About Projects Blog Recipes Email GitHub Twitter Press Feed

bees

In 2005, I got it into my head that I wanted to keep bees. (And not let them get away! Yes, yes.) Of course, beekeeping was illegal in NYC at the time. What to do? I found a fellow to give me some hands-on experience with his hives, did my due diligence and research, and set about working to change the law. When beekeeping was finally legalized in New York in 2010, I promptly went out and ordered three pounds of bees.

I used to be the resident beekeeper on the roof of the East Midwood Jewish Center, but am currently between hives until I move somewhere more convenient again.

sketching and illustration

I make pottery at home, and I take a sketchbook, pens, and watercolors everywhere I go. I volunteered as Art Director and did all the illustration for the 2012 MIT Mystery Hunt.

cooking

I've long since stopped maintaining my old food blog, Habeas Brûlée. Some old recipes also remain up at the archives of the recipe column I used to write for Gothamist.

In 2008-9, my partner and I were chefs/owners of Jack: an occasional restaurant, a monthly restaurant night where we served 5-8 course tasting meals once/month over at the Brooklyn Lyceum. (You can read reviews of the restaurant here. Jack was also mentioned in Edible Brooklyn and in Tribes by Seth Godin.)

I've occasionally catered events, with past clients including the Fresh Fruit Festival and SalonCon. I've taught private cooking lessons, and I won Best Savory Pie at 1st Annual Brooklyn Pie Bake-Off. The closest I've come to baking a wedding cake was making 300 wedding cupcakes for a friend, but hey, you never know.

I cure pancetta in my windowsill, smoke bacon in the backyard, keep duck hearts in my freezer, and continue to make a whole lot of jam.

law

When it comes to law, my passion has always been for criminal defense. This mention no longer constitutes attorney advertising, because although I ran my own firm for about 5 years after leaving my Criminal Court clerkship, I'm no longer actively practicing law or taking on clients. And since moving out of the neighborhood, I've resigned from the Hearing Officer committee at the Park Slope Food Co-op.

volunteer work

I find it immensely satisfying to do pro bono work for good organizations. Places I've volunteered with include LeGaL, the Mass Defense Committee of the National Lawyers Guild, InMotion, the Family Center, East Midwood Jewish Center, the Bowery Mission, and St. Joseph's Soup Kitchen, among other places. All great experiences, and I can't recommend jumping in and helping them out strongly enough!

other stuff

My brother and I curated a one-day art gallery of my mother's works for her birthday in 2010.

I provided the tiny vials of honey and wrote the introduction for Amal El-Mohtar's The Honey Month.

I also spin fire.

Press.