STAFF SPOTLIGHT: BEATRIZ DE LA TORRE
Q: If you had one day to show and out-of-towner the city, where would you take them and why? A: I would have them cross the Brooklyn Bridge by foot. It provides a wonderful avenue to connect with the city’s history and see the evolution of the waterfront. Q: What is your favorite restaurant in your borough and what do you order? A: This is a tough one for me to answer because I am a part owner of a restaurant in Brooklyn, but I can sincerely say that it is my favorite. It is called Bricolage and it serves modern Vietnamese food. I love the crispy imperial rolls, the pork chop and the whole branzino. Q: What is one book everyone should read? A: Catcher in the Rye Q: Have you volunteered with any grantees? If so, what was the experience like? A: Many years before joining Robin Hood, I was a mentor at The Door, an organization that helps disconnected youth in New York City. I spent several years working one-on-one with a teenage boy who immigrated from Guinea-Bissau after the civil war. He did not know any English when he arrived and did not have a network of family or friends to help him get settled. He thankfully found The Door where my sister was working at the time. I helped him for several years with his English and his SATs when he was getting ready to apply for college. He went on to study at Bard College for a few years and then joined the U.S. Army. I am so proud of him. Q: What is your favorite Robin Hood memory? A: Listening to Jessie’s story at the 2015 Heroes Breakfast. It fueled my energy to work on homelessness and affordable housing issues.