Cupcakes are what made Magnolia Bakery famous, but its best-loved dessert is the Banana Pudding: it’s fluffy, sweet, and full of fresh bananas and vanilla wafer pieces. It was also, up until now, only available in the bakery, or online directly from Magnolia’s website.

The pudding couldn’t be frozen to be sold in stores, but the people wanted more. This week, the bakery debuted a newly-reformulated frozen-to-thaw version of the Banana Pudding, and it’s available now in some grocery stores, and to-order on DoorDash, GoPuff and Amazon Fresh.

To celebrate, Magnolia Bakery is hosting a pop-up event at Cafe Balearica in Williamsburg from Nov. 15-17, with dancing, music and a Banana Pudding vending machine, so Brooklynites can be among the first to taste the new dessert.

The celebration takes place from 5 a.m. to 4 a.m. on Nov. 15 and 2 p.m. to 4 a.m. on Nov. 16 and 17. The cafe will be mixing up a special banana daiquiri, perfect to sip with free pudding. 

It took three years for Magnolia Bakery to formulate the new frozen-to-thaw pudding. The original recipe couldn’t be frozen or saved for later because it changed the color and texture of the banana slices, according to the bakery. But customers wanted some to take home.

“In development for over three years, we listened carefully to our consumers, our customers, and most importantly — ourselves — in developing a new product that not only felt novel, but complimentary to everything we do,” said Magnolia Bakery’s Chief Commercial Officer, Eddie Revis, in a statement. 

The frozen-to-thaw version has the same fresh banana slices and flavor, but stays tasty and consistent when thawed out. Sold in ice-cream like pints, the new Banana Pudding is available in three flavors: Wafer Cookie Bits, Chocolatey Hazelnut Swirl, and Red Velvet Cookie Bits.

New Yorkers can try out the new pudding at Cafe Balearica starting Nov. 15, or head to the bakery’s website to find a local grocery store carrying the dessert. 

“As we continue to build towards the future on our successful 28-year foundation as one of America’s most beloved bakeshops, our new Banana Pudding innovation will not only elevate the experiences of our loyal customers but also introduce new ways for people to connect with our brand,” said Magnolia CEO and Chief Baking Officer Bobbie Lloyd. “This has been a career-long dream for me and I’m so proud that we developed a product that is true to our brand DNA.” 

The highly-contested rezoning of the 962-972 Franklin Ave. site in Crown Heights was passed by the City Council’s Subcommittee.

The post Long-running fight over development near Botanic Garden may be over appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

NYPD teamed up with K-Pop boy band Big Ocean Tuesday to surprise students at St. Joseph’s School for the Deaf to empower children living with impairments. 

Big Ocean are K-Pop’s first hard-of-hearing act who have dedicated themselves to sharing their story of resilience while also spreading awareness on hearing impairments and breaking through barriers. After learning about the NYPD’s initiatives in working with the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, and vice versa, both the boys in blue and the performers banded together to spread a message of hope. 

“Here we practice American sign language, but [Big Ocean] gets to bring a different insight which is Korean Sign Language (KSL) and they incorporated International Sing Language (ISL) into their performance. I think it’s a great engagement piece with the students here, just letting them know that the deaf community can be involved in musicals, performances or dancing, and just arts and craft. They bring a spotlight to that,” NYPD Detective Angel Familia said. He also admired that Big Ocean utilizes vibrating watches and other metronome technology that enables the group to stay on rhythm.

Big Ocean’s members Hyunjin, Chanyeon, and Jiseok are hard-of-hearing musicians. At three years old Hyunjin lost his hearing after a severe fever. He underwent cochlear surgery and began to find solace in music. Chanyeon was 11 years old when he too suffered from a fever and lost his hearing. He underwent cochlear implant surgery and is now the group’s main rapper. Jiseok, the youngest member was born hard-of-hearing and became passionate about K-Pop music thanks to his love for dance. 

Each of these young men have persevered through stereotypes and social stigmas that attempted to dictate their future. They were constantly told that they would only lead a life of limitation by society, but they were not discouraged from their dreams. They found a kinship between each other and music and spent about two years training to become K-Pop idols. 

Big Ocean’s mission to spread awareness and give back to communities aligned with the NYPD’s efforts. Both groups worked together to meet the young children of St. Joseph’s School for the deaf to share with them that their future is just as bright as anyone else’s. 

“We are so happy to see all of these kids who have the same type of disability we have, and I wanted them to see our performance and learn how to grow and pursue their dream, whatever they are dreaming now,” Jiseok said. 

“We don’t feel like out hearing disability is a disability or a handicap that’s getting in the way of pursing our dream. It is a characteristic that differentiates us from other people,” Chanyeon added. 

When Big Ocean strolled into the school’s cafeteria, the children’s jaws dropped many of them confused as to why a group of young South Korean men were visiting them. Immediately Big Ocean utilized ASL to introduce themselves, leaving many of the students wide-eyed with excited smiles on their faces.  

