Chau Mui, Author at ciaooo!

1. HERE’S THE NY SCOOP

THE STATS:

A very happy Thanksgiving to you and your families! We thank you so much for reading and sharing our newsletter every week. We love and are grateful for you 🙂

Sending you all the love, health, wealth and happiness you deserve!
-ciaooo! team

GOOD NEWS

NYC is the East Coast Hollywood- Did you know there are a TON of studios being built in NY? Lionsgate Studios just opened a $500 million production facility and studio in Yonkers. Meanwhile, Steiner Studios is building a 500,000-square-foot production hub in Brooklyn Army Terminal. Forget AI, maybe now’s the time to live out your dreams of being an actor?!

BAD NEWS

Library Cuts lose Sunday Service – November 26th will be the last day of Sunday Service. Mayor Adams announced the NYPL budgets were cut from $36.2 million a year to $12.6 million in 2024. As a former library kid, I feel this pain. I used to go to the library every Sunday like clockwork, and when my neighborhood library closed for a 6 year renovation…I simply stopped reading. Hate to see what this will do for kids across the boroughs.

FROM THE 2019 ARCHIVES !!!

2. HOW TO THROW THE BEST FRIENDSGIVING!

By Nick Williams

From the vault, enjoy our article celebrating Friendsgiving!

New York City is filled with Thanksgiving orphans, hence the growing popularity of Friendsgiving.
It’s not hard to throw the best Friendsgiving ever, although it’s certainly a different vibe than your average rager. I like to gather a few friends to start cooking around noon, and I delegate sides and desserts to the late-arriving guests. I enforce a strict dress code of hideous holiday sweaters, for maximum coziness.

Cook Thanksgiving food and give the people what they want!
For food, stick to the classics – turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, Parker House rolls, pumpkin pie, etc. We only get to eat this food once a year so there’s no reason get all crazy with racks of lamb and sous vide goose and Ras El-Hanout etc.

But what is the perfect wine to serve?
Beaujolais Nouveau just so happens to be the fucking perfect Thanksgiving Wine. Friendsgiving Wine, as the case may be. Made from the Gamay grape, the wine is bottled mere months after the grapes come down off the vine. This extremely short fermentation and aging period keep the wine fresh and bright, and the natural qualities of Gamay ensure a tangy and refreshing drop.

And please have a happy and safe Friendsgiving.I hope it’s heartwarming!

KEEP READING

OH HEY, HELLO, ciaooo!

3. WAYS TO VOLUNTEER OR DONATE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

Manhattan Volunteer Corps – Be it neighbors coming together to help clean up a local garden or a teenager applying to a Community Board, the solid core of our borough’s success lies in the absolutely amazing commitment to volunteerism shown by its residents.

New York Cares is a non-profit organization that connects volunteers with opportunities to serve in NYC. You can find volunteer opportunities in a variety of areas, such as education, homelessness, and healthcare.

City Harvest is a non-profit organization that rescues surplus food from restaurants and other food businesses and delivers it to soup kitchens, food pantries, and other hunger relief programs in NYC. You can donate money, volunteer your time, or donate food to help them with their mission.

Learn more!

Community-first. Women-led. ciaooo! is on a mission to empower brands and organizations that make NYC a better place. Learn more!

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If you’re new to this newsletter, this is where we share updates on everything you need to know as a NYC local. From upcoming events to policy changes, Ciaooo was created for smart New Yorkers that care about celebrating a diverse and inclusive NYC. Yerrr!

Know someone who loves being in the know & meeting cool people? Share this with a friend!

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THIS WEEK’S UPDATE

1. NYC NEWS TO KNOW

Paid Opportunity!!! – We’re looking for talented change makers, creatives, photographers, artists, musicians and entrepreneurs to highlight and feature for an upcoming photo/video campaign! Respond back to this email with Instagram handles or people we should connect with. More details below in section 3.
Yusef Salaam of the Central Park 5 Wins City Council Seat – Wrongfully convicted and jailed for the 1989 rape of a jogger in Central Park, Salaam was elected to represent Harlem on the New York City Council. You can view results of last week’s election here.
Mayor Adams in Hot Water – and it ain’t a hot tub at Zero Bond. The FBI issued a search warrant for Mayor Adams’ electronic devices. The investigation is looking into Illegal financial contributions from the Turkish gov’t. Believe it or not, over the last 45 years, every single mayor has been investigated.
Upstate Amtrak Service is Outta Commission – Where are all our tax dollars going? Service to Westchester and upstate have been suspended after inspectors found a gaping hole in the garage directly above the station.
The First Music Video Shot entirely on Rikers Prison – No more excuses. Rapper Taquan Jones has produced and shot 2 music videos entirely behind bars. The videos combined have nearly half a million views.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

