Posts Tagged ‘gifts’

Say Thanks to Mom on Her Special Day with These Wonderful Mother’s Day Gifts

There’s no shortage of unusual choices filled with New York City style

Courtesy Angelina

Angelina

Paris export Angelina has created a truly fanciful dessert for Mother’s Day. The all-red Confidence pastry has a macaron biscuit base, topped with stewed strawberries, currant, white chocolate cream and fresh raspberries. Mom can choose an individual one or order a larger one to share among four to six people or an even larger one for six to eight people. Given the colors of this confection, this might be the most memorable Mother’s Day Instagram shot you’ll see that day. Dine at the patisserie or order in advance to devour at home.

Courtesy Sweet Generation

Sweet Generation

Sweet Generation is a non-profit artisanal bakery that trains youths aged 16-24 to work in the food industry. Through a program called RISE, students from marginalized or in-need communities receive hands-on job experience and entrepreneurial training. Started in Amy Chasen’s kitchen in Astoria, Queens and now expanded in Bushwick thanks to a multi-million-dollar grant from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, Sweet Generation creates handcrafted cakes, cupcakes, pastries, breads and other confections with sales supporting RISE. For Mother’s Day, the bakery’s gift basket is a sweet collection of their most popular desserts including flower-decorated cupcakes, cookies, brownies and blondies. The gift pack is beautifully packaged in a Sweet Generation tote bag with a Mother’s Day card.

Courtesy Paris Baguette

Paris Baguette

Bakery-café Paris Baguette introduces two limited-edition cakes for Mother’s Day. The cream-filled cakes feature the sweet flavors of blueberry and vanilla and are topped with colorful berries. Beyond admiring their artistry and knockout decorations, you have to love the names of these as well:  Mom’s Very Berry Blueberry Chiffon, a blueberry fantasy from inside to out, and the Berry Special Mom Cake, a vanilla cake with sliced strawberries.

Courtesy Vesta Chocolate

Vesta Chocolate

Designed from the heart in tribute to the owners’ mothers on Mother’s Day, Vesta Chocolate’s Mother’s Day Jewel Bonbon Collection is a gift to all moms from New York City chocolatier and pastry master husband-wife duo Roger Rodriguez and Julia Choi-Rodriguez. The holiday bonbon collection reflects flavors and family traditions from two countries, the Dominican Republic and South Korea. The ginger tea, vanilla, and “morir soñando” orange creamsicle bonbons are favorites of  Roger’s Mami. Julia’s Umma is the inspiration for the tangy and sweet yuzu, Earl Grey and red bean bonbons.

Courtesy Schmackary’s

Schmackary’s

Cookie-loving moms will feel the passion that’s infused in Schmackary’s oversized cookies. For Mother’s Day, the popular Manhattan bakery, known for its crazy and constantly changing variety of inventive cookies, is also adding a choice of “schmall” … so you can try more than one. Mix the flavors up for a bespoke six-pack with Baker’s Choice, Gourmet Chocolate Chunk, Fan Favorites or Frosted Fantasy, for example. Make the gift even more special with a gift tin. If you purchase these in-store, you’ll get 15% off cookies and drinks.

Courtesy BoujFleaMarket

BoujFleaMarket

BoujFleaMarket wants moms to feel great on their special day. The Harlem e-boutique’s Mother’s Day gift pack is a cheery collection of lavender-scented body scrub and bath bombs, put together by mother-and-daughter co-owners Anastasia Linkpon and Adrian Mack. A shining example of entrepreneurship at any age, New York City native Anastasia is 7 ½  years old, making her one of the youngest recipients of the HOPE One Million New Black Business (1MBB) initiative in conjunction with Shopify.

Courtesy CAMP: Form Reimagined

CAMP: Form Reimagined

Sentimental by definition, moms collect things. Help your mother keep track of her treasures with a  CAMP: Form Reimagined Trinket & Tchotchke Box that’s as individual as she is. Brooklyn-based CAMP upcycles vintage canisters, sugar bowls and spice jars to create “campy” stash boxes to hold precious keepsakes. With each purchase, CAMP makes a donation to a charity for metastatic cancer research.

Courtesy Tipsy Scoop

Tipsy Scoop

New York City’s Tipsy Scoop does it again with another boozy holiday hit. The ice cream parlor’s Mother’s Day Pack features a variety of mom-tested, liquor-infused favorites: Dark Chocolate Whiskey Salted Caramel, Cake Batter Vodka Martini, Strawberry White Sangria Sorbet and Raspberry Limoncello Sorbet. Give your mom an aperitif, too – sign her up for Tipsy Scoop’s live Mother’s Day cocktail making class on May 9. Order a cocktail kit for yourself, too, and tune in to learn how to make two boozy ice cream cocktails. The kit includes boozy sorbet and ice cream, lemonade, candies, fruit and other goodies.

Courtesy Chef Marcus Samuelsson

Cooking Class with Chef Marcus Samuelsson

You can preface your boozy dessert afternoon with a soul food class by New York Chef Marcus Samuelsson on May 7. Celebrating the launch of his new cookbook, “The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food,” Samuelsson’s master class is all about the beauty of Black cooking. Register your mother and she’ll receive a package with the ingredients needed to make  tomato and peach salad, tamarind-glazed salmon and spiced wine cake.

