Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Foodies Celebrate - Savoring Gotham: A Food Lover's Companion to New York City is brimming with food & drink history




There’s no getting around it. Savoring Gotham - A Food Lover’s Companion to New York City, edited by Andrew F. Smith; and Foreword by Garrett Oliver is one huge tome. But then, it’s New York. Most everything here is big - as in fiercely superlatively, colossal. The buildings are big; the population is extraordinarily large and diverse; there are so many sports team that we have two of each of the majors -- so when it comes to that beloved subject we simply cannot stop talking about or sharing images of or indulging in: food and drink -- it is no surprise this landmark book clocks in at nearly 800 pages.

Savoring Gotham boasts 568 entry topics - from “Beverages” to “Chefs” to Food Controversies and Regulation” to “Holidays, Celebrations, and Festivals” to “Restaurants and Bars.”

The undertaking required 174 writers -- or a small army of foodies -- to capture what is really just the “first course” to Gotham’s extraordinary food stories.

In fact, at the book’s swanky New York City book launch party November 17 at the Oxford University Press’ elegant lobby, editor Andy Smith cheered the guests with the notation that this is just the first in a series of Savoring Gotham gastronomic collections.
Editor Andy Smith autographing a copy of Savoring Gotham for  Foodie Enthusiast, Karen Tenenbaum. I'm capturing the moment - and unknown to me at the time - the photographer was capturing me in the moment!

Also on hand to help celebrate at the premiere was local food and wine - and beer provided by JBF Award winner, Garrett Oliver’sBrooklyn Brewery .
Me and JBF Award Winner, author, Brewmaster: Garrett Oliver

The book officially went on sale December 10th. It’s worth noting that the book is not a “guide,” rather as the title offers, it is a “companion.”


Editor Andrew F. Smith and Marion Nestle













My" Shero" Marion Nestle, flanked by me, (L) and nutrionist & author: Nancy Addison 


A favorite food sprite: Mimi Sheraton (R) with author & nutrionist : Nancy Addison

Me and Max Sinsheimer, Managing Editor, Oxford Press (& Author Angel!) 

The stories are indeed lovingly written by writers who care passionately about the subjects. In fact, the writers chose their chapter subjects.

We may all know of Marion Nestle (my food “Shero”) and her Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition  and her effort to enlighten us to the effects of the ever-corrosive impact of Soda Politics: Taking on Big Soda (and Winning) but I daresay not many know of other food and drink tales.

For example, it was charming to learn writer Meryl Rosofsky came to love writing about New York’s iconic The Four Seasons Restaurant so much she was convinced by the managers to hold her own wedding there last spring -- in time before it shutters its glamorous doors in 2016 due to the siren song of lease issues.

Also, many may covet Roberta's pizza but yet may not know how the two shipping containers -- seemingly duct-taped to the restaurant -- is home to Heritage Radio Network - arguably the best radio station “on food news, farming issues, restaurant's, chefs, …. and just about anything related to food.”

And there’s Gum. Savoring Gotham’s chapter on the quintessential chewing sensation, Chiclets, was named for chicle, “the gummy sap of a tropical evergreen, sapodilla, that was made and marketed by Thomas Adams in 1857, when after meeting the former Mexican president and general, Santa Anna -- who was living in exile on Staten Island and needed the money to fund his return to power - and thus shared the ancient Mayan confection recipe with a plucky New Yorker.

I am so honored and proud to have had the opportunity to research, interview, and write three chapters that are dear to my passions - for Savoring Gotham.
The chapters I wrote are: “Farm to Table,” “Greenmarkets,” and “Ladies Who Lunch.”
And while all the research was exciting-- and as long-time readers of my blog know - I’m a dedicated advocate and devotee of all things natural, local, and F2T.

