By Angela Barbuti

“There’s nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate,” is a well-known quote from Linda Grayson. On Sunday, the 92 Y will celebrate this statement with their annual Chocolate Fest. Guests befriend chocolatiers and learn everything they ever wanted to know about caramel clusters, pralines, truffles, and toffee. “Education and tasting is what this event is all about,” said Alexandra Leaf, the program’s long-standing producer and host.

This is unlike usual chocolate shows, where guests are overwhelmed by large-scale distributors who send representatives to stand behind their tables. Here, you will be able to converse and have your questions answered by the actual chocolatiers themselves. Many are small companies who make their delicacies in Manhattan and sell to gourmet shops throughout the city. “It’s not that a person can just pay for their stand and be there. It’s only the people who meet my extremely high standards of production, quality of beans, and quality of everything,” Leaf explained.

Alexandra Leaf

Similar to choosing the perfect piece of chocolate, Leaf, a culinary historian and food writer, carefully selects the vendors she wants to participate. “They are hand-picked by me,” Leaf said about the 17 vendors that will be present. As a result, you will not find any massed-produced candy, but only fine chocolate.

Leaf, a regular panel moderator at the Y, began moderating chocolate events there 12 years ago. They started on a smaller scale, as panel discussions with a few chocolatiers followed by a tasting. Because of the high demand for more chocolate and tastings, Leaf decided to take the event to a new level. What resulted is a walk-around tasting with the vendors very prominent.

This event, Leaf promises, will be a “chocolate meet and greet” where guests will be able to ask questions about what they are tasting. Attendees will be indulging in fine chocolate in the midst of some of the world’s best bean to bar makers. One is Grenada Chocolate Company, who will be bringing a documentary about their cocoa plantation, which will be playing throughout the evening.

Lush English Toffee

“I’m definitely bringing English toffee,” said Laurie Pauker of Lush Candy. She is also working on a new caramel, which is a layered confection made of two parts of caramel and one part of freshly homemade marshmallow. The bottom layer is a Greek yogurt caramel. The sweet is then covered in 72 percent dark chocolate. “I’m trying to get the tang to come through in the caramel so they’re interesting layers of flavors all put together,” she said.

Joan Coukos

Hakan Martensson from FIKA, the ever-growing chocolate and coffee company with 5 stores in Manhattan, will bring his own chocolate sculpture. A native from Sweden, Martensson competed on culinary teams and won acclaim for his creations.

To add to the decadence of the evening, Costas Mouzouras from the Upper West Side’s Gotham Wines and Liquors will be there pairing chocolate with wine and cocktails. “Normally I will try to do something unusual, something people wouldn’t try with the chocolate. That is the whole idea,” Mouzouras, who has been working at the store since 1988, said. “When it comes to wine, it’s a particular pairing. It’s specifically that wine, that vintage with that particular chocolate.”

There will also be Murray’s Cheese to be paired with the chocolate. Joan Coukos, President of Chocolat Moderne on West 20th Street, makes sure to provide chocolate that compliments the cheese selection. “People can go from the cheese table to us, or from us to the cheese table and find a match,” she said.

To buy tickets, visit www.92y.org

David Cross is a comedian known just as much for his off-color stand-up humor as he is for giving life to a television character who can never ever be nude and wears cut-off jean shorts under his clothes at all times. This May, the world will finally get to see more of Tobias Fünke, Cross’s character in Arrested Development, as the series’ long-awaited Season 4 will premiere on Netflix. The show originally aired on Fox and was cancelled in its third season in 2006, but sky-high DVD sales and a huge fan base prompted the show’s creators to bring it back for a brand-new season with all of the original cast members, a phenomenon previously unheard of for long-dead TV shows. On Wednesday, March 20, Cross will be reunited with Arrested Development cast mate Michael Cera at the 92 Y on the Upper East Side (92Y.org for tickets) as Cera moderates a conversation with Cross on his work and career. Cross, who lives with his wife, actress Amber Tamblyn, in Brooklyn, spoke to us about his comedy career and what it was like to get back into those cut-offs after a six-year hiatus.

You started out doing standup. How do you think the comedy scene has changed since you started?

