twi-ny talks

TWI-NY TALK: RED GROOMS

Red Grooms, “Spy Cab,” acrylic on paper, 2011 (courtesy of Marlborough Gallery)

“RED GROOMS, NEW YORK: 1976-2011”
Marlborough Gallery
40 West 57th St.
Through October 22, free, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
212-541-4900
www.marlboroughgallery.com

In the playful noir short story that opens the catalog of his latest exhibition at the Marlborough Gallery, Red Grooms’s alter ego, Gunslinger, says, “Ya see, I wanted to show the public how low it gets sometimes, down under the belly of the beast.” For more than fifty years, Grooms has been revealing the belly of the beast that is New York, but it turns out that Grooms’s world is filled with colorful caricatures living it up in the maelstrom he refers to as “the city that never snores.” In “Red Grooms, New York: 1976-2011,” Grooms, who was born and raised in Nashville and has lived in New York City since 1957, collects some of his finest work of the last thirty-five years, including paintings, mixed-media constructions, sculpto-pictoramas, and such walk-in installations as “The Bus” and “42nd Street — Porno Bookstore.” Grooms has an innate sense of life in the Big Apple, capturing the essence that lies at the heart of the city in such pieces as “The Funny Place,” “Give My Regards to Broadway,” “Small Hot Dog Vendor,” and “Tattoo Parlor.” We recently spoke with Grooms, a tall, engaging, and quite forthcoming fellow, at the exhibit’s opening, where he was surrounded by admiring fans who could not wipe the huge smiles off their faces, and later by phone.

twi-ny: There’s a timeless quality to your work, in which you display a unique view of New York. The city has gone through some major changes during the period covered in this exhibition. How do you see the New York of 1976, or even the 1950s, as different from today?

Red Grooms: I think it’s great right now. It just seems very vibrant to me. It seems like there are twice as many people as there used to be. I’m down here below Canal St., almost in Chinatown and near the courts. We’re getting a tremendous amount of tourists —Chinatown, Little Italy, and then going on downtown, down Broadway. That vibrancy and energy, I enjoy it; it’s fun. So I would hope I get some of that now with what I’m doing.

I have a few late works in the show — “Count Tribecula” is one of them — to get the funny quality of the TriBeCa area. I’ve always done a lot on Chinatown. I’ve been in the same studio on Walker St. for forty-two years, so I have seen a bunch of different things. It used to be the hardware center; that actually influenced my work a lot. It took me two minutes to go out and get whatever I needed. There’s still some plastic stores. In the ’70s, plastic was kind of a fashionable medium for a while, and I indulged in it myself. Those different media influenced the work. Right here there’s always been a fabric center as well.

twi-ny: Speaking of different media, in several works from 2010, you have incorporated digital imagery. What made you start doing that?

Red Grooms: I consider myself absolutely not a photographer, and so I used the throwaway cameras, and I’ve literally taken hundreds, if not even thousands, of pictures. About two years ago, I looked through the pictures of ten or so years ago, and they had sort of settled in, so some of them looked kind of special just because it was a particular moment. I started to make collages with them.

This one scene called “Lunchtime on Broadway,” which is panoramic, I took a whole bunch of pictures and glued them together — you know, cut and paste — and made a fairly large composite, and I used that to make that dimensional work, and in doing that, I discovered that if you cut out a figure, it leaves a hole in putting it on a white piece of paper; it got a very strong jump to it between the silhouette and the photographic background. So in that process, I made a whole bunch of four-by-six cards, cut out elements that I wanted to, and then I water-colored in the same thing that was in there. In doing that was when I enlarged them more and did the works you see in the show now.

Red Grooms enjoys the opening of his latest exhibit at the Marlborough Gallery on 57th St. (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

twi-ny: With regard to technology, you don’t have a cell phone or e-mail, and you don’t use a computer, is that right?

Red Grooms: I’m pathetically old school in that way. My wife is capable. You know, it’s really hard to work with people without it. It’s very difficult. I think it will be impossible soon.

twi-ny: Another of the places that you have always captured is Times Square and Broadway. What do you think of the new Times Square?

