Hell’s Kitchen Local

I go to Dave’s fruit stand especially when I need heavily speckled bananas — very soft to the touch and intensely sweet and fragrant — for baking my vegan oatmeal raisin cookies. I’ll be doing a lot of baking for the coming holidays.

I have always loved the various Delphinium Home shops. The owners are great guys and I love having independently owned businesses in the neighborhood. Great place to find a last-minute gift or card.

I love catching up with friends or stopping by alone and taking in the vibrant energy of midtown at Worldwide Plaza on a warm summer day.

B&D Halal is new to Hell’s Kitchen. I’ve tried it twice already and quite enjoyed the various options. The flavors span several cultures and countries. Excellent for take out.

World Wide Plaza is another go-to, especially in the summer. It’s conveniently located to theatres and it’s a cute and nice spot to catch up with friends, eat lunch or people watch. I love people watching…but I do miss the days of Blockheads and Mother Burger. IYKYK.

Cubby’s is run by my good friend Charles, my old coworker at Pastis! I remember we would talk about our futures together on our breaks — his dream of opening up his own establishment and my passion for public service. I visited again recently and it was quite emotional to see where we have both ended up.

Fountain House Gallery always has interesting programming. Around the holidays they do a show of artworks for under $100. I always buy a gift for someone and love that they support and nurture otherwise underserved artists.

TJ is my grocery boyfriend. The staff want to be there and they are so helpful. I love how generous they are, and they donate so much food. And even when I’m in a long line, I never wait long, and people are pretty pleasant. Good food, good prices, and they are very cheeky with their humor, which I love. I also adore that you can try a product, not like it, and they’re totally cool about it. They inspire variety, adventure, and I love how much food to donate to locate communities.

As the new kid in Hell’s Kitchen, Spitfire has become an instant favorite. My parents owned a small cheese shop when I was growing up so places like this hold a special place in my heart, especially ones as homey and delicious as Spitfire. If you ever can’t reach me, this is probably where I am. A few recommendations: the tuna melt is amazing, the iced cardamom vanilla matcha latte is my new favorite and don’t miss the small basket of “walking cheese” at the checkout counter.

Living near It’s Him, I know it is a great place to catch up with friends over a drink, or for a nightcap after a long day. I recently held a campaign event here, and we filled the place! I’m so grateful to the workers for their incredible help that night, and it was a great place to build excitement for our growing campaign.