If you’re talking specifically standup, the biggest difference is that you used to really only be able to do sets at comedy clubs, which there weren’t that many of, and I cut my teeth during the 80s comedy boom. I happened to be in Boston, which was great for a person like me, who wasn’t particularly audience-friendly, because they just had to fill slots. There were so many: every country western bar and college and coffee house and Laundromat. There were standup gigs everywhere. Chinese restaurants, oddly enough, a lot of the time. But now, with the internet and the ability to get your shit shown potentially by a million people in a week, is the biggest difference. That certainly wasn’t the case when I was coming up.

When Arrested Development ended in 2006, did you or anyone working on it ever think you’d have the chance to revisit it?

No. Absolutely not. For us it was very unceremonious dropping. It was a relief, in a sense, because we lived week to week, day to day really, not knowing if it was going to be our last week. It’s a shitty way to do a show and a shitty way to do any job. The idea of grassroots saving the show was fairly new.

It was almost like you guys were making a show for rewatchability, before people were rewatching stuff in general.

I don’t know how much of an edict that was, but that was certainly something Mitch [Hurwitz, the show’s creator], and James Vallely [one of the head writers] thought about, and took pride in that there were all of these extra jokes in there that paid off on that second or third watching. But you certainly can’t pitch a show that way. “People won’t like it the first time, but by the second or third time they’re really gonna like it!”

So you come back to this character you essentially thought you were done with. Was it difficult to get back into playing Tobias?

No, no. All I did to prepare really – I needed to refresh my memory on certain little nuances and ticks that the character had. But I just watched like three episodes. I hadn’t seen any of them since we did the commentary for them. So it was kind of fun to watch, and I had never seen any of them with my wife. There were a couple of times on set [filming season four] where they would show you something – not that you weren’t matching it, but it was to show you “This thing happened. This scene is taking place 12 hours after this episode of the third season. So take a look at this.” But outside of that, it was a pretty easy character to slip into. The key to Tobias is not saying contractions, saying the whole word. Like instead of “can’t” saying, “cannot.” That’s pretty much it.

Did you have to get ready to wear those jean shorts again?

Well, I certainly gained a little weight since we stopped shooting in 2006 – that became apparent. You know, I look six years older.

That much time has passed for the characters, right?

Yes and no. There are flashbacks, flash-forwards. There are a couple of scenes that take place shortly after the last episode. But we travel quite a bit, through them.

The fact that you were shooting for Netflix – did that affect anything? For example, did you have to bleep curse words?

Oh no. Not at all. In fact, I think there was one joke for Tobias where I said one curse word – I think there’s two or three times I say it, which is kind of surprising. Yeah, you can say whatever you want.

The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, a show that you co-wrote and starred in, also has a very well-planned narrative arc. Do you find yourself drawn to projects like that?

I’m definitely drawn towards storytelling. It’s harder work, but it’s more satisfying. It’s more of a challenge, but if you can make something funny within it, and make the whole greater than the sum of its parts, and if some of its parts are entertaining – I’m much more interested in that. It’s just where I am as a human and consumer of entertainment. I prefer the kind of story that has a beginning, middle, and an end, that’s not open-ended to something that’s just gags.

What was it like to work with Will Arnett on that show in this different character dynamic?

It was fine. Shaun Pye, the British co-writer of Todd Margaret, and I wrote with Will in mind. It was never going to be anyone else but Will. I love the British model. You do six [episodes] and that’s it. We got to write every episode before we shot anything and then shoot everything before we went into the edit so you really have more control. I think it’s a better way to work.

What are the things you love most about living in New York?

The tangible, moment-to-moment things I miss [when I’m away] more than anything, it’s walking. When I go to LA, my wife has an apartment on the West Side in Venice, and I stay there. You can walk for a while, but aesthetically, it’s not as pretty. Where I would walk a 3-mile circle in Los Angeles, you kind of see the same old shit. Jamba Juice and CVS, and some sushi place and one of those haircut barbershop things, and a tattoo parlor. In New York, when you walk three miles, you travel through all different kinds of neighborhoods. You see people, there’s everything happening on the street. There’s just an energy – the visuals are beautiful.

