Latest news with #Haitian-born
New York Post
22-05-2025
- Business
- New York Post
French department store Printemps brings surprisingly thrilling food to Wall Street
The loudest cheers on Wall Street aren't for the New York Stock Exchange's closing bell, but for the opening of the five most dynamic restaurants FiDi has ever seen under a single roof. They're at Printemps, the new Paris-based fashion store that's the glam showpiece of One Wall Street — the landmarked former Irving Trust office building recently converted to luxury condos. The neighborhood, once starved for quality cuisine, is now a lively residential district as well as a business hub. 7 Printemps opened in the Financial District in March, bringing French fashions —and five restaurants — to the neighborhood. Brian Zak/NY Post It's enjoying a dining renaissance with the revived Delmonico's on Beaver Street, SAGA and Crown Shy at 70 Pine Street and lively indoor-outdoor cafes on Stone Street. But it never had anything like Printemps' nexus of high style and kitchen magic, which are surprising and delighting food-lovers, scene-makers and night owls. Last Friday at 10 p.m. — two hours after the Printemps store closed — its flagship restaurant, Maison Passerelle, buzzed like a Wall Street Balthazar with couples dressed to kill. 7 The crisp-skinned ocean trout at Maison Passerelle is almost too pretty to eat. Tamara Beckwith The next afternoon, Salon Vert — a sexy, green-accented, second-floor raw bar/cafe — was so full, I had to wait for a seat at the bar. Was this really happening at Broadway and Wall Street, a corner where the favorite dish historically was a street-cart hot dog? Olivia Gracey, 31, a West Village publicist who's not involved with Printemps, was as surprised as me by Printemps culinary pleasures. 7 Gregory Gourdet, a finalist on seasons 12 and 17 of Bravo's 'Top Chef,' is overseeing all five restaurants at Printemps. Tamara Beckwith 'We stumbled into Salon Vert as a reprieve from prowling the sunglasses and bags. I'm now obsessed,' she told me. 'I'd drink the sweet potato soup with a straw if they'd let me.' Wealth advisor/consultant Marina Warner, 41, favors Cafe Jalu, a casual cafe next to Maison Passerelle. 'The people-watching is wild and hilarious. I didn't know so many fancy people were in FiDi with HUGE dogs,' she said, adding, 'The pain au chocolat is pretty insane when I need to eat my feelings in a good way.' 7 The beautiful Maison Passerelle has a vaguely tropical vibe. Tamara Beckwith All five eateries are run by Haitian-born chef Gregory Gourdet of Kent Hospitality Group — named for its beloved founder, the late chef James Kent. Rather than offer a predictable department-store lineup of familiar standards, Gourdet, a finalist on Bravo's 'Top Chef,' bravely intertwines French cuisine with flavors of the French diaspora — the former colonies from Canada to the West Indies to Vietnam. There's no political statement behind it; the dishes are just meant to taste wonderful, which almost all did. Maison Passerelle's 85 seats are the place to catch Gourdet's best work. The airy space designed by Laura Gonzalez (who did all the restaurants) has a vaguely tropical mood, with a marble mosaic floor, walnut walls, red jasper-topped tables, and plush, green-and-white fabric banquettes. 7 The standout dish is duck breast and confit glazed in cane syrup and bathed in tamarind jus. Tamara Beckwith Except for a misbegotten amuse bouche of mushroom broth with nuclear-hot Thai chilis that made three of us gag, just about everything was delicious. A starter of warm, richly herbed plantain bread and butter ($14) was sinfully filling. The best dish was heritage duck breast and confit glazed in cane syrup and bathed in tamarind jus — a powerful, West African-inspired interplay of game-y, sweet and sweet-and-sour flavors. I almost didn't mind the $72 price, as it could be enough to serve two. Spaghetti with Maine lobster ($60) arrived perfectly al dente. The tomato sauce was rich and plentiful, but the lobster was too chewy. I'd have gladly had half as much of the general shellfish portion if it were twice as tender. 7 Salon Vert, a raw bar and cafe, has been quite popular. Tamara Beckwith At Salon Verte, I enjoyed herbed, round focaccia with a crackling crust ($14) and shrimp Creole ($32) sparked with habanero, black pepper and horseradish. Then there's the Red Room Bar, an appendage of the landmarked Red Room on the building's Wall Street side. The magnificent space was once open only to BNY Mellon executives until the bank moved out in 2015. It now serves as the store's shoe department with Italian-made Manolo Blahniks going for $1,375. Sam Freeman, 33, an executive of Global Hotel Partnerships at American Express Travel & Lifestyle, likes the Red Bar's 'vibrant energy and unique ambiance, perfect for a meet-up or a drink after work and dinner.' 7 The light, fresh fare includes peekytoe crab remoulade. Tamara Beckwith He favors the Kafe Negroni ($21) spiked with Haitian coffee. For me, a crispy-crackling chicken sandwich ($24) on a potato bun heaped with pickled cabbage slaw and remoulade was all I needed to watch fashionistas smoothly descend a circular staircase to the ground floor with their pooches, huge and tiny, close at hand. The stock market's wobbly, but I'm bullish on Wall Street's new eats.
