Happy 55th Birthday to the genius, Prince!
I Would Die for You!
Prince, Michael Jackson & James Brown — this one has always made me laugh. LOVE IT!
Kevin Powell’s BK Nation & The Freedom Dance Party are hosting the first annual tribute party to this Master TONIGHT!
We Love You Prince!
If you don’t know about Govinda’s Vegetarian Lunch…well, now you do! Their menu changes everyday and a typical fb menu post looks like this:
“It is Thursday!!!!!! We have eggplant parm, quinoa salad, fresh sauteed kale, asparagus/ with mixed vegs, minestrone soup, rosemary bread, samosas, and black beans with sweet potato. And there are yummy chocolate cupcakes!!!! Cookies and cheesecake!”
It’s food prepared with love in the basement of the Hare Krishna Temple, Sri Sri Radha Govinda Mandir. Vegetarians and non vegetarians are likely to become hooked on this amazing food. I love their split pea soup, lentils, beet salad, and I always take an extra samosa home! The homemade bread is an added bonus.
Turn your cell phone off and plan to spend between $6-$12, depending on how hungry you are. Just leave room for the homemade desserts 🙂
Visit their Facebook Page and stop by for lunch Mon-Fri from 12:00-3:30. It’s located at 305 Schermerhorn St (between Bond & Nevins).
Thank us later!
If you live in or near Ft Greene, Brooklyn, chances are you’ve had brunch or dinner at Abistro on Dekalb Ave. 
Spicy pancakes, senegalese fried chicken, their signature senegalese breakfast, coconut oil seared plantains, sorrel mimosas…I will stop. Truth is, this place is one of the BEST spots in Brooklyn for brunch. Their menu is one of a kind! Labeled as “African Infused Cuisine” and prepared by Chef Abdul Gueye (owned by he & his wife), this place is a favorite for Brooklynites.
So when I went by there tonight for dinner, I was disappointed and saddened when Chef Abdul told me they’d be closing in just a couple of weeks. Abistro is not just a place that my circle & I choose for casual brunch, but it’s where I chose to spend my last birthday and where my good friends Marcus & Dawn chose to host their engagement party. It’s where my sister will be having her birthday brunch, this coming weekend! There’s something about the place and the chef that makes it feel like ‘home’.
Tonight, I had the citrus salmon. No drinks this go ’round. I also think I was the last to leave the restaurant. Just, very sad for more reasons than I care to mention.
If you have not had their food, I HIGHLY recommend you try it out within the next two weeks. If you are a regular..make sure you have your last few cups of coffee with a hint of cinnamon.
fun birthday brunch
So long, Abistro.
Visit their website
250 Dekalb Brooklyn, NY 11205 (347) 384-2972
After hearing about this monthly brunch, I finally went down to the LES to check it out last weekend. Hosted by Chef Roble & Saada, it’s basically a free daytime party if you’re just going for the hang, and if you want to eat, it’s about $38.00 for a buffet style brunch and unlimited mimosas.
The food? Amazing! I am a foodie. They gave the option of eggs or egg whites. There was no pork on the menu, which didn’t surprise me. The shrimp & grits were incredible and so were the chicken, biscuits & gravy. Clearly, I had a fight with my conscious and I won. What a sinful delight.
The scene? Definitely the trendy Afro-hippie Brooklyn type. The place was full of flashy dressers, models and socialites. It was like a club…but on a Sunday afternoon! 🙂 Here are some pics I found.
Above photos by Lee Moulton
@jayfingers & @blairaaa
taken with someone’s iphone
Before it got really thick.
Would I go again? Yes…but I’ll make sure I go early.
Check out more pics on FB.
Check out their Tumblr
Learning from Will Allen, about the fish systems at Growing Power
It’s no secret that my cousin is the amazing Will Allen of Growing Power. If you don’t know who he is…visit Growingpower.org and buy the book The Good Food Revolution. Life changing…world changing are all understatements. Recently, I’ve been checking out designer Ron Finley’s approach. Now if we could only multiply these men by thousands.
There’s a whole bunch of tilapia in there, and I’m holding the net like I know what I’m doing! I did nothing BUT hold the net.
This fall I had the opportunity to visit Growing Power in Milwaukee, WI. The greenhouses, the fish systems, the bees, the goats, the chickens — it was all unreal (being that in the tri state area…I don’t see this often). Having attended my cousins lectures in the past, it’s still like it’s brand new each time. Learning about composting for soil, for heat, for power…and about the importance of worms, eeeew!
picking peppers, in one of Growing Power’s hoop houses in an abandoned schoolyard!
GP builds these hoop houses which enables them to grow farms just about ANYWHERE! I’m talking abandoned schoolyards, abandoned fire houses, you name it!
Another one of the many great things Growing Power does, is hire ex-offenders. They train (paid) for 12 months and after completing training, are guaranteed a job with the organization. What an incredible way to start anew! Building gardens on street corners where drugs & violence are prevalent has discouraged violence! Oh what a difference some flowers can make 🙂
picking veggies in another abandoned schoolyard parking lot
As a musician, I run into people of all walks of life and the one constant among them all is sustainability. Self sustainability. How can we be in control of what we are putting into our bodies? What we are disposing and putting into our environment? Living in NY where space is a challenge, there are community gardens, rooftop gardens and plenty of efforts to help each and every one of us take control of our future.
Ever seen a harp on Hay? After playing at the 2013 Urban & Small Farm Conference.
Learn how you can help Growing Power, and also learn how you can contribute to the building of the world’s first 5 story vertical farm!
Visit their Facebook page.
Purchase an eco friendly journal!
Don’t you? You go to work every day hopefully, in order to be fulfilled spiritually and satisfied financially. This way, you can have a place to live, eat the food you like and enjoy your time off, right?
I’ve been an artist just about my entire adult life and still can’t understand why there are so many people around that believe we are doing what we love, just because we love it and because it is fun. If a full time artist every tells you that, they’re lying.
Just like a teacher goes to work everyday to teach our youth, or the way a cop spends the day fighting crime, I bet you these jobs are fulfilling for many of them, but I’m not sure that many cops & teachers go to work and agree to not be paid for a couple of their work days. Do you?
So why are people constantly asking musicians to play for free or as the people say, ‘for exposure’? Why are so many writers asked to contribute to publications for resume building? Photographers, dancers, stylists, publicists…the list goes on. Maybe that’s cool at 18, 19, 20…as a student or just starting out, but where & when is the line drawn? When will ARTISTS VALUE THEMSELVES so that the PEOPLE VALUE THE ARTISTS?
After college, artists have bills just like the next 9-5er. They want to have a place to live, support a family, have good food to eat and enjoy their time off, too. General public: don’t gawk when you’re quoted a price for a service. Consider all the time, sweat & money that went into being able to provide it.
More to come.
Now, I’m no vegan but I am conscious about how much poultry I eat (haven’t had red meat since 1992!). I found this while browsing Erin Schrode’s site and it really got me to thinking!
the thriving (not starving) artist 