The Who:
Christophe Pourny himself grew up in his parents’ antiques store in the South of France. That must have given him the bug for his love and care with antique furniture because he had been restoring antiques from his studio in Brooklyn for over 20 years. His studio is favored by some major players in the interior design world and has helped in the restoration of Gracie Mansion and City Hall (which we pass on our Tenements Tales and Tastes tour).

Two well-known people who noticed his handiwork were Oprah Winfrey and Martha Stewart who has featured him on her show multiple times and is a big fan.

In 2010, Jason Jobson, who previously worked for luxury fashion brands like Ferragamo and Chanel, joined the studio and they decided to start bottling formulas used in the studio and creating new items

The What:
In 2014, they moved ther studio into one of the spaces at the growing Industry City complex (which is the base for our Made in New York tour). There they still take in antique chairs, sofas, and other antique furniture to be repaired. They also manufacture their all natural tonics, serums, creams, and waxes at the studio.

On some of our Industry City tours, we get to meet Jason and see the incredible craftsmen working to restore magnificent pieces behind-the-scenes. Their furniture care kits are on sale at both the studio (which is not fully open to the public) and at the Wanted Design IC Store (another stop on our tour).

Jason and Christophe wrote a book called The Furniture Bible, which took over 3 years to put together, and has now been a best seller for 3 years since it was published.  Martha Stewart generously wrote a heartfelt foreword for the book, which gives practical tips on how to restore and care for your own antique furniture. 

The Why:
We love to showcase locally made products and introduce guests to talented craftsmen.  It's amazing to see local production coming back to Brooklyn on a smaller and more specialized scale and we feel it;s important to showcase and support them.

The Where:
Christophe Pourny Studio
67 34th Street
New York, New York 11232
(718) 855-8865

The Who:
On weekday mornings and afternoons, you'll see crowds of business people waiting out the door at Culture Espresso for a taste of the high quality coffee and perhaps a chocolate chip cookie or two. Before Culture Espresso opened its doors in 2009, it was nearly impossible to find a coffee of this caliber in Midtown

The business was opened by Australian coffee lover Adam Craig (who now runs a coffee shop in Amsterdam) and trained chef Jody LoCascio. They've since brought on other serious coffee players, including General Manager Johnny Norton.

As for the coffee, they have worked with a number of coffee roasters over the years (including Brooklyn's Stumptown) before settling on Heart Roasters, a small batch roaster from Portland, Oregon. 

The What:
The coffee scene in Midtown has grown quite a bit since 2009, but Culture was the first of the third wave coffee shops in the neighborhood. This is the kind of place you would have expected in the hip neighborhoods of Brooklyn not the corporate streets of Midtown Manhattan.

That's why people are so surprised to find it (and taste Culture's amazing coffee) on our Midtown Sights & Bites tour. In addition to excellent lattes, flat whites, and superb cold brew, Culture also bakes the best chocolate chip cookie in the neighborhood (and arguably in the city). Other pastries come from local bakeries like Dough (whose doughnuts we also taste later on this tour).

The people who work a few blocks from Bryant Park are lucky to have this here, but the team at Culture realized other areas of Midtown were also in desperate need of a good coffee. So they expanded from the original shop on 38th Street to two other coffee shops further west on 36th and 38th Street.

Seating here is tight, but most patrons take their coffee to go. The ones who do sit and chat with the baristas find a really cool welcoming community of coffee lovers. 

The Why:
This truly started the third wave coffee culture of Midtown. It's a surprising oasis in the middle of the chain-heavy shops and bustling business energy. Here,. it feels like a community where you can relax for a bit, grab a great cup of coffee, and appreciate the little things in life.

The Where:
Culture Espresso
72 West 38th Street
New York, NY 10018
(212) 302-0200

Other Locations:
Culture 36
247 West 36th Street
New York, NY 10018
(646) 861-3553

Culture 307
307 West 38th Street
New York, NY 10018
(646) 864-1963

The Who:
You will often find one or both of the owners of Café Katja walking around the bar and chatting with the regular customers. The two met while working at restaurants in the city and opened this local favorite in 2007. 

​Erwin Schröttner grew up on a farm outside of Graz, Austria and moved to New York to pursue a career as a chef. Andrew Chase met Erwin while working in the kitchen with him at Monkey Bar. They decided to open their own restaurant in the Lower East Side when the neighborhood was starting to change and rents were still somewhat affordable. 

People come to Café Katja for authentic Viennese food, a perfectly poured beer and some local vibes. The restaurant and bar is named  after Erwin's daughter Katja.

The What:
Café Katja has been a popular restaurant in the neighborhood for just over 10 years. That is quite a feat considering the difficulties facing locally owned restaurants in New York today. Their success speaks volumes for how well-loved this place is by the community. They've had so much success in fact that they have been able to expand the space from a tiny 25 seat café to 52 seats and a large bar.

In addition to a variety of Austrian and German beers, you can taste an array of schnapps from both Europe and the US. The alcohol all pairs nicely with the hearty traditional food. We love their pretzels which are served not only with mustard but with butter and lipateur cheese. And to continue to soak up the beer, we recommend the wiener schnitzel, sampler of sausages, and Austrian meatballs.

The Why:
This neighborhood has been through lots of changes, as we discuss on our Tenements Tales and Tastes tour. At one time, it was called kleindeutshland and full of German immigrants, many who hailed from present day Austria. They would have been pleased to have a warm, friendly place where they could drink imported beer and eat hearty food from their homeland. And we are happy to bring tour groups by Café Katja to experience this firsthand.

The Where:
Café Katja,
79 Orchard Street
New York, NY 10002
(212) 219=9545