NYC's Mercantile Mayhem: The Soul of Chef Stephanie inside Patio Tropical, Cha Cha Festival, L’Appartement 4F's West Village Window and Investing in Ginjan
A newsletter about the survival of independent businesses in New York City with a focus on immigrant-owned, storefront retail and CPG enterprises.
During this time of incredible sorrow—wild fire devastation, two airline crashes, an unhinged government—I feel even more grateful to focus on independent business owners who make New York City a far more flavorful, captivating and hospitable place to live. These founders and their businesses not only add pizzazz, joy and humanity to our daily lives and celebratory gatherings, but also help the economy by creating jobs, paying taxes and typically keeping a portion of earnings recirculating in their communities.
THE SOUL OF CHEF STEPHANIE
One such person is Chef Stephanie Bonnin, known for her pop up dinners and supper clubs under the business name of La TropiKitchen, she even sold food out of her apartment window at one point during the pandemic. Bonnin has a passion for tropical flavors, traditions and dishes, most stem from growing up in coastal Colombia.
On February 6, 2025, Bonnin and her husband Pablo are opening Patio Tropical—a tropical speakeasy of sorts—in the back of a Williamsburg, Brooklyn gift shop, This Is Latin America. A green neon sign depicting a nude woman-alligator in repose hangs above the doorway to Patio Tropical, a space flooded with natural light, potted plants and a pink-walled open kitchen.
Bonnin cooks in the open kitchen behind a long, minimalist cement counter and chats with guests, switching effortlessly between English and Spanish. While Patio Tropical’s official opening is February 6, a steady stream of friends and customers, from families to a very stylish “bruja”, visit to sip coffee or hot chocolate, eat pastries and other snacks, like her version of a Cubano sandwich. Bonnin serves sweet rolls with dulce de leche (typically called arequipe in Colombia) or a slice of enyucado, a wonderful Colombian treat made with yuca and coconut, as songs by Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón and other musicians play on the sound system.
Bonnin draws inspiration from Colombia’s tropical produce and dishes, among other Caribbean regions, as well as New York City. Heartier fare includes her interpretation of sancocho, a Colombian hearty soup and posta Cartagenera, slow cooked short rib, among other dishes.
‘The food is what I am” says Bonnin of Patio Tropical’s Dishes. She takes her role seriously as tropical gastronomic historian and chef of Colombian origin, but is also irreverent, fun and saucy (pun slightly intended) in the process. She considers Patio Tropical to be a culinary studio where she can cook for guests while highlighting Colombia’s mix of indigenous, West African and European cuisines, ingredients and cooking methods—even down to using dried seed pods as utensils. She also wants Patio Tropical to be a place for the diasporic community of all types.
A crew of friends and colleagues have been helping usher “the soul of Stephanie” into Patio Tropical’s physical space and menu for the February 6 opening. You can follow their progress on the Instagram accounts @patiotropicalnyc and @latropikitchen. Patio Tropical’s address is 234 Grand Street in Williamsburg, one of the first culinary events will be an aphrodisiac dinner on Valentine’s Day.
CHA CHA FESTIVAL FEATURES LOCAL BUSINESSES AND TEA
It’s Lunar-New-Year-a-go-go in the city this month. New Yorkers can commune with some of their favorite tea importers and food businesses at the Cha Cha Festival to celebrate the year of the snake. It’s free and open to the public every Saturday and Sunday in February, from noon to 7pm, inside an office building at 161 Water Street.
Tea, pastry, sticky rice ball and condiment enthusiasts can mill around two spacious floors inside the Financial District high-rise, to sample or buy hot tea, treats and participate in interactive programs, like playing mahjong, an oolong tea tasting, or smelling traditional Chinese medicine elements from, magnolia flower buds to monk fruit, in partnership with Kamwo Meridian Herbs in Chinatown.
The Cha Cha Festival is a mix of art, history, experience and commerce, conceived by founder Karen Wong with assistance by Ming Chen. It’s based on five types of tea: oolong, lotus, pu-erh, chai and hojicho.