Red Grooms: When I did the early works from ’76, ’77, I did do research up there, and it was funny because after “Ruckus Manhattan” opened, it was very popular and got a lot of press, so they called me in, some of the people who were trying to clean up Times Square at the time, to see if I had any ideas. I had this weird duality about it. I actually wanted to do something, but in the end, I couldn’t really think of anything. Nothing panned out.

twi-ny: It’s probably best that way.

Red Grooms: So I was there when they were starting to do it. They had a lot of trouble, actually, a lot of starting and stopping on that project before it really got going and became what it is now. We don’t have those places like “Porno Bookstore” anymore. They were so prevalent at that time.

twi-ny: Well, it’s great to now have it on 57th St. at the Marlborough.

Red Grooms: That was a little daring. It hadn’t been up for thirty-four years. It ran well when “Ruckus” showed at the Marlborough in ’77; we didn’t really get any complaints. But in ’82 I had a show with the “Ruckus” stuff on 54th St. and Sixth Ave., and when we were unpacking the stuff, the superintendent of the building took a look at the porno store and said he was going to close the whole show down if we tried to put that up.

twi-ny: In the catalog, you open with a short noir story in which you work many of the pieces’ names into it. Is this writing something you’re exploring more?

Red Grooms: I wrote it together with my wife, Lysiane Luong, and it was a lot of fun. In fact, it was so much fun that we were going to jump right in to an actual full-length detective story, but we didn’t get very far. You’re one of the first persons right now talking about it. I very much liked doing it.

twi-ny: You’ve used the word “fun” several times, and that’s a good way to describe what people experience when they see your work. At the opening, everyone was laughing and smiling. What kind of satisfaction does that bring you?

Red Grooms: It’s great, it’s exciting. You know, I’m quite isolated when I do it. . . . But my dreams of monetary success never panned out.

TWI-NY TALK: MARIA HASSABI

Maria Hassabi premiered SOLO at FIAF’s 2009 Crossing the Line Festival

Saturday, September 17, Crossing the Line Festival: Fiction & Non-Fiction, the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, 972 Fifth Ave., free, 212-355-6100, 2:30 – 6:00
SHOW: The Kitchen, 512 West 19th St., November 3-5, $15, 212-255-5793, 8:00
www.fiaf.org/crossingtheline
www.thekitchen.org
www.mariahassabi.com

In such recent productions as Solo and SoloShow, dancer and choreographer Maria Hassabi has displayed a remarkable dexterity, her lithe body interacting with a rolled-up carpet or dangling off the edge of a black platform. When we saw her listed on the French Institute Alliance Française’s website as one of the participants of the free “Fiction & Non-Fiction” kickoff to the 2011 Crossing the Line Festival on September 17, we immediately scheduled an interview with her. Alas, in checking the website later, her scheduled site-specific performance around the Cultural Services of the French Embassy building on Fifth Ave. had disappeared. Does that mean the Cyprus-born Hassabi won’t be participating? Even without her, the lineup is extremely impressive, with works by Trajal Harrell & Perle Palombe, Kimberly Bartosik, Raimund Hoghe & Takashi Ueno, Roderick Murray, and others. (Be sure to get a drink at Prune Nourry’s “Spermbar.”) We’re still holding out hope that Hassabi, a 2011 Guggenheim Fellow and a New Yorker since 1994, has something special planned for the afternoon, which runs from 2:30 to 6:00.

This year’s Crossing the Line Festival, which continues through October 17, also features Nick van Woert’s “Terra Amata” exhibition at the FIAF Gallery, Xavier le Roy’s “More Mouvements für Lachenmann” at Florence Gould Hall, Bartosik’s “i like penises: a little something in 24 acts” at Danspace Project, Sophie Calle’s free site-specific “Room” installation at the Lowell Hotel, and Rachid Ouramdane’s “Ordinary Witnesses” and “World Fair” at New York Live Arts. Hassabi is definitely scheduled to present the world premiere of her latest piece, SHOW, November 3-5 at the Kitchen. Whether or not she’ll be part of tomorrow’s fête, we’re still delighted that she answered some questions for us, even if she did skip over the one about what she was planning for “Fiction & Non-Fiction.”

twi-ny: What is it that draws you to the Crossing the Line Festival?

Maria Hassabi: What draws me to this festival primarily is the two curators (Lili Chopra and Simon Dove). I admire and respect both of them. I love working and being in conversation with them, feel lucky to be part of what they do, and excited to see what they’ve curated.

twi-ny: Are there any particular performances you’re looking forward to seeing at the festival?

