THE ART OF THE SNACK | GNOCCO

FOR THE TASTE OF HOME

We headed to the East Village to Gnocco which was started 20 years ago by Gian Luca Giovanetti who has created a menu of sweet and savory dishes that come from his favorite foods and recipes of his home in Modena, Italy. We enjoyed hearing the stories that these meals came from as well as how he identifies with the East Village. We were introduced to a menu that had wine pairings associated with signature dishes, a restaurant that had an array of areas that allowed you to enjoy your meal in environments that fit your mood and of course we left full with an appreciation of his Italian cuisine.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us about your culinary background and how you came up with the idea of opening Gnocco in the East Village?

GIAN LUCA GIOVANETTI: My culinary experience started in Modena, Italy in my own restaurant where I ran the kitchen solo for several years. I came up with the idea of opening Gnocco because I was sure that the formula I had was a winner and it would work well for a larger city and audience. I shot for the moon, fell in love with New York City, and knew it was the place for my restaurant. The East Village was the only neighborhood we could afford back then because it was up and coming but it turned into the perfect spot for Gnocco.

AM: What can guests expect when they come to dine at Gnocco?

GLG: Guests who visit can expect, authentic Emilia-Romagna food in a casual, neighborhood favorite and go-to spot. We serve the best of Italian comfort food and stick to our motto of moderate prices and offerings that appeal to everybody especially the local crowd. The recipes mirror the true tastes of Italy and the atmosphere makes our guests feel at home.

AM: We love that there are different areas that one can enjoy, can you share these 3 spaces with us?

GLG: The front room of the restaurant features a pizzeria that guests must enter through and our front dining room. The front room offers views of 10th Street, Tompkins Square Park and is decorated with the work of local photographers and East Village artists. The main room or veranda faces our outdoor garden and in the summertime, the double doors open merging the two rooms giving an outdoor dinner feel. Our garden is enclosed all year round and includes air conditioning and heat for the wintertime. The space is lush with plants, lights, and decorations giving the room an intimate and cozy feeling at night. On top of the enclosure is a cherry tree that will surprise guests in the spring with the occasional “plunk” of falling fruit. AM: When creating this menu, can you tell us about where the inspiration for your dishes came from? GLG: The inspiration for the plates at Gnocco comes from my childhood. My goal when opening the restaurant was to replicate the exact tastes of my home in Italy. In this way, we pay homage to the culinary tradition by perfectly recreating the flavors and experiences of true Italian cuisine. For example, our namesake dish, Gnocco, is an afterschool snack from Italy made from lightly fried bread and Italian cold cuts – it’s the perfect symbol of time-honored tradition and authentic Italian flavor.

AM: We enjoyed a number of the dishes with suggested wine pairings at Gnocco, what are 3 signature dishes that you suggest that we should enjoy on our next visit?

GLG: Gnocco (A unique specialty) – Homemade deep-fried dough with a selection of typical northern Italian cold cuts.

Tartufata Pizza – A mouthwatering pie made with fresh mozzarella, truffle sauce, mushrooms and Speck.

Maialino Al Latte - Oven roasted pork loin, slow cooked in a milk sauce with rosemary and garlic served with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach.

AM: What are 3 cocktails that you suggest we should have when visiting?

GLG: Juicy Secrets – Gin, lemon juice, pineapple juice, honey ginger syrup, and turmeric.

Gian’s Dilemma – Mezcal, grapefruit juice, simple syrup and jalapeño with Himalayan salt and a cayenne pepper rim.

Royal Degenerale – Early grey infused vodka, lime juice, and honey ginger syrup.

AM: In addition to the restaurant, you have created a sense of community. We enjoyed hearing about how you are teaching children in the area to grow their own food, making pasta and more. Please share these programs and how you continue to make yourself a fixture in the community.

GLG: Gnocco enjoys hosting local school groups for activities like growing their own food and pizza/pasta making classes to help enrich their traditional education with culinary arts and traditions. We pride ourselves on being active in the community.