2. THAT TIME NYC’S DUMPSTER FIRES LED TO THE CREATION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

1960’S NYC WAS A WAY DIFFERENT TIME

On November 23, 1966, while most of the country was gathering around dinner tables for Thanksgiving arguing over their favorite Beatles member, NYC was trapped in a thick concoction of carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and smoke.The fog had reached the pollution index of 60.6, more than 10 points over the health danger mark.

Over the course of the month, over 200 people died, and thousands more were affected with Chronic Bronchitis and other respiratory diseases over the years.

WHAT WAS HAPPENING?

There were over 17,000 garbage incinerators located all across New York City. Literally, dumpster fires. Yikes.

A THANKSGIVING AT HOME

The government nearly shut down the entire city during the Thanksgiving weekend of 1966. Coal and gas-powered plants were ordered to shut down for the weekend, cars were asked to be driven as little as possible, and garbage incinerators were closed for the weekend and instead, replaced with ships carrying garbage to be dumped in the sea.

As a result of the smog, the city began enforcing restrictions on pollution which would eventually lead to the formation of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) on a national scale. Read the full article here!

🔥 READ ARTICLE

OH HEY, HELLO, ciaooo!

3. CIAOOO-COMMUNITY NEWS: A PAID CASTING CALL AND UPCOMING EVENTS

1. WANT TO BE FEATURED ON A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN?

Did you know that we also have a marketing agency – Ciaooo Media? As you know, our mission is to make more the media (and world) more inclusive. We’re working with a national fashion brand to highlight the next generation of talented change-makers.

Creatives, photographers, artists, musicians and entrepreneurs
Looking especially for #GenZ and #Millennial women and #BIPOC talent
Must be based in NYC
Shoots early/mid December

Respond to this email with your social (Instagram and/or TikTok)!

2.ciaooo! EVENTS COMING UP

We had great feedback from the community to include events from rock climbing to walks to tarot card readers to trivia to two step dances to Pickleball!! Keep the feedback coming as we plan!

Community-first. Women-led. ciaooo! is on a mission to empower brands and organizations that make NYC a better place. Learn more!

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HERE’S WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Best Quote We’ve Seen on the Internet Today

“Voting would be more effective if they didn’t strictly announce the event and advertise by mail. Who checks their mail anymore, except for packages? You need to get in front of people so they know when it’s time.”
– JibberJabber via Gothamist

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THIS WEEK’S UPDATE

1. NYC NEWS TO KNOW

Today is Election Day- While you’re not voting for President, you will be voting for 51 City Council members, Supreme Court Justices and Judges and 2 ballot measures. Polls close at 9pm today! Find your poll site here.
Revel Mopeds About to Become No-Peds – You can say bye to the blue Revel mopeds starting Nov 18th as they pull their fleet from NYC after a drop in ridership. Instead, Revel will focus on their fleet of fast charging vehicles.
Lyft to Double Up on E Bikes – LFG! Who else has been tired of fighting over an E-bike?! Citi Bike is planning to electrify 20% of stations to charge bikes & double their E- fleet. Over 4 million rides were taken in August of this year, up 63 percent from 2019.

OH HEY, HELLO, ciaooo!

2. SHOULD WE BRING BACK CIAOOO-COMMUNITY EVENTS?

WHY WE STARTED ciaooo!
When I first had the idea to launch ciaooo! 4 years ago, I wanted to building the most incredible community of diverse and passionate New Yorkers.

As a native New Yorker who grew up with block parties and hanging on the stoop, I never felt like traditional media sites like Time Out truly captured the essence of NYC. It was always the picture perfect startup founders who raised $30 million or the model thin transplant starting a wellness company.

