Key ingredients
Holiday parties, Flamingo Estate truffles, Sofreh, Todd Snyder, Togyushi, New Year's Eve reservations, MORE
ASK FOUND
First, a subscriber writes regarding our query, Where are you sourcing your Christmas tree?
After years of driving around South Brooklyn to source Christmas Tree data, we’ve landed on Whole Foods as the best place to get it, especially if you want a taller tree. They’re about $90 for any size tree (ours is an 8 footer!). They don’t really provide the full Christmas Tree lot experience, but in this economy the price was right and they’ll let you know how old the trees are.
And FOUND subscriber plans for company holiday parties:
Deux Chats in Williamsburg, because last minute I could book a large group for oysters, martinis, and snacks + I can bring our own desserts. Its $30pp menu (drinks additional) which isn’t bad to book for 7-9p.
Café Sabarsky at the Neue Galerie! I honestly can’t think of a more festive venue... think passed mini schnitzels and chilled grüner... Hosting an event here also means you can view the unparalleled art collection upstairs.
Today, one additional PROMPT for which we request your immediate attention:
Where will you celebrate New Year’s Eve?
ABOUT FOUND • Help Wanted
We’re looking to add a fractional growth lead to help with organic email acquisition and paid conversion. FOUND is currently live in six markets (NY, LA, SF, Miami, London, and Paris), plus the newly launched Global edition, with an audience of over 100K subscribers. Experience in media is a plus but not required. Interested parties should hit reply or email us at found@itsfound.com.
WORK • Tuesday Routine
Design dork
ALEX HIRSCH • design & construction project manager for global real estate and development • MillerKnoll
Neighborhood you work in: Gramercy
Neighborhood you live in: Clinton Hill
It’s Tuesday morning. What’s on the agenda today?
I work on retail projects throughout the country, specifically for Design Within Reach and Herman Miller. From survey to shop opening, I’m making sure the store opens exactly how we envisioned it. My workplace is wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling MillerKnoll product. On a typical Tuesday, I’m sitting on and surrounded by Herman Miller, Knoll, Muuto, Hay, and Maharam furniture, fixtures, decor, and fabrics. Tuesdays are buzzy. We share the fourth floor of our building with the MillerKnoll real estate, product, merch, visuals, and marketing departments. It’s quite the creative scene. Architecture samples for upcoming retail projects are everywhere, reference images are pinned up in offices. For a design dork like me, it’s fantastic.
What’s the scene back in New York?
Today is a little different than usual as I’m on a site visit in Walnut Creek, California. These days I find I’m on the road more than in the office because I have four, soon to be five, projects under construction across the country. Nothing in our stores is cookie-cutter. Our lighting is custom, our storefronts are retrofitted or newly constructed, and our back of house areas are reworked for each location depending on available size and how much cash-and-carry the area estimates needing. Additionally, we bring in a lot of custom mill and metal work, and we showcase a large portion of our chairs on a two or three story metal “chair wall.”
Aside from construction management, I’m working on new sustainability initiatives for our retail stores. The goal is two-fold: integrate both human and environmentally safe materials and finishes. MillerKnoll as a company has been proactive in eliminating PFAS and Red List chemicals from the products we sell. I’m trying to do the same for the construction of our retail stores.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
My birthday is very very soon, and I’m unashamedly using this as a means to tell my husband I’d like to go back to Sofreh for dinner. On Friday, I’ll go to Rhodora or Entre Nous for a glass of wine with friends in the neighborhood. Saturday, I’ve begun an unofficial routine of taking my son to Smor for a croissant or Bolle med ost.
How about a little leisure or culture this week?
I’m heading to Pittsburgh for the Frank Lloyd Wright Spirit Award Gala. Three years ago, I was fortunate enough to work on the restoration of his (only) retail building on Rodeo Drive. Givenchy developed this amazing building into its flagship, and the FLW group is bestowing an award during their annual conference. While I’m there, I’m going with the construction team to Wright’s Fallingwater historic home for an architectural tour.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
I have a (nearly) two-year-old, and I bought him an Eames elephant in classic Herman Miller red. That’s about as big of a purchase I get these days unless you count these cool Todd Snyder pants I snagged for my husband on a whim while opening up Herman Miller Nashville.
What NYC store or service do you love to recommend?
My favorite local stores are all on Atlantic Avenue: Salter House, Porta, and Primary Essentials. They’re also on the way to Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Where are you donating your time or money?
Continually donating to both NPR and Planned Parenthood. When my son is a little older I can’t wait to donate some time with him at Billion Oyster Project.
WORK LINKS: Downtown Q3 leasing activity doubles YoY • Up all night selling Christmas trees in New York • How family-owned New Balance got back in the race • Is this the end of the billable hour? • The best way for CEOs to quit.
RESTAURANTS • First Person
Rare meat
Three cedar trays displaying perfectly portioned medallions of wagyu tenderloin, striploin, and rump sat on the pass as I took my seat along Togyushi’s U-shape counter. The restaurant, which opened last month on West 37th Street near 6th Avenue, spotlights Zao wagyu, sourced from its eponymous mountain region around two hours north of Tokyo, where cattle are prized for their balanced marbling and naturally sweet, clean flavor. Togyushi is the only restaurant outside of Japan that offers this beef.