The children pointed to a map, trailing their fingers over the Pacific Ocean to South Korea. It here that Big Ocean proceeded to teach them Korean words like, “Hello” and “Thank you” in ASL. 

One little girl noticed Chanyeon had a similar hearing device to hers and jumped up with a bright smile on her face. Despite living an ocean apart, the students realized that these young talented men were just like them. 

Members of the NYPD joined in the discussion, and Detective Familia worked with a translator (KSL to ASL) to allow the group to further express their story.  It is a message Assistant Commissioner Alden Foster has dedicated with the NYPD reaffirming that there are opportunities out there for them, just like if they wanted to work within the department. 

“We’ve been partnering with St. Joseph’s School for the Deaf for a number of years now and really connecting them with the local precincts,” Assistant Commissioner Foster said. “We have relationships with all of the deaf schools in New York City and we are just really letting them know the different opportunities and letting them know that they have a direct line to the police officers.” 

The surprise visit turned into a full out performance—taking place in the school’s gymnasium—where the group sang and danced (using ASL, KSL and ISL) to their songs “Glow,” “Blow,” “Slow,” and “Flow.”

The children danced along, and even performed the sign language routine with Big Ocean, filling the gymnasium with laughter and joy.  For Jiseok, the entire experience brought him back to his childhood. He is the only member who enrolled in a school for deaf children, and he said that he wished he had someone to look up to growing up. 

“I didn’t have someone to look up to who was like me. I wished there could have been someone that could have been my role model. I’m hoping that we can have an impact on these kids, so they are inspired for the future. I hope they look at Big Ocean like we are a force of life that they can pursue dreams they never thought of before like becoming an idol or a police officer. I look forward to seeing their future,” Jiseok shared. 

“Our music doesn’t just apply to the deaf community because everyone in life has their own obstacles and difficulties. Those struggling moments can be exhausting and lonely. I have been there and I want people who listen to our music to know that they should not give up. Just go, there is no later. The struggling moment will not last. Things will turn out great. It’s just a moment in your bigger story,” Hyunjin stressed. 

While Big Ocean has been a representative of the deaf community, even their debut was on April 20, 2024, which is South Korea’s Day of People with Disabilities, they emphasize that they are just K-Pop artists who want to spread a good message to their listeners. Everyone has a struggle or difficulty they are trying to overcome, and Big Ocean wants the world to know that things will be alright, and you will beat it. 

For Big Ocean, working with the NYPD was an opportunity of a lifetime and was something they never thought could be possible. Even in South Korea the NYPD has been known to be the largest police force with a steadfast motto to serve and protect. Big Ocean gushed stating that they were in awe upon seeing the police officers in person, and their mere presence made them feel protected.  They were also impressed that the NYPD has dedicated themselves to bridging relationships with the community, especially with those with hearing impairments. 

“It was extraordinary working with the police, even in South Korea this is not something we would have the opportunity to do,” Chanyeon said. 

Commissioner Foster and Detective Familia applauded the group and invited them to continue their relationship with the NYPD with the hopes of one day hosting a concert for those with disabilities. 

“It’s really important that we as the largest police department really connect with all communities and the disability community is sometimes a community that feels forgotten and it’s our job that we make sure we keep that relationship as tight as possible,” Commissioner Foster said. 

Big Ocean released their first mini album, “Follow” on Nov. 11 and their message is clear: Follow your own dreams and happiness.  

GET YOUR CHALLAH on at a Bake & Book Discussion with the Congregation B’nai Avraham Sisterhood in Brooklyn Heights.

The post Challah bread baking and book club on Thursday appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

A BODY WAS FOUND on a Coney Island beach early Monday morning by a Parks Dept. employee, according to the NYPD.

The post Body found on Coney Island beach appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

FOLLOWING AN unprecedented number of brush fires, FDNY Commissioner Tucker urged New Yorkers to beware of the threat of brush fires.

The post FDNY chief: “Beware” of brush fires appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

A design for new infill on an architecturally distinguished and landmarked block of Hancock Street needs refinement, the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission said at a hearing late last month.

While the commissioners were, overall, enthusiastic about the front of the new building’s design and detailing, they agreed at the Oct. 22 meeting that the rear was too massive and extended too far into the interior of the block — an area sometimes referred to as the “green donut” — compared to neighboring row houses. Members of the public who spoke also took issue with the width of the proposed building.

The site at 164 Hancock Street, in the Bedford Historic District between Nostrand and Marcy avenues, is one of two adjacent lots being developed by 164 Hancock Development LLC. A similar design for No. 162 has already been approved by the LPC. The two lots originally formed a garden for neighboring 168 Hancock Street, an 1880s Neo-Grec manse with mansard roof and bays running along one side overlooking the greenery. Developer 164 Hancock Development LLC bought the landmarked house at 168 Hancock Street and its land from the longtime owner in 2021 for $4.55 million and divided it into separate tax lots, public records show.