And yet, it was Savoring Gotham that allowed me to dedicate another passion about the extraordinary women of Gotham -- with my idea of capturing those ladies who long ago, bore the essence of what is best about Gotham: fashion, food , and fame -- long before social media. The Ladies chapter was truly a frothy adventure to write: given access to WWD.com - Women’s Wear Daily’s archives - and a free-form interview with legendary Sirio Maccioni -- a James Beard Lifetime Achievement award winner and maitre d/owner of Le CirqueNew York. As written, “... Bill Blass was often whispering in his ear, helping to navigate the potential minefield of nouvelle society’s indiscretions and successes.” For the book’s review, he wrote: “New York, one of the world's most extraordinary cities, is captured masterfully here through its food and food history." --Sirio Maccioni, restaurateur. Agreed, sir.

I will be launching a “Ladies Who Lunch” podcast and YouTube element of my Chefs Garden channel.
I have long planned to interview the best, most intriguing, talented, women who, today, are at the kinetic crossroads of my world: fashion, food, politics, art and gardens.
It’s a most natural intersection, no?

Can you please write/post me your most salient thoughts on this as we will begin production in early 2016? Can’t wait for this exciting exploration into today’s Ladies Who Lunch.

Despite its heft, Savoring Gotham is a book you can’t seem to put down. The chapters are crisp, brief narratives that are sure to spark many a dinner conversation or bar chat. Savoring Gotham is an ideal holiday gift - one that readers will return to again and again - for reference, exploration, fun, and pride. Time to dig in.

As a special gift to Savoring Gotham readers, friends, and family: your can save 30% when purchasing a copy of the book by entering code ADFLYK2 at checkout via the OUP website. Plus, even the savings are New York big: while at checkout, you can also register with the website and receive an additional 10% off your purchase.


Everything’s better in Gotham.


Tuesday, November 17, 2015

"Eating Living, Building: Design the Kitchen of the Future" NKBA Symposium 11/18 highligts Culinary Culture



Eating, Living, & Building, Designing the Kitchen of Tomorrow is the National Kitchen & Bath Association - NKBAManhattan

Chapter’s 2015 Symposium. All are welcome to attend the event that is targeted for the kitchen, bathroom and interior design community.


The Eating, Living & Building symposium is an innovative and in-depth discussion of the future of kitchen design and implementation, focused through the lens of kitchens past and present. The subjects of food, sociology, and design will help guide the talks in a series of thought-provoking, one-hour programs followed by a hosted panel discussion with three industry experts. The event is sponsored by Hafele America Co at their NYC showroom just off Gramercy Park.
Eating

Culinary Culture – How Food and Its Production Fuel the Kitchen 

A discussion of the future of food as it relates to kitchen design and the changing world of edible goods from origin to tabletop. Discussing production, transport, preparation and storage, the food-focused presentation will examine how food is a prism through which we perceive our lifestyle and how it touches every facet of society.


Leeann Lavin, -- that's me!! -- author ofThe Hamptons and Long Island Homegrown Cookbook …, contributing author (three chapters: Farm to Table, Greenmarkets, and Ladies Who Lunch) to Savoring Gotham: the “Food Lover’s Companion to New York City,” Examiner Food & Drink reporter, and garden designer and blogger at Garden Glamour by Duchess Designs, will present the future of food as it relates to kitchen design and our changing world of edible goods from origin to tabletop. I will present a back to the future snapshot of food’s recent history -- from “essential locavore” through Gotham’s food markets, to foods of the future, including plant-based, NbN, and entomophagy -- to the Kitchen as the Dashboard, driving a healthy, sustainable food-centric lifestyle.


Living


Under the (Kitchen) Hood
An overview of the impact of kitchen design and its impact on the health, safety and welfare of the homeowner. Taking into account climate change, energy consumption, systems thinking, lifestyle, material and spatial organization and sociological-based design approach are discussed to get the most beneficial outcome for the design and the environment.
Ray Kinoshita Mann, Associate Professor at The University of Massachusetts Amherst Department of Architecture, will depict a portrait of tomorrow’s kitchen from a sociological perspective through her holistic design approach and her understanding of our world’s changing family dynamics.

Building
