BENSONHURST'S PREMIER NEWS BLOG

Arnaldo Galarza, 20, drowned Friday at Gravesend Bay Beach while his helpless friends and family watched. (image from Daily News)

Family members of a 20-year-old Bedford Stuyvesant man who drowned last Friday in Gravesend Bay say they are in desperate need of cash, in order to pay for his funeral.

Arnaldo Galarza spent his final moments fighting for life in the rough current off a secluded beach at West 37th Street and Bayview Avenue, as friends and family members looked on in horror.

The family has raised around $1,000 so far, but say they need at least $5,000 to cover the cost of both a wake and memorial service at R.G. Ortiz Funeral Home (201 Havemeyer Street) in Williamsburg.

They’re currently reaching out to friends, neighbors and local merchants for assistance in paying for the funeral.

From Daily News:

“He was a good, hard worker,” said Galarza’s brother, Nelison Galarza, 32. “He used to have fun with all the kids. You asked him to do something, he’d go do it fast, without complaining or arguing – nothing. He was a good, good guy who deserves to be remembered.”

Just before he died, the younger Galarza was knee-deep in the water, playing with several young nieces, nephews and a neighbor. As other adults picnicked on the beach, Galarza and the children splashed around and tossed a ball back and forth. About 7 p.m., Galarza – who could not swim – waded deeper to go after the ball.

“Then, all of the sudden, I seen my brother stick his hand up and he just went down,” Nelison Galarza said. “Everybody seen him go down. They thought he was going to go back up, but he never did.”

Arnaldo Galarza, a Brooklyn native, was in the process of completing a required GED program in preparation for his move to a military training base in Georgia, according to family members.

Anyone who would like to help may contact the R.G. Ortiz Funeral Home at 718 782- 6633.

Joseph Monaco's famous cakes seen in his bakery Monaco's in Bay Ridge (image by Nicholas Fevelo for News)

Joseph Monaco (image by Nicholas Fevelo for News)

After 37 years of preparing sweet treats for the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, John Belushi and Frank Sinatra in Manhattan, pastry chef Joe Monaco has finally opened up his own shop, and it’s in Brooklyn – on Third Avenue in Bay Ridge to be exact.

With close to four decades of experience at the East Village’s famed Veniero’s Pasticceria and Caffe under his belt, Monaco decided to strike out on his own.

Joe and Elizabeth – his wife of 42 years – recently sold their three story home in Bensonhurst and moved into their son’s Bay Ridge Coop apartment, investing the proceeds from the sale into building what could easily be a contender for Brooklyn’s best bakery.

From Daily News:

“The freshness is unmatched,” said Brad Fiorillo, 36, a gym manager and four-times-a-week customer who was buying three chocolate croissants and a pound of cookies on a recent weekday. “I found it because I was walking across the street and I could smell the pastries. It’s that good.”

Born in Naples, Monaco moved to the U.S. at age 17. Once in Brooklyn, he got his first job scrubbing pots and pans at the still-thriving Court Pastry Shop in Carroll Gardens. The head chef there would leave out leftover dough so the younger guys could use it to practice the techniques and recipes.

“There was no school you went to for this,” Monaco said. “You learned it by being in the kitchen.”

All that Monaco learned by experience is on display in his namesake cafe and bakery, including a kitchen crammed full with stacks of handwritten recipes compiled over a lifetime in the business.

Customers say Joe’s attention to detail is paying off in the pounds of pleasing cookies, cakes and pastries on display.

Monaco’s Bakery and Cafe is located at 8511 Third Avenue, between 85th Street and 86th Street.

Lan Huang, 42, holding son Zi Wing Lu, 4, and Carie Leung, 32, holding her daughter Amber, 4, planned to protest the lack of seats at PS 101 Wednesday (image by Bryan Pace for News)

The Daily News is reporting that a group of neighborhood parents plan to protest today, after the Department of Education cut two planned pre-kindergarten classes at PS 101 (2360 Benson Avenue).

The parents say their children, who were promised places in the program at PS 101, were instead offered seats at PS 216, which is more than a mile away on Avenue X.