MH: The usual suspects, which in this case, performance-wise, means pretty much all. Sadly, I will be missing many of them as I will be out of town.

twi-ny: You premiered SOLO and SOLOSHOW at PS122, and in November you’ll be premiering SHOW at the Kitchen with frequent collaborator Hristoula Harakas and Will Rawls. What is it about Hristoula that makes her so compatible with your choreography?

MH: There are many of my frequent collaborators in SHOW, including Hristoula, Marcos Rosales, Scott Lyall, Joe Levasseur. I like working with the same people. With Hristoula, we have worked together since 2002. I treasure such a long-term collaboration, and Hristoula’s ethics of work are irreplaceable. Of course, she’s undoubtedly a gorgeous performer.

twi-ny: You are a remarkably flexible dancer. Do you have a special exercise regimen or a secret you’re willing to share?

MH: I was born flexible! Then I slept all the way until I went onstage! You know, muscle atrophy helps!

TWI-NY TALK: BILL T. JONES

Kennedy Center honoree and two-time Tony winner Bill T. Jones begins his company’s inaugural New York Live Arts season this week

BODY AGAINST BODY
New York Live Arts
Bessie Schönberg Theater
219 West 19th St. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
September 16-24, $32-$40 ($15 on 9/20)
212-691-6500
www.newyorklivearts.org

Last December was a big month for two-time Tony-winning choreographer Bill T. Jones (Spring Awakening, Fela!). The Florida-born dance legend, who formed the highly influential Bill T. Jones / Arnie Zane Dance Company in 1982, was awarded the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor, which he called “one of the highest moments in my life,” and he also teamed up with Dance Theater Workshop to create the artist-led New York Live Arts, which is dedicated to producing, presenting, and educating in its mission “to become a place for dance that is vital to the fabric of social and cultural life in New York, America, and beyond.”

This week Bill T. Jones / Arnie Zane Dance kicks off the inaugural New York Live Arts season with the exciting Body Against Body program: “Monkey Run Road” (1979), “Continuous Replay” (1977/1991), and “Valley Cottage: A Study” (1980) will be performed September 16, 18, 21, 23, and 25, with “Duet x 2” (1982), “Continuous Replay,” and “Blauvelt Mountain” (1980) scheduled for September 17, 20, 22, and 24. “Valley Cottage” and “Monkey Run Road” are being performed in New York for the first time since their premieres. “Continuous Replay” will also feature live music played by John Oswald or DJ Spooky as well as a rotating cast of guest performers, including Matthew Rushing from Alvin Ailey, Janet Eilber and Blakeley White-McGuire from Martha Graham, Arthur Aviles from Typical Theater, Elena Demyanenko from Trisha Brown, Jennifer Goggans from Merce Cunningham, Megan Sprenger from mvworks, and Richard Move from MoveOpolis! Jones will take part in a preshow talk with Marcia B. Siegel on September 21 and a postshow discussion with Janet Wong, DTW/NYLA artistic director Carla Peterson, and the nine-member Bill T. Jones company on September 23. The premiere gala takes place September 15. Amid this flurry of activity, Jones was able to squeeze in some time to answer a few questions from twi-ny.

twi-ny: Last December, when the merger between Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and Dance Theater Workshop was announced, you said, “We are doing something that supposedly can’t be done.” Now you are about to present your first season together. How did you, in fact, get it done?

Bill T. Jones: At the core of this merger was collaboration, and that’s exactly how this inaugural season came together. Carla Peterson spearheaded the curation process, and our talented staff and board of directors have worked tirelessly to bring ideas and resources to the table to make this institution a leader in the performing arts community and a home for movement-based artists. I am very excited about the artists on our season and am proud of the new programs we’re building.

New York Live Arts season kicks off with Bill T. Jones’s “Body Against Body” program

twi-ny: For your first series of performances at NYLA, you are revisiting some of your most iconic works, including the third iteration of “Continuous Replay.” Why did you choose these particular works for this inaugural season?

BTJ: Body Against Body is a program that the company premiered earlier this year (at the ICA/Boston) and we’re now touring it extensively in the upcoming season. It only seemed fitting that we would open the inaugural season of New York Live Arts with this program: It consists of some of the earliest pieces that Arnie Zane and I created together — two of which [“Valley Cottage” and “Blauvelt Mountain”] we premiered at Dance Theater Workshop in the early ’80s.

