Playdates
This is a personal project that stems from my curiosity to explore people. Through this project, I will be inviting folks of all walks of life to hangout and chat with me about their life, work, and perspectives. A way for me and friends to be inspired by each other, and most importantly, a chance for us to play :)
Playdate #005 Tuan Nguyen
10/29/2024
Wandering through the streets of Brooklyn, you can easily sense the diverse cultures converging on almost every corner. One cafe stands out not just for its exceptional beverages but for the inspiring story of its owner and the intentions behind the cafe. Larry’s Ca Phe is a warm and intimate space where Vietnamese-inspired drinks and snacks, from French pastries to Asian sweets, are served and where communities are gathered. Its owner, Tuan Nguyen, is a Vietnamese adoptee who arrived in the United States at eleven. This is Tuan’s story of resilience, cultural fusion, and finding belonging through coffee and community.
Tuan was born and raised in Vietnam until he was around fifth grade. Life was not easy, with his mother being the sole caregiver before she passed away due to cancer at the age of thirty-six. His grandparents took him in when he was seven years old, but eventually, they sent him to an orphanage due to their old age and limited financial resources. His future was looking uncertain when Larry Hilton, an American teacher, traveled to Vietnam to adopt eleven-year-old Tuan and bring him back to the United States.
Leaving everything behind in Vietnam and arriving in a foreign land to rebuild his life was another challenge. "It was rough," Tuan recalls. "At that age, school was hard for me. The majority of kids were white, and I was one of the only few Asians, so they made fun of my ethnicity. I didn’t even realize that the comments were racist until much later when I became more immersed in American culture.” After seeing Tuan endure this for a year, Larry asked what he could do to help make this transition smoother. Tuan requested to adopt a brother, so the two of them went back to the orphanage after a year and adopted one of his friends. With his brother being here, Tuan was able to navigate the challenges of adapting to a new environment with someone who related to his experiences. Tuan wanted to fully immerse himself in this Western lifestyle. “We stopped using Vietnamese at home because I was focused on learning English while teaching my brother,” Tuan explained, “Next thing you know, I completely forgot my native language and lost all contact with my family back in Vietnam.”
In addition to constantly assimilating and adopting the Western lifestyle, Tuan struggled with longing and curiosity about where he is from—Vietnam—for the culture, language, and family he had left behind. Before Larry’s Ca Phe, Tuan worked in the hospitality industry. He realized the human connections that can be fostered through local cafes continuously draw him back to this industry. This inspired him to craft his own space that allows these connections and memories to be made.
As he adjusted to his life in New York and continued to discover his identity, Tuan decided to return to Vietnam at the age of twenty-two to further deepen his understanding of his heritage. On his journey back to Vietnam, Tuan was able to reconnect with his family and get to understand the place he once called home. Strolling through the streets of Vietnam, he was introduced to many Vietnamese drinks, from the Vietnamese coffee made by the traditional phin method to the salted coffee street vendors sell on a hot summer day. These experiences were a way for him to connect with Vietnam and the memories he had lost. He was determined to bring Vietnamese flavors to Larry’s Ca Phe, which allowed him to process his complex feelings about his identity and culture. Coffee became a bridge between the past and present, Eastern and Western cultures.
In 2023, Tuan opened his own cafe in East Williamsburg—"Larry’s Ca Phe." The cafe’s name was a tribute to the man who had adopted him. This space was intended for both of them to foster connections and be a part of the community, reflecting the blend of cultures that defined Tuan’s identity.
The cafe itself reflects that fusion—its designs blend modern aesthetics and creative color palettes with subtle nods to Vietnamese culture, which can be seen through photographs of Vietnam by local artists displayed on the cafe’s walls. At Larry’s Ca Phe, customers can order a strong, slow-dripped Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk or a classic latte. The menu features a mix of traditional Vietnamese coffee, American-style espresso drinks, and collaborative pastries with local bakers.
Beyond its coffee, Larry’s Ca Phe has become a place for people to gather from all walks of life. The shop regularly hosts pop-ups to showcase the unique flavors of Vietnam and other Asian countries. These collaborators have crafted food you might not find anywhere else, from traditional sticky rice to mooncakes to pandan cookies. Many of these bakers share their passions for the first time, finding a welcoming stage at Larry’s.
Many of the regulars at Larry’s Ca Phe have become close friends, and relationships have been formed over coffee. For Tuan, the cafe is more than just a business—it’s a space where his roots, passions, and community come together.
To keep up with what Tuan is doing at Larry's Ca Phe, make sure to check out their Instagram @larryscaphe or their website: www.larryscaphe.com.