From the News:

“I’m very frustrated and upset,” said Carie Leung, 32, whose daughter Amber, 4, was slated to start pre-K at PS 101 tomorrow. “We don’t really want to go. We have no choice.”

The Education Department sent letters to parents in August citing “increased enrollment” and “space constraints” at PS 101 as reasons for the canceled classes.

Only half of the 72 children who won a spot in the pre-K lottery for PS 101 were given a seat in the program. Principal Gregg Koroll said the school couldn’t handle two more sections because of the school’s already high enrollment.

DOE spokesman Frank Thomas told reporters that, when they learned of the increased enrollment at the school, the program was cut, but parents think they weren’t told soon enough.

Parents who were counting on their children being walking distance from home think they should have been given more advanced notice, with at least one parent comparing the sudden news to an April’s Fool joke.

According to the article, Assemblyman William Colton has been searching for a solution. He has suggested that the DOE provide a bus to take area children to PS 216, as well as offering parents with children enrolled in PS 101 spots at PS 216.

Assemblyman William Colton represents Assembly District 47, which includes Bensonhurst, as well as parts of Gravesend and Midwood.

The following is a press release from Councilman Vincent Gentile:

BAY RIDGE – Calling on all of southwest Brooklyn to unite, Councilman Vincent J. Gentile will host a “Day of Remembrance” this coming Sunday to commemorate ten years since the attacks of September 11th, 2001.  Victims’ families, local clergy, Veterans groups, Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, school choirs, community leaders and elected officials will all be on hand for the event which will begin at 4:30 PM at John Paul Jones “Cannon Ball” Park at 101^st Street & 4^th Avenue.  All are welcome.

“It is important that we come together to commemorate the tragedy and show reverence to those we lost, while reflecting upon the ten years that have passed and how this tragedy has impacted our future as a community and as a nation,” Councilman Gentile said.

Last spring, Councilman Gentile, determined to involve young people from the neighborhood – many of whom weren’t even born at the time of the attacks – asked twenty local schools to have their students create posters to honor the victims of the 9/11 attacks.  “It’s only appropriate that the future leaders of our community and country – today’s children – play a major role in this tribute”, said Councilman Gentile.

The nearly 3,000 handmade posters will create a visceral mosaic as they are hung along the length of the bike path in time for a solemn procession ending at American Veteran’s Memorial Pier at
69th Street & Shore Road. 

Councilman Vincent Gentile represents City Council District 43, which includes Bay Ridge, as well as parts of Dyker Heights, Bath Beach and Bensonhurst

Maria Laterza, left, in Marist's trademark red and white

It was impressive enough when local sports star Maria Laterza, who had previously scored a whopping 1,000 career points at Bishop Kearney High School, graduated to join a basketball program as prestigious as the Marist Red Foxes, not to mention receiving a full athletic scholarship in the process.

Laterza, who attended elementary school at St. Athanasius and junior high school at Mark Twain, has managed to outdo herself once again.

This October, Maria, who this blogger is proud to call his first cousin, will begin her professional career with Austrian team UBBC APOsport Herzogenburg.

The news, which Maria just learned about a week ago (she leaves for Austria this week), suddenly had her “running around like a crazy person” taking care of last minute errands and visiting with friends and family – myself included – she probably won’t see again until Christmas.

The 6 foot 3 baller assures any nervous fans that, after playing in New York City summer leagues, she’s both well rested and prepared for the job, which she landed just five months after her last game with Marist.

During her final game against powerhouse Duke in Durham, North Carolina, Maria achieved four points and two rebounds in what amounted to barely ten minutes of play.

Along with an impressive array of skills honed on a variety of surfaces – including asphalt court “the Cage” on West 4th Street in Greenwich Village – in addition to the polished hardwood floors of college arenas, Maria will commence her professional career with a significant height advantage, being the only member of her new team to stand over 6 feet tall. Click Here To Find Out More, Including What Maria Will Miss Most About The Neighborhood

We’ve just been notified by Sheepshead Bites’ Robert Fernandez that an apparent sinkhole has opened up in the street near the intersection of 84th Street and Bay Parkway. If you plan on driving today, please be careful to avoid the area surrounding this intersection.

