Crains New York - July 29, 2013 - (Page 29)

INSIDE HELLUVA TOWN Source Lunch TV exec fashions garmento series PAGE 30 Out and About An exciting lineup at B’way in Bryant Park PAGE 31 Cooking on the Wild side Miki Agrawal made a good move in April when she rebranded Slice, her healthy-pizza joint. Now called Wild, the mostly gluten-free West Village restaurant with an expanded menu is raking in 10% more per month than the $58,000 it was garnering on average before the switch. Ms. Agrawal, 34, began her journey into the healthy-food business after getting stomachaches from processed dairy. She raised the cash to start Slice in 2005 through crowdfunding. Soon, she’ll share the secrets of FROM THE GROUNDS UP: Allie Caran runs Toby’s Brew School, which offers three espresso classes. her success in her debut book, Do Cool Sh*t: Quit Your Day Job, Start Your Own Business, and Live Happily Ever After (HarperCollins, due out Aug. 6). Chapters include “Business Plans Don’t Raise Dollars, People Do: Why Connecting Is the Key to Money” and “Making the Team: How to Go for It When You Think You Can’t.” “The book is about how people can be proactive, so they’re not just talking, they’re doing,” Ms. Agrawal said. —lisa ferber Sports bars go upscale No ordinary joe Coffee connoisseurs are buying $7,000 machines for their kitchens. Sales of beans are jumping F buck ennis With sports-bar owners realizing that not every fan craves Buffalo wings while watching a Yankees game, competition is heating up among those offering higher-end menus. The Royal in Union Square opened earlier this year with a menu that includes crabcake sliders and pulled-pork burgers. Meanwhile, Bounce Sporting Club in the Flatiron district, launched in 2011, is serving truffle mac-and-cheese and polenta fries. And plates of spicy tuna tartare and filet mignon were in hot demand during the AllStar Game at Ainsworth Park, one of Paige Hospitality Group’s two upscale sports bars in the city. Like Paige’s other high-end sports bar, the Ainsworth in Chelsea, the eatery offers $100 bottles of wine along with foodie favorites like chicken paillard salad and herbcrusted lamb. “We wanted two different things: to cater to high-income men but also to be femalefriendly—which means having healthy options on the menu,” said Matt Shendell, president of Paige. —eilene zimmerman BY ADRIANNE PASQUARELLI BIGGER JOLT ashion photographer rony shram is planning to replace his at-home espresso maker. But the popular models at Williams-Sonoma that cost around $400 just will not do. Mr. Shram is eyeing equipment that could set him back $7,000. ¶ “I took some classes on some really nice machines, and all of a sudden, the one I have at home is feeling slightly inadequate,” said Mr. Shram. “You realize there is a technique to making these drinks, and quite a lot of skill involved, so it’s enjoying the drinks, but also enjoying the process of making them.” ¶ Call them coffee snobs, nerds or simply enthusiasts. Across the city, wannabe baristas like Mr. Shram are spending big bucks on fancy equipment and pricey educational workshops to bring the art of the perfect cup into their own kitchens. They wouldn’t be caught dead at a Starbucks counter, and they scoff at the uninitiated, who drown their Frenchpress java in milk and sugar. ¶ Until last year, John McLaughlin was among the amateurs. “I’d always thought of coffee as a disgusting, burnt flavor and drank Starbucks from time to time,” said See NO ORDINARY on Page 30 the public-relations executive, who moved to the Upper East Side U.S. coffee sales In billions $11.7 $7.1 2007 2012 Source: Euromonitor International July 29, 2013 | Crain’s New York Business | 29

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - July 29, 2013

IN THE BOROUGHS
IN THE MARKETS
THE INSIDER
BUSINESS PEOPLE
OPINION
ALAIR TOWNSEND
GREG DAVID
REPORT: FOOD BUSINESS
FOR THE RECORD
REAL ESTATE DEALS
CLASSIFIEDS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
SOURCE BREAKFAST
OUT AND ABOUT
SNAPS

Crains New York - July 29, 2013