Baby on board
MEGAN GRAHAM • RIES
WORK • Friday Routine
MEGAN GRAHAM • founder & CEO • RIES
Neighborhood you work & live in: Prospect Lefferts Gardens
It’s Friday afternoon, how are you rolling into the weekend?
I recently had a baby girl AND we’re getting ready to launch a new travel product at RIES, so things are busy and very little sleep is happening! In between Mateya’s nap times, I’m on Slack and texting with my amazing team as they prepare the new product shipments for Sephora and our big marketing campaign. It takes a village (both the baby and the business), and I’m lucky to have a close-knit and trustworthy team that’s helped me through both.
Any restaurant plans this weekend?
This week, I had my first restaurant outing with baby Mateya at Cafe Spaghetti in Carroll Gardens. Highly recommend a weekday lunch in their big backyard. Since I live steps from Prospect Park, that’s where I’ll do most of my socializing this weekend. Nothing beats grabbing something from Mama Louisa’s or Winner and lounging in the fall air. When the time comes, I’m excited to get back to indoor adult dining. A martini and endless seafood from Smithereens in the East Village are at the top of the list. Chef Nick is a friend and a culinary fave.
Any weekend getaways?
We love spending time at our friends’ home Upstate in Kingston. We do a lot of cooking together, so we always hit up the Kingston Farmers Market with an obligatory stop at Kingston Bread. Legend has it the chocolate babka from Rising River Bakehouse is what started my labor… Yum Yum Noodle Bar, the dog-friendly Hotel Kinsley, and Le Canard Enchaine are top of the list when we dine out in Kingston.
What was your last great vacation?
I tend to opt for warm weather vacations, but recently ended up in Warsaw for a film festival. I loved taking morning runs along the Vistula River, breakfast at Café Bristol and lunch at Vege Miasto. I brought back pottery gifts from Fenek Studio and perfume from Galilu Neoperfumeria.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
I haven’t purchased it yet, but the Metier Incognito bag has been on the top of my wishlist for upgrading my fits-everything carry-on bag for traveling.
What product or service do you always recommend?
Flower Power in the East Village for herbs, Photo Life in Crown Heights for film development and North 11th Shoe Repair in Williamsburg.
Where are you donating your time or money?
A friend and mentor, Sally-Ann Dale, recently passed away the same day Mateya was born. Saving Mothers was a cause that was very near and dear to her, and now me. They work to prevent deaths during pregnancy and childbirth. Every year, more than 300,000 women and girls die from pregnancy-related complications. That’s one mother every two minutes. Most of those deaths are preventable. In New York City, Black women are nine times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. Seventy-five percent of those deaths didn’t need to happen. What Sally loved about Saving Mothers is how direct the impact is. You know exactly where your money is going.