I didn’t see stories of the Bengali mom and pop shops or the 20 something kid from the Bronx photographing the city. I didn’t see stories about…you! Since 2019 we’ve:

✍️ Written 100+ articles celebrating our own community of diverse founders, artists, creatives and businesses
🎉 Threw hundreds of unique events from trivia nights to comedy shows to dumpling tours.
📧 Written our weekly newsletter (wow, issue 129)

WHY WE STOPPED OUR EVENTS
We stopped our events during the Pandemic and to be honest, we put too much pressure on ourselves to make each event a banger. Would people show up? Would people like the event? Can we make it match what it once was? Do you even care?

But now, in light of what’s been going on in the world – I think we need community more than ever. We need to be reminded of what it’s like to be together and I think it’s time to bring it back, at least on a smaller scale.

VOTE YES OR NO
Affordable, fun events like group workout classes, happy hours & exploration outings? They’ll all be unique NYC experiences and support local, independent establishments.

If you are interested – please respond back to this with your favorite emoji 😊 or suggestions of what we should plan for? I want to gauge interest because it’s a lot of effort to put together!

OH HEY, HELLO, ciaooo!

3. A NYC COOKBOOK LAUNCH PARTY AT THE RED PAVILION BY SEND CHINATOWN LOVE

Join our friends at Send Chinatown Love for a night of celebration for the official release of Made Here, a volunteer-built cookbook featuring recipes, photos, and in-depth stories from 43 restaurants in more than 24 neighborhoods across NYC. On Monday, Nov. 13, we’ll be gathering at the Red Pavilion, Bushwick’s own Asian-owned neo-noir cabaret and nightclub! 🥳 Come mingle with the Send Chinatown Love community and the teams behind some of the city’s essential Asian restaurants, and pick up a hardcover copy of our hot-off-the-press book.

Featuring
🎟️ Raffle for a chance to win a signed copy of the cookbook, or additional goodies donated by Asian-owned businesses
⚡️ Flash tattoos by @gentle.oriental, @baby.citrus, and @ohayopokes from @longtimetattoo
🎶 Tunes by API DJ @gabrieletrata
🍢 Small bites and desserts from restaurants and businesses featured in the book
📖 Readings from the creators behind the book
🛒 First access to limited-edition Send Chinatown Love merch produced in collaboration with @friendofafriend.studio

LEARN MORE!

Community-first. Women-led. ciaooo! is on a mission to empower brands and organizations that make NYC a better place. Learn more!

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THIS WEEK’S UPDATES

1. NYC NEWS TO KNOW

Happy Halloween!

• Crisis Resources – NYC has a free resource for stress, anxiety, depression, drug abuse…where you can speak with a mental health counselor for free via phone, text or chat in more than 200 languages, 24/7/365.

• It’s Officially Heat Season – Get ready for the rickety rattle of the radiator. From now. until May 31, landlords are required to keep indoor temperatures at least 68°during the day (when it is below 55° outside) and at least 55° when it is below 40° outside at night. Clang Clang Clang went the radiator.

• OMNY kiosks have arrived at the MTA – New OMNY kiosks arrived in Atlantic Ave and Fordham this week with more to come. MetroCards will be out of commission in 18 months.

• Hello Darkness, My Old Friend – Daylight Savings Time ends this Sunday. Say Goodbye to the sun and hello to seasonal depression.

OUR DEEP DIVE

2. NYC COMMUNITY FEATURE – HOW A BROOKLYN STARTUP IS BUILDING SMART FRIDGES TO MAKE OFFICES SUSTAINABLE

“When you look at all those delivery apps, they don’t give a f*** about sustainability…especially regarding packaging, waste, sourcing, and logistics”

It’s a passionate plea from Tximista Lizarazu, the 28 year-old founder of Fraîche, a company on a mission to make back-to-office dining more sustainable with the help of smart fridges. And you know what? He’s right. On average, over 35% of our total food consumption takes place in the office, which makes for a loooooot of food delivery.

The Brooklyn-based startup launched 4 years ago when founder Tximista Lizarazu left his native France to help Le Pain Quotidien expand the fast-casual bakery across NYC. Focusing on behind-the-scenes logistics and operations, Txim realized very quickly that sustainability and quality needed significant improvements despite the variety of food options here in NYC.

“We want to make sustainability more accessible. It’s a scary topic, and if you talk about it with analogies, simple words and images, you make it easier to understand”.

