CAP REGION NY

Dishing Out the Deets with Susie Davidson Powell

January 27, 2022 By Corey Aldrich

Pretty sure I met Susie Davidson Powell while enjoying a glass of wine at The Confectionary in Troy a few years ago. Since then, I have had opportunity to hit the road with her and get a front row seat on what its like to enjoy the food life from the drivers seat…and also the passenger seat – in her Porche 911 Targa 4S. Yup, she rolls in style!

Many would think that you have a dream job! What is it exactly that you do and for how long have you been doing it?

I’ve been writing about food and drink in the Hudson Valley for close to a decade, first when I moved to Columbia County after living in the city, and then in the Capital Region. I’ve been the Times Union dining critic since 2014, so I write weekly restaurant reviews, critic’s notebook features, The Food Life (a trend-focused digital subscriber newsletter) and a monthly cocktail column. I also co-founded thefoodlife.co for Hearst and wrote and filmed Kitchen Raid, a 6-week armchair travel, cooking and recipe subscription focused on pro tips and kitchen ingredients to make fast plates and amazing cocktails. But it’s not as glamorous as people think…

How did you end up getting into this business? Was this part of your original career path or did you develop this over time?

Not at all! I grew up outside London, England, and was always traveling through Europe, later working in Poland and on a Greek Island. Throughout uni and grad school, I worked as a bartender and cocktail waitress, server and occasional kitchen help. This was a great eye opener in terms of the industry and chef and customer behavior.

I came to Albany, New York to attend grad school. I worked as a research program director and stayed in publishing/curricula development for several years. I’m so grateful for that experience. I’d be out on the road for weeks, eating my way from L.A. to El Paso or D.C. to Roswell, NM. A real culinary education. After moving with my family to Columbia County, NY, I wrote a weekly newspaper column about country life and started covering the growing farm-to-table scene around 2003 just as Swoon opened on Warren Street, Hudson, and not long after the 9/11 exodus Upstate. The rest is history.

What does your job look like on a daily basis? I mean, from a practical perspective beyond all the glamour parts! Ok, maybe some glamour stuff also…

I’m constantly tracking new openings, following chef moves between restaurants, and driving – anywhere from Hudson or Woodstock to the Adirondacks – in search of food. I visit new restaurants once or twice each week and circle back for breakfast, lunch or take out a few times a week. I spend a lot of time on background research too, reviewing current and past menus, and setting up interviews. All this before I get to write. One review with travel, eating, and writing time can take 10 to 15 hours. But I do get invited to talk about food-and-drink on radio and TV and I’m often sent wines and spirits to try. That’s the only glamour part!

I pivoted my coverage, writing about take out, drinks to-go, Black-owned eateries following the BLM protests, staff funds, and a series of behind-the-scenes Shutdown Dairies with restaurateurs and chefs. It felt important to show the struggle faced by industry people. Also, I rapidly compiled the first 50 restaurants that switched to take out in the initial lock down, which became the basis of a Times Union take out database. I’m proud of that.

I also ditched my anonymity and hosted online Food Life Lives, chatting with restaurateurs, sommeliers, farmers, even a DJ. We wanted to touch on what we were missing, what we could plate or pour at home, and how to recreate that feeling of being looked after that you have when you dine out. Before the pandemic, I used to host a lot of dinner parties and private wine or whiskey tasting events, so during the lock down I was asked to do a few via Zoom for the Times Union.

What are your goals for 2022? Anything additional that you would like to mention?

All the Covid delays have made me a little gun shy of setting timed goals but I have a drinks, dining and travel hospitality guide in the works called thedishing.com. You can sign up online for details about its launch!

EDITORS NOTE: Corey here, with a shameless plug. Susie with be bringing a non-alcoholic cocktail series to Arts Bar at the Arts Center of the Capital Region for the first quarter of 2022. The events, are held on Troy Night Out in downtown Troy on the 4^th Friday of each month. The first will be on 01.28 from 6:00 to 8:00 at 265 River Street Troy. Come join us for art and a variety of non- and-alcohol based cocktails!

IG: @artsbartroy

Want to Run a General Store Rennselaerville? Here’s Your Chance! Rent? $1/Month!

