To celebrate the launch of Arq, we gathered a group of chefs, musicians, techies, designers, writers, community builders, artists, and friends who love the idea of living just a little bit more Jew-ish.
We gathered in a sleek space and ate braised brisket challah sliders and ricotta dip with harissa rose oil, grooved to old Yiddish standards mixed with Childish Gambino’s newest tunes, and were surrounded by beautiful flowers (in our brand colors!) and art inspired by Jewish history, as well as smart, curious, warm people who are all interested in new, more relevant ways to connect to Jewish life and culture. Everyone went home with goodie bags, and our team was left to marvel at the magical evening and the exciting future ahead.
All photos by Avrin Photography.
We hosted our party in a well-designed Breather space with big ‘ole windows that gave us a twinkly view of NYC at night. Mira Evnine, whose specialty is all things ’round the table, created wild and pretty floral arrangements for us. Rocket Chair Media, a story studio making reading new with art and technology, lent us their beautiful illustrations of Radzyn, a fictional Holocaust-era Polish village untouched by war.
Our table was so full! The Gefilteria, a new kind of food venture with the mission of reimagining Eastern European Jewish cuisine, provided cholent deviled eggs for a bite-sized snack. Our Name Is Farm, a digital media and event production company working exclusively with sustainable farmers, producers, and supporters of sustainable food systems, went above and beyond with a bountiful spread of veggies and dip, featuring crackers from The Matzo Project and our favorite premium horseradish. Mile End contributed rich, comforting brisket sandwiches and Taim filled out the menu with a delicious Mediterranean platter.
For something sweet, Cafe Warshafsky provided exotic shortbread in its signature buttery, herbal flavors. These charming treats are modern cookies with old-world connections, which is part of why we love them. The company is inspired by the founder’s grandfather, who left Warsaw as a teen in the 1930s, landing in Cuba before settling in Brooklyn.
Our bar was deftly managed by Melissa Dain, a close friend of Arq and a co-founder of Pop-Up Shabbat, the Jew-ish pop-up restaurant that ultimately inspired Arq! Melissa created custom cocktails using Stonecutter Spirits aged gin and whiskey and, with help from Heather Burkman, founder of Go Comb and another friend of the Arq family, poured local wine and beer from Brooklyn Winery and Gun Hill Brewing Co.
There was a lot of hugging! We really felt the love.
Our beautiful community! Everyone had a ton of fun.
What’s a launch party without family?!
From left to right, our founder Danya and her sister Ariella, husband Andrew, cousin Marjorie, and Rena and Marty, her parents.
Our surprise raffle was a big hit. Our winner couldn’t contain her excitement about her new and charming mini Jewish food jewelry from Sweet Stella Designs and holiday-appropriate Menorasaurus from Modern Tribe.
We sent our guests home with fun party favors, including classy letterpress Jewish holiday calendars from Jewish Food Hero, body wash by Red Flower, a company that’s inspired by a deep-rooted love of the land and spirituality, and cool graphic postcards from Piece of History, Israel’s first design studio focused on creating conceptual, history-oriented, Jewish products, and Hillel Smith, a designer of Hebrew typography and Jewish murals.
A huge thanks goes out to Becca, Jessica, Sara, Rena, Marty, Ariella, Marjorie, Hilary, Melissa, Heather, and Andrew for doing the heavy lifting…literally! We couldn’t have done it without you.
Thank you for visiting Arq!
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