When I ditched the corporate life and enrolled in culinary school, and one based on French technique no less, I was prepared to be overwhelmed. All the terminology, the sauces, the variations, the pace, the chef-instructors whose accents and creative use of English made everyday a linguistic adventure. What I wasn’t prepared for, however, was...
In a testament to good old-fashioned ingenuity, record numbers of American are engaging in entrepreneurship these days. A lot of folks tired of waiting around for an economic upturn have decided to create their own jobs. It’s called “necessity entrepreneurship,” and according to a study by the University of Missouri published last year, the percentage...
For Jonathan Simmons of Jonathan’s Spoons, running a cottage industry that creates and sells handcrafted, natural wood products is more than business. It’s an extension of his personal philosophy, which prizes independence and fair trade over all. “It means I am free to do what I want,” said Simmons, 58, “but it’s more than that....
While Hudson Made celebrates the artisans and craftspeople of Hudson Valley and New York City, we also realize that this passion is part of a growing interest in cottage industries and the locavore movement. Perhaps nowhere in the country is this more prevalent than in the rolling hills of the Berkshires of western Massachusetts Such...
“A sap-run is the sweet good-by of winter. It is the fruit of the equal marriage of the sun and frost.” John Burroughs, Signs and Seasons, 1886 Two winters ago a friend was passing through New York on her way from Quebec and brought me a big can of maple syrup from the airport’s gift...
In the space of 19 years as a New Yorker, I realized how an urban economy could dictate a career. I saw too many people working to live, rather than the other way around. People were abandoning their true aspirations to grab a job that would pay their exorbitant rents. Because of the inflated cost...
Who needs a tumbler when you can take a swig out of the Great American Flask by Jacob Bromwell? Hand crafted from solid copper, this historically accurate showpiece is soldered by veteran metalworkers and harkens back to pioneer days… when men drank whisky and that was that. I’m a seasonal drinker and while we’re still weathering...
The latest addition to Hudson Made’s roster of artisan suppliers is Brooklyn Grooming, a company not yet a year old, and one we’re happy to announce as our Artisan of the Month for December. Founded by “alchemist in another life” Mckenzie Santiago and designer Alfredo Catedral, they offer a superb line of men’s grooming products,...
Lately a fellow Dumbo-based artisanal shop, Sesame Letterpress, has caught our eye, so we’re very excited to feature them as our artisan of the month for November. Sesame Letterpress handcrafts beautiful paper products, including stationery, business cards, calendars, note cards and notebooks. We caught up with Sesame’s Breck Hostetter to learn a bit about the...
Tinware, one of the most classically American metals, is the material of choice for many products from one of our favorite brands, Jacob Bromwell. Tin was first made popular by its ease, both of cleaning and of maintenance. Its origin as a household item was in Colonial America around Connecticut, though it also happily resides...
We are big fans of nice aesthetics here, and our flame-blackened ladle from Jonathan’s Spoons is a perfect example. At once both masculine and feminine; dramatic and sophisticated; beautiful and functional. Jonathan Simons handcrafted this ladle with care in Pennsylvania with sustainably-harvested cherry wood, and then achieved its rich color with a flame-blackening technique. He...
Jao Brand Beardscent has been flying off our shelves so we thought we’d break down what makes it a perfect product. When it comes to the olfactory sense, first impressions are important and lasting. The only thing worse than having an undesirable odor and realizing it is having an undesirable odor and not realizing it....
Reclaiming Men’s Vanity
May 22, 2013
Purity of Purpose
May 3, 2013
Domestic Manufacturing Makes a Comeback
Apr 26, 2013
Crafting a Good Life, One Spoon at a Time
Apr 10, 2013
Border Crossing
Apr 5, 2013
Jay Blotcher
Laura Grimmer
Matthew Wexler
Sloan Rollins