Both designs are four-story brick and brownstone buildings with similar details, but the one for No. 164 is wider and longer, plans presented to LPC by architect Ana Maria Torres of AT Architects and preservation consultant Jacqueline Peu-Duvallon show. Torres said that came down to the lot being bigger. She added that it is still designed below FAR to stay in context with the surrounding historic buildings.

The commissioners were largely OK with the additional width, and with the design and detailing of the facade. They were also fine with demolishing a 20th-century garage on the lot. However, they took issue with the bulk at the back.

The lot at 164 Hancock is substantially larger than 162 and 168 Hancock as it includes much of the L-shaped site at the rear of the mansion, meaning the developer could build a larger building. While the plans show the height of the proposed new building at 164 Hancock will be the same as the planned building at 162, all four stories would extend 20 feet further into the backyard than the existing Neo-Grec manse at No. 168.

Commissioner Michael Goldblum said it is an interesting situation given the “bizarre” lot shape allows for much more floor area ratio than a traditional row house, but said Landmarks limits and zoning limits are not the same thing.

“I think that therefore the rear of this should be sculpted back so that maybe it terraces up as it rises,” he said. “Maybe the first floor can be nearly as deep as it is, or maybe as deep as the neighbor, the mansion, but once it gets above that first floor, I think it really has to set back, at the very least, to the depth of the pavilion of the neighbor, or to the new building next door to it.”

He said while he took seriously the impact that would have on the number of units the new building could contain or, at the minimum, their design, “I think that the precedent involved in basically creating a kind of almost tenement volume in a setting for a townhouse row is something that I don’t feel comfortable with personally.”

Goldblum said looking at the manse next door, the extension was not only longer, “but it shapes it, and it pulls it in and out a little bit so that it kind of reads like a pavilion in the block.”

He said this approach could be considered for 164 Hancock so it would transition more easily with the rest of the block while adding some volume. He also urged LPC staff to work with the architect on the design of the exposed side and rear facades and fenestration so the new building fits in with the block and loses some of the “generic developer feel” it currently has.

Commissioner Fred Bland agreed, saying his “only real issue is the depth of the building. It just needs to be pulled back.” Commissioner Chapin said that as proposed, the new building “protrudes too far into the central space, and I think it should align with the adjacent new building.”

The three members of the public who spoke at the hearing all urged the commission to reduce the width of the new building so it matches the width of the development planned for 162 Hancock Street, and two also took issue with the building’s length.

Evelyn Collier, who spoke on behalf of Community Board 3, asked the commission to deny the certificate of appropriateness until the bulk of the building had been reduced and a shadow study had been carried out. “The proposed new building disrupts the protected residential block with its outsize bulk, it will significantly impact the district’s form, and is not aligned with the historic character of the district,” she said.

Speaking on behalf of the Historic Districts Council, Michelle Arbulu said HDC found the proposed building to be “inappropriately scaled for its location.”

“HDC agrees with Brooklyn Community Board 3 that the proposed building is too wide and too deep, crowding the designated corner facade of the historic mansion at 168 Hancock,” she said. “Given that this land has been an historic community asset to neighbors in Bedford Stuyvesant for almost 150 years, the proposed building should be shrunk in terms of width and depth to maintain a sense of historic open space and defer to the three designed historic facades of 168 Hancock.”

She said given that plans for 162 Hancock Street had already been approved by the commission, it would be easy to scale No. 164 down to that size.

In 2023, LPC approved the plans for 162 Hancock Street only after much back and forth over design, and despite concerns from community members about the detail (or lack thereof) on the building. Many local residents also told the commission at the time they thought the two new buildings at 162 and 164 Hancock Street should be reviewed together.

John Graham of the Victorian Historical Society said the organization “found the design of the new building to be excellent in terms of materials, details, and scale.” However, while he didn’t mention the length of the proposed development, he did say the width should be reduced to match 162 Hancock Street to provide “more breathing room around the unique mansion at 168 Hancock.”

In response to the comments from the public and commissioners, Torres said she was trying to make the building “as appropriate as possible” and understood the concerns about the length, but said the site is extremely large and there are other buildings of similar length on the block.

She said terraces on the rear of the building create a lighter, stepped down feel to the massing, adding “I think it’s a mix of trying to give to the developer as much as possible without, you know, compromising too much.”

Peu-Duvallon added that it is a unique situation with a very deep lot creating a design challenge that “the architect has really answered well.”

“I don’t think the answer is to make the building smaller, because I think that what she has presented here is a design that is appropriate to the district, and in its current form, it allows for just creating more space for housing in particular, that’s in particular useful for the ADA compliance department at the ground level,” she said.

LPC Chair Sarah Carroll closed out the meeting by inviting Torres and Peu-Duvallon back to a later meeting once they have considered the comments and revisited the plans. She asked them to look at the “footprint and the depth of the building” and consider “ways to terrace it or sculpt it and set it back so that it fits more comfortably within the historic context.”

This story first appeared on Brooklyn Paper’s sister site Brownstoner