As a 20-year-old mainstay of the East Village, the community is very important to us. We always participate in events that allow us to contribute and lift up our neighbors. Some of these initiatives include Slice Out Hunger, a pizza-related charity that supports American hunger relief and prevention initiatives through pizza-related events and campaigns as well as the Art Loisaida Foundation, an artistic non-profit for the Lower East Side that seeks to expand the venues for local artists and provide more opportunities for artists in the community.

IG @GnoccoNY

Read the Feb Issue of Athleisure Mag and see The Art of the Snack | Gnocco in mag.

ATHLEISURE LIST | FIERCE GRACE

We took a class at Fierce Grace when it first opened. Although we have taken a few hot yoga classes and have a go to that we enjoy, we had to add another to the list with this studio that just came to the States after the success that it has enjoyed overseas!

Fierce Grace is a revolutionary system of 8 interconnected classes, and is the brainchild of one of the UK’s most well known teachers, Michele Pernetta (who led our class). The studio is owned by 3 yoga teachers. Tricia Donegan, a renowned teacher in the NY yoga scene and owner of the original Bikram studio on Allen St., Kelly Isaac entrepreneur, yoga teacher and
business partner of clothing brand Yogangster and Michele Pernetta, an ex-fashion and costume designer, and one of the UK’s most respected yoga teachers and founder of Fierce Grace, who brought hot yoga to the UK in 1994. FGNYC isn’t a franchise, it is a deeply personal project, a transformation of a loved studio into the hottest yoga brand in the UK.

They represent 45 years of yoga teaching experience. They will be hands on running workshops, events, trainings and bringing the Fierce Grace manifesto to the Lower East Side, in its irreverent, down to earth, no-nonsense way.

“Fierce Grace is the perfect fit for the yoga community I’ve built here, it’s the logical next step. It’s a brilliant yoga system that welcomes all body types and levels, has inspiring classes - from
strength and fitness classes, to slow deep classes, flowing classes to great music and alignment and injury classes, but all in an integrated system that brings continuity and safety," says Pernetta.

Fierce Grace launched in 2013 and currently has over 20 locations with the NYC studio opening a month ago. There are currently six Fierce Grace studios in London, with a brand new one opening in the summer, and classes offered in ten more UK locations including the prestigious David Lloyd clubs, as well as licensed studios in Dublin Ireland, New York City and in Rome, Italy. There are studios offering running the business, teaching there, the method in Ohio, Cincinnati, Washington DC, Sweden, Sao Paolo, and Brazil. There are instructors trained to
teach the Fierce Grace method globally.

time to time with UK brands such as "Yes to” and Jason, Aveda, Vita Coco, and they have their own in-house juice man/chef called Davide who makes organic juices.

At Fierce Grace, they value simple, safe poses that everyone can do and the repetition of template poses has huge benefits. From Pernetta's Ashtanga Vinyasa's practice she believes in the value of a more flow-based practice and how non-static movements, such as Sun Salutations, which develop a sense of freedom and non-rigidity can free the practitioner on an emotion al and mental level. As the body is so complex, one needs a large number of asanas in order to approach the body from every angle and to confuse weak or dormant muscles and habitual physical patterns. To this end, the Fierce Grace system is a system of classes that encompass all these qualities and contains nearly 200 poses. This ensures the entire body is used and moved in every way possible.

---

FIERCE GRACE

LES
172 Allen St 2nd Fl NY, NY 10002 

Locations include London, Rome, Brazil, Sweden, and Ireland

www.fiercegrace.com
 

Read more from the Feb Issue and see Athleisure List | Fierce Grace in mag.

RAF'S GAMBIT

Thanksgiving is this month and while many of us are looking forward to family, friends, food etc. This year, an extra amount of anticipation for the national holiday means the debut of NETFLIX/Spike Lee's 'She's Gotta Have It' which begins streaming on the network for this movie turned series. Rafael V DeLeon plays Manny Garciela and we caught up with him in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 

ATHLEISURE MAG: We've seen you in print campaigns and we know that you have acted in a number of shows/films, tell us about your journey in both areas.
 
