62 The Queens Courier • buzz • AUGUST 7, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com victoria’s secrets VICTORIA SCHNEPS vschneps@queenscourier.com tweet me @vschneps Great people giving back Last week, I wrote about visiting my 8-year-old grandson at Tyler Hill and then was given this poem by Marilyn Lutsky that I want to share with you. Dynamic $1000 off Lumineers $500 off Invisalign DENTAL WORK Free Whitening included the inViSiBle WAy to Some excluSionS Apply StrAighten teeth third generation dentist 175-15 Jamaica avenue, Jamaica 718-297-4100 • 718-297-4106 One of my biggest delights being a newspaper publisher is to meet unique people. This past week I had the pleasure of having dinner with two remarkable people, John Ciafone and his wife Gina Argento, and, as an added bonus, my son Josh joined us since his wife was visiting her mother in California with 2-year-old Hudson. We met at what has become a dining “hotspot” in Williamsburg, Antica Pesa, on Berry Street, which also has an outlet in Rome, Italy. The charming host knew Gina and made us feel special, bringing dish after dish of divine Italian food. Each dish beat my expectations. The warm and inviting interior with a back room dimly lit and attractively furnished with white disc chandeliers all added to the decor. We sat by the open French door looking out onto the street. The night before, Bette Midler was there and Madonna is a frequent guest, so of course the restaurant has instant “sex appeal.” Gina, recently honored as one of our Top Women in Business in Brooklyn, is the proud owner, with her brother Tony, of the Broadway Stages headquartered in Greenpoint. The company began in 1983 when they took over a dilapidated movie theater and turned it into the company’s first sound stage. They now operate over half a million square feet of stages with 28 stateof the-art sound stages. In fact, it’s the largest studio in New York City, larger than Silvercup and Kaufman Astoria movie studios. What especially endeared Gina to me was how involved she has been with the communities and businesses where her studios co-exist. She created a four-color booklet with all the surrounding businesses so if the company leasing space from them has any needs, from food to lumber, it’s all there for them to use in the neighborhood. Being sensitive to the environment, on the roof of one of the Broadway Stages is a 6,000-squarefoot farm! It produces food that is sold onsite at a farmers market and also bicycles fresh produce to local restaurants. But there’s more — they even run an education program to train others in specialized farming. They also created a solar roof on 50,000 square feet of another building. It will produce half a million kilowatt hours each year and will enable them to save $100,000 in electricity annually. A dramatic investment. Giving back seems to be in their DNA and I’m proud to know them. John, an attorney for decades in Astoria, will be honored Sept. 18 at our Kings of Queens dinner. They truly are a royal couple and we are all enriched by their being part of our communities. Library wars Several of my friends, members on the library board, who were relieved of their positions, have made me proud for their roles in making our Queens Library the best in the country and a model for many overseas library systems. I hope the conflict with the Borough President, also a friend, can be resolved and that efforts to end the conflict conclude successfully. CAMP VISITING WEEKEND WE VISIT CAMP THIS WEEKEND TO SEE OUR LITTLE LAMBS. WE’RE BRINGING BOOKS & PRESENTS EVERYTHING BUT … HAMS!! THEY SENT A LIST, A MILE HIGH OF THINGS THAT THEY DESIRE SO ONCE AGAIN THIS WEEK I FELT JUST LIKE A CHAIN-STORE BUYER. A LITTLE THIS … A LITTLE THAT ANOTHER SHIRT AND VEST AFTER ALL, IT’S FOR KIDS WE HAVE TO DO OUR BEST!! MASTER SAYS … “DO ANYTHING” THAT IS WITHIN REASON JUST TO GUARANTEE THAT THEY STAY PUT THERE FOR THE ENTIRE SEASON! BY MARILYN LUTSKY Gina Argento is the proud owner, with her brother Tony, of the Broadway Stages headquartered in Greenpoint. John Ciafone, who will be honored on September 18 at our Kings of Queens Dinner, with myself and Josh. The 6,000-square-foot farm that resides on the roof of one of the Broadway Stages. It produces food that is sold onsite at a farmers market, and also bicycles fresh produce to local restaurants.
QC08072014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above