Espresso-ing Art

Brad
New York
co-creator

Milk guzzles from inside a silver pitcher, whizzed around by the wand of an espresso machine.  The sloshing sound wafts inside this quaint and cozy coffee shop tucked away in a low-key street in Downtown New York bordering SoHo and Little Italy.

The cool melody of reggae music emanating from the speakers seem to harmonize with the steam blowing off from the counter where the lovely barista juggles between fixing cups of iced coffee for eager customers and slicing a cinnamon-raisin loaf for a table of tourists remarking in a heavy Italian accent what I could only guess as praise for this really tremendous find that is Oro Bakery and Bar.

Sitting comfortably across from me, with a cup of coffee cradled between his palms is Brad, the one person who was, not only instrumental in bringing this cafe to life, but who was also the brains behind Oro’s trademark look and feel — a cafe/bakeshop by day, a French bistro by night.  With thousands of coffee shops dotting all over New York, you got to hand it to Brad for coming up with a place that truly strikes out for its ambiance and that fuzzy feeling of enjoying your afternoon cup of cappuccino as if you were just sitting at your favorite couch at home.

Brad’s profession is one that I have rarely come across…well, actually it’s the first time ever that I met someone of his kind.  As you can see, Brad is a restaurant designer, one of the many things this aesthetically-minded Jack of all design trades specializes in.

I came across him when a good friend and I stumbled upon this other remarkable coffee shop by the West Village several weeks ago where I made an ecstatic comment about the La Marzocco espresso machine they had over there, Brad overheard it, and before you knew it, my friend and I found ourselves another really interesting person who had a good story to tell.

Double majoring in Engineering and Theatre is in itself unheard of, but being that he has always been fascinated with Art in regards to its technical and creative aspects, Brad skittered into restaurant designing  several years after he established a good career designing theatre sets in Broadway, as well as movie theatres, health clubs, public space lobbies, and more.  His work allowed him to thoroughly enjoy the facets of engineering and laying out and making sure all the spaces fit together.

The opportunity to design his first restaurant project presented itself a couple of years ago when his then-girlfriend (now his fiancee) endeavored to open her own resto/cafe in the West Village.  Her initial meetings with an architect and interior designer did not produce the idea she was gunning for.  Thankfully, Brad acted on it quick, and with careful planning and a natural eye for what is visually tasteful, Mama’s Mudsliders emerged as a hip, must-visit cafe for the caffeine-holics, sugar junkies, and even for those  who just want to find a good place to sit down, relax, and enjoy a good drink.

At present, Brad still designs other spaces not particularly entailing the food industry.  He engages himself in various commercial establishments that stimulate his mind to come up with a space that combines the necessities of function with the right mix of form to make it attractive and enhancing to the patrons.  However, Brad’s true fascination lies in designing smaller, more intimate spaces such as Oro and Mama’s Mudsliders.

Brad takes a sip of his coffee, and with a grin explains, “When you’re working on small projects with people with smaller budgets, you sort of take on multiple roles.  But at the end of the day because it’s so micromanaged and you’re so involved in it, it’s like having a kid.  And then you feel so proud when you think about how if you hadn’t been there for that afternoon, that pipe would have been painted black instead of gold, and suddenly that space would’ve felt totally different.”

I couldn’t help but agree.  I take a sip of my own organic, Summer Passion tea which is greatly soothing my jagged nerves from the hubbub of the day at work.  I glance to my left and catch sight of a sole, enormous photo-installation of what seems to be rooftops of classic Downtown buildings at the wall spanning the counter.

Brad follows my gaze and with a smile spreading upward his lips, he adds that he captured that photo himself, too.  I smile back, acknowledging to him that it’s only natural that the designer of this really cool place should at least leave a discrete yet striking signature to complete the picture.

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*Special thanks to Horst Dieter Baum for the photograph above.

The Role of a Lifetime

Steve
New Jersey
helping

Steve, very early on in his life, always had this desire to help people in need. The arts has been a passion of his, too, particularly with film and theatre, and he has always dreamed of dedicating his life in the service of those needing assistance the most, preferably if it could involve something with media. Little did he know that one day, after a long, hard road, he would get to forge both of these passions and truly make the kind of difference in this world that he’s always envisioned.

Like most people though, Steve set aside his dreams for a bit and took the safe route. After garnering an MBA in Harvard in the 90s, Steve set out to advance his career in Marketing with American Express. At the same time, he was enjoying life with his partner of 15 years who was a social worker for an AIDS-based Nonprofit Organization. Steve felt that albeit he was not directly working in Nonprofit, his partner’s involvement in one kept Steve’s dream of helping others alive.