RAFAEL V DELEON: Yes, I have! Well, the journey is still ongoing, but I’m extremely grateful for the opportunities I have been given so far. When I first moved to NYC, I worked the graveyard shift at a hotel. That was the bottom...I mean, “beginning” of the journey. lol
 
AM: Tell us about your role in Netflix/Spike Lee's 'She's Gotta Have It', how long were you filming and what was the auditioning process like? 
 
RVD: I filmed scenes over the course of several months. The audition process was like any other; you go in, do your best work, and leave the room knowing you gave it your best. 

AM: In your opinion, how has 'She's Gotta Have It' been tweaked from the world it existed in 1986 to now?
 
RVD: Well for starters, in 1986, social media didn’t exist. The integration of social media and cell phones are the two biggest tweaks. Other themes like: racial inequality, gentrification, feminine empowerment, and social justice were already top-of-mind issues for Spike...back in 1986. “Been Woke” as Spike would say.    

AM: What did you know about this movie prior to auditioning and what are your thoughts on this now that you have played the part of Manny Garciela that plays the best friend of Mars Blackmon played by Hamilton's Anthony Ramos?
 
RVD: I was familiar with the project but had not seen the film prior to auditioning. I had done my research on the film and prepared accordingly though.  My thoughts now are “Whoa. What an experience!” To work with creatives at the top of their game both in-front of and behind the camera is a milestone moment for me. You find yourself surrounded by so much talent it’s awe-inspiring sometimes. 

AM: With 'She's Gotta Have It' streaming on Thanksgiving, how excited are you to be a part of this iconic series?
 
RVD: As excited as Spike was when the Yankees won the World Series in 2009. 
 
 

AM: We know that you live in Brooklyn, where are your 3 favorite places to eat, workout and to grab a beer?

RVD: 1.) Eat- I really enjoy Archie’s Pizza in Bushwick (I hope they read this). 

2.) Workout- Any playground basketball court. Always good competition there. 

3.) Grab a beer - The Rookery Bar (I REALLY hope they read this). 

AM: Do you still play basketball as we know that you played Division I at Temple?

RVD: Temple is not only Division I, but is the 5th winningest Men’s Basketball program in NCAA history behind Kentucky, Kansas, UNC, and Duke; but I digress. ;) 

I do still play! A colleague of mine has pick-up every week (shout out to DG) and gets a bunch of ex-division 1 guys together for weekly runs. 

AM: What's your personal style when you're going out to grab a drink versus when you're running errands?
 
RVD: Oh man, when I’m going out I try to dress in something that is comfortable, individualist, and on-trend. When I am running errands? Whatever is clean.  
 
AM: What roles can we see you in next?
 
RVD:I have a few opportunities in the pipeline, but nothing I can announce currently. I will just say that I am excited for what 2018 has in store.
 
AM: With Christmas around the corner, what are you doing this season and where will you spend NYE?
 
RVD: I am spending the week leading up to Christmas with my family in Prince Georges County, MD and will be traveling to Costa Rica on the 26th through the new year! 
 
AM: Tell us about charities that you are a part of? 
 
RVD: I work closely with the Make-A-Play organization, Camp Ryan, and volunteer at a middle school in my neighborhood. Lending a hand in my community is something that is very important to me.
 
AM: Is there anything else that you would like to tell us that we have not covered?

RVD: I love playing Chess, day-trading stocks, reading The Atlantic, and watching critically-acclaimed films with my Somali princess. Oh, and I still haven’t beaten a local chess-master in Union Square.

Our shoot took place in Williamsburg, Brooklyn at the McCarren Hotel and Pool as well as the famed The Meatball Shop. You can watch Rafael V Deleon on NETFLIX in Spike Lee's, 'She's Gotta Have It' streaming now. You can also connect with him socially. 
 