Is there any small tidbit you could share about the upcoming Arrested Development season?

I’m so sworn to secrecy on all of it.

All of the episodes are going to come out at once. Do you recommend people watch them in order, or out of order, or all in one day, or space them out?

The way it’s designed is, there’s a story being told. So if you watch it sequentially you’ll get that story – but you don’t have to. It is not paramount to your viewing experience. If you do watch it out of order, it’ll be interesting because there’s nothing detracting about that. But your experience will be different. You can’t make a mistake. The only thing you can do that’s dumb – some characters have two parts – is watch the second part first. Outside of that, you can watch George Sr.’s episodes, then you can click over and watch Lindsay. Everybody at some point interacts with the other people. It’s like a large venn diagram.

What are some other projects you’ve got coming up?

I did two indie movies. One is out now on video-on-demand and iTunes, and it comes out in theatres April 12th. It’s called It’s a Disaster. It’s really good. I saw a screening with a real, actual audience at the LA film festival. And there’s another movie called Kill Your Darlings that I have not seen, – but I assume it’s good. It has a pretty killer cast, and just got picked up at Sundance.  I start work tomorrow on The Heart, She Holler, the PFFR [mini-series] production for Adult Swim.

Is there anything else you want our readers to know?

You know, just get checked for Hep C.

92Y is a cultural and community center which welcomes people of all ages, faiths and backgrounds.

“I’ve been here for more than 30 years,” says Adler. “Every year, I am so proud of what we accomplish at 92Y, and grateful to have the opportunity to lead this remarkable institution.”

Adler and his team at 92Y are ambitious about the prominent organization and constantly keeping an eye toward the future.

“We are always looking for new ways to serve our current community,” he explains, “and to reach out to geographically diverse communities here in New York and around the world.”

This year alone 92Y has witnessed some incredible programs, many of which have been livecast to extend their reach beyond the center’s walls. 92Y has had programs featuring fashion icon Marc Jacobs, former Mayor Ed Koch and many more notable names.

 In January of this year, 92Y also offered their very first online class—a Molly Peacock poetry seminar on sonnets, which was conducted from Peacock’s home in Toronto for students all across the US and Canada.

Adler says online classes present opportunities that simply cannot take place in a physical classroom. “There is definitely more of that to come,” he adds.

 ”As always, our audiences here in the hall continue to enjoy talents like the incomparable pianist András Schiff and today’s most compelling authors, like Michael Chabon and Zadie Smith, who opened our Poetry Center season,” explains Adler.

Soon 92Y will celebrate the 75th anniversary of their renowned Poetry Center.

The institution will also celebrate the 25th anniversary of its educational outreach program, which brings teaching artists into public schools and brings students into 92Y’s concert hall. Adler says this program reaches about 8,000 students a year.

92Y tries to keep their vision of productive social change broad and openminded. “We also continue to find new ways to ‘scale our values,’ to be a catalyst for change and for ‘repairing the world,’ both here in New York and beyond,” explains Adler.

92Y developed the idea of Giving Tuesday, for instance, which would occur annually after Thanksgiving and be a day devoted to charity. The idea took off on a large-scale, national level.

“Creating this new kind of community, with tremendous collective potential for positive impact, is our mandate as a community and cultural center in the digital age,” says Adler. “And we are just getting started.”

 Like any nonprofit, 92Y also faces its fair of hardships. “Doing more with less is an ongoing challenge as is continuing to create programs that are new and relevant, especially in a rapidly changing world,” says Adler.

Nonetheless, the group “keep[s] a laser-sharp focus on [their] core values,” he says.

Looking ahead, Adler hopes to be able to help 92nd Street Y continue to be a leading voice in “the call to use the tremendous advances in technology to build new communities and forge new ways for people to join together for the greater good.”

 When he manages to steal a moment for himself, Adler enjoys spending time with his family, especially his young grandchildren. He notes he has also been getting back in touch with film photography, an old favorite hobby.

“When I want to ‘get away,’” he explains, “I try to read books that have absolutely nothing to do with my work at 92Y – and given the variety of things we do, that’s sometimes a challenge.”

James Carville. Photo by jdiasica. Photo courtesy of Flickr Commons.

