June 2012: Scoop

SHOP

Gluten-Free…And
Sweet As Can Be

New Yorkers with Celiac Disease or a gluten allergy will
find a dessert mecca at the Upper East Side’s newest
sweet shop, Pip’s Place: The Gluten Free Cakery. Founder and creative
mastermind Denise Cummings created this gluten-free sanctuary after her
14-year-old daughter was diagnosed with Celiac in 2007. Store bought items just
weren’t cutting it, so Cummings took to her kitchen and reinvented the
gluten-free wheel. Her culinary creations were so tasty that she decided to
take her treats mainstream and open a bakery. Pip’s Place will serve an array
of over 40 gluten-free goodies—all approved by the Gluten Free Certification
Organization. Items such as chocolate layer cake with mocha frosting, raspberry
pinwheels and peanut butter cup cookies will have sweet toothed city strollers
going back for seconds. For more
information, visit pipsplacenyc.com.

DINNERWARE

Dining With Dan

Bring Dan Zanes to the breakfast table. Families can enjoy a
little piece of the children’s folk musician while they eat as Dan Zanes teams
up with Fishs Eddy for a special dish collection. With Zanes’ music on popular
rotation at this New York City store, they decided to collaborate on a unique set of bowls, plates and cups featuring
quirky musical motifs like tubas, cellos, guitars and bongo drums. The dishes,
designed by Donald Saaf and recently available at the Fishs Eddy store, range
in price from $10.95 to $12.95. Or, simply purchase the entire set for $36.85
in a charming gift box. For more
information, visit fishseddy.com.

MULTIMEDIA

Broadway-Style
Lullabies

Music, literature and film all by Broadway’s best—and for a
good cause! Over the Moon: The Broadway
Lullaby Project is a stellar multimedia compilation aimed to support finding
a cure for breast cancer. The 2-CD collection features 26 original lullabies
written and performed by Broadway stars like Michael Cerveris, Kate Dawson, Audra McDonald, Vanessa Williams and
many others. Also included is an illustrated children’s book with a foreword by
legendary actress Julie Andrews. Plus, since the entire project was taped,
purchasers will receive a copy of the documentary film. Proceeds will be
donated to various breast cancer charities. For more information, visit missingpiecegroup.com.

DECORATE

Make-A-Cake

Make Meaning, a favorite family activity destination, has
opened a new location on the Upper East Side! Walk in
anytime (reservations are not needed, but always recommended) and partake in a
number of unique classes on offer. Crafty kiddos will enjoy ceramics,
jewelry-making or getting creative with paper. For something different, check
out the soap-making or glass jewelry classes. One of the most popular new
offerings is scrumptious cake decorating. Pre-baked, blank canvas cakes are
available in various sizes and include incredible decorating materials like
edible glitter and disco dust. The best part? You get to take your beautiful treat
home and chow down! For more
information, visit makemeaning.com.

DIGITAL

Scholastic
Summer Challenge

Keeping a kid academically engaged during the summer can be
tough. But our friends at Scholastic have created the perfect solution with
their Scholastic Summer Challenge, a program which aims to keep up literacy all
summer long! Every time a child finishes a book, he or she can log those
minutes at scholastic.com and help to break the world record for total number
of summer reading minutes by kids. Parents will receive weekly emails regarding
their child’s progress, along with book lists and expert tips. To make this all
the more fun, Scholastic is introducing their Reading Timer App, which allows readers
to log minutes and win prizes while on-the-go. Free for iPhone and Android
users. For more information, visit scholastic.com.