REPORTS


NYC

THE MAST BROTHERS
These boys have their own chocolate factory!
Sometimes a video really gets you, especially when it's about a specific craft and ideology. The Mast Brothers with their passion for chocolate understands it and are living for the cacoa beans.

"They share a fiercely independent spirit, leaping into the unknown and trusting that they’ll find the answer through endurance and dedication to their craft."

If you click here there is an other video about a cacoa farm in the Dominican Republic where the Mast Brothers get their beans from.



Reported by Tijn Benedek

NYC

ZINC BAR IN NEW YORK
It wouldn't surprise me if I get a call in the middle of the night, from no where, anonymous... out of the darkness a prickly East Coast voice tells me, "it was all a set-up". Then the line goes dead.
Or if that doesn't happen, I discover it was a genuine time machine, or if it wasn't a time machine it was a film, or if it wasn't a film then... well then it might have just been the finest Jazz Club in the world.  No pretences, no cover, no gimmicks. Just jazz, for people who love it, performed by people who know it, in a place made for people who feel it.

Welcome to Zinc Bar on 3rd and Thompson.

The real cats go there before heading to the Harlem spots at 4 am. Thelonious Monk used to be the house pianist, Billie Holiday sang there, Frank Sinatra came to watch Holiday, which might have set in motion their rumored love affair.  Even the bouncer, I hear, is a legend on guitar. I know this, because the friendliest crowd I met in NYC were in that place, open to conversation, curious to engage, happy to share the history and the love.

In the crowd that night, perfectly fitting was the charming, gangster-styled British Director Reg Traviss. He drew a scene in my notebook for me, which lives to sum up this place for me, forever.

Reported by Stuart Holt

NYC

THE BEST BLOODY MARY IN NYC
There are few certainties in this world, everywhere you turn people disagree. Opinions differ. But there is one infallible truth, the Bloody Mary's at the Cook Shop on 20th Street & 10th taste unlike anything by the same name ever made. Heavy glasses, chunky ice, crunchy celery stems, a spicy intro, a tangy after taste. This was a NY experience from a book, light and airy, 50's trimmings - New York characters competing for space within the clamourous chatter. Just before our mains I heard a beautified Dolce clad girl drawl; "Sorry honey I can't make it, I'm the plus 1 for Kabbalah at Soho House tonight" This is not something people really say is it? At least that's what I thought. But then I thought I knew Mary. I thought I knew the city. But then I discovered the Cookshop was hiding it all along, wrapped up within its shiny gleaming New York walls.

Stuart Holt Digital London


Reported by Stuart Holt special guest editor


NYC

INSPIRATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY
It was love at first sight. We took a look at Trevor Triano's portfolio and fell in love with his inspirational photography. His style suits Travelteq perfectly. He has an eye for detail and his dreamy photograpy reminds us of the Traveler we would like to be. A wanderer who discovers the world. www.trevortriano.com

Reported by Sophie van Bentum

NYC

LEVAIN BAKERY
Any Manhattan excursions I undertake to the Upper West Side now always include a stop to Levain Bakery. It's a cozy experience with only the best artisanal breads, muffins and one-of-a-kind cookies, all preservative free, and baked fresh daily.

Be sure to make your way down the steps into the tiny shopper's section, where you can view the daily selections. Behind the counter you can see the bakers at work. Personally, I am hooked on the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip cookie - stacked high, moist, soft, and like no cookie you'll find anywhere else. Grab a bottle of water as well, and enjoy your purchase on the bench outside or take it with you into Central Park, just down 74th Street.

Levain Bakery, 167 W 74th Street, New York City, New York, United States, (212) 874-6080
www.levainbakery.com

Reported by Jeffrey Redmon special guest editor