September 22, 2021 By upstatecreative

I am looking for someone that wants to run a small town grocery store, rent free! I have searched for 5 years to fill the local General store and my hope and the communities would be to find someone willing to take the risk, rent free! The fact is nothing has worked up to this point so this is a last chance at filling the space. The potential proprietor would need to run it as a store/cafe.

To start with some building specifications: Medusa General Store is a 2200 square foot block building built in 1938 by Ernest and Ruth Bell, in the historic hamlet of Medusa, in the town of Rensselaerville, in southwestern Albany County. The property is roughly 1.3 acres. At one point, the store covered all of the general merchandise needs of the surrounding township!

The store has a large deli area with all equipment. As well as shelving and counters. We installed a nine-door walk-in cooler in 2014 both to provide additional space for a large produce and beverage inventory, as well as to reduce the use of inefficient stand-alone coolers.

If you are interested in putting your hard work into this store, we would also put some skin in the game with super low rent and great support from the local community and owners.

This really is an amazing adventure – and we would love to discuss it with you further! If you have specific questions, please call or text.

Beginners and experienced welcome, but serious inquiry only.

Many thanks,
Jason
518-248-8884

This article is reprinted from a post from Listings Project, with permission of the lister.

Upstate Overnights: Albany Edition

October 5, 2020 By wordpress

With COVID limitations and the warm months of summer ending, I’ve been feeling a little discouraged that my ability to “getaway” for a weekend here and there seems to be coming to an end. Luckily, CapNY has plenty of cozy little staycation spots that will feed my cravings to escape from reality for a couple of nights. On this edition of Upstate Overnights, I’ll fill you in on where you can stay for a few nights in Albany County!

Gabby’s Cozy Fall Picks

Click on each of the four picks for The Low-Down, what Gabby loves about each spot, and details on how to book!

Grey Gables

Washington Park Inn

The Morgan State House

The Red Cottage

CapNY is a perfect fall getaway destination. You deserve a vacation. Book, enjoy, and relax. Don’t forget to tag us in your photos, @UpstateCreative! We’d love to share.

Check out Upstate Overnights: Catskills edition, too!

Gabby Fisher is an avid CapNY ambassador, travel lover, & foodie. She is ACE’s Digital Media Manager and the Founder of co-mads, a consulting company that curates travel and volunteer experiences; along with providing marketing, event, and content creation services to organizations whose missions align. She’s also a Co-Founder of Flips Resale, a business she started with her father.

#CapNYRedAlert: Elizabeth Sobol, President and CEO of SPAC

October 5, 2020 By Maureen Sager

This Fall, ACE is spotlighting the significant financial hardships facing Creative Economy businesses in the Capital Region though our #CapNYRedAlert campaign. Locally, we are asking creative economy leaders about Covid’s impact and how they plan to move forward. Elizabeth Sobol, President and CEO of Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), offered her perpective.

Elizabeth, when did SPAC start to feel the effects of the lockdown?

As an overview –SPAC has a $10 million dollar annual budget. Half of that revenue is earned income, like the Live Nation concert season, other rentals, our own ticket sales. The other half is contributed income, which comes from memberships, and individual and corporate giving.

Pre-pandemic crowds inside the SPAC amphitheater

So, back in March, the most immediate impact we felt was that our May and June graduation rentals went away.

Then, Mazzone Hospitality — a subtenant at the Hall of Springs – saw their events and weddings dry up quickly.

We began to understand that most of our own programs like the Philadelphia Orchestra and New York City Ballet would not be happening, and then came the question of Live Nation concerts. And, like everyone else, they canceled their season.

Basically, $5 million dollars of earned income evaporated.

And then 80 percent of our million of corporate donations also went away.

So all in all, we’ve lost $6 million of our $10 million budget in 2020.

How is SPAC weathering that jolt?

SPAC’s Chef’s Table events will take place outdoors, with proceeds going to the chefs. Photo courtesy The Saratogian.

The good news is that the community has really supported us in 2020.

The majority of people left their memberships with us this summer, even though they weren’t getting the usual perks of tickets and parking and things. We are deeply grateful for that.

Many of our corporate sponsors also gave what they could. Many said that they couldn’t spend the same amount, but gave what they could to keep some money in the coffers. Quite a number of long term corporate sponsors stuck with us. Quite a few could not.

