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Ignored, Disrespected, and Forced to Toe an Outdated Line

In 2019, the chef Stephanie Bonnin prepared for a cooking residency at Deer Mountain Inn, a Catskills resort about two and a half hours north of the city. Reservations had sold out for the Culinary Institute of America graduate’s menu, which was based on the cooking of Colombia, where she grew up. Quickly, Bonnin remembers, she grew frustrated with the way her male cooks behaved. “I hired my kitchen staff, two guys, and they wouldn’t take direction, they would question everything I said,” she re

What Did 2021 Sound Like? Read Cultured's Top Music Stories

Ethereal, tender and classic, pianist Chloe Flower wants her music to elicit a physiological, healing response, something she does without the need for words or fluff. The classical genre isn’t necessarily mainstream in 2021, but Flower draws on inspiration from current events and popular music to spark emotion in her compositions, bending her genre to what she calls “Popsical,” a blend between classical and pop. “Music has that ability where, after you listen to a certain song, you feel stronge

Art World Couples We Can’t Stop Watching

What happens when incredibly artistic people couple up with other incredibly artistic people? In some cases, it’s the stuff of magic. The artists below create some of today’s most evocative and unique work, and we can’t help but wonder how their similarly talented partners have helped spur them on. Historic comparisons to the artistic partnerships of poets Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning of the mid-19th century, Dutch painters Gerda Wegener and Lili Elbe in the early 20th century or John L

Which Came First, Y2K Fashion or Pop-Punk Nostalgia?

For pop culture’s latest “chicken or the egg” debate, we’re broaching the return of pop-punk. Is the angsty music genre, popularized in the early millennium, in style again because low-rise jeans and platform Doc Martens are flooding the streets, or vice versa? Many thought that the hits from Green Day, Blink-182, and Paramore had peaked in the 2000s, but no one could predict that even pastel spaghetti straps and velour tracksuits would return in full swing—and let’s be honest, Blink-182’s Enema

Art, Culture and Community Come Together at San Francisco’s Historic Ghirardelli Square

When you wander over to the seaside cove from The Embarcadero or down from the steep peaks of Russian Hill, the ocean takes you by surprise. As you breathe in the salt air, the distant hum of the cable cars rings in your ears and capped swimmers bob in and out of rhythm with blubbery seals, it’s easy to understand why this scenic nook is on everyone’s “sights to see” list. The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company complex was built in the late 1890s by Domingo Ghirardelli, an Italian born chocolatier.

Finding Inner Peace at the Rubin Museum Amidst Chaos

Imagine wandering into a quiet, 2,700 square foot sanctuary of a room, tucked away from the busy, boisterous streets of Manhattan. The room is filled with a self-directed sound bath, a light-guided meditation room, and a perfumery of sorts to trigger past memories through your sense of smell. While many people venture to museums in order to escape reality or to be transported to another time and place, the Rubin Museum in New York City has a different agenda. Two exhibits at the museum, the “Ma

Wildfires Are Here to Stay—Here’s How Designers Are Planning for Them

“The original building caught fire from the triangular shape of the traditional roof,” which concealed embers, Ikawa says. “The flammable material inside of the roof attic created a big fire.” The school also now generates its own source of power. During the last blaze, Ikawa says that the power snuffed out at the school as firefighters fought to quash flames; now that the school is operating almost 90% independently, firefighters will be able to tap into additional power if needed. Abeer Swei

Should this be the only way to build homes in NorCal?

Californians know a thing or two about fire. We know how it can build and bend and rip through a canyon faster than you might be able to pack a bag. We know how it often destroys anything in its path. We also know that, in recent years, fires have raged more frequently and covered more ground than decades past. But only some Californians know that there are ways, architecturally speaking, to prevent some of the catastrophes that often come with fire. Architect Brandon Jorgensen is one of them.

Julian Schnabel Explores Portraiture in the Historic Artist’s Hand

As the revival of in-person gallery openings forges increasingly on across global art hubs, artist Julian Schnabel was the most casually dressed attendee of his own last week at the Brant Foundation Art Study Center in New York’s East Village. As if encompassing the neighborhood’s historically Bohemian lifestyle in his appearance and demeanor, Schnabel wore an old flannel, mismatched shorts and tired Vans. Stuffy art-snobbery, be gone. His je ne sais quoi carried into his delivery as he escorted

What the Return of the Taliban Means for Women and Girls in Afghanistan

In 2018 Zarifa Ghafari made history when she became the first female mayor in Afghanistan, governing the Maidan Wardak province. As U.S. troops began exiting Afghanistan in droves about three weeks ago, she told i newspaper that she remained hopeful for the future of her country. Now she’s watching from her apartment as the Taliban advances on Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. “I’m sitting here waiting for them to come,” she said. “There is no one to help me or my family. I’m just sitting with

