From Brooklyn with Love

Lisa Zhu
Nov 27
2 min read

Updated: 6 days ago

I have, since moving abroad, called many places home. Yet there is nothing more fun and fulfilling than building/finding new communities everywhere I went. In modern society, more often than not, we have all at some point struggled with feelings of loneliness, isolation, and chaos. In response, a neighborhood in the depths of Williamsburg has bloomed with third spaces for residents and visitors alike to mingle and share in creative experiences. I participated in the best way I know how: with my camera :).

Land to Sea

This is an AAPI-owned café/bar/creative space, originally opened Oct 2021. They recently celebrate their four year anniversary with a bang - a free-for-all block party featuring specialty cocktails, homemade jellos, full coffee/tea menu, DJs, zine launch, keychain making workshop, and so much more. They also regularly host fun community events through which I have met incredible people, and here are some photos I got from mahjong nights and poetry reading sessions.

Closing time! Put the tiles back where they belong!

Ending the night on a high note with some talented writers.

Huda New Levantine Bistro

I stumbled across another special spot strolling around the neighborhood one day - Huda. It's a scenic Levantine restaurant/creative space inspired by the owner Gehad Hadidi's childhood, which he spent with his grandmother in Damascus, Syria. Per their website, a little bit of historical context:

Prior to his restaurant career, Gehad spent his childhood between Detroit and Damascus until he moved to Beirut in his early 20’s. It was there that he found a place where his two worlds were combined and he immediately fell in love. When the Syrian civil war erupted next door, he moved to New York where he started a new career as an urban planner working on affordable housing, homelessness and electric vehicle infrastructure in New York City. Following his passion for food and his longing for the cuisine of his upbringing, Gehad attended the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in Manhattan. From there, he was introduced to the retiring owner of a charming French bistro and took the chance to become a restauranteur.

Thankfully, a very different ICE than the one we've been hearing about in the news. I think often about the international diaspora, how we all crave to honor the fondest memories of our homelands in one way or another, and the diversity of cuisines we see in NYC as a result of passion, longing, and nostalgia. Truly a labor of love.

Fun fact: got a chance to check out Sabri Sundos' (@sabri) Palestinian tatreez workshop as well as Rama Duwaji's (@ramaduwaji) tile painting workshop featuring Syrian fruit motifs.