Txim created an in-office food solution to cut food delivery costs, time, packaging, and carbon emissions. The first iteration of Fraîche, included a refrigerated vending machine that provided quick, nutritious salads & healthy meals that workers could easily pick up their meals from. Txim and team crafted their own salads daily to build transparency and have control over the quality of their ingredients. The team quickly saw success as major agencies like Publicis picked up the fridges to feed their hungry masses until the Pandemic hit in February 2020.

With a pause on all in-office workers, Txim and the team spent the next few years designing and creating their own smart fridges, making their own inventory platform to send crucial information to the team.

Fast forward to the present, and Fraîche, has a hub in Soho where bicyclists pick up curated meals from local NYC restaurants like Daniel Boulud, Botaniste, Springbone, Maman, and The Migrant Kitchen.

“Our model includes delivering to 50-100 people at one time. We deliver by e-bikes in the morning, the packaging is compostable, and we have a zero-waste policy. At the end of the day, everything is given to charity, and the food partners are selected based on sourcing sustainability”.

Their partnership with One Love has led to the donation of a staggering 8,000 meals last year, providing companies with a hassle-free avenue to spread goodwill. To learn more about Fraîche, mission – you can follow their site here!

LEARN MORE

OUR DEEP DIVE

3. A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Hey friends!

You may have noticed that we missed the past few issues. This newsletter is my love letter to NYC and this month was the first time in nearly 4 years that I really had no clue what to say.

I started this newsletter to celebrate NYC. I’m a first-gen Chinese woman who grew up in Brooklyn with Italian, Latino and Arab neighbors while going to a Jewish HS. Diversity is in the tap water here, that’s why our bagels are so good. The most beautiful parts of us come from all of the different people, cultures and experiences that we encounter in our lives. It seems the world has forgotten that.

Here at ciaooo!, our mission has always been to empower the community around us. We may not be able to change the world, but we can change the community around us.

While the world may be at discourse about the war right now (we will work on a future newsletter that will dive deeper) this newsletter is to remind you to try to do good in your community. Small, simple acts compound. Today, more than ever we need small reminders that there is good in the world.

This month, we went to speak to college students at Fordham University. We spoke about the importance of having more cultural representation in the media. More women in the media. More authentic stories. More inclusivity. More community. More love. I was so inspired by the students and the creativity + excitement they showed. Let’s try to have more conversations like this. Sending big hugs to you all – Chau

Community-first. Women-led. ciaooo! is on a mission to empower brands and organizations that make NYC a better place. Learn more!

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THIS WEEK’S UPDATE

1. NYC NEWS TO KNOW

Hello everyone!

Hope you all managed to stay dry from the storms last week. Today’s newsletter is a little shorter because… I am going to speak at Fordham University tonight! I have been asked to come and speak to business students about Ciaooo! and our mission to create inclusive, culturally relevant stories in the media. Fingers crossed it goes well! We’ll put some updates on our Instagram!

Love,
Chau

Oh and PS. It’s October 3rd!

NYC NEWS TO KNOW

• Manhattan’s First Beach is here- Gansevoort Beach, located in the Meatpacking District opened up yesterday just in time for…summer, er…Fall. It also includes a large sports field, picnic area, and fitness equipment. Going in the water will be a big no-no both due to restrictions and shame.

• Party Rockers Killed the Great Lawn – Central Park’s Great Lawn is closed until April 2024 after torrential downpours + partygoers from the Global Citizen Festival destroyed the land.

• Parts of NY Still Recovering from Flood– While most of NYC seems back to normal, parts of Long Island are still dealing with the backlash of flooded homes and damaged property. Climate Change is for real…

OH HEY, HELLO, ciaooo!

3. BROOKLYN MAKERS MARKET

SUPPORT, INSPIRE AND ENCOURAGE MAKERS AND LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES.
Brooklyn Makers Markets are known for bringing together independent artists + makers specializing in home decor, fashion, art, design, food (and more!) in a fun + inspiring environment that champions community. Browse through 100+ makers and small businesses!

BK LOFT 26
153 26TH ST, BROOKLYN, NY 11232
October 14th + 15th
10am – 5pm
Tickets: $8 / $15 at the door

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Community-first. Women-led. ciaooo! is on a mission to empower brands and organizations that make NYC a better place. Learn more!

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