New healthy supermarket coming to StuyTown
BY DEAN MOSES
A new healthy supermarket will open
early next year within the Stuyvesant
Town-Peter Cooper Village
complex, amNewYork Metro has learned.
The 10,000-square-foot market named
Chef’s Local Harvest is set to open its doors
early in 2022 on East 14th Street between
1st Avenue and Avenue A. This space was
once home to an Associated Supermarket
but has been vacant for much of the
COVID-19 pandemic with the apartment
complex once utilizing its open room as
a food pantry for local residents in need.
With this new information, the space is
confi rmed to continue serving residents
with quality food when it is hoped the
worst of the pandemic is behind us.
Chef’s Local Harvest will be owned
and managed by father and son team, Paul
and Aaron Fernandez. The pair have an
extensive history in the supermarket business
in New York, aiding in the creation
of the Union Market Chain and the Ideal
Marketplace in the Chelsea area. Stuyvesant
Town-Peter Cooper Village property
managers say they are excited about the
partnership.
“Paul, Aaron and their family have consistently
worked to deliver a top-notch New
York City product over the years, and we’re
thrilled to welcome them to the neighborhood,”
said Paul Burke, general manager
at StuyTown. “Chef’s Local Harvest will
PHOTO BY ANDY CAVALLARO
Chef’s Local Harvest is a new market set to open early 2022 in Stuyvesant
Town-Peter Cooper Village.
GoFundMe for NYC ER nurse racks
up thousands of dollars in a few days
BY HANNAH MALLARD
Thousands of dollars are pouring into
a GoFundMe page created three
days ago for local Bellevue emergency
room nurse, Gem “Gigi” Menor,
who recently tested positive for COVID-19
during her third trimester of pregnancy.
Menor’s husband also tested positive for
COVID-19 and they were both hospitalized
in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Menor’s coworker, Ee Tay, created the
GoFundMe page for Menor, her husband
and their new baby on Feb. 15 with the
goal of raising $50,000. In three days, over
$63,000 of donations from 1,200 donors
have poured into the online fundraising
account.
After creating the account, organizer
Tay gave the page’s followers an important,
encouraging update and thanked
the donors for their generous support.
“We welcome the birth of Baby Boy born
provide a vital community resource and
perfectly complement the hardware store,
vet, dry cleaners, bike store and coffee
shop along our emerging retail corridor,
which has become a one-stop-shop for our
residents’ everyday needs right at their
doorstep.”
The new store will feature an entrance
that will link to the apartment complex’s
earlier today. Baby in Neonatal ICU and
mother has returned to Medical ICU
neighborhood, allowing residents direct access
to what is promised to be an extensive
array of food from fi sh and meat to fresh
produce. The location will also boast a deli
and a café for fast service.
While those at Stuyvesant Town-Peter
Cooper Village are excited about the addition
to the local community, both Paul and
Aaron Fernandez are just as elated.
PHOTO VIA GOFUNDME
… Thank you to everyone who has donated
so far and for your generosity. We
“I started in this business forty years ago
with the purchase of a corner deli in Little
Italy where I grew up,” said Paul Fernandez.
“That store was where everyone in
my community came for a cup of coffee,
groceries or just to chat. Today, when I pass
by the neighborhood, those same shoppers
from years ago stop me to say hello. It is
important to me to be a contributing member
of every community in which I open a
business. I’m elated to have my son joining
me to create those same connections that
he will have for the next 40 years of his
career.”
Paul’s son, Aaron echoes this sentiment,
and believes that their neighborly philosophy
is one that Stuyvesant Town-Peter
Cooper Village both fosters themselves and
supports through their volunteer effort,
Good Neighbors.
Aaron, the co-owner of this endeavor,
shared his excitement for project that is
just over the horizon. “It is very exciting to
be working with my father on this project
that will be like my second home,” said
Aaron Fernandez. “We have always prided
ourselves on doing the right thing for our
community and our staff, which is a core
value we hope to bring to the Stuyvesant
Town and Peter Cooper Village residents.
Although the exact opening date for
this market is not yet known, the store has
confi rmed that it will provide 7-day-a-week
operation when it does, with store hours
running from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
reached our initial goal for Gem “Gigi”
and her family and will increase our
fundraising goal to ensure their needs
are met. Please continue to share, and
THANK YOU!”
On Feb. 17, Tay shared more about
Menor and her new baby’s condition.
“Gem and baby remain in critical but
stable condition. Thank you to everyone
for your prayers and contributions.”
The page reveals that Menor’s husband
is recovering from his battle with the
Coronavirus, but for the beloved Bellevue
nurse, “there is still a long way to go.”
Menor and her husband don’t have family
nearby, so the donations are imperative
for their support and care for their new
baby.
Tay writes that Menor “is known for her
kindness, leadership, and generosity as an
ED Charge Nurse and a Pediatric Head
Nurse.” Tay continues, “Please consider
giving. All proceeds will be collected to
help Gem and her family during this diffi
cult time.”
To visit the GoFundMe page and to donate
to Menor and her family, visit gofundme.
com/f/help-gem-gigi-and-her-family.
Schneps Media February 25, 2021 3