Community Corner
🌱 Christmas Eve + A Miniature Brooklyn + An Unexpected Delight
The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Brooklyn.
Merry Christmas Eve, Brooklyn! I'm here in your inbox per usual to get you up to speed on everything you need to know about what's going on in town, including news about...
- How local foodies and artisans are celebrating the holidays
- Things to do this Christmas Eve 🎄
But first, today's weather:
🌤 Windy with partial sunshine, and really cold. High: 21 Low: 19.
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Here are the top stories in Brooklyn today:
1. The Pope of South Slope talks "Feast of The Seven Fishes," an Italian Christmas Eve tradition and the title of his latest cookbook. Daniel Paterna has lived in Park Slope for decades, working at local Italian eateries. These days, his unofficial residence is at Flora, a cafe, restaurant, and alimentari on the corner of 11th Street and 8th Avenue. Paterna himself hails from Neapolitan descent, and his new cookbook :The Feast of the Seven Fishes: A Brooklyn Italian's Recipes Celebrating Food & Family" is an ode to food, to his upbringing, and to local culture. The 255-page book also doubles as a memoir and neighborhood chronicle that tributes local purveyors. And for those wondering, "The Feast of the Seven Fishes" is an Italian American Christmas Eve celebration that brings families together the same way Thanksgiving does with traditions that span generations, decades, and oceans. At the link, read Paterna's conversation with The Eagle's Andrew Cotto.
2. This Brooklyn craftsman makes intricate mini models of the borough's institutions perfect down to the bricks and neon signs. Usually, Jack Giambanco's models usually measure about six inches wide, but this Christmas season he's working on a special commission more than twice the normal size. "Scrolling through photos of his work is like taking a walk through time and space," writes The Brooklyn Paper. "He's recreated the now-closed Cotillion Terrace and Maple Lanes, Cuccio's Bakery, even a Gravesend firehouse." The craftsman took up mini-modeling only about two years ago, leveraging some 3D modeling skills from a past business venture. His first piece was a recreation of A&S Italian Pork Store on Avenue X, and the next was Brennan & Carr, a sandwich shop on Nostrand Avenue in Sheepshead Bay. Giambanco's business took off after an Instagram post that garnered a whopping 1,000 likes, and now he's become somewhat famous in the borough, taking commissions from local business owners who want a model that captures the spirit of their businesses.
3. And in other holiday news, a Brooklyn family's Hanukkah celebration is plastered all over this New York subway: an "unexpected delight." Photographer and Instagram blogger Mordechai Rubinstein is featured in Nordstrom's prominent 'Make Merry' holiday campaign, celebrating Hanukkah alongside his wife Sara Brown-Rubinstein and their 5-year-old daughter, Isabella. On subway trains across the city, the Rubenstein family is spreading holiday joy in advertisements that serve as a much-needed respite from others hawking dermatologists and subscriptions medicines. "We first saw it in the wild — we didn't even know until people started sending us pictures," said Rubinstein, who assumed the family photo shoot, which happened over the summer in their Greenpoint, Brooklyn home, would be used exclusively on social media. "It was a huge surprise, I don't know how else to say it."
JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency / Join Rubinstein's 127k following on Instagram
Today in Brooklyn:
- Children's Saturday Pizza Making Workshop, Time Out Market, Today @ 10 a.m. | Details
- Christmas Craft Workshop, 411 South 5th St. Today @ 1 p.m. | Details
- Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn Bridge & DUMBO Food Tour, 128 Pierrepont St., Today @ 4 p.m. | Details
- Christmas Eve Family Style Thai Feast, KRU Brooklyn, Today @ 5 p.m. | Details
- Funny People Matinee, BKLYN Comedy Club, Today @ 6 p.m. | Details
🐝 Brooklyn Buzz:
- Calling all writers! The Wild Seeds Retreat for aspiring writers is going to be led by New York Poet Laureate Willie Perdomo: "It's a space where writers from the diaspora, mainly writers of color, can come and talk about and explore new ways of approaching their work from the space of their identity. And, it's a special sort of dynamic, because you are surrounded by other writers of color, which probably means that there's not a lot of explanation of nuances and references that you might need to make while you're not in that type of space," said Perdomo of Wild Seeds. (Brooklyn Reader)
- Things to do for a very merry weekend! "Whether you're grabbing last-minute gifts or looking for a holly jolly time with friends and family, there is something for everyone." At the link, check out BKR's ultimate holiday weekend event calendar. (Brooklyn Reader)
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You're all caught up for today! See you tomorrow morning for your next update.
— Carlie Houser
About me: I'm a recent grad based in Brooklyn, NY. I love to write, run, read, and find new restaurants and venues around the city.
Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Brooklyn Daily? Contact me at brooklyn@patch.com