Sadly, his partner passed away some time later in the decade, and not only was it a painful loss, his partner’s death also made Steve feel that his family unit that saved the world perished as well. After a while, Steve finally realized that it was high time to make those dreams happen. He left his promising career in the leading financial institution in search of one that would grant him the opportunity to harness his potential and really help those in need.

The journey to reaching that one dream job took quite awhile for Steve to reach. Nonetheless, it was a stimulating and valuable journey that took him to several companies that heavily dealt with media, and a couple of them engaged in the nonprofit sector, likewise. He was able to discover the power of film and what it could do to help the less fortunate throughout those years, which eventually led him to the ultimate designation…

Whenever the words “genocide” and “calamities” come to mind, it’s but natural to imagine assistance going to the affected areas in the guise of the Red Cross, UNICEF, and the United Nations. After all, these are the same organizations that provide the refugees with food, clothing, shelter, and all the other necessities that they need to rebuild their lives once again.

However, there is one organization that works toward helping the refugees of war-torn countries in Africa such as Sudan, Somalia, Rwanda, and Uganda deal with something more unquenchable than physical nourishment, and that is where Film Aid International comes in.

Steve got on board Film Aid as its Executive Director since last year and it has been one amazing experience for him ever since. Film Aid lives by its mission: Projecting Hope and Changing Lives Through the Power of Film, a statement of such substantial value for an organization that is empowering the displaced and the desperate, one film at a time.

Steve explains that Film Aid basically screens films at refugee camps in Africa for the purposes of inspiring the refugees and giving them some form of solace in their distressful situations. These films are not just solely intended for its entertainment value, more importantly they educate the refugees with matters that need the most attention – HIV prevention, malaria detection and cure, ending the exploitation of women, and so much more.

The films greatly brighten the refugees’ lives, giving them a chance to mingle with one another in a communal setting. Film Aid takes the service ten notches higher by instilling a program that grants refugees the opportunity to make and shoot the films themselves, with the training and equipment provided by Film Aid, of course.

Steve could not have defined it any better as he said, “The common thread is the impact that film can have on people and how it can improve their lives whether it be their psychosocial well-being, to the entertaining aspects of seeing a film together, to their creation of films that gives them information that saves their lives like how to prevent HIV or how to avoid getting malaria. When they make the film themselves, it makes everyone else appreciate it more because it’s not like someone from the US with a film degree is talking about these malaria nets. Rather it’s someone among their fellow refugees, in their language who respects their culture, talking to them about the need or impact about what a malaria net can do to help.”

In the near future, it is Steve’s biggest hope that Film Aid will expand beyond refugee camps and work with people in other dire situations around the world using film and video. For now, his focus is to gather more awareness for the work that Film Aid does and let people realize that film is indeed a very mighty tool in bringing about hope and change in this world.

The refugees may not get the ultimate theatre experience like most movie going audiences — leather-cushioned seats, airconditioning, free-flowing popcorn — but each scene that projects onto the wide screen is enough to give them assurance that life does go on after war and disaster, and with people like Steve around, happy endings are not just for the movies.

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notes from *the storyteller:
1. If you wish to make a donation or help Film Aid in any other way, please feel free to visit: Film Aid donor page
2. To hear Steve’s full length interview, you can click on this link: Story by Steve Enjoy!

Thou shalt educate

George
Colombo, Sri Lanka
steward

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan once remarked, “Education is a human right with immense power to transform. On its foundation rest the cornerstones of freedom, democracy and sustainable human development.”

George is a firm believer in the power of education to immensely ameliorate and empower civilization. It is his vision to bring about the same progress and development to Sri Lanka, a nation where the literacy rate has spiraled up over the years, yet still a vast population of the underprivileged have little access to the kind of education that every child deserves.

His quest into this ultimate goal of bringing quality education to his people began with his own life-altering journey to further supplement his studies. From his humble beginnings in his native Colombo where he shepherded a small congregation, George took the leap of faith and found himself in New York, where for the last eight years, he has undergone his own personal transformation.

“It was a journey of determination and motivation. And always, I tried as best as I could to keep my feet firmly planted on the ground,” George said meekly, relaying all the encounters brought about by his perusal of his Masters degree, and eventually his Post-doctorate studies. To come from a small country such as Sri Lanka, the actual move to New York was already a daunting endeavor in itself, and to complete two post-graduate studies successively in New York was a feat beyond all challenges.

No matter all the hardships and unexpected occurences, George remained fervent in his goal. Some time in April, he finally received the title of “Ph.D.” from Fordham University, an accomplishment too profound for him to put to words. But what really fulfills him above all else is the journey that lies ahead – now that he is fully equipped with the most viable training and knowledge, it is nearly time for him to make that trip back home and carry out his vision of implementing education as the most accessible right to all children and adults as well, in Sri Lanka.