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Chef
’s artful creations feel right at home on a menu hand-lettered by founder and artist André Saraiva.
photography by MICHAEL WILTBANK written by SARAH COFFEY
Go for a dragon bowl and stay for the art, atmosphere, chic interiors, and good vibes.
THE BRIGHT SIDE
“It’s not fussy—that’s how people want to eat right now.” For her stint at Café Henrie, resident chef Camille Becerra has brought colorful, fresh fare to the laid-back space on New York’s Lower East Side. Owner and artist André Saraiva opened the café to double as a living gallery—it’s one of those rare spots where art, food, and furniture add up to the kind of place where you actually want to become a regular. The staff serves Counter Culture coffee and House of Waris teas in ceramic cups by Memphis artist Peter Shire, the pegboard walls feature rotating exhibits by Saraiva and friends, and an selection of artful magazines and newspapers are on hand to read over lunch.
HAPPY PLACE
In addition to neon installations by Petra Collins, most of the furniture comes from Saraiva’s personal collection—Prouvé seating, café chairs by Robert Mallet Stevens, and 1930s benches salvaged from the amphitheater of a French medical school. “It’s a kind of collaborative art project,” says director Esther Kogan. “On Instagram, you see it—our customers use the space every day to create their own little still life moments.”
The café is a living Lower East Side gallery, filled with artworks by André Saraiva and his friends. Pegboard walls make it easy to rotate art.
THE MENU IS HOW I LIKE TO EAT: TOAST, LAYERED FLAVORS, AND FRESH GREENS. IT’S MY COLORFUL, PLAYFUL VERSION OF MACROBIOTIC FOOD.
—camille becerra
The café’s pink-and-blue palette makes an ideal backdrop for Becerra’s colorful dragon bowl, avocado toast, chia acai bowl, and gypsy salad.
GET THE LOOK OF CAFÉ HENRIE
Monarch Blue by Ralph Lauren Try this deep blue on a two- toned white wall below a chair rail.
Spring Frost by Behr Use this light blue-green as an accent in a white room.
Demure Pink by Pratt & Lambert A warm pink, it looks lovely paired with natural wood.
Cay by HGTV HOME by Sherwin Williams This breezy blue is perfect for a bench.
