#havens kitchen

hey dumpling

Name : Havens Kitchen

Location : NYC

destination: Havens Kitchen, Chelsea, NYC

mileage: 2.3

musical inspiration: sarah, crystal castles pandora, michelle, beach house

if heaven had a kitchen, this would be it.

michelle and i finished up a busy barista morning then laced up on a blustery april day. we ran from tribeca to chelsea with a few detours to make it a longer run. the run was, well... fun. we have missed each other, michelle and i, so anytime we have a chance to run together it feels good. (yeah i know, we work together and we are neighbors but when your in the daily nyc grind, its really hard to have those special heart to hearts that usually feel so natural after a good run)

we arrived at Havens Kitchen sweaty and full of serotonin. before we could even make it to the coffee bar we were sidetracked by all of the amazing culinary gifts and merchandise shelves. for anyone who likes to cook or eat, this would be a tough place not to spend any money. luckily for us, we usually only put a tiny bit of cash in our secret pockets, you can't run with a wallet and its probably kept us both out of trouble.

finally when we turned around to face the barista, i was blown away by the beauty. not the barista, the counter! (although he was a beautiful man and a really sweet one as well.) a gorgeous white marbled countertop covered in glass jars, long stemmed poppies, and a beautiful vintage faema espresso machine. i had been gluten free for the week so i decided to go with a GF pistachio cookie and a soy mocha. michelle had an almond milk mocha and some amazing homemade salted caramel.

everything was delicious but for this run, we seemed to be focused less on what we were putting in our mouths and more what came out of them. our  best friend time is precious and this particular chat was a special one. sometimes after riding the long blue winter waves, you just need to download with one of your nearest and dearest. we discussed daily anxieties, how to avoid them, as well as life in the womb, past lives and energy healing. there really is no topic that the two of us dont feel comfortable discussing (believe me!) sometimes you can take your good friends for granted. they are always there, and easily undervalued. however some days you are reminded what a gem you have found, and how you really just wouldnt want to live without them. michelle is my gem and today was one of those days.

my lack of focus on the venue is not because it wasn't wonderful, it truly was an inspiring place, but more due to the fact that the conversation, this day, was the show stealer. but let me tell you a little bit about havens kitchen...

it was a beautiful store front and espresso bar nestled in the front room of a very spacious test kitchen/event space. the idea behind it is that it is a community table, a place where chefs, entrepreneurs and everyone in between can teach and share their passion and special skills. you can take cooking classes, attend lectures and join them for the monthly supper club. like i said, its an inspiring place, however today, michelle's light shined the brightest.