Courtesy Eternal Roses

Eternal Roses

If you’ve ever been frustrated when the gorgeous roses you bought fade into oblivion after just a few days, Eternal Roses solves that problem with their line of “eternal” Mother’s Day flowers. Designed to last for several years, the preserved roses are artfully set in a variety of centerpieces that will beautify any table or nightstand. Pick mom’s favorite colors for a customized arrangement with staying power.

Courtesy Classic Harbor Line

Classic Harbor Line

Classic Harbor Line’s Around Manhattan Brunch Cruise keeps Mother’s Day spirited and scenic with a three-hour island circumnavigation on an elegant teak-decked yacht. The city’s skyline, bridges and landmarks provide the set for the almost three-hour sail which includes a three-course prix fixe brunch with a smoked salmon platter, house-made quiche and continuous mimosas.

Courtesy Deborah Miller Catering & Events

Deborah Miller Catering & Events

If after all this, you think Mom would just rather wake up to an incredible feast at home (that you don’t need to prepare), NYC’s Deborah Miller Catering & Events will make it special with an array of adorable small dishes like mini waffle sandwiches, honey-drizzled yogurt shots and strawberry shortcake dessert jars. Or, how about a bacon dessert jar? The possibilities are endless.

7 Shows Closing on Broadway: Tickets Make Great Holiday Gifts

If you’re thinking about something to give the theater lover in your family this holiday season, tickets to one of these shows soon ending their runs are the perfect gift.

Hurry now to get tickets to these seven gems:

The Color Purple – The musical version of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel closes its Tony-winning revival on January 8. The powerful story of an abused African-American woman in the American South won Cynthia Erivo a Tony Award. The show also features Danielle Brooks (Orange is the New Black) and Tony and Grammy-winner Jennifer Holliday. The gospel, blues and ragtime tunes are brilliant.  www.colorpurple.com.  Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, 242 West 45th Street. Tickets: www.telecharge.com or 212.239.2600.

The Encounter – Unlike anything you’ve ever experienced on Broadway, this smash from London surrounds you in immersive sensory brilliance.  Told by actor Simon McBurney and using 3D audio, it is the startling story of National Geographic photographer Loren McIntyre who was lost among the people of the remote Javari Valley in the Amazon rainforest. Be prepared, there’s no intermission and you can’t leave your seat as you’re tethered to it by your headphones. Closes January 8 as well. John Golden Theatre, 252 West 45th Street.  www.theencounterbroadway.com. Tickets: www.telecharge.com or 212.239.6200.

Photo by Joan Marcus

Fiddler on the Roof – The 50th anniversary revival of this wondrous show ends its run on December 31. Danny Burstein plays Tevye, a character that is truly larger than life, in this musical about a Jewish community on the eve of the Russian Revolution. The show revolves around the marriage of Tevye’s three daughters and includes songs that have become part of Broadway legend like “Sunrise, Sunset,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” and “Tradition.”  www.fiddlermusical.com.  Broadway Theatre, 1681 Broadway. Tickets: www.telecharge.com or 212.239.6200.

Jersey Boys – The boys from New Jersey will play their final show on January 15. The story of the rise of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons will have you on your feet as you join the quartet in singing “December 1963 (Oh What a Night).” You know all the songs (“Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” but even if you don’t, you’ll still be humming and tapping along to the story behind those wondrous voices that took the radio waves by storm in the latter part of the 20th century. www.JerseyBoysBroadway.com. August Wilson Theatre, 24t5 West 52nd Street. Tickets: www.ticketmaster.com or 877-250-2929.

Matilda the Musical – This brilliant, Tony-Award winning show about the children in Roald Dahl’s book, will no longer be “a little bit naughty” after January 1. Another West End transplant, the musical tracks the life of precocious Matilda, her abusive parents, and her disheartening school experiences and how Matilda decides to change her destiny. The music is catchy and the kids are fantastic. www.matildathemusical.com.  Shubert Theatre, 225 West 44th Street. Tickets:  www.telecharge.com or 212-239-6200.

Photo by Joan Marcus

Oh, Hello on Broadway– In this season of less-than-funny news and change, Oh, Hello has brought welcome laughs to Broadway audiences. John Mulaney and Nick Kroll of Saturday Night Live and Comedy Central fame play two crusty Upper West Side bachelors who have a flair for the theatrical. You’ll have to pay attention to catch all the lines and fabulous zingers, which can sometimes get lost under the audience laughter. Each night’s performance features a surprise performer. For New Yorkers, this is a must-see. Closes January 22. www.ohhellobroadway.com. Lyceum Theatre, 149 West 45th Street. Tickets: www.telecharge.com or 212.239.6200.

Photo Joan Marcus

Something Rotten – Shakespeare was never as cool as in this wonderful musical about the creation of the world’s first musical. Adam Pascal from the original production of Rent plays the Bard. But all good things must come to an end, and so must the Renaissance: Something Rotten closes on January 1.Broadway musical fans should pay attention to all the shows mentioned especially in the opening number. Something Rotten is a tribute to every musical that ever was and is. www.rottenbroadway.com.  St. James Theatre, 246 West 44th Street. Tickets: www.ticketmaster.com or 877.250.2929.

@ Joan Marcus

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