Catching up with Jessie Liu, Owner of PPA Studios
44-61 11th St, Long Island City, NY 11101 www.ppastudiolic.com
Jessie has lived in New York City for 20 years. Prior to that she was raised in China until she was 12 and then Rhode Island where her family was drawn to the local beauty. Currently, she lives in Court Square with her two young daughters.
PPA Studios launched in 2017 after a lifetime of wanting to open an art/music studio but being too busy to do so with her career as a performer. Jessie is passionate about offering classes to young children to nurture their passions and develop their potential. She believes the key to supporting and nurturing children in early childhood education is to observe and inspire the children, let them learn at their own pace, and discover their passion. PPA Studio instructors are recruited based on this philosophy to ensure that her young students have teachers that will be able to help them fall in love with learning.
Out of all the adult and kid programs at PPA Studio, the most popular classes at the moment are kids Ballet and Private Piano Lessons. However, Jessie is also very excited about their innovative and growing CIC (Chinese Immersion Circle) program, which is designed to engage and motivate students to learn Chinese in a supportive and play-based way regardless of their previous experience with the language. Lastly, stay tuned for more Grown Up and Me classes for families looking to help little ones learn and have fun through the long winter when it is too cold to spend much time outside.
Catching up with Aris Dalachanis, Owner of Pantry market eatery
24-20 Jackson Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101 www.pantryeatery.com
Multinational business visionary and aesthetic extraordinaire Aris Dalachanis blending his perennial hands on experience in restaurant business and interior design background set his eye on our Long Island City neighborhood and manifested the pocket size european flavoured gem known as Pantry Market Eatery.
Summer of 2017 greek born Queens resident Aris and his young entrepreneur partners walked down Jackson Ave. and overnight they made their mind up to bring to life a coffee shop that stands out for its sense awakening finesse.
Offering star quality meals bathed in crisp savor with daily handpicked fresh material and every coffee drop roasted to perfection, Pantry Market Eatery constitutes the prime spot for escaping in an immersive gastronomic experience for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
We interviewed Aris, a stern supporter of CSCA events in Court Square Park, and were impressed by his hand in hand relationship with the local needs and his fast pace affinity for problem solving. After being awarded catering business with the City Government in 2020, our hardest year yet, Aris and his team successfully completed the challenge of preparing more than 600 meals for our first line responders and hospital workers, delivering meals all over NYC providing a breath of air in the tarnished times of the corona upset.
The keen space designer and his team after half a decade of being intimately in touch with the pulsating local community, are excited to witness the emergence of more young creators in the neighborhood while remaining a reference point not only for their supreme quality cooking services but also their passionate communication, accountability and connection to the heart of Long Island City.
Food is cooked in the house fresh at 7 AM. Shop opens no later than 9AM. Visit and get to know the vibrant stuff and owners of Pantry Market Eatery while sipping tasty coffee and picking juicy bites any time of the day.
Catching up with Lisa Pantaleo, Co-Owner and Barre 3 Instructor at Barre 3 LIC
44-16 23rd St, Queens, NY 11101, https://barre3.com/studio-locations/lic
Lisa is a native New Yorker and was born and raised in Queens. She opened barre3 Long Island City in 2019 with her husband and studio co-owner, Luke. They currently live in Middle Village, Queens with their 2 year old son, Luke Benjamin.
Lisa found barre3 on Instagram while working as a Senior Graphic Designer in Manhattan and looking to mix up her workout routine. Prior to finding barre3, Lisa practiced yoga, enjoyed running, and tried a few at home workouts, but none of them left her fulfilled. Barre3 landed differently as a beautiful combination of strength conditioning, cardio, and mindfulness. She also loved barre3's bright, airy, and minimal aesthetic. Soon after discovering barre3 and doing their online workouts daily via barre3.com, she noticed the tab on their webpage about opening a franchise. She and her husband put in an inquiry to barre3 in 2016, started construction in 2017, and opened in 2019. During the studio's buildout, they hosted over 250 free pop up classes around Long Island City!
Barre3 does not require a dance or fitness background. It's a full-body balanced workout that is very approachable as instructors offer modifications for each movement. Last year they began offering livestream classes and continue to livestream all of their in-studio classes if you prefer to workout at home or for when you can't make it into the studio.
Lastly, Lisa would like you to know that your first class is always free (please email lic@barre3.com to get set up) and they can't wait to welcome you! The studio supplies all the props you will need for class, including a mat, They also have towel service in the studio room, products to freshen up post-class, and offer complimentary tea and coffee during morning classes.
Lisa aims to create a warm community feeling in the studio where clients are welcomed by name, and leave feeling like it's their second home.
Catching up with Amy Spagnuolo, Studio and School Manager at Long Island city school of ballet (LICSB)
44-02 23rd St. Studio 216 LIC, NY. 11101, www.licsb.com
Eric Ragan thought about opening a ballet school for many years while working as a professional dancer. However, at the urging of a Long Island City neighbor that wanted Eric to teach his sons to dance, he began teaching in the neighborhood and opened the Long Island City School of Ballet shortly thereafter in 2006. Amy joined in 2008 after her son was born and she learned there was a ballet studio closer to Greenpoint that would not require her to take her son in a stroller to the Upper West Side for her daughter’s ballet class. She met Eric and one thing led to another. Currently, Amy’s daughter is still dancing in her final year of college and her son continues to study at LICSB. Amy’s work at LICSB allows her the opportunity to work in arts and blend her passion for ballet with her talent for costume making.
LICSB offers classical ballet training from age 2 and up. “We believe what you learn in ballet school applies to your whole life,” says Amy. Ballet teaches students self-discipline, time management, prioritization, and many of their students end up in specialized high schools. Ballet is a great mind-body balance. The structure of each ballet class from age 3-17 is the same: stretch, barre exercises, and then move to the center of the studio for jumps and across the floor motions. Class ends with a révérence where you thank the teacher for being there and ballet for existing.
Amy, Eric, and the teachers do this work because they love ballet and all the wonderful things ballet can give a person. They are at LICSB to give back all the things ballet has given them. LICSB offers a structured program because it offers a safe, healthy, creative outlet, and a sense of community to young people as they grow.
LICSB has been in Court Square for a long time as the neighborhood has changed and they remain grateful to be able to work in the arts and in the community.