Twitter | @RafaelVDeLeon
Instagram | @RafaelVDeLeon
Facebook | /RafaelVDeLeon

We're big fans of The Meatball Shop at Athleisure Mag and it was fun to chat with their Marketing Director Natasha Miller about their history, menu, neighborhood locations and spirit.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us about The Meatball Shop - what the concept behind the restaurant is, who are the co-founders, when it was created, and current as well as upcoming locations of this eatery. 

NATASHA MILLER: The co-founders are Daniel Holzman (Chef) and Michael Chernow, a pair of childhood friends who opened the first The Meatball Shop location on the Lower East Side in 2010. Since then, they’ve expanded to open locations in the Upper East Side, West Village, Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, and Williamsburg. The Meatball Shop is all about eating responsibly sourced, delicious food in a fun, hip location. 

AM: What are some of the signature dishes and cocktails that are available at The Meatball Shop? 

NM: The beauty of The Meatball Shop is that you can put together any dish you'd like! But, some of our guest's favorites combos are definitely our Classic Ball (a mix of beef and pork meat) with our Classic Tomato over Spaghetti. Our Kitchen Sink Salad is also a big hit with our guests. Our cocktail menu changes seasonally, but I’d say our Moscow Mule is pretty classic (and delicious).

AM: For those who are vegetarian, can they also enjoy the experience at The Meatball Shop? 

NM: Totally! We have vegan veggie balls that are out of this world, I like them best with our pesto, but they can be served however you’d like! We're all about cooking seasonally and are always changing up our awesome roster of veggies sides. Currently were serving sides like Roast Brussels Sprouts and Apples, Braised Kale and Tomato Soffrito, and Butternut Squash Sage Rissoto. 

AM: If you haven't done so already, can you tell us about Sidepiece? 

NM: Sidepiece is the bar connected to our Hell’s Kitchen location – you walk to the back of the restaurant, past the restrooms, through a little hallway, and you’re there! Sidepiece has a totally different cocktail menu and acts as our meatball test kitchen where we serve some super fun dishes like Pretzels Balls and Meatball Nachos, in a speakeasy-esque space. It can also be rented out for private parties too!

AM: With a number of locations in NYC, what is the thought of the aesthetic of the restaurant in relation to the location of the neighborhood that it resides in? 

NM: The aesthetic of each individual restaurant definitely changes based on the neighborhood that surrounds it. We want each location to feel like its own restaurant - the Williamsburg location, for example, is more subdued and looks lovingly worn in, while the Lower East Side shop has a poppy-feel, with a deep navy wall coated in bright white metal meat grinders. 

AM: We shot a portion of our shoot in the Williamsburg location of The Meatball Shop. What can you tell us about this particular location (when it opened, those who tend to stop in)? 

NM: We opened up our Williamsburg Shop in 2011 and it's become a stable of Bedford Ave. We get a lot of neighborhood locals for sure but as the neighborhood has changed we're also seeing a ton of tourists stop in which has been really fun. We recently started serving brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00am-4:00pm – this was the first location we started doing so, and it’s been a nice change of pace.

AM: What can we expect with the upcoming holiday season in terms of events or promotions taking place at The Meatball Shops? 

NM: We’re just about to launch our latest SHUT skateboard deck design, which will be available on our website. We encourage fans of the brand to check out our other gear as well, like our Ballers sweatshirt, Ballerina Tee, and our jarred Classic Tomato Sauce- which can all be found at www.themeatballshop.com.
 

AM: What are the Co-Founders' favorite dishes at The Meatball Shop? 

NM: Michael Chernow loves a Kitchen Sink with Veggie Balls and Pesto and Daniel Holzman loves a heartier dish of Pork Meatballs with Spicy Meat Sauce over Polenta with a Family Jewel on top!

AM: Are there new dishes (whether ongoing or seasonal) that will be coming to The Meatball Shop? 

NM: We just started serving our Grilled Cheese balls in all of our locations this week – they sit like dumplings atop a layer of cream of tomato soup and are dangerously good. Right before Christmas, we will be bringing back our Jingle Jingle Balls made with venison and paired with a traditional Cumberland Sauce. We also have a killer Bread Pudding special for dessert this month!

