Makers

When Alex and Evan Spiegel met at Stony Brook in 2001 their fate was sealed as college sweethearts. But it wasn’t until Cornell grad school when the husband/wife team stumbled upon letterpress. While in Ithaca, Alex bought a hand press from a local artist and took up letterpress simply as a hobby… a very serious hobby. As young couples do Alex and Evan traveled together, however, their travels up-and-down the East Coast centered around picking up presses, type and all things letterpress related. Small jobs for friends and family eventually lead to the official formation of Dolce Press in 2005,...

To see Jackie’s work is to, for a brief moment, inhabit her carefree sense of whimsy. Her playful and often humorous illustrations are inspired by her love of the beach, fresh food and spending time outdoors… naturally. However, Jackie has the uninhibited spirit to make those universally loved truths even more irresistible. Take a gander at the ideal life she can visit upon something as seemingly mundane as a basket of clams or  even a bagel with cream cheese. An artist and illustrator based in Hampton Bays, Jackie has completed numerous commissioned works, but most notably, illustrated a cookbook featuring...

What do you do when you want to work with your spouse and have a love for brewing, food and travel? Start a spice company of course! Alicia Valeo and Kevin Breslawski are born and bred Long Islanders who have channeled their love for all things gastronomic into Crimson & Clove. Long Island isn't just the place they grew up and now run their business, it is an inspiration for many of their spice blends and flavored salts. From their The End Montauk Blend, influenced by grilling fresh seafood at the beach, to Pizza Party! which evokes the comforting aroma...

Neither recession nor cancer can hold Founder Merilyn Konnerth back. A determined female entrepreneur, Merilyn has the fighting spirit to match the will. When the 2008 recession shut the doors on her NYC based design and accessory import business, Merilyn did what most people would do and… bought a $40 artisanal bar of soap??? Merilyn was browsing on Etsy when she made the purchase, but the bar of soap inspired her to dive headfirst into the art of soap making. She immersed herself in courses and literature and founded Utopia Bath in 2010, focusing on small batch formulations using organic...