PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM 67 he launched in 2021. To make it happen, he reached out to vendors specializing in macarons, crepes, gelato and cheeses to curate an enticing selection. “It gave people a reason to meet and socialize,” he explains. To that same end, Ali hosted an alfresco dance party during the early days of the pandemic, bringing in a DJ and marking out dancing circles six feet apart so that 60 or so people could safely get their groove on. He’s also looking out for the city’s youngsters. “The kids, they have no place to go. When they’re done with school, they will go home, or they get in trouble somewhere else,” Ali says. So he championed closing a traffic lane on Santa Cruz Avenue to create a small plaza with picnic {food coloring}
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