AM: We know that you can buy The Meatball Shops' sauce and cookbook, are there other items that are available that people can purchase when they can't get to the physical locations? 

NM: We love designing merch! In addition to our sauce and cookbook, you can find our "Balls" shirts, Grinder Snapbacks, and Grinder Carhartt Beanies at all of our shops. We also carry limited quality items such as our Hedley & Bennet Aprons, "Mini Meatball" Onesizie, and (Baller)INA Pink T-Shirts that you can find in our different shops!

Read more from the Nov Issue and see Raf's Gambit in mag.

ATHLEISURE HOUSE NYFW SS18

This time of year is not only about enjoying the last of summer and bringing your fall wardrobe in, but it's also about looking at upcoming fashion and new items hitting the runways at New York Fashion Week. Athleisure Mag presented its second annual Athleisure House NYFW SS18 with attendees in fashion, fitness, entertainment, influencers and media. We were pleased to unveil a project that our Co-Founders, Paul Farkas and Kimmie Smith have been working on - UG|RO Ugly Romper which is a line of rompers that are for the girl on the go whether she's running errands, heading to a game, a power lunch, meeting up with her friends for brunch and going out for a night out. Wherever she's going, she's bound to shine in these looks.

This show had great support from our sponsors: Makeup Pro, Aubrey Loots - Wella Hair Professional, Kawaii Girl Cosmetics lashes, Qupid Shoes, Vera Bradley handbags and JBL headphones. Guests enjoyed Truly Sparkling, Icelandic Glacial, High Brew Coffee and Mochidoki while taking in a night on the rooftop of 50 Clinton (in the historic Lower East Side).

ATHLEISURE MAG: What are the amenities offered at 50 Clinton St?

50 CLINTON: The building’s plentiful amenities include a landscaped rooftop offering residents a private outdoor retreat with 360 degree views of the Manhattan skyline and ample space for
outdoor cooking, dining and lounging. Amenities also include a state-of-the-art fitness center, bicycle storage, and 24-hour doorman.

AM: What is the concept behind the design of the building?

50C: Issac & Stern designed exterior is comprised of intricate brick masonry and expansive windows. Inside are 37 residences designed by acclaimed interior designer Paris Forino. The elegant architecture, with an articulated red brick façade, reinvents the historic palette of both industrial and residential buildings at the turn of the century. 50 Clinton combines old-world chic with a modern European flair for an unprecedented quality of living in the neighborhood.

AM: For those that are residents, what are the neighborhood selling points?

50C: 50 Clinton Street is a boutique condominium located in the heart of Manhattan’s Lower East Side with incredible boutique shopping and great restaurants in a fresh and young area.
This is a thriving downtown neighborhood where there is strong demand for a product offering luxury at an attractive price point which is what 50 Clinton offers.

MODEL CREDITS
| 10 MGMT PG 27 Beata Komoni |
| ABBEY LYNN MODELS PG 19 Mirejah |
| MAJOR MODELS PG 15, 17 25 Sage Pineiro |
| MSA MODELS PG 18 Allegra; PG 15 22, 23 Amanda; Cover, 14, 16 20 21 Diosmary; PG 19 Keke; PG 14, 24 Malia |
| PG 14 + 26 Alanna Reece |

Read more from the Sept issue and see Athleisure House NYFW SS18 in mag.

INK MASTER SEASON FINALE | BEAUTY & ESSEX

Another season finale of Spike's Ink Master came to an end with a celebration at Beauty & Essex earlier this week (which has hosted the season finale party for the last three years), Chef Santos' Lower East Side hotspot. Pictured above are hosts: Dave Navarro, Oliver Peck and Chris Nunez.

Beauty & Essex is known for a great menu and showcasing the beauty of it's space with a pawn shop entrance, giant chandeliers made of pearl and wine as well as a mirror room.