

If Granite Walls Could Speak

By Claudie Benjamin “If these walls could speak….” Is a phrase that suggests hushed revelations.  In the case of the towered St. Paul the Apostle Church on Columbus Avenue and 60th Street, the stone used for its construction (1875-1885) would tell the story of the...
A Patch of Pavement with Unexpected Details

A Patch of Pavement with Unexpected Details

By Claudie Benjamin Belgian entrepreneur Alain Coumont, Founder of the Le Pain Quotidien bakery chain, was certainly among the influencers who made croissants and hearty sourdough loaves vie for the love of bagels among New Yorkers.  Opening in 1997 in...
Culinary Stars Shine on West 72nd Street

Culinary Stars Shine on West 72nd Street

    By Claudie Benjamin  Sherry Ansky is well known in Israel as a food columnist and writer of many cookbooks. Her daughter Michal Ansky is famous as a TV cooking show judge and a food journalist. The mother and daughter and Michal’s husband...