If anyone has any additional tips or photos, please e-mail us at jteutonico [at] bensonhurstbean [dot] com.

Ephemeral New York has a piece on the mysterious death of one of the most prolific builders of 19th Century Gotham, Calvert Vaux. Vaux met his demise right here in Bensonhurst, in the same body of water another untimely death occurred over the weekend.

Calvert Vaux, who, along with partner Frederick Law Olmstead, had designed both Central Park and Prospect Park, was staying with his son on 20th Avenue between Bath Avenue and Benson Avenue when, on November 21, 1895, newspapers announced the famous architect was missing.

Ephemeral New York (quote from NY Times):

“Mr. Vaux had left in his son’s house a gold watch and chain and his vest. It is believed he had about $2 in change in his pockets.”

Hotels, hospitals, even Prospect Park were all searched. But Vaux was nowhere to be found.

The next day’s paper reported grim news: Vaux’s body was found in Gravesend Bay.

Journalists at the Times speculated that the then 70-rear-old Vaux had simply fallen “off the pier in an attack of dizziness or faintness.”

Vaux’s son did not believe for a second his father had committed suicide and authorities ruled out murder almost immediately.

Captain Ditmar, a local whose pier Vaux had walked out towards, saw Vaux and according to the Times, had even spoken with him.

Today, almost 116 years later, the death remains shrouded in mystery.

Arnoldo Galarza being pulled from Gravesend Bay (image by Chad Rachman for Post)

The New York Post reported over the weekend on the drowning death of a man in Gravesend Bay early Friday evening. Arnoldo Galarza, age 20, reportedly had entered the choppy waters off a secluded beach near Seagate to go after a ball lost in the water by a group of children.

According to the article, Galarza, who could not swim, was about to begin service in the Navy.

From the Post:

“I didn’t realize he was drowning at first,” said a brother-in-law who declined to give his name.

“When he went down, I knew he was in trouble.”

The relative said Galarza, a Bedford-Stuyvesant resident, not only didn’t swim, but there was no lifeguard at the unprotected beach.

As the young man foundered, horrified relatives watched helplessly from the shore.

FDNY arrived on the scene after a relative called 911, but by the time they managed to pull Galarza from the water, he was already too far gone to be saved.

He was pronounced dead on arrival at Coney Island hospital.

Family members said the group had decided on the unguarded strip of beach because they wished to avoid the crowds at Coney Island.

(photo by karen horton via flickr)

From all of us here at Bensonhurst Bean, have a fun, safe and relaxing Labor Day!

We’ll be back tomorrow with the best in Bensonhurst business, entertainment, art and news.

What can I say about orzo? As with most pasta dishes, it’s something I reluctantly ate growing up, but often find myself craving today.

As the days slowly get shorter and chilly weather begins to creep in, there’s really nothing like coming home to a hot bowl of orzo. When I was very young, I remember wondering what it was – I mean it tasted pretty much like pasta but the shape always threw me off.

Orzo actually means “barley” in Italian and throughout much of the world it’s known as risoni, or “big rice.” After checking out wikipedia, I learned that in the nations lining the Mediterranean Sea, this familiar dish is pretty much universal.

What Americans know as orzo is kritharáki (“little barley”) to the Greeks, arpa şehriye (“barley vermicelli”) to Turks, and lisān al-`uṣfūr (“songbird tongue”) to the Arabs.

If you’re looking for a non-seafood Lingua Franca for Mediterranean cuisine, this just might be it.

In this week’s edition of BK, Colleen stays true to orzo’s roots with a few simple, fresh and delicious ingredients that – like some friendly and oddly familiar stranger – both boldly and subtly compliment this old world comfort food.

Colleen’s Parmesan Basil Orzo

(Serves four)

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter
1 clove of garlic minced
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1 3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste
Click Here To Learn How To Make This Delicious Dish