The newest reconstruction on the program, which will premiere at New York Live Arts, is “Valley Cottage: A Study.” This work has not been seen since Arnie and I first performed it in 1981. I think collectively these seminal works give audience members a glimpse of my roots as a choreographer while also acknowledging New Yorks Live Arts’ foundation, rooted in both my company’s and Dance Theater Workshop’s history and legacy. I like to think of it as a looking back to look forward.

TWI-NY TALK: MINGMEI YIP

Artist, musician, storyteller, teacher, calligrapher, and novelist Mingmei Yip will help MOCA celebrate Dragon Boat Festival Family Day on July 31

DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL FAMILY DAY
Museum of Chinese in America
215 Centre St. between Howard & Grand Sts.
Sunday, July 31, $10, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
212-619-4785
www.mocanyc.org
www.mingmeiyip.com

Mingmei Yip’s given name means “bright and beautiful,” and it couldn’t be more appropriate for the vivacious, extremely intelligent, utterly engaging Chinese-born multidisciplinary artist, who earned her PhD from the Sorbonne and has lived in New York City since 1992. Mingmei is a journalist, lecturer, tai chi teacher, illustrator, calligrapher, painter, children’s book author, and novelist, having published three well-received tales of historical fiction, Song of the Silk Road, Peach Blossom Pavilion, and Petals from the Sky.

On Sunday, July 31, at 12 noon she’ll be at the Museum of Chinese in America for the second annual Dragon Boat Festival Family Day, telling stories and playing the traditional qin. The celebration will also include a poetry workshop with author Janet Wong, gallery tours, arts & crafts, and much more. Hard at work on her next novel, Mingmei discussed her career and dragon boats with twi-ny.

twi-ny: You have been at the Museum of Chinese in Americas for many events, at both the old and the new venues. What are your impressions of the museum’s new space on Centre St.?

Mingmei Yip: I like the new place! It is very spacious for people to look around, especially the area where they display the books and the permanent exhibition. There are also large rooms for different kinds of events, such as the calligraphy workshop I did earlier this year.

twi-ny: You are a multidisciplinary artist with a wide range of talents. How did you develop such a diverse group of interests?

MY: I am very grateful to my parents — who are unfortunately no longer in this life — who sent me to take painting and music lessons at a very young age. Unlike some children who hate to practice the piano, I loved it! Later, my love of music led me to take up an ancient Chinese stringed instrument called the qin, on which I now perform professionally. I was recently invited by Carnegie Hall to play at its Ancient Paths, Modern Voices Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture. My next concert will be at Smith College on August 8. I am also doing a few storytelling events and calligraphy workshops for children.

twi-ny: Do you get different kinds of satisfactions from each artistic discipline?

MY: I do get different kinds of satisfaction from each of my artistic activities. Now my focus is on writing my novels. My third, Song of the Silk Road, just came out. It is an adventure and love story set along China’s most fabled route with the lure of a three million dollar reward.

The bright and beautiful Mingmei Yip lives up to her name in many ways

twi-ny: Might you be able to share any details with us about your next book?

MY: My next novel is The Skeleton Women, set in the thirties in Shanghai — the same era as my first novel, Peach Blossom Pavilion — to be published by Kensington Books in 2012. In China, femme fatales were known as skeleton women because their charm and scheme could reduce a man to a skeleton. For a susceptible man, the change from mansion to homelessness could happen in the blink of a mascaraed eye. In The Skeleton Women, the protagonist is known as a nightclub singer but is actually a spy for a powerful gangster organization trying to topple a rival gang!

twi-ny: Your novels touch on the changing sociocultural landscape of China on a very personal level. You were born in China; do you ever go back? What do you see as some of the positive changes occurring in China today, and what are some of the negatives?

MY: I go back to China very often, mainly to do research for my future novels or to play at qin events. I’m very glad to see that as China modernizes, things are clean and convenient. However, I am less happy to see the big cities occupied by foreign chains like McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and expensive designer boutiques.

twi-ny: You will be performing as part of MOCA’s Dragon Boat Festival Family Day. Does the Dragon Boat Festival hold any personal memories for you?