Basically, we will be okay through 2020 because of the philanthropic spirit of our members, donors, board members.

The big question, now, is 2021.

So how do you plan for 2021?

Saratoga Spa State Park. Photo by Allison Schweitzer.

Right now we still don’t know what the spring and summer will hold, and that makes it very hard to figure out how to budget.

If we have to implement social distancing, our amphitheater capacity goes from 5200 seats to 1250. How would Live Nation concerts make that work? And in our field, the demographic tends to be older, and they are the most vulnerable age group to Covid. Even if we have social distancing in the amphitheater, how many of our patrons will actually come back and buy tickets?

Many performing arts groups have already canceled their spring seasons, and we’re trying to dream up ways to bring our resident companies up here in some other crazy fashion, if the amphitheater isn’t available.

Will orchestras be able to put 80 musicians on the stage? Can they have a chorus?

There are just more questions than answers at this point.

Can you tell us about some of the programming SPAC did in 2020, and what might happen in 2021?

SPAC helped practioners convene wellness classes during the crisis. Photo courtesy Albany Times-Union.

This summer, we really turned our focus to ways we can thank our members, and finding ways to allow people to have experiences and gather together safely.

For example, we opened the grounds up to wellness practioners. They registered people for their classes, met on the SPAC grounds, and all of the proceeds remained with the teachers.

We are doing the same for our Chef’s Tables events. Our new pavilion is equipped with temporary walls and heat sources, which keeps things safe and warm, and all the money that comes in will go to the chefs. We’re hoping this can continue to go through the fall and even into winter.

Elizabeth’s silver linings

The pandemic forced us to think deeply about our mission and the spirit of what we do. We created a ton of great new digital and live content and programming, which is something that arts organizations all knew we needed to do, but never quite got around to before.

The pandemic has taught us to be imaginative and flexible, and that will put us in good stead going forward, no matter what happens.

Saratoga Performing Arts Center is located 108 Avenue of the Pines in Saratoga Springs, NY, in the beautiful Saratoga Spa State Park.

Freelancers Training Up During Covid and Beyond

September 30, 2020 By wordpress

By: Gabby Fisher, ACE Digital Media Manager & Entrepreneur, in conjunction with Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC) Career Launchpad.

We freelancers are versatile, hardworking and known for their ability to adapt to dynamic work environments and demands. To remain marketable and relevant in their fields, we prioritize professional development and and constantly engage in training and courses geared toward building modern skills. Over the past six months, more than 50% of freelancers have participated in skill-related education or training.

As mentioned in last week’s article, I’ve heard firsthand from many local freelancer’s and entrepreneur’s who have been using this period of uncertainty to “train up” and sharpen their professional tools. Kirsten Voege, Marketing & Communications Consultant and Owner of KiRated Communications, is one of those individuals.

Last week, Kirsten held her own Professional Development Day, where she blocked out her schedule – no calls or meetings – allowing her to hyper-focus on searching for online trainings and courses, setting goals, and looking for other new types of learning opportunities. She usually has two webinar trainings on her calendar each week.

I asked her why it’s so important for her to invest in professional development and she said “As actress Helen Hayes said, “if you rest, you rust,” I’m always trying to learn something new. I’m constantly finding new trainings/courses on LinkedIn, through podcasts, Eventbrite and in digital newsletters. It seems like many of the newsletters end up in my spam folder, so when I run out of new ideas, I check there too.”

Just a few of the books Kirsten’s read throughout the pandemic. Follow her on social media for her extensive book, podcast, & study music recommendations! FB / IG / Twitter

Freelancers spend a lot of time searching for worthwhile professional development opportunities…programs, courses, and experts that they trust.

We know a better way. Hudson Valley Community College’s (HVCC) Career Launchpad has fast-track options to provide you the education necessary to enhance skills or develop new ones. Their training sectors include the following:

Get in touch with HVCC today. Opportunities for tuition funding may be available. Yes, 50% of freelancers have engaged in some training over the past six months, but that number should be higher. Invest in yourself. Invest in your career. Invest in marketplace stability. Get started in less than a minute by filling out the form of the bottom of the website page. Let’s launch!

Check out “Training Up With Gabby: Build Your Skills, Knowledge & Earning Power!” here!