Upon arrival in the dimly-lit, 1980s style ground floor lobby, passing through revolving doors with “WSA” decals, you might think, “This can’t be it, I’m in the wrong place.” But a bed with a white lacquered frame of two huge feet next to escalators signals otherwise. After ascending the escalator to lobby number two, an elevator takes visitors to the fifth floor where the Cha Cha Festival spreads out over two bright and airy open floors. The refurbished office space has wraparound windows overlooking the East River, Brooklyn Bridge, Seaport and financial district office buildings.
On a real estate side note, the 31 story building formerly owned by A.I.G., is known as the Water Street Associates (WSA) Building and has become an in-the-know sensation. It was purchased in 2022 for $252 million by an LLC and rents out office spaces to creative businesses, has a spa, a hospitality group called Happier (yes, Happier Grocery) and the nonprofit Water Street Projects space, where the Cha Cha Festival takes place. But the building’s ownership remains a mystery, recently chronicled in a fascinating article by Jessica Iredale in The New York Times (free gift article).
Visitors can sip tea in sitting areas or structures created by architects, landscape and furniture designers amid colorful graphic posters designed by Natasha Jen of Pentagram that hang from the ceiling or affixed to walls. There is even a darkened room where people place their tea leaves on a pedestal to be read (I have yet to figure out if this was AI or human generated).
My favorite part was visiting the local vendors, from shops to private chefs, in an art fair setting, from Yun Hai’s Taiwanese dried fruits (the green mango and kumquats are outstanding!) to Kopitiam’s jars of kaya pandan jam. Several other vendors not already mentioned: 99 Bakery, Anne Ye Tea, Bé Bế Baby Kitchen, Boba Guys, Chicha San Chen, Figwaspe, Fern and Aurora, Ga Ma Diam Goods, Karachikababboiz, Kayanoya, Kiino Brooklyn, One Love Community Fridge, Mas Budi, Patty Lee, S-u-m Studio, Grand Tea & Imports, Mustafa Jaan’s Mithai Shop, The Baodega and Patty Lee.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS WHEN ICE ARRIVES
I’ve heard and read stories about ICE sweeps and inquiries. In addition to their intended targets, undocumented immigrants with a history of one or more arrests, they are rounding up residents, going to wrong addresses and approaching random people in public spaces—and sorting out details later.
People in the US do have rights when approached by ICE. Tahmina Watson, one of the country’s most renowned immigration lawyers specializing in the Startup Visa, posted these downloadable PDFs, created by American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). The PDFs date back to 2017 but are still relevant, outlining individuals’ rights if ICE visits a work establishment, home, or on the street, in seven different languages.
L’APPARTEMENT 4F’S WEST VILLAGE TAKEOUT WINDOW
Croissants, cinnamon rolls, tahini chocolate chip cookies with sea salt, sourdough loaves, ratatouille and goat cheese on baguette sandwiches and every type of espresso drink are now available in the West Village through L’Appartement 4F’s takeout window.
L’Appartement 4F, founded by the French-American couple Gautier and Ashley Coiffard, is a pandemic success story. When the city shut down the Coiffards baked sourdough bread out of their apartment, 4F. While multiple city dwellers launched similar food businesses and projects during the pandemic, many fizzled out due to offices opening back up and the realities of running a profitable independent business in New York City—it’s not for the faint of heart.
L’Appartement 4F, on the other hand, has exploded. The Coiffards eventually opened a storefront bakery in Brooklyn Heights, followed by a wine bar L’Apero at night. Now Manhattanites near West 10th Street just off 6th Ave (across the street from where the Women’s House of Detention once stood, now a garden) can enjoy L’Appartement 4F’s baked goods.
During the soft launch period prior to their February 1 opening, lines were already forming. Pedestrians and dog walkers stopped to check out the action. Customers already familiar with L’Appartement 4F, gave heartfelt “thank yous” and a “I’m so glad you’re here” to workers as they handed loaves of breads, rolls and croissants through the window. Talk about a business reputation that precedes it! The pastries are indeed exquisite and I’m returning pronto for a ratatouille and goat cheese sandwich.
