Vanesa Kim, White Noise Coffee
Did you know that New York City has the highest number of women entrepreneurs in our neighborhoods? According to New York City Small Business Services, women across the five boroughs employ over 190,000 people and generate approximately $50 billion in sales. This month, we’re proud to present our annual Women’s issue—dedicated to all the innovative women chefs, food entrepreneurs, restaurateurs, bakers, mixologists and more who help feed the borough everyday.
Coinciding with the print issue (you’ll be able to pick up a copy soon!), every weekday throughout the month of May, we’re featuring a different Queens woman in the food industry. From Flushing’s dumpling maestro Helen You, to Long Island City’s Brazilian baker, Daniela Martins-Schwarzbauer and Last Dragon Pizza’s Nicole Russell in Rockaway, each woman reflects the diverse and independent spirit of Queens. Oh, and did we mention that our woman-owned magazine produced this women’s issue with a team of all-women writers, photographers, illustrators, designers and editors (save for our photo editor, Ed Lefkowicz)? No big deal.
Vanesa Kim, White Noise Coffee
This trained actress-turned-barista-turned-Queens-proprietress knows how to put on a show. Realizing the performance aspect of the hospitality industry, and the ability to boost a patron’s mood with energy, a thoughtfully set space and a smile, Vanesa Kim went about conceptualizing a hangout that’s less a coffee shop than it is a community hub. And to be sure, White Noise is all about stimulating the senses.
Taste and touch are taken care of, of course, with frequently Asian-inflected goodies such as matcha lattes, black sesame soft serve and BLTs with wasabi aioli (all utterly Instagrammable, naturally), that reference Kim’s Korean heritage. Sight is covered by an illuminated front counter along with a riot of greenery, reflecting her childhood in Buenos Aires. Yet sound (as the name would suggest) may just be the most important of all. A veritable symphony is created by the vibrations of life that layer throughout the room, from ambient music and the churn of the coffee grinder, to keyboard taps and laughter.