MY: The Dragon Boat Festival is to honor Qu Yuan, the patriotic poet. But what I remember from childhood is the tasty dumplings and exciting Dragon Boat races!

TWI-NY TALK: EMILY EPSTEIN & ELON JAMES WHITE

It is a match that could only be made in New York City. Elon James White is a Brooklyn-born sociopolitical humorist who is tailor made for this postracial Obama age. Emily Epstein is a Philadelphia-born comedian and writer who moonlights in children’s publishing. He’s black. She’s white. He’s a former Southern Baptist whose grandfather was a preacher. She’s a bat mitvah’d Jewish girl whose father was in finance. They live in Crown Heights, a region not exactly known for bringing blacks and Jews together in peaceful harmony.

Both love being onstage, where Elon proposed to Emily during the July 20 live podcast of “Blacking It Up,” one of the myriad projects Elon is involved in, many with Emily. White, who founded the Brooklyn Comedy Company and also hosts the hit web series This Week in Blackness, is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post and has appeared on MSNBC, VH-1, and CNN. Emily, who refers to herself as “an ethnically ambiguous little lady,” runs the Connotation Variety Comedy Show with Selena Coppock and Dan Cartwright every Wednesday at 7:00 at Luca Lounge in addition to making appearances in clubs all over the city. Just as their proposal video began to go viral, they discussed their suddenly very public relationship in our latest twi-ny talk.

twi-ny: Emily, how surprised were you when Elon began proposing? Did you feel compelled to say yes because you were onstage in front of an audience and being videotaped?

Emily Epstein: Yes, yes, I was surprised. (Not that you can necessarily tell from my face.) I did feel compelled to say yes—although it was tempting to flip over a table and run for my life.

twi-ny: If you had a dream proposal, how did this compare?

EE: I’ve actually never given it much thought. If I had my choice, I might have gone for something slightly more private, as being a comedian you put a lot of your life out there. That being said, when I watched the video it made me very happy. I think it really perfectly captures who we are both separately and together.

twi-ny: Elon, how long were you preparing for this? Did you have any fall-back plans if Emily said no or something like “I need to think about it”?

Elon James White: Well, the idea of proposing was in the ether for years now, but in the past few weeks I decided to lock it in. Admittedly, I didn’t have a real backup plan for a “No.” I’m sure crying and drinking Jameson onstage would have worked.

twi-ny: Which one of you is really blacker?

EE: Who’s blacker? People do like to weigh in. I think my musical taste errs on the darker side. Then again, every podcast, show, or project Elon starts has the word “black” in it. I’d call it a tie?

EJW: Depends. Do you mean skin color or soul?

Elon Loves Emily: White proposes to Epstein onstage during live podcast

twi-ny: Who ended up being right about the shirt you argue about in the video?

EE: It’s complicated. He bought me a shirt that I didn’t wear often enough for his liking, so he took it back. (So inappropriate!) I still think it was a women’s medium, though.

EJW: Oh, I’m right. Wait—I’m engaged now. She’s right.

twi-ny: Will the music at your wedding be more like John Mayer or Talib Kweli?

EJW: I prefer John Williams. Especially if our first dance can be to the Imperial March.

EE: I hope there’s more Talib Kweli. I’d be very happy to ban John Mayer for life. God help us if our iPod gets played—Elon has downloaded about 2,000 hours of John Williams on there. Not to mention the Spice Girls.

twi-ny: Once you are a married couple, might you plan on doing more shows together, even working up a new kind of act à la Burns & Allen, Lucy & Desi, or Stiller & Meara and taking it on the road?

EE: Once we’re a married couple? We just got engaged! We’ve talked about coordinating on stuff together before and we have in the past. I certainly wouldn’t be against it. We just have to make sure that working together doesn’t make us want to kill each other since we both have big personalities. (At least, that’s the polite way to put it.)

EJW: Once we are a couple, the act that will be my number one priority is the “Elon and Emily Love Each Other” act. You may insert your “awww”s here.

You can find Emily on Facebook and Twitter (@emeps) and Elon on Facebook and Twitter (@elonjames).

