Sometimes

it's so easy to love New York

Greetings! 

I’ve reentered society since my last letter and almost feel as though I cheated with my Covid experience. I had no symptoms other than fatigue and maintained an alarmingly positive attitude throughout my isolation save for one day of irritability. I tested negative on Day 5 and, masked, went back to Cervo’s for work on Tuesday. As you may have seen on Instagram, my quarantine passion project was building a card business, something that’s been in the back of my mind for a while now. I love to doodle and have long made cards for the people in my life with drawings of things that remind me of them, and figured it might be fun to turn this hobby into a little side hustle. I ordered a fat stack of blank cardstock online, and got to work with my colored pencils and favorite pen. 99% of my waking time during quarantine was spent making cards, and the time flew. I’ve been taking commissions on Instagram, but you can now find me on Etsy, too. I’m calling my proceeds my “coffee fund.” Want to help me sustain my line cook lifestyle *and* treat someone you love to a cute card? Click here! 

Back to regularly scheduled programming! When I returned to Cervo’s post-quarantine, I found out that I’d be moving to Hart’s sooner than expected: Monday, the 25th. I’m feeling sappier about the transition than anticipated. The other day, there were more cooks working than usual, so Serin (a friend and fellow line cook) and I were directed to do prep downstairs during service. We blasted Stevie Wonder on the speakers and talked about life and work as we diced onions and peeled shrimp and broke down chickens. When the time came for staff drinks, we both ordered margaritas—the zippy antidote to many sweaty hours of cooking. Serin is my age and has a very similar temperament to mine, so it’s helpful to talk about restaurant life with her. I’ll be sad to stop working with Serin, but I know we’ll keep spending time together, especially since she lives near Hart’s. 

Eric and Dina, BELOVED friends from Vermont, dined at Cervo’s the other night when I wasn’t working. I wish I’d gotten to cook for them, but it was special just knowing they were there. The two of them have been reading my emails since I first started writing them at Ballymaloe, and they often respond, always with messages that make me feel very seen.

I’ve spent my days off before my last shift at Cervo’s with Teo and his family at their apartment in the West Village, with Eliza staying nearby. Yesterday, we celebrated their grandma Ann’s life with a big gathering. Ann passed away peacefully in 2020, leaving behind a beautiful family whom I love very much. It was a gift to spend the weekend remembering her. She was an interesting and interested person, a talented cook, and a grandma to me throughout my college experience after I lost both of my grandmas during my first year at Barnard. 

{Eliza and Olivia, the youngest member of the Buttrick clan}

Speaking of family, some of my own family has been around this weekend, too! On Friday, I took the train to Jackson Heights for lunch with Uncle Mike (Dad’s brother), Aunt Jean, and my cousin John for lunch at a Tibetan place called Phayul2 near John’s apartment. I’d yet to see John in New York, and I rarely get to see Mike and Jean, who live in Knoxville, Tennessee, so it was a treat to say the least. It was my first time in Jackson Heights and I can’t wait to go back. The food! The food! I ordered chicken thenthuk, a huge, steaming bowl of handmade noodle soup for $11.99, and it was perfect.

The weather was breathtaking on Friday, and when I came back to Manhattan, I went to the farmers market with Teo to buy herbs for my fire escape garden (in the works). Afterwards, I met up with Eliza for our favorite springtime New York City ritual; we stop by Té Company, a Taiwanese tea shop, for hibiscus sodas (ice cold hibiscus tea-infused ginger beer), then drink them on a bench in Jefferson Market Garden, where we look at flowers and talk. Sometimes it’s so easy to love New York.

I’m off to Cervo’s soon for my last shift before I begin a new adventure at Hart’s. My head is full and my life both dizzying and delicious.

Love,

Phoebe