The Curious Case of Superhuman, Céline Valensi
Writing these personal interview openers is always a more time-consuming effort, not because it is strenuous, but because I want to ensure that we/I never do our guests a disservice by quickly spitting some generic opener at the beginning of our interviews. Our next interviewee is no exception to this, in fact, this is one of the guests that I’ve been very excited to feature on the site. Céline Valensi, the stunningly beautiful, kind, giving, and aspirational woman I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know over the past few years. And as I’ve gotten older, the women (and men) that I find most beautiful, have a distinct characteristic — the size of their hearts. It’s something that, especially in this day in age, can be rare, but in turn, is very obvious when you do come across someone with one. So at the risk of sounding too sappy, I have to admit, Céline has been that wonderful beacon of light that I’ve met coming out of COVID and definitely one of the most beautiful women I’ve met, both inside and out.
Though I have “known” Céline for quite some time as we are both very involved in A Walk On Water, of which she has been a consistent and monumental supporter, it is not until recent years that I have had the ability to get to know her. I find it so interesting to me that despite feeling that you know certain people, life has a way of bringing them into focus, highlighting these individuals, proving that being open and aware is a beautiful thing and allows those special humans through, in ways we’ve been perhaps too distracted to notice.
While she is the person to know at Crow’s Nest, the sister of The Strokes guitarist, and the embodiment of beauty, French edge, and laidback surfer-chic, she is also one of the kindest and smartest women I have met. If you’ve worked in the restaurant industry, you know what it means “when it rains it pours” and that requests roll in at the least opportune times; however, any time I have seen Céline on the busiest of nights at The Crow’s Nest, she evokes nothing but grace, kindness, and composure. For a single mom to 2 beautiful children, and one with special needs, it seems almost superhuman that she shows up the way she does.
Not only am I proud to tell the world why this woman should be one to know, but grateful that I have had the gift of getting to know her. She is that person that you often find yourself thinking of for that push of inspiration, reminding us that kindness is class and doing good is always sexy. Without further ado, meet Céline Valensi, the real life superwoman.
The Tidalist: You are a bonafide city girl, raised here in NYC. What would you say is your favorite thing about New York and growing up here?
Céline Valensi: New York City truly is the ultimate melting pot. At any given time in any given place (be it the subway, a street corner, a restaurant), myriads of cultures and parts of the world are represented. Luckily and happily, it translates to the language of food and in just about any borough, we’re able to sample French, Asian, African or Latin American grub. Sometimes, even on the same block.
TT: When you moved full-time to Montauk, you started surfing more – what has being near the water and surfing brought you in your life? How often are you able to go?
CV: If I’m honest, the biggest drawback to living in the city is the lack of nature. I just recently left Montauk on a cold, but beautiful sunny morning. By the time I found myself in mid Manhattan a few hours later, I was legitimately baffled by why I felt colder in NYC versus on the ocean in Ditch Plains. And then it hit me…. Even on a sunny day, most of the city is shadowed by sky scrapers and I’m embarrassed to say that realization hit me like a ton of bricks.
TT: You are an extremely busy woman - a mom of 2 beautiful kids, Jude and Jojo, the person who runs the chic, go-to spot, Crow’s Nest, not to mention a slew of other things, but you ALWAYS find time to show up and give back. Why is that important to you and how has giving back to organizations like Hudson’s Helping Hands, A Walk On Water, etc. changed your life?
CV: Ironically and coincidentally, I sat on the local committee for AWOW before having kids. A few years later, my daughter Jolie (around two years old at the time) was diagnosed with autism. It may have been divine intervention that I was already on a path to rooting myself in that community. Water/ocean therapy is so real and tangible. It’s how/why I started surfing in the first place. I was always drawn to it, and unsurprisingly people who have a hard time navigating this world or communicating conventionally clearly are also.
Receiving a diagnosis of autism is daunting, for all the reasons one can imagine. But truly the most unexpected aspect for me was that no one on this planet could tell me what to expect. No two cases of autism are the same and even now at seven years old, we have no idea if JoJo will ever become conversational for example. For this reason, it became my priority to spend as much time with families like ours. The research around autism is ever-changing and I’ve found anecdotal evidence to be more helpful than medical. Plus, there’s just no such thing as someone who “looks” autistic. When we are with other kids like JoJo, there’s no need for explaining… no one asks “why doesn’t she talk?”. No one side eyes when she spontaneously takes someone's hand or giggles uncontrollably. It comes as a huge relief to a parent to be surrounded by understanding and loving people. And, of course, there’s the added benefit of being at the beach and surfing/just doing what we love anyway!
TT: If you had a weekend completely to yourself, absolutely nothing to worry about. What would you be doing and how would you spend it?
CV: Ha! One can dream! Young children don’t lend a ton of relaxation. I’m a natural beach bum and if given the chance, I’d surf and lay on a beach all day with a stack of books.
TT: You spend a lot of the winter in Puerto Rico. What are some of your favorite spots (if you can share some of your secrets must-do, see, go, eat)?
CV: There’s been a quiet and long generational history of Montauk families wintering in Rincon, Puerto Rico. It’s been a base of mine for over a decade. Similarly to Montauk, it’s undergone a lot of changes in the last few years. With any shift-related gentrification, there have been loads of pros and cons. On one hand, it’s gotten super crowded and exponentially more expensive. On the other, there’s now access to trendy organic foods (read: green juice and smoothies at the Juice Box, fancy coffees at a cute café off the my favorite surf spot Maria’s and even a weekly farm-to-table pick up on Wednesdays at a farm called Carta Buena facilitated by Alex Tabas of BoomAppetite).
When the surf is small in Rincon proper, a short drive to the north side generally always lends a little wave. Playa Jobos is the most popular spot. Stopping at a boutique hotel called Villa Montana on the way home is always fun for lunch.
Crashboat beach is my favorite for pier jumping, snorkeling or just laying around (there’s a pincho hut right on the beach for classic Puerto Rican kebabs). For sights, Cabo Rojo is famous for the views from the lighthouse and a little walk down the cliff brings you to a pink sand beach littered with, for some reason, tons of cats.
TT: What has been the most inspiring or interesting thing that you’ve experienced recently? Can be anything you’ve discovered, heard, been?
CV: Instagram recently taught me that there are pink dolphins in the Amazon river. As in, actually hot pink dolphins just swimming around. I put that right at the top of my bucket list!