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W42ST Daily — 10/5/2020
Good morning, New York!
For the last six years W42ST’s Social Media Editor, Sandra Mangan (who is also my sister), has got up every morning in Blackpool, England, to check what’s happening in Hell’s Kitchen five hours before any of us are up and about. This newsletter and our Facebook and Twitter feeds have been anchored by her work seven days a week. Today is her birthday. Happy birthday, sis.
Sadly, last week her husband David was admitted to the hospital and was found to have an aggressive brain tumor, he passed away this weekend. David was a wonderful, kind husband (and brother-in-law) with a love of life, an inquisitive mind, and a desire to laugh. He will be sadly missed and the loss for Sandra is enormous. You’ll have to put up with my bad punctuation for a few weeks while my familial proofreader takes a break. RIP David.
PICCININI BROS COME FULL CIRCLE
When your nearly one-hundred-year-old meat business was started by your grandfather, Guido — who learned his butchering from the US Government in World War 1 — you might expect the third-generation to be able to survive a crisis.
Paul Vaccari, Guido’s grandson, faced difficult decisions at the start of the pandemic. “Once Danny Meyer closed his group, they all closed,” said Paul, owner of Piccini Bros fine meat wholesaler on Ninth Avenue. “We furloughed almost everybody on March 17th not knowing our future and we closed the shop for a day. My wife, Sylvie, and I talked about it and we decided that we would open as a retail store.”
Read their story about going back to their butcher shop roots — turning full circle from their trade-only business for Michelin-starred restaurants to feeding the locals.
WHAT WE’RE READING
Central Park’s Loeb Boathouse restaurant is closing with over 160 jobs lost. (The CITY)
New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson talked about the fight for “the heartbeat and soul of New York City” with a real fear that actors, stagehands, and musicians are going to leave the city for more affordable places. (W42ST)
Hell’s Kitchen’s popular Beacon High School tried to hold 2020 diplomas hostage. (NY Post)
Student reporting of the closing and opening of Turnstyle Underground Market at Columbus Circle. (The Fordham Observer)
When you need to clear your head in New York, Central Park is often the remedy. My walk was worth it yesterday to serendipitously discover these nuns playing frisbee. Pure joy! (W42ST)