McSorley’s’ First Female Bartender Keeps Its Spirit Alive

McSorley’s Ale House hasn’t changed much in the last century: its floors are still lined with sawdust bought from the same Long Island-based family for the past 80 years, black-and-white photos line its walls containing centuries of history, and a centrally located iron fireplace still burns wood to keep it warm during the winter. But in 1994, Teresa Maher de la Haba became the first McSorley’s bartender with a soprano voice. McSorley’s was famously a gentlemen’s club until 1969, when two membe

Jocelyn Bioh and Saheem Ali Usher in the Return of The Public Theater

Nestled under the Belvedere Castle in Central Park, the moon rises over the stage and trees whisper in the summer air: it’s a night out at the Delacorte Theater. The closest stage New York has to a Greek amphitheater of yore, people from every borough and from every walk of life come together to encounter experimental musicals or newly interpreted Shakespeare. Artistic masterpieces ranging from The Taming of the Shrew starring Meryl Streep in 1981 to The Merchant of Venice starring Al Pacino in

Music Mania: Best Songs of Summer 2021

You’ve heard them on the radio, at your favorite bar, and in your favorite coffee shop. They’re the songs that tried to help usher you back into the guise of “normalcy.” They may have been playing in the background of your gym during your first mask-less workout, or in the new brewery down the street as you fumbled over your words talking to the cute person next to you. They’ve carried you through the ups and downs of the summer, through the dance parties, flings, heartbreaks, and hangovers. Let

Crashing the Sausage Party: A Pizzaiola Rises Among the Pie Guys

New York City’s local pizzaiolos (Italian for “dude who slings pizzas”) have a lot in common. Although they each have their own recipes and twists, they’re all on a mission to source the freshest ingredients and make their pie stand out among the rest, a somewhat difficult task when working with the same simple ingredients. Another stark similarity: they’re almost all men. Enter Miriam Weiskind. As an art director turned pizza guru, an Iron Man competitor turned ultra-marathon runner, Weiskind

Texans still feel abandoned after the storm

Power outages in Texas typically come with 100-degree weather, humidity, or maybe even a tropical storm. When a mini ice age hit the Lone Star State early last week, its residents couldn't have imagined what they were in for. Texans were forewarned about the coming storm, but even before it hit, the infrastructure of the city and the added stress of Covid precautions left people ping-ponging around town to find supplies and grocery stores without crippling lines. "I went and waited in line at t

Tucker Carlson is absolutely losing it

Tucker Carlson is celebrating this Women's History Month by going off on one misogynistic rant after another. It should come as little surprise that as Congress was on the cusp of passing the largest economic stimulus in modern history, Carlson was busy attacking women from the House of Representatives to Hollywood to the military to the New York Times — but it's surely been a bizarre spiral to watch. Within the last two weeks, Carlson has called pregnant soldiers "a mockery," mocked Democratic Rep. Deb Haaland's Native American ancestry, dragged Meghan Markle through the mud, and antagonized New York Times reporter Taylor Lorenz as being a "deeply unhappy narcissist."

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Designer Casey Caldwell On Dressing Protesters and Masking Nurses

RuPaul’s Drag Race, the Hunger Games film franchise, Lady Gaga, and Blue Ivy. What do all of these things have in common? Boundary-pushing and outrageous style and design. They also have something else in common: Casey Caldwell. In the last 10 years, Caldwell worked with all of the aforementioned brands and styling teams, and he’s on a mission to continue to push the limits in the fashion industry. Caldwell started designing for contestants on RuPaul’s Drag Race during season 9, and just recent

‘We Don’t Have a Lot of Hope’: Williamsburg Artists Grapple With the Pandemic

Nicole von Arx was one of many Williamsburg artists and merchants whose lives were completely disrupted when the pandemic hit in March. In the span of a few days, all of the choreographer’s shows and residencies were canceled and she had to close NVA & Guests, her contemporary dance studio. George Flanagan, general manager of Williamsburg’s notoriously cool Rough Trade record store, was forced to shut the shop and furlough the entire staff. Javier Hernandez-Miyares, founder of 17 Frost Gallery,

How a Brooklyn Couple Started Running a French Bakery Out of Their Apartment

Americans have long obsessed over the French way of life: the blasé attitude, classic style, and, most importantly, the bread and butter. Newlyweds Gautier Coiffard and Ashley Breest have given New York City another bakery to drool over. The difference, though, is that their shop is based entirely in their Cobble Hill apartment, you can only order through Instagram, and they started the business as a side hustle during the pandemic. In addition to baking and delivering pastries six days a week,

"House of Gucci" Promises Glamour and Greed

What’s not to like about a murder mystery movie? And in “House of Gucci,” there’s drama, celebrity, success, sex, and scandal. Oh, and it all actually happened, just 26 years ago. The film tells the true story behind Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver), head of the luxury brand, and his ex-wife Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) as they uncover the 1995 murder. Based on the Sara Gay Forden book, “The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour and Greed,” the film is set to make waves o
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