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Easter Sunday cruise of New York harbor aboard Hornblower Infinity. April 20, 2014.
(Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

Bits & Bytes  

NEW CHEF FOR NORTH END GRILL; SUNY PROF PLEADS FOR SOUTH STREET SEAPORT MUSEUM AND THE SEAPORT'S HISTORIC BUILDINGS

The Howard Hughes Corporation is demolishing Pier 17 and wants to knock down the neighboring New Market Building as well. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

"Calliope Veteran Eric Korsh IN at North End Grill," Eater.com, 4/19/14. Danny Meyer's North End Grill was supposed to be the jewel in his Battery Park City troika, which also includes Blue Smoke and Shake Shack. As it turned out, North End Grill was liked but not loved. Last week, executive chef Floyd Cardoz announced his departure. "Eric Korsh, previously of Calliope and The Waverly Inn, will be the new executive chef at Union Square Hospitality Group's North End Grill," says Eater.com. On its website, the Union Square Hospitality Group elaborated on Korsh's credentials. "A New York native, Eric has worked in restaurants since he was a teenager, and has cooked in leading New York kitchens such as Picholine, Prune, and the Waverly Inn. Most recently, he was the Chef/Co-Owner of Calliope in the East Village, during which time the restaurant earned critical praise and was named one of 12 Restaurant Triumphs of 2012 by the New York Times. Eric will spend his first weeks at North End Grill familiarizing himself with the restaurant's distinctive open kitchen, which features custom-designed wood-burning grills and two charcoal-fired Josper Ovens." Cardoz will stay on through April 30. For the Eater.com article, click here.

"Why NYC must save the South Street Seaport," New York Post, 4/19/14. James M. Lindgren, professor of history at SUNY Plattsburgh and author of "Preserving South Street Seaport" (New York University Press, 2014), spells out the history of the South Street Seaport in an article in the New York Post. "The Seaport Museum rose to become NYC's No. 3 history museum," he tells readers. "In 1998, Congress even named it 'America's National Maritime Museum.' New Yorkers should have been proud, though few knew about it. Then came the twin blows of 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy, which devastated tourism and destroyed the mechanical and electrical infrastructure of the Seaport area. New York City refused to repair the museum buildings it managed - because the Bloomberg administration had, in secret negotiations, agreed to evict the museum." Lindgren says that The Howard Hughes Corporation, the beneficiary of these negotiations, is building a new mall on Pier 17 and "plans on finishing the job - asking the city to evict the museum from the last buildings it occupies and for permission to erect a 50-story hotel complex on the publicly owned site of the 1930s fish market, which has moved to The Bronx." For the complete article, click here.

Downtown bulletin board   

OLD SEAPORT KIDS' ACADEMY THIS WEEK; SCHOLARSHIPS FOR CHEFS; PANEL: WHO OWNS THE WATERFRONT? BPC NEEDS GARDEN VOLUNTEERS

Part of the East River waterfront. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

Old Seaport Kids' Academy:
The Old Seaport Kids' Academy classes started this past week and will continue through May 4. Each business in the Old Seaport is hosting a series of fun and creative classes for children ages 5 to 12.

Among the classes coming up this week are "basic pet care" at The Salty Paw on Tuesday, April 22 from 11 a.m. to noon and "the art of sushi making" at Suteishi on April 26 and 27. Classes cost $25 a child. For more information, click here.

Seaport Panel: Who Owns the Waterfront?
In the midst of negotiations about development in the South Street Seaport, a panel with deep knowledge about its past and with great concerns about its future will discuss "Who Owns the Waterfront?" on May 15 at Pace University.

Topics will include the history of the New York City waterfront, historic preservation, waterfront development and the public trust doctrine.

Panelists include Daniel E. Estrin, supervising attorney, Environmental Litigation Clinic, Pace Law School; Andrew Genn, senior vice president of ports and transportation, NYC Economic Development Corp.; Robert LaValva, founder and president of the New Amsterdam Market; and Roland Lewis, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance. The moderator will be Jason J. Czarnezki, Gilbert and Sarah Kerlin Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law, Pace Law School.

Date: May 15. Time: 7 p.m. Place: Lecture Hall North, Pace University, One Pace Plaza. Free, but space is limited. RSVP to paceacademy@pace.edu.

Scholarships for chefs:
The James Beard Foundation is accepting applications for its 2014 scholarship program, with over $450,000 in scholarships and grants available to help aspiring and established culinary professionals who plan to further their education at a licensed or accredited culinary school or hospitality institution. 

The new scholarship and grant offerings for 2014 include:
*    Spencer's Restaurant at the Mountain: the four-star American restaurant in Palm Springs, California is offering an unrestricted scholarship to a deserving student selected by the JBF Scholarship Selection Committee.
*    Andrew Zimmern's "Second Chances" Scholarship: sponsored by Eyebobs, will offer a student faced with extreme challenges, a "second chance," to overcome these hardships.
*    Green Door Gourmet Scholarship: sponsored by Sylvia Harrelson Ganier, will reward a student with an interest in sustainable farming and learning creative cooking using fresh, nutritious foods.
*    Miljenko "Mike" Grgich's American Dream Scholarship: sponsored by Grgich Hills Estate offers a professional wine studies program.
*    Union Center National Bank Scholarship: will be presented to an individual from the state of New Jersey who possesses an entrepreneurial spirit and aspiration for excellence.

Additionally, JBF School Scholarships will include a $16,000 tuition waiver scholarship from the new Colorado Culinary Academy in Denver, and two scholarships of $15,000 each in Culinary Arts or Hospitality Management from Drexel University in Philadelphia.

The James Beard Foundation also offers work/study grants for current working culinary professionals to expand their culinary experiences. As in previous years, the Jean-Louis Palladin Professional Work/Study Grant, in memory of one of the great culinary geniuses of the 20th century, will be offered, enabling a qualified professional to work with food producers at their source and to study varied specialized skills. Also granted again this year will be the Rhone Rangers Professional Study/Travel Grant for working chefs or sommeliers who wish to learn about American Rhône-varietal wines.

The James Beard Foundation Scholarship Program is administered by the Scholarship Management Services division of Scholarship America, a nonprofit organization that has helped award scholarships to over one million students. Applications for scholarships are received and evaluated by Scholarship America. The applications of the finalists are then submitted to the James Beard Foundation's Scholarship Selection Committee for final review.

For application forms, click here. All scholarship application materials, including transcripts, must be postmarked by May 15, 2014.  Professional grant applications must be postmarked by June 15, 2014. Scholarship winners will be notified in August 2014.

Sail raising on the Pioneer will be part of the South Street Seaport Museum's celebration on Saturday, April 26 from noon to 5 p.m. (Photo: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)