Park Slope baker defies Kickstarter failure
Getting in gear: Apolo Torres recently completed this giant image of a bicycle in the Pearl Street tunnel in Dumbo. Apolo Torres
ABy Bill Roundy ll in all, it’s just another
bike on the wall!
A Brazilian artist has
painted a pair of murals at the
entryway to Dumbo, one showing
the gears of a gigantic bicycle, and
the other depicting a man playing
the trumpet. The images show
two things that United States and
Brazil have in common, said the
artist behind the images.
“I wanted to express things we
have in common in both cultures,
and to celebrate them,” said Apolo
Torres, who finished the murals on
Aug. 6, with backing from the city’s
Department of Transportation, the
Dumbo Improvement District,
Brasil Summerfest, and Urban
Walls Brazil.
COURIER L 48 IFE, AUG. 16-22, 2019
The images decorate each
side of the Pearl Street tunnel
beneath the Brooklyn-Queens
Expressway, between Prospect
and York streets.
Torres’s hometown of Sao Paolo
is filled with chaotic traffic, said
the artist, but using a bicycle to
get around can make it bearable.
The giant image of a bike — and
the biking child in the background
Blown away: The giant trumpet player and drumming kids in Apolo Torres’s mural “Heritage I (Music)” represent the shared
heritage that led to samba in Brazil, and jazz in the United States. Apolo Torres
— represent his hope that more
people will embrace two-wheeled
transportation.
“It’s really liberating to move
around using a bicycle. It’s my way
of representing a look into the future
... and my hope that we will be able
to have more friendly cities, both to
the environment and to our people,”
he said in a statement.
On the opposite wall, the image
“Heritage I (Music)” represents the
shared European and African lineage
behind music in each country,
he said.
“By mixing African rhythms
with European instruments and
harmonies, Americans created jazz
and Brazilians created samba,”
said Torres. “My intention with the
musical mural is to celebrate the
strength of our musical heritage.”
The executive director of the
Dumbo Improvement District
praised the colorful mural, one of
many the organization has commissioned
in the neighbhorhood.
“It’s gorgeous, moving, and
represents a really amazing partnership
with the artists of Brazil,”
said Alexandria Sica.
“Heritage I (Cycling)” and
“Heritage II (Music)” on Pearl
Street between Prospect and York
streets in Dumbo. They will be on
display through August, 2020.
A By Aidan Graham Bensonhurst pastry chef is
opening a new bakery on
Park Slope’s Fifth Avenue
in the wake of a failed online
fundraiser, which may not have
raised any cash, but garnered some
great press!
“So, that wasn’t successful
financially, but I think it was worth
doing anyway, because I got a lot
of publicity,” said Lindsey Hill,
owner of Miss American Pie.
Hill — who has operated a pieonly
digital storefront since 2017
— will celebrate the grand opening
of her debut brick-and-mortar
location, where she will offer a
variety of tasty treats, including
the dessert that has served as her
bread and butter for the last two
years, she said.
“My signature pie is my best
seller. It’s apples, peaches, and
blueberries with an oak crumb
topping and a butter lattice crust,”
said Hill. “Also, my coconut
cream pie. It’s very fresh and delicious.
Even people who don’t like
coconut like it.”
Hill originally migrated to the
city from northern Illinois to pursue
a career in fashion, but after 12
years in the biz, the Midwestern gal
found her true calling in the kitchen,
leading her to setup the online
bakery, where she sells homemade
pies for delivery to Manhattan,
Staten Island, and Brooklyn, starting
at $45.
She launched her $30,000
Kickstarter campaign earlier this
summer, offering backers incentives
including the Pie Lover’s
Reward card, which promised one
slice of pie, one beverage, and
one pastry every day for a year in
exchange for $5,000.
But Hill only managed to garner
about $8,000 in pledges from
73 backers — money which, due
to Kickstarter’s policy that fundraisers
must exceed their goal to
pay out, she never saw. However,
the campaign did invite some nice
coverage from local blogs, such as
Bklyner and Park Slope Patch .
But all’s well that ends well,
and Hill was able to turn to a wellheeled,
pastry-loving pal to really
kick start her new baking venture.
“Just from talking about the
details with my good friend, without
even me asking, offered me an
$80,000 loan with a low interest
rate,” said Hill.
The baker’s hope now is that
Brooklynites will see her 20-seat
shop as more than a baked-goods
depot — with opportunities for
community pie eating contests,
private birthday banquets, and
holiday parties. She also plans to
feature a revolving selection of
Brooklyn based artists on a community
wall inside the shop.
“I really like the idea of having
community, local art on display for
free and giving them a venue to
show their art,” she said. “After a
month or two, I’m going to rotate
out for the next person.”
Miss American Pie (86 Fifth
Ave. between St. Marks Place and
Warren Street in Park Slope, www.
missamericanpienyc.com). Opens
on Aug. 17.
LIFE OF PIE
Wall of sound
Two new murals in Dumbo
celebrate music and cycling
American ingenuity: Lindsey Hill will open the door of her new shop on Aug. 17,
serving up delicious pies on Park Slope’s Fifth Avenue. Photo by Trey Pentecost
Lindsey Hill, owner of Miss American
Pie.
/www.missamericanpienyc.com
/www.missamericanpienyc.com
/missamericanpienyc.com