A PIECE OF THE GINJAN ACTION
Ginjan is owned by two brothers originally from Guinea, Rahim and Mohammed Diallo. The business consists of two cafes, one in Harlem in the historic Mount Morris Bank Building and the other in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, and bottled drinks that sell at some Whole Foods and other markets. One flavor is ginger of West African origin that they grew up drinking, the other is bissap, made of hibiscus.
The Diallo brothers are embarking on a fund raising round through wefunder, an equity crowdfunding platform that allows people to invest in companies. The Diallo brothers are aiming for $100,000 in the next month, they have summarized their goals in an Instagram post and anyone can invest, the minimum amount is $100. The official campaign page is here, it lists Ginjan’s financial history and investment details.
Years ago I wrote a NYT story about package design for foreign foods geared for mainstream US consumers, which included Ginjan. It’s a tricky balance to create packaging and marketing materials that hint at a product’s origins, explains what it is, yet not be cliché or too “Americanized”. The Diallo brothers with designer Ruen Ellis worked on Ginjan’s current branding, which I think works well.
HOW TARIFFS IMPACT SMALL BUSINESSES
Perhaps the tariff war initiated by Trump against goods imported from Canada and Mexico (and now the EU?) will be rescinded before they go into effect. But if not, these tariffs will cause major chaos among small businesses throughout the US including New York City. A 25% increase on imported goods—parts, ingredients, vegetables, fruits—is simply not possible for many independent business owners. They can’t afford to eat the cost themselves or pass it along to the customer.
The point of tariffs in the past has been to spur local manufacturing in the US, which is a worthy goal, but also expensive, as of today due to lack of infrastructure and will, as labor is drastically cheaper abroad. These 25% tariffs on imported goods from Canada and Mexico seem random, or punitive, or a ridiculous way for Trump to “mark his territory” so to speak. This BBC article by Natalie Sherman outlines how these tariffs are already impacting small businesses.
GEEK VENTURES RAISING SECOND FUND FOR IMMIGRANT FOUNDED STARTUPS
Attention immigrant-owned tech startups! Geek Ventures based in New York City, is a VC fund that invests in immigrant owned startups, primarily SaaS and hardware. Founder Ihar Mahaniok, originally from Belarus, founded Geek Ventures in 2021. Geek Ventures Fund I raised $23 million, this current Fund II has raised $9 million to date according to TechCrunch.
Thank you to Mercantile Mayhem’s sponsor Accompany Capital. Based in New York City, Accompany Capital, a CDFI, helps immigrants and refugees with loans and financial services. Please read about it here.
Thank you to Small Business Majority, Mercantile Mayhem’s sponsor. SBM supports and empowers small businesses across the US with a focus on public policy. Please read about SBM here.
MERCANTILE MAYHEM NEWSLETTER SPONSORSHIP
Yes, I am still looking for one additional sponsor—individuals, businesses, organizations or foundations—who believe independent businesses in New York City need to survive. Do you want a city full of just Sweetgreens and Chipotles? I certainly do not. If you would like to know sponsorship rates and newsletter stats (open rates and such) please email me: ninarobertsnyc@gmail.com and I’ll send you the details. Please forward this newsletter to others.
OPPORTUNITIES
Hot Bread Kitchen boot camp alert! This link has not gone live yet, but it will on February 5, 2025 (in two days). Deadline is February 25, 2025.
Small businesses in New York City could win a micro grant up to $5,000 through CitizensNYC. Grant deadline is February 7, 2025.
Google.org is launching a global open call for their second cohort of their Generative AI Accelerator, deadline is February 10, 2025. The term “Generative AI” might give you the willies but AI is coming, if not already here. This accelerator is geared for social enterprises among other organizations like nonprofits, civic entities and academic institutions.
I wonder whether the Coiffards (or their customers) know that their business is located in what was once James Beard's house. I wonder if they know who James Beard was.