Family portrait

Photograph by Imogen Brown53.fw.fp.strumwasserfamily_01_0.JPG642991
Photograph by Imogen Brown53.fw.fp.strumwasserfamily_06_0.JPG643002
Photograph by Imogen Brown53.fw.fp.strumwasserfamily_09_0.JPG643013
Photograph by Imogen Brown53.fw.fp.strumwasserfamily_10_0.JPG643024
Photograph by Imogen Brown53.fw.fp.strumwasserfamily_15_0.JPG643035
Photograph by Imogen Brown53.fw.fp.strumwasserfamily_17_0.JPG643046
Photograph by Imogen Brown53.fw.fp.strumwasserfamily_19_0.JPG643057

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Photograph by Imogen Brown

In 2004 financial consultant Stu Strumwasser came up with the idea for Snow Beverages, an all-natural soda company with a socially conscious message. That same year, he also became the dad of identical twin sons. Now divorced from the boys’ mother, Stu lives with his kids about 40 percent of the year and manages Snow full-time.

So you thought of Snow right around the time your boys were born?
They had spent five weeks in the neonatal ICU. On the one hand, the timing was terrible. On the other, nothing could have better reinforced my desire to create healthy beverages.

Do you try to encourage River and Owen to be as eco-aware as you are?
I’ve taught my sons that it’s up to us to conserve natural resources. For example, they know that they have to draw on both sides of a piece of paper. They’ll say to each other, “We don’t kill trees.”

What are the biggest misconceptions about divorced parents?
Others may not realize that a divorced dad has to work harder to stay in the loop. There’s no time to chat [with the boys’ mom] about all the little things that come up.

What’s the best part of being an NYC parent?
I love all the creative opportunities. I’m a member of the Atlantic Theater Company; every year it does a play for kids. I don’t think there’s anywhere else in the world that gives you the same opportunities to learn.—Lambeth Hochwald

Their favorite...

NEIGHBORHOOD HANGOUT “The kids’ section at Barnes & Noble in Tribeca (97 Warren St at Greenwich St, 212-587-5389). They’ve created a comfortable environment. We can interact with the books and touch and feel them before we decide what we’re going to take home. It’s a great shopping experience for the kids.”

RESTAURANT “The Gee Whiz Diner (295 Greenwich St between Chambers and Warren Sts, 212-608-7200, geewhizdiner.com). Some restaurants see me coming in with a five-year-old in each hand, and I can tell they’d like to close the door. At Gee Whiz, they get into battle position. I’m always apologizing for the mess, and they just look at me and smile.”

TOY STORE “River goes nuts for Balloon Saloon (133 West Broadway at Duane St, 212-227-3838, balloonsaloon.com). We always leave with 14 balloons, and they’re in my apartment for months. We’ll walk in and River and Owen will get that look kids get when they’re going into a candy store. They love it. It’s stimulus overload.”

PLAYGROUND “Washington Market Park (Greenwich St between Chambers and Reade Sts) is one we all like. It’s set up so children who are two or three years old can have as much fun as older kids.”

CULTURAL ATTRACTION “The boys and I are big fans of Kidrockers (kidrockersusa.com). One Sunday a month some of the country’s coolest indie rock bands play shows for kids ages three to 13 and their parents. I love that I get to experience new music with my kids. We went the other day, and Owen belted out a song during the concert.”

NEIGHBORHOOD TO VISIT FOR A DAY “Without a doubt, Carroll Gardens. We have several friends there. It has a neighborhood feel that I crave. I’d love to someday move there.”

KIDS’ CLASS “Open Art at Church Street School for Music and Art (74 Warren St between West Broadway and Greenwich St, 212-571-7291). It’s the boys’ favorite thing to do on Saturdays; they really like to sketch and paint. They’ll sit there with a big canvas, and the teacher walks around every five minutes with a different material, beads and paint. It’s awesome.”

DESSERT SPOT “Ciao Bella (225 Liberty St, World Financial Center; 212-786-4707, ciaobellagelato.com) has the most delicious gelato around. And when you have two boys who eat like sparrows, it’s a great fattener. While we’re there, it’s fun to let the guys run around inside the Winter Garden.”

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