BK Reader

Porchetta Focaccia Sandwich. Country Ham. Smoked Pork Belly. Not only can you enjoy these delectable dishes from an ever-changing menu at Leland Eating and Drinking House, but you can also learn about the butchery process used to prepare them. Twice a month, the Prospect Heights restaurant known for its focus on local food and wine, opens its kitchen doors for a butchery class and tasting dinner. Depending on the season, Leland offers a pork, duck or tuna butchery demonstration. https://lnkd.in/ewKUPZwt

The New York Liberty kicked off a cross-borough championship celebration tour on Thursday, with fans turning out in droves at each stop to celebrate the franchise’s first WNBA title. The day began with a ticker tape parade down the Canyon of Heroes on Broadway in lower Manhattan, followed by a rally at City Hall. Liberty fans at the ticker tape parade. Photo: Supplied/Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office It was the first-ever ticker tape championship parade for a women's sports team in New York, which made it feel special as floats full of players, their families and Liberty staff cruised down Broadway, showered by confetti as they hoisted the WNBA trophy. https://lnkd.in/eXaZM8zG

The New York City Department of Education welcomed it's first public Montessori school in the city this September when it opened Albee Square Montessori P.S. 482 in Downtown Brooklyn. The Montessori education method was created by Dr. Maria Montessori in 1906. It is "student-led and self-paced but guided, assessed, and enriched by knowledgeable and caring teachers, the leadership of their peers, and a nurturing environment," according to the American Montessori Society. This is something that Brooklyn and the rest of New York were ready to have, according to Interim Principal Carol Mongiello. "Montessori schools have been historically private," she said. "But there is more of a movement to have public Montessori schools. There's definitely always been an interest and curiosity." https://lnkd.in/e9pCD534

and-mortar space in Bay Ridge. AsafespaceStudio is an extension of the AsafespaceMentor, a nonprofit organization founded by wellness practitioner and mental health advocate Teya Knapp. Located at 14 53rd St., the wellness studio, set to open before the end of the year, will provide mental health seminars and wellness classes targeted toward the BIPOC community. Classes will include strength training, dance, yoga, sound healing, reiki and breathwork, among other things. Visitors will also be able to partake in massages, facials and one-on-one talk therapy sessions with Moradeyo Adeyi, AsafespaceMentor practitioner and founder of LoveWell Psychotherapy. https://lnkd.in/etGbPwaz

Jazz was alive and kicking at BRIC Jazz Fest, which celebrated its 10th anniversary with a showcase of exceptional jazz talent. The festival, themed A Decade of Discovery, featured an eclectic mix of jazz legends, contemporary innovators and rising stars, and offered the audience a comprehensive snapshot of the genre's past, present and future. The festival presented 18 live performances with six bands taking the stage each evening between Oct. 17 - 19. The kickoff included National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Gary Bartz, alongside acclaimed harpist Brandee Younger, who was the artistic curator for the 2024 edition. https://lnkd.in/gkNGFp5Q

When a judge blocked the sale of an empty lot in Bedford Stuyvesant by a nonprofit to a developer in late September, it was a call that many area residents thought was long overdue. Some even spent their entire day attending the hearing at Kings County Supreme Court on Sept. 20, listening to the state Attorney General’s office argue against the sale of 441 Willoughby Ave., where the Jacob Dangler mansion once stood. Once all was said and done, the residents had a much clearer picture: the developer, Tomer Erlich, who tore down the mansion in 2022 to the community's dismay, seemed to be calling all the shots for the United Grand Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, a masonic organization. https://lnkd.in/gqAkxEv5

On a recent Wednesday morning, students from South Korea, Ukraine, Russia, Honduras and Myanmar shuffled into the second floor of a library in Park Slope to start their day with an English class. As an ice-breaker, Joe Tropeano, the instructor, directed the students in a game of Two Truths and a Lie. Not a second lapsed before the class broke out in laughter as a student called out Tropeano on his fraudulent guitar skills. The relaxed scene at the Pacific Library branch was a far cry from what some of the 20 students experienced in their home countries. Some have fled war, violence and political oppression, while others are simply looking for new economic opportunities. A free class like this one at the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) is one of the first steps for many immigrants to continue getting emergency shelter services, obtain asylum status and get ahead in the city. https://lnkd.in/eZAY9aU6

Bushwick is buzzing about Cilantro Club, a cafe where members score 50 cent coffees and sandwiches that are $3 and under. It works like this: sign up to be a member for $8.99 a month. This unlocks the wholesale pricing for all of the cafe’s goodies, which include iced coffee for 50 cents, seasonal lattes and matcha drinks for $2.50 and a roast beef, mozzarella and sun dried tomato sandwich for $3. https://lnkd.in/eJQU3gCe

I was born in Brownsville, raised in Bushwick, and as Brooklyn Borough President, I advocated for the interests of the city’s biggest borough for eight years. Throughout my life, I have seen how much love and devotion Brooklynites have for our community — and how it inspires the world, too. “Brooklyn” is more than just a place we call home. It is a global brand that represents an authentic, exhilarating, all-American urban culture — and a destination for thousands of visitors and new arrivals every year. As the 110th mayor of New York City, I am proud of our borough’s iconic reputation — and I want to make sure that no matter how many newcomers we welcome, we never leave behind those who have built their lives here. The cost of living may rise, but we must rise to the occasion and push back — for the people. https://lnkd.in/eedakN2J

New York City students between the age of 13 and 16 are encouraged to apply to a free mentorship program through Foundation, a new educational initiative founded by members of Brooklyn's tech community. Michael Ioffe, the co-founder of Arist, an AI employee training company, and Ibbi Hashme, who worked in the engineering department at software company Lunchclub, said they will offer weekly sessions to mentor the borough's youngest tech entrepreneurs, according to a press release. https://lnkd.in/e-qJ3Nix