Lastly, I would highly recommend visiting them and getting some yummy drinks and treats in person at 135 Woodpoint Rd, East Williamsburg, Brooklyn 11211.
Playdate #004 Khalif Adegeye
05/12/2024
Who is Khalif Adegeye?
This is Khalif! He is a model and creative based in New York City. Fun fact about him! Recently, he decided to shake up his whole life where he dropped everything behind in Seattle, quit his full time job, and moved across the country to pursue modeling. Hearing his story, I really started to admire how ambitious this guy is, I mean if you think about it, it really takes guts to make a big change like that happen in your life.
How has modeling been for Khalif?
Before being signed to his current model agency in New York City, majority of Khalif's modeling work was done in Seattle. At the time, he was not only working full time but also pursuing modeling any time he gets a chance to. His dedication and consistency landed him everything from magazine editorials to walking during New York Fashion Week, Khalif never seemed to shy away from any opportunities to learn and better himself. Something he believes is to put out the work you did even if it's bad, because at the end of the day it's just practice to be better next time. New York is a city of hustle, always flowing with energies, and full of inspirations, and I think it is a perfect place for Khalif to further advance in modeling and all his endeavors.
So what's next for Khalif?
Aside from furthering his modeling career by attending more casting calls, working on his portfolio, and doing more shoots; he has also been planning to do an interactive art project that will be on display for the public in Washington Square park. This stems from his curiosity of continual self improvement and reflection, the project will revolve around the idea of possessing the knowledge we have in the present to reflect onto one's past and provide our past self a piece of our present self (Ok can't talk about the details... cuz confidential duh). Just by talking about this project over dinner with him, I was already excited to see what he can do!
Shout out to Khalif for always being down to create and have fun, his presence and confidence seems to just light up any space he goes. Through just a few of our hang outs, I have been inspired by the sheer dedication he has to his craft, really encourages me to do whatever I want. To more fun connections and good times :)
You can find Khalif on Instagram @k.adegeye
Playdate #003 Cristo De Anda
03/08/2024
Who is Cristo De Anda?
This is Cristo! He currently resides in Granada, Spain, where he has been a professional flamenco dancer for years, he had many opportunities to travel all over the world to perform flamenco on greater stages. However, he recently decided to stop dancing professionally and pursue dance on his own terms and times.
How does Cristo approach Flamenco?
I was traveling in Spain and one day decided to take a flamenco class because I was fascinated by the art form itself, and my instructor just happened to be Cristo! One of the rules Cristo told me entering the class was “no phones, no distractions”. I was immediately on board, as we talked about the importance of being present and blocking out all of the external distractions to tune in. Especially when Flamenco is one of those art forms that required detailed attention to the surroundings, the people, the rhythm, and the music to be able to fully immerse in.
Flamenco as a form of expression
Just through our conversations, I can tell how passionate Cristo is about flamenco, music, the history, and the culture of It. He has been exposed to flamenco at a very young age where It has became a part of him and how he expresses himself. I got the chance to see Cristo dance and participate in the art form through clapping (that was so fun lol), the way Cristo moved was so expressive, free, eloquent, and moving. He constantly stressed the importance of feeling the soul and the heart of music. Coming in with some music background, I naturally started counting to myself to find the tempo but Cristo kept on telling me to stop counting but to FEEL. Once I started to really feel the heart and soul of the music, I started to open myself up and immerse into flamenco.
Flamenco as a blend of cultures
I learned from Cristo that flamenco is a blend of different cultures; sounds, rhythms, beats from the Gypsy, Moorish, Jewish communities. Over centuries of intermingling and development of the art form, you can really hear and experience the rich cultures through noticing the influences from gypsy’s free yet powerful dance movements, Jewish and Moorish hymns and songs, the rhythm stemming from Afro beats, and many more!
How is Cristo doing now?
Even though Cristo is not performing flamenco professionally, It will still be a big part of his life. Now more than ever, he dances for his own enjoyment, he would find himself dancing in the showers, at night outs with his friends, basically anywhere and everywhere you can think of. And I find his love for flamenco so pure and beautiful
Thanks to Cristo who was so open and eager about participating in this personal project. I had no intention of doing this project when I was traveling, but meeting Cristo was so spontaneous and I am so grateful to have connected with him. Meeting people like Cristo and having genuine interactions serves as a constant reminder of why I like to photograph and document. To more fun connections and good times :)
You can find Cristo on Instagram @cristodeanda or you can try to find him in Granada ;)
Playdate #002 Mari[Posa] (Katarina)
02/11/2024
Who is Mari[Posa]?