Boston Globe
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Haitian pride unfurled in Greater Boston as community confronts Trump immigration push
This year's commemorations are happening amid President Trump's efforts to remake US immigration policy and expand deportations. Related : In August, the federal government plans to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, a program which has allowed hundreds of thousands of Haitians to live and work in the US. The program lets people remain in the United States when it would be unsafe to return to their home country due to armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary circumstances. The Trump administration is also seeking to end humanitarian parole protections for people from three other nations, though a lawsuit filed in federal court in Boston has blocked those plans for now. Advertisement 'There is a lot of concern. There's a lot of fear, but we are reminded to not operate out of fear in times like this,' said Marie Elianor, co-founder of the Haitian American Student Corporation, a nonprofit organization. The group participated in the Somerville event. Related : Greater Boston is home to more than 50,000 Haitian-born residents, according to a who make their way north, often living for years in other countries like Brazil and Chile before continuing on to the United States. Advertisement As Trump's deportation push has brought federal immigration agents into neighborhoods across Massachusetts, organizers of the Haitian Flag Festival in Somerville emphasized in marketing the event that it would be safe for attendees, said Metushael Jacques, president of the Haitian Service Providers Coalition. Judy Antoine, 13, of Somerville, danced at Somerville City Hall on Saturday. Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe The coalition hosted the festival in collaboration with Somerville's arts council and its Office of Immigrant Affairs. 'This is a community event,' Jacques said. Haiti's independence is a tremendous source of pride for Haitians, she said. The nation ended more than a century of French colonial rule in 1804 and established the world's first free Black republic. 'The flag means a lot for us,' Jacques said. 'This is the first symbol of independence.' Its flag consists of two horizontal bands, one red and one blue, and the nation's coat of arms. The coat of arms depicts weapons and a palm tree topped by the liberty cap, a symbol of freedom. A banner underneath the palm tree reads, 'L'Union Fait La Force,' or In Union, there is Strength. Margarette Woods, of Somerville, waved a Haitian flag. Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe 'Unity is strength, and more than ever we need strength,' said Elianor. 'We need the power to drive change.' More gatherings celebrating Haiti's culture are planned. On Sunday, the Haitian-American Unity Parade will march from Mattapan Square to Harambee Park on Blue Hill Avenue in Boston, according to the city. Advertisement On Tuesday, a Haitian cultural center celebrates its grand opening in the North End. The Toussaint Louverture Cultural Center was named for François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture, the famed Haitian revolutionary leader. On Saturday, the venue hosted an expo for Haitian vendors and entrepreneurs. The event continues Sunday. Fayola Nicaisse, one of the organizers, said she launched the pop-up market two years ago when a group of Haitian vendors were stranded in the United States after Haiti's international airport closed due to escalating gang violence. Since then, Nicaisse, who lives in Miami, has helped Haitian vendors sell their products in Atlanta, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. 'We are basically connecting the diaspora with homemade products,' said Nicaisse, who is the founder of Ébène, which sells plant-based hair and skin products from coffee, castor oil, and moringa, an herbal plant grown in Haiti. Victor Vaval Jr., who came to the United States from Haiti in 1999 as a teenager, visited the expo. Vaval now runs PVeet corporation, a grocery delivery service that sells imported products from the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia. The business has introduced him to many migrants who have recently arrived in Massachusetts from Haiti. 'My heart goes out to the migrants,' Vaval said. 'They come here for the right reason. To work. To be able to provide for their family. And if our country was in a better place, they would love to just go back home.' Laura Crimaldi can be reached at
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pope Leo XIV's Brother Reveals the Real Truth About Their Haitian Roots to Gayle King
