Cape Verde’s World Cup hero comes for dinner

Hey all,

Enjoy this peak summer weekend and we’ll see you at the block party. In this edition, Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha dines in Bed-Stuy, Do or Dive gets its iconic sign replaced and Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s childhood street to be renamed after him.

The sweetheart of this year’s World Cup, Cape Verde’s goalkeeper Vozinha, dined in Bed-Stuy on the eve of the tournament’s final last Saturday.

Vozinha was invited to a dinner hosted by September, a cafe and bakery on Saratoga Ave owned by Cape Verdean Sara Lopes, to celebrate the tiny West African island nation’s huge successes at its first ever World Cup.

“I think I have more feelings than words about it,” Sara told Bed-Stuy Stoop. “Last weekend was very emotional.”

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They got confirmation that the star goalkeeper could make the meal at 8pm the night before. “We were just, oh my God, we have to start working now,” Sara said.

He was in town for Fanatics Fest, and because Lionel Messi had personally secured him four tickets to the World Cup final.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani was also supposed to attend — the dinner concept was sparked from Sara trying to facilitate Vozinha and Mamdani meeting — but the mayor had to cancel a few hours before.

But staff from the NYC Mayor’s Office of Mass Engagement joined a handful of local Cape Verdeans at a candlelit September to eat traditional foods such as cachupa, the national stew, and meet with the 40-year-old goalkeeper, who shot to fame after saving seven goals against Spain, the eventual winner of this year’s World Cup.

“Vozinha! Honestly, it kind of felt like family,” Sara said. “He's such a gracious man, and so kind, and so polite. He went and served himself.”

The only Cape Verdean cafe in New York, September turned into a community hub for supporters of the Cape Verde soccer team during the World Cup.

The first watch party had around 40-50 Cape Verdeans and community regulars watching the Spain game in the cafe, drinking caipirinhas and Super Bock beer and eating some traditional appetizers.

During the second game, Sara realized more logistics were needed. Her mother and other Cape Verdean women chefs helped cook. More food, an extra TV, the projector put up outside because there wasn’t enough room inside the cafe to fit the crowd.

“As the games started to progress and it got a little spicier, oh my god, the Cape Verdeans came out en masse,” Sara said. “It was something that just developed on its own.”

Suddenly hundreds of people from around the tristate area turned out to cheer as Cape Verde became the smallest ever country to make it past the group stage.

But being surrounded by other Cape Verdean supporters, cheering on her home nation with her Brooklyn neighbors gave her a profound experience. “The moments where I feel completely myself and 100% in my own body and skin is when I’m in the ocean,” Sara said. “I felt that during the game. That’s when I knew: I feel very complete right now.”

September is located at 83 Saratoga Avenue and open seven days a week.

• Do or Dive have replaced their iconic sign after a neighbor jumped out of their window onto it, destroying it. The original sign was decades old, first from B’s West Indian restaurant, then used by restaurant Do or Dine (famous for its spicy Dr Pepper frogs legs) between 2011-2015. When Do or Dive opened in the space in 2016, they repurposed it with the “n” crossed out — and now a brand new version capturing the spirit of the original exists.

• Formerly known as Bed-Stuy Strong, the neighborhood mutual aid group that originally grew out of the pandemic has just renamed itself Bed-Stuy Survival Collective.

• Last week we spoke to Tangina Stone, who is raising money to save her home, a Bed-Stuy brownstone, from deed fraud. Their campaign has raised nearly $50,000, with a large spike following a call to action from actor and Bed-Stuy resident, Denée Benton from HBO’s The Gilded Age.

Bed-Stuy Stoop will be popping up at a block party this weekend: Greene Ave, between Classon and Franklin, on Sunday. We will have a little stand where you can spin a prize wheel — yes it even makes that very satisfying clacking noise, you can shout ‘wheel of fortune’ if you please — and win prizes including candy, paid subscriptions and a chance to win a box of Fan Fan donuts. Come say hi!

• Wu Tang Clan rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard will have a block of his childhood street renamed as “ODB Jones Way.” The naming ceremony will take place from 12-2pm this Saturday on Claver Street between Jefferson Avenue and Putnam Avenue. The actual sign itself will go up on the corner of Franklin and Putnam.

• It’s a big block party weekend: St James Pl, home of Saint James Joy, in Clinton Hill is having its block party this Saturday.

• Cosmo, the new kid’s second-hand clothing store, is offering free family portraits shot by local studio FAM this Sunday from 11-4. No need to RSVP, just turn up.

• Bed-Stuy Clean Up is picking up trash this Saturday, July 25, from 11am at the corner of Nostrand and Lafayette. They’ll be heading east, and have all the supplies you need.

If you enjoy Bed-Stuy Stoop, we encourage you to upgrade to a paid subscription — currently $50 annually or $5 per month. This month, 5% of proceeds will go to a GoFundMe for a father and daughter in Bed-Stuy who are facing eviction.

Until next week!