Mari[Posa] is Katarina’s stage name! Katarina is a multifaceted artist; her main interests lie in DJ, photography, and poetry. After college, Katarina worked as a Credit Analyst, but being in that job was inhibiting her to fully express herself and it was not bringing her the fulfillment that she needed (FELT this one HARD), this eventually led to her quitting and started pursuing her passion as a career --- DJing! This is something I really admire her for, just the courage to take this leap to chase after what she wanted at that time.
How is Mari[Posa] like as a DJ?
One of the questions I asked Katarina was how she discovered new songs, because I imagine DJs must listen to HELLA music (just by looking at all her folders full of songs I was already overwhelmed lol). Bandcamp is her main way of discovering new songs, these days she finds herself playing more underground local artist music versus the more mainstream music. Being Dominican plays a big part in how she expresses herself musically, she draws a lot of inspiration from the island and dance cultures. Recently she has been getting into more heavy bass music, she played this one song and I swear I felt like I was in the jungle, crazy how music can make people feel!
What is something new that Katarina has been working on?
Before our meeting, Katarina sent me her most recent mix project in which she merged her main interests of music, photography, and poetry. The cover of the mix includes an arrangement of her self-portraits and writings, which I think is super dope to mix her passions together and showcase it in one project! Once again demonstrating how we do not have to be confined within just one category.
In our conversations, Katarina mentioned how music is like therapy for her, music can contain and evoke a range of emotions that sometimes words cannot express, that is also one of the reasons she fell in love with DJing and music. This project is named “Surrender”, reflecting and surrendering all the past emotions and welcoming all that to come in the future.
Things to look forward to?
Bigger, better things come on now! Of course, there are more shows to come! Something else Katarina talked about is how she wants a full club setup at her place which would help her stay motivated to practice. Something she has been thinking about is possibly getting a joint studio space with fellow DJ friends, which would be so sick!
Thanks to Katarina for being so willing to participate in this project and allowing me to intrude her space like that haha! Loved getting deeper into her work, her processes, and perspective. To more fun connections and good times :)
Check out Katarina's work at soundcloud.com/lamariquevuela/ and you can find her on Instagram @lamariquevuela
Playdate #001 Paul Jang
02/04/2024
Who is Paul Jang?
This is Paul Jang! A fellow photographer who is also deeply passionate about photographic mediums and everything in between. Paul was introduced to photography through his dad who has a love for landscape photography, his Hasselblad medium format film camera was actually passed down from his grandpa (that camera is so damn nice sheesh!), so you could say the love for photography runs in the family. Growing up, Paul’s parents were very encouraging of him pursuing his passions and giving him the space to practice and create.
Something I noticed when Paul showed me his camera collection and photography equipment was how limitless his range was for photographic mediums. Paul refuses to use just one specific photographic medium which I find inspiring, without committing to just one medium allows him to explore different possibilities and ways of expressing himself.
What has Paul been up to?
One of the topics that Paul wants to explore is the difficult in-person interactions our generation faces or lack thereof. As technology evolves, people seem to be more and more glued to their devices and avoiding real life connections. Especially post pandemic, people our age have been accustomed to isolation, making in person connections harder and harder. To explore this topic, Paul’s college friends have been organizing “Quickies”, a monthly speed dating event in the city where he has the chance to capture behind the scenes pictures for. (Also, that’s where Paul met his current partner!! Soo cute AHHH!!) Paul has been wanting to expand out to other singles mixers/ speed dating events to cover a broader range of people from different backgrounds. This project is an on-going body of work, and I am super excited to see what Paul can put together with this!
What’s something new that Paul has been working on?
Paul has been dabbling into Polaroids more these days, his newest experimentation is using continuous lights with Polaroid. Being inspired various photo books and photographers such as Robert Mapplethorpe, Helmut Newton, Daidō Moriyama, and Mona Kuhn, Paul wants to incorporate more hands-on action to his work. Some examples that Paul mentioned were making scrap books along with photographs, manipulating polaroids, writing, and collaging with polaroids etc. Something I resonated with Paul a lot was his openness to play. There are no rules to creating things you find interesting. In our conversations, we talked about how creating art without having to think about what the audience wants to see, allows you to have the freedom to create whatever speaks to you and that is it.
Any next steps in mind?
Growing up as a Korean American and in the Korean church, Paul really wants to connect back to his roots by documenting life in Korea but also in the churches. Creating work that is personal and intimate to his upbringing is something that he is aiming for in the future, whether that be documenting his family, friends, or the environment.
Thanks to Paul who was super excited about participating in this personal project. I had the absolute best time hanging out with him, having conversations about everything, getting to see his space and his work, honestly felt like a kid playing again! To more fun connections and good times :)
Check out Paul's work at www.pauljangphoto.com and you can find him on Instagram @atlightspeed