While the rest of the world has been losing its mind over the news that the Catholic Church just elected its first American-born pope in Pope Leo XIV, at The Root, we're more interested in the news that the first American-born pope has Black roots. New Orleans-based genealogist Jari C. Honora first broke the news about this interesting branch of Pope Leo's family tree, when he discovered that the pope's maternal grandparents were identified as 'mulatto' and 'Black' in census data from the 19th century – and for many people, that's good enough to get them an invite to the cookout. 'CBS Mornings' went straight to Pope Leo's family to confirm Honora's discovery. In a May 9 interview, the new pontiff's older brother, John Prevost, told host Gayle King that he's not completely sure about the family's Black connection because it wasn't something they frequently talked about. 'I am aware that my mother's parents were from Haiti, and we are aware that her sisters were all born in New Orleans,' he told King. 'But other than that, I really couldn't tell you a whole lot.' According to records obtained by The National Catholic Reporter, Prevost's mother, Mildred Martinez, 'was the mixed-race daughter of Black property owners, the Haitian-born Joseph Martinez and New Orleans native Louise Baquié, a Creole.' People in the comments of the CBS interview gave Prevost props for being honest about what he knows about his ancestry. 'At least he's not ashamed to mention that his family is half Haitian. Be proud of your ancestors',' wrote someone. While everyone from White Sox fans to Haitians to Villanova alumni are claiming the new pontiff as one of their own, his brother says it's a sign that he's doing his job. 'Part of his job is to bring the Catholic community together again, and it's already started,' he said. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Times
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Kaytranada review — a slow start, an elated finish
Too often superstar DJs (I'm looking at you, Calvin Harris) simply stand behind their decks, occasionally waving their arms and ordering the crowd to 'put your hands up'. The Haitian-born Canadian Kaytranada is too good at dancing for that — and he knows it. His sets are enhanced by his many moves, including a suave shuffle he calls the 'running man'. During the opener of his three-day residency at Alexandra Palace in north London celebrating last year's album Timeless, he gyrated, twirled and, at one point, bounced ecstatically with the music he was spinning to the cheers of his predominantly twentysomething fans busy puffing their vapes. They also cheered as he removed his trendy burgundy zip-up to reveal a white vest and took sips
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Readers sound off on defying the gospel, the pope's death and rooting for women
Brick, N.J.: It's blasphemous to consider this a Christian nation when it's being governed by an avalanche of cruel executive orders that run contrary to all the formerly treasured values of an America that once was. What's being done in relative secrecy of deporting migrants on military aircraft flights should make the Statue of Liberty bow her head in shame. Many migrants and immigrant families in good standing (in the former America) are being notified that they must leave the country by a given date. The helpless victims of this xenophobia include an honorable Haitian-born family living and working in Charlotte, N.C. The heartless notification of their expulsion ought to be published in every newspaper and magazine to serve as a mirror of conscience for a society on the brink. The blatant racism and xenophobic, vengeful dynamics of full-blown fascism will continue to play out as the least powerful categories of people are 'disposed of' first. But in a fascist dictatorship there is no category or class of people truly safe from a Hitlerish despot. Indeed, President Trump has promised to punish all his enemies, and he has plenty of time to get at everybody on his endless list. Even oligarchs are not safe unless they display Trump-worship. After all the pogroms, who will be left untouched in this sort of America? Evangelical leaders must rectify their heresy ('Trump is God's servant') and denounce his ungodly cruelty. The Catholic bishops must grow enough backbone to speak out loudly against this multi-headed monster of fascism before all goodness in society is squeezed out like a crushed orange. Nicholas S. Molinari Manhattan: Trump has the opportunity to have a deportation bonanza. He should send ICE agents to next season's opening Chicago Bulls home game and order the agents to arrest and deport anyone wearing a Bulls hoodie or hat. They must be gang members or terrorists, a la Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Jeffrey Nelson Newton, N.J.: To Voicer Angelo Vetrano: You should seriously consider your drinking and drug habits after the letter you sent. You want to criticize Sen. Chris Van Hollen for spending tax dollars to try and get Abrego Garcia out of that Salvadoran gulag — where he never should have been sent in the first place — but you're mute about Fat Hitler's numerous golf trips, appearances at the Super Bowl, NASCAR and MMA fights. At least the senator is trying to do something about righting a wrong, while Trump's deranged Attorney General Pam Bondi openly defies court orders that would land anyone else behind bars. Like too many Republicans backing Trump, Angelo, you have lost all contact with rational thought. Michael Schnackenberg Huntington, L.I.: Voicer Jim Arneberg asks, 'How did people vote for this clown?' I voted for Trump for the first time in 