TWI-NY TALK: JOE SIMON

Joe Simon shows off his colorful autobiography in his New York City apartment (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

JOE SIMON: MY LIFE IN COMICS (Titan, June 2011, $24.95)
www.titanbooks.com

The potential summer blockbuster Captain America opens in theaters today, but that would not have been possible without Joe Simon. Back in 1941, Simon, a native New Yorker born and raised in Rochester, teamed up with Jacob Kurtzberg, better known as Jack Kirby, and created the red, white, and blue superhero. The villain for the cover of the first issue? They came up with just the right one. “Adolf Hitler would be the perfect foil for our next new character, what with his hair and that stupid-looking moustache and his goose-stepping. He was like a cartoon anyway,” Simon writes in his entertaining, intimate, and refreshingly honest memoir, My Life in Comics (Titan, June 2011, $24.95). “We knew what was happening in Europe, and we were outraged by the Nazis — totally outraged. We thought it was a good time for a patriotic hero. . . . And that’s how Captain America was created.”

Today the ninety-seven-year-old Simon spends most of his time in his cluttered apartment just west of the Theater District, surrounded by classic drawings, sketches, and comic book covers. His works line the walls, a veritable history of the industry in black and white and color. One of the many highlights is a grand depiction of the Last Supper populated with his characters, a painting he completed with his daughter Gail. Sitting in his large, comfortable recliner in the middle of the living room, Simon is thrilled to tell tales of his days serving in the Coast Guard with Jack Dempsey, meeting Damon Runyon and Max Baer while a journalist, riding horses in Forest Park, and mentoring such comic book legends as Stan Lee. As we talk, he pulls out stunning works accumulated from throughout his fascinating career. He pauses to congratulate one of his granddaughters for passing an important college test; seven of his eight grandkids were scheduled to fly to Hollywood to walk the red carpet at the star-studded Captain America premiere. Among the other characters Simon had a hand in either creating or developing were the Fiery Mask, the Fly, the Blue Bolt, Sandman, the Newsboy Legion, Manhunter, and the Boy Commandos. An engaging character himself with a sharp memory and a wicked sense of humor, Simon discussed his book and life with twi-ny shortly before the release of the Captain America movie.

twi-ny: What was the experience like going through your past to put together My Life in Comics? Were there any particular parts of your life that were more difficult to talk about than others?

Joe Simon: This was the first time I revealed some of the more intimate details of my life, talking about my wife Harriet and my family, and some of the challenges we’ve faced. It wasn’t really difficult, but it was something I’d never really talked about before.

I feel very lucky because I have my memory. There are things that happened to me ninety years ago — such as the time I met a Civil War veteran — which I remember clearly. I’ve had a lot of exciting things happen to me over the course of ninety-seven years, and it was wonderful to be able to get them down on paper, for everyone to experience.

twi-ny: In the book, you note that you and many of your earliest colleagues come from immigrant Jewish families working in the clothing business in New York City. Do you think that might have had some impact on your eventual career path, creating superheroes and villains dressed in fairy-tale costumes?

JS: That’s a good question. Since tailoring involves creativity, I suppose my parents influenced me in that way, and I’d never really realized it. They also influenced me with their attempts at true romance writing, as badly as they turned out, and with the sense that you stick to it, no matter what you’re trying to accomplish. So in both of those ways they helped me throughout my career. (And of course, thanks to my father, when I came to New York City, I was the best-dressed guy in the comic book business.)

twi-ny: The Captain America movie comes out on July 22. What was your involvement with the picture? What are your thoughts about the film, and about superhero movies in general as they continually get transferred from comic books to the big screen?

JS: Stephen Broussard at Marvel Studios has been keeping me up-to-date, and he arranged for them to film an interview with me. I’ve been liking everything I’ve seen, and am very excited to see how it turns out.

I haven’t seen all of the superhero movies, especially in recent years, but I understand that the Marvel films have been very good. I’ve always thought that Captain America would make a terrific movie and could never understand why all of the earlier attempts sucked so badly. This time, though, they’re sticking to the story that Jack Kirby and I created, so I think they’ll get it right. That’s always the best way to do it — stick with what works.

[Joe Simon: My Life in Comics is available through Amazon and in bookstores everywhere.]

