Aussie salad star Hetty McKinnon set up Arthur Street Kitchen (literally in her Surry Hills kitchen) in 2001 as a ‘hobby’. Twice a week, she would cook hearty, flavour-packed, vegetarian salad boxes and deliver them to hungry neighbours by bicycle.
Word of mouth spread and soon enough Hetty’s biz grew to the point she was prepping up to 80 meals a day. Fast forward 6 years and a relocation to Brooklyn: Hetty is at the helm of a thriving salad enterprise, with a delivery service, two cookbooks Community and Neighbourhood, and the soon to be launched Neighborhood Studio test kitchen. Here, for LUXE x Lumira, Hetty shares her favourite Brooklyn haunts.
EAT
Gersi
We live in Carroll Gardens, a neighbourhood with a strong Italian heritage so there is no shortage of Italian restaurants around and this is one of our local joints. Gersi is one of the newest and best – I dream of their Spaghetti al Limone and kale panzanella
Court Street Grocers
Around the corner from my house, this is where I find my daily dose of potent black coffee plus THE best sandwich in New York City – the Veg Italian Hero filled with sweet potato, olives, rocket, swiss cheese, mozzarella, red onion and hoagie sauce!
Rucola
Another neighbourhood fave – fantastic all day dining, and brilliant pasta at night, situated on a gorgeous, leafy corner of Boerum Hill.
Shake Shack
Because I’m obsessed with their ‘shroom burger!
Joe’s Shanghai
We have been coming here for years, even when we were only in NYC as visitors. My family love the soup dumplings, but I love the scallion pancakes and fried rice noodles. Bustling, communal dining at its New York best.
Kiki’s
Greek food is not that common in NYC, but this little joint hiding behind the facade of an old Chinatown printing factory is a gem! Their pan-seared, phyllo wrapped saganaki with honey blows my mind.
130 Division Street, New York
DRINK
June
It’s a lovely local bar with cosy booths, specialising in natural wines, with excellent food too.
Elsa
Originally a bar in the East Village, Elsa is now up the road in Cobble Hill and the locals are thrilled. Killer drinks list in a cool, painstakingly reimagined space.
PLAY
Prospect Park
Brooklyn’s version of Central Park is wilder, woodsy and more rambling. We are so lucky to have such vast green space in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the world.
Museum of Modern Art (MoMa)
Still my favourite museum in the city. The classics room is my happy space. I can get lost in here for hours, even after countless visits. My kids love it too.
Chinatown
Three Chinatowns in the city, and all so different. I love the food courts in Flushing, full of cheap, handmade dumplings, and the busy shopfronts in Sunset Park. However Manhattan’s Chinatown is still my fave. I feel that this is my spiritual home. I love the potent aromas, the slight grit, and the many faces of our multicultural world.
Manhattan, Flushing in Queens and Sunset Park in Brooklyn
SHOP
Union Square Greenmarket
There is nothing I love more than shopping for seasonal produce and it’s such a luxury to have this fresh, locally grown farm produce at our fingertips in such a big city. I love the green markets here so much. Full of colour, life and abundance.
7115 by Szeki
Cool, understated, minimal designs created by local, Lower East Side based designer Szeki Chan. Her pieces are so adaptable and completely timeless.
To read more about Hetty visit atelierlumira.com. For more fab Brooklyn and New York picks…