2024. The Democratic Party moved too far to the left to earn my vote. I voted against Kamala Harris more than I voted for Trump. Here is a partial list of what I voted against: DEI, wokeness, anti-white racism, limiting Supreme Court picks to Black women, open borders, defunding the police, support for BLM and CRT, the Green New Deal, identity politics, excessive spending on left-wing nonsense, reparations, eliminating ICE, citizenship for illegals, eliminating fracking, taxing the rich, national rent control, price controls, increased crime, changing bail laws, letting criminals go free, Medicare for all, increased welfare, calling whites racist at every turn, using the race card, Dems using the courts (lawfare) to go after Trump, the doomsday climate-catastrophe cult and its reckless energy policies, overregulation and student loan forgiveness. Tom Saracco Floral Park, L.I.: Responding to anyone praising how wonderful and caring the present person in the White House is: I disagree with this statement completely. He is a selfish, cruel and abominable man. He deserves to be impeached as soon as possible. Regina Rossi Forest Hills: Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is my new political hero. She has told us the truth about her fear of retribution from Trump if she speaks her truth or opposes him on anything. To speak up in the face of fear is courage. I think all of us of any party should at least admire her, call her office and let her know how brave she is, and that the idea of being in fear of expressing yourself is un-American. She is a profile in courage, and she needs to know this from all of us who do not take kindly to bullies (yet another man bullying a woman — really?). Stew Frimer Indian Harbour Beach, Fla.: I noticed that in Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's photo with Trump, she sat cross-legged. I guess his history of crotch-grabbing is international! John T. O'Connell Jacksonville, Fla.: Our vice president, who's part of an administration that's partaking in the cruel and inhumane treatment of Latino people in this country (shipping them out like cattle), meets with his high holiness Pope Francis, who then died just hours later! Could it be that God thought the pope had enough after having to come face to face with this guy? Carl J.C. Hafner Bronx: I am very, very sorry that Papa Francisco has crossed the bar. He was one of the best things that happened on Earth in our time. A humble, humane, diplomatic, principled and just world leader who looked forward beyond his time and circle. The beautiful gentleman had a conscience. I will miss him so much (even though I'm a Protestant). Rose Mary Lancaster Wappingers Falls, N.Y.: TV host Greg Gutfeld has been lumping the animal protection movement in with the recent controversial woke/gender ideology/identity politics effort, even contemptuously stating that musician Moby 'was one of the first animal rights people.' Wrong. People have been speaking out for animal protection for thousands of years, including ancient historians Horace, Plutarch and Epicurus. Irish politician Richard Martin passed one of the first farm animal welfare laws, the 1822 Prevention of Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act. He also founded the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 1824, the first of its kind. Gutfeld especially loves promoting hate speech against cats, happily catering to those who feel justified in brutalizing helpless beings. Spewing shameful cruelty against innocent beings makes Gutfeld no better than the politicians he derides — a common, low-class bully. Yliana Franco Bronx: To Voicer Patricia Nuzzi, who complained of an electric scooter being left on her lawn: Drag the scooter into the street. W. Twirley Brooklyn: In a one-party state, with so many problems created by that party's unchecked power, why does the Daily News Editorial Board feel the need to get out in front of potential legal issues for the party's sitting attorney general ('Tish James' rights and wrongs,' editorial, April 20)? So far, the federal government has not brought any action against James. No doubt, she'll have a good legal team if they file charges. Your readers live in a place where drug stores need to lock up the few items they keep on the shelves, citizens regularly get slashed or pushed onto subway tracks in broad daylight and stepping off the curb has become an adventure thanks to unregulated e-bikes whizzing past. Your readers would be better served if you paused on obsessing over everything our president does and shine a light on some of the elected officials who've played a role in creating this chaos. Jack Flynn Brooklyn: Re Voicer Mariann Tepedino calling the six females who went to space last week phonies: I think it's wonderful for each woman to have this life experience. As women, we should lift each other up instead of tearing down. She then went on to criticize Gayle King for her fake eyelashes and ego. She also mentioned Gayle's bestie (Oprah). It seems to me that she's a hater and has nothing nice to say about anyone. These women didn't ask for handouts or GoFundMe, they used their own money. Carol Singleton