TWI-NY TALK: THE LONDON CANDY COMPANY — JIGS PATEL & KHALIDRA LEVISTER

London Candy Co. owner Jig Patel (right) is happy to unveil Knock-Off pastries (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

The London Candy Company
1442 Lexington Ave. at 94th St.
212-427-2129
www.thelondoncandycompany.com

Whenever we go to London, we make sure to bring back a large bag of British chocolate; our favorites include Galaxy Minstrels and Flake, Aero, Crunchie, and Lion bars. But we no longer have to travel across the pond to fill our coffers; in April, Jignesh Patel opened the London Candy Co. on the Upper East Side, at the corner of Lexington Ave. and 94th St., offering a multitude of queen-approved delicacies. Last month the flagship store added Knock-Offs to their repertoire, original, individual-sized chocolate-covered cakes inspired by Coconut Bounty, Double Decker, Terry’s Chocolate Orange, Cadbury’s Turkish Delight, Topic, After Eight Thin Mints, Milky Bar, Smarties, Mars Duo, and Blackcurrant and Strawberry Fruit Pastilles. For pastry chef Khalidra Levister, the challenge in making the Knock-Offs was to re-create the taste of the classic English sweets without using the exact same ingredients, which would have been a copyright infringement; she particularly nailed the Topic and Double Decker cakes. Second-generation sweets-shop owner Patel and Levister, the chef of confections at Flavorprint and executive vice president of 4food, recently discussed Knock-Offs and more with twi-ny.

twi-ny: Where did the idea for Knock-Offs originate?

Jigs Patel: My parents also owned a sweets shop, so there was always candy around. It simply couldn’t be helped. My mother, desperate to keep me from eating all of it, decided to go ahead and start baking the chocolates into desserts. After all, I could sneak a cake into my bag less easily than a Bounty bar. When I opened the London Candy Company, I wanted to do something similar. We toyed with the idea of cupcakes, but it wasn’t quite right. When Khahlidra Levister, our pastry chef, came in with her ideas, I was blown away. The Knock-Offs are a brilliant way to honor my mother’s original work, to showcase the candy, and to please and surprise customers.

Khahlidra Levister: When I first visited the London Candy Company, my first thought was the layout and aesthetic is very sophisticated. When I heard they were thinking of offering cupcakes, I began thinking of a way to take the cupcake to the next level. Jigs and I spoke over the phone about his love of cakes and his childhood experiences and set up a meeting. At the meeting, I presented him with a cake I created based on the flavors of Terry’s Chocolate Orange. The name “Knock-Offs” came naturally during early development, as I was “knocking off” the candy-bar flavors.

twi-ny: What was the most difficult part of making them?

KL: The most difficult part of making a Knock-Off is translating candy bars to cake while maintaining the integrity of the original product. To do so, I make all the fillings from scratch—nougat, caramel, Turkish delight.

twi-ny: Which are your personal favorites?

JP: My absolute favorite cake is the Bounty-inspired one. I’m such a huge coconut fan and Khahlidra got this one just right. The cake is fantastic, the coconut is delicious, and the chocolate brings it all together. I can hardly believe that I’m not eating the real thing.

KL: My personal favorite is the After Eight Knock-Off, but I’ve always been a sucker for mint and dark chocolate.

Knock-Offs re-create the flavor of classic English sweet treats at London Candy Co. (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

twi-ny: Did you try any others that didn’t work out?

JP: We tried to re-create the Mars bar—chocolate and caramel—but it just wasn’t working for me. It didn’t have that extra something that we’re looking to bring to our customers.

KL: I haven’t figured out quite how to represent the Flake bar, or the Aero.

twi-ny: What makes British chocolate so much better than American chocolate?

JP: The Brits use real sugar in their chocolate—never corn syrup. Also, many American manufacturers use wax to stabilize their chocolate so it doesn’t melt; British manufacturers don’t. A fun fact: In England, chocolate must contain at least 20% cocoa solids, whereas in the U.S., cocoa solids need only make up 10%. A Cadbury Dairy Milk bar contains 23% cocoa solids, while its American counterpart contains just 11%.

twi-ny: How has the public reacted to the store in general and the Knock-Offs in particular?

JP: People come into the store very excited to try anything and everything from our selection. For a lot of people, the sweets bring out a sense of nostalgia for travel or treats from their childhood. Others are just excited to try something new. There’s been quite a bit of interest in the Knock-Offs. Since the cakes are single serving, they’re not much of a calorie or money investment and people are willing to take a chance. The bestsellers so far have been the After Eight, which is a chocolate cake layered with mint fondant, and the Turkish Delight.