Former Bill Clinton advisor and Democratic strategist James Carville added another log to the bonfire of speculation about Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2016 presidential chances. Carville was on stage last night at the 92nd Street Y for a forum moderated by Buzzfeed’s Ben Smith to talk about the middle class, but when the conversation drifted to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s chances at the Democratic nomination for 2016, New York’s governor came up. “I think Andrew is going to be front and center,” Carville said, when Smith mentioned Cuomo as a contender. But Carville wouldn’t rule out Hillary either, saying, “Running for president is like having sex: nobody does it once and forgets about it.”

To read more from City & State click here.

From stress relief to reducing the risk of heart disease, there are many reported benefits to swimming. And on a hot summer day in New York City, it’s also a great way to cool off. These are just a few reasons why some adults who never learned to swim are signing up to learn now.

“Everybody can learn to swim—it has nothing to do with age,” said Lori Pailet, managing director of Aqua Skills, a swim instruction group in Manhattan. “There are so many benefits—it’s great cardio, great for circulation, great for flexibility and it doesn’t hurt your joints.”

Aqua Skills offers group classes as well as private and semiprivate lessons for adults at different locations in Manhattan. It offers a flexible schedule with classes seven days a week and an “Early Bird” class that begins at 6 a.m., said Pailet.

Many other programs also offer beginner swim classes for adults in the city.

Mary O’Donoghue, aquatics specialist for the YMCA of Greater New York, said there are five YMCA locations in Manhattan that all offer swimming classes for adults. She said participants range from adults in their twenties to those over the age of 60.

“One of our members was 65 when she started taking lessons,” she said. “When she grew up, she didn’t have the finances or time to learn to swim. She wanted to enjoy the water with her grandchildren, so she decided she was going to do it.”

The adult beginner classes cover the basics of swimming as well as addressing any fears that adults may have about being in the water. The class is a good fit for adults who have never swum before or those who can swim a little bit but have not gone into deeper water, O’Donoghue said.

For more information about Aqua Skills, visit www.aquaskills.com or call 212-206-6976. To find a YMCA location, a class schedule and rate information, visit ymcanyc.org or call 212-630-9600.

Below are a few options available in Manhattan:

Asphalt Green: Freestyle 101
Learn the basics of freestyle swimming in this intro course—breath control, floating, submersion, kicking and arm movements. Note: Swimmers must be able to comfortably float on their front with their face in the water.
Dates: Saturdays, June 30–Aug. 18
Time: 3:30–4:15 p.m.
Price: $240 for members, $288 for nonmembers
Location: Asphalt Green, 555 E. 90th St.
For more info or to register, call 212-369-8890 or visit www.asphaltgreen.org.
Private beginner lessons for adults are also available at Asphalt Green for the summer term, which runs June 25 through Aug. 18. Half-hour lessons are $65 per lesson, and 1-hour lessons are $130. For more information, email privatelessons@asphaltgreen.org or call 646-981-2387.

NYC Parks: Learn to Swim Program
The city’s Department of Parks and Recreation offers swimming lessons for people of all ages free of charge. Space is limited and registration is by lottery. Applicants who do not win a spot are placed on a waiting list.
Dates:
Session 1: July 9–July 24
Session 2: July 25–Aug. 9
Session 3: Aug. 10 – Aug. 24
Classes are Monday through Friday.
Time: 7:15–8:15 p.m.
Price: Free
Location: Lasker Pool, 110th Street and Lenox Avenue
For more info or to register, visit www.nycgovparks.org/registration/aquatics,

92Y: Beginner Swim Group
No experience is necessary for this adult beginner swim class, where you’ll learn basic skills and proper body alignment.
Dates: Sundays, July 29–Aug. 19
Time: 6–7 p.m.
Price: From $132
Location: 92Y, Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street
For more info, to register or to find more sessions this summer, visit www.92y.org.
92Y also offers “Water Fear Wash-Away for Adults” courses for individuals with aquatic phobias. Check out their website for more details.

The Jewish Community Center: Adult Beginner Swim
The JCC offers adult learn-to-swim classes taught by American Red Cross-certified instructors. Beginner courses cover the basics: breath control, self-propulsion, buoyancy and water safety skills.
Dates:
Summer Session: Mondays, June 18–Aug. 13 (classes are prorated for late registrants)
Fall Session: Mondays, Sept. 10–Nov. 5
Time: 7:30–8:30 p.m.
Price: $315 for members, $405 for nonmembers
Location: JCC, 334 Amsterdam Ave.
For more info or to register, call 646-505-5708 or visit www.jccmanhattan.org .

Physique Swimming
Physique Swim School offers adult beginner swim classes throughout the summer at different locations throughout Manhattan, including uptown, the Upper East Side, Midtown East and Downtown.
Dates: Various
Time: Various
Price: $400 for 8 courses, $720 for 16 courses
Location: Various
For more info or to register, call 212-725-0939 or visit www.physiqueswimming.com/schedule/ny/adult.

By Briehn Trumbauer

In honor of this week’s upcoming New York Baby Show, the picks feature great chances for new and expectant parents to bond over their new and exciting journey. But, like always, we snuck in some rockin’ events for the kids, too!

Monday, May 14

String Art at the Children’s Museum of the Art

103 Charlton Street

12pm

Inspired by artist Sheila Hicks, kiddos ages five and up will learn all about string art and then have the opportunity to weave and wrap rope to make their own project. 

Tuesday, May 15

Tia Mowry Book Signing at Yummy Mummy

1201 Lexington Avenue

6:30pm

Remember Tia Mowry from the ABC sitcom Sister, Sister? Now she’s all grown up with a husband, a baby and…a book! Tia will read from Oh Baby!—her hysterical account of all-things pregnancy. Mums and mommies-to-be are welcome. Tasty sweets will be served, and everyone will leave with a signed copy of the book. Call 212-879-8669 to reserve your spot.

Wednesday, May 16

New Parent Get-Together at the 92Y

1395 Lexington Avenue

10:30am-12pm

All new parents and their babies are welcome at this weekly get-together. Share stories, learn valuable parenting tips and make new friends (your babies will, too!). This week’s topic is “Grandparents — Good Advice/Bad Advice.” Discuss what happens when Grandma or Grandpa gives the kids too much candy—but also spoils them with love.

To read the full listings click here.

American Craft Show NYC & Contemporary Art Fair NYC—These simultaneous events bring 200 juried American Craft Artists to show and sell ceramic, fiber, glass, furniture, wearable art and jewelry works, as well as presentations by 100 independent contemporary artists specializing in painting, photography, sculpture and mixed media. Runs through Nov. 21, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, 655 W. 34th St., 212-216-2000, www.javitscenter.com; Nov. 21, 3 p.m.–7 p.m., Nov. 22, 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Nov. 23, 10 a.m.–4 p.m, $8–$16.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20

Philadanco—The group blends African-American dance traditions with ballet, jazz and modern styles. Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts, Walt Whitman Theatre at Brooklyn College, 2900 Campus Rd., Brooklyn, 718-951-4500; 8 p.m., $30.

92nd Street Y—Pianist Charles Rosen and cellist Fred Sherry give an all-Chopin recital. 92nd and Lexington Avenue, 212-415-5500; 8 p.m., $25+.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21

Complexions Contemporary Ballet—The company’s intense physical movements take center stage in three different programs. The Joyce Theater, 175 8th Ave., 212-242-0800, www.complexionsdance.org; times vary, $10+. Runs throughout the week.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22

Driving Miss Daisy—James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave star in Alfred Uhry’s play. The Golden Theater, 252 W. 45th St., 212-239-6200, www.daisyonbroadway.com.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23

Next to Normal—A woman an her family struggle to cope with her bipolar disorder in this emotional, Tony-winning musical. Through Jan. 16, Booth Theatre, 222 W. 45th St., 212-239-6200.

BAM 2010 Next Wave Festival—The Brooklyn Academy of Music hosts its annual festival. Now in its 28th year, Next Wave comprises 16 music, dance, theater and opera performances, in addition to artist talks, art exhibitions and more. BAM, 30 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn, 718-636-4129, www.bam.org; Mon.–Sat., noon–11 p.m., Sun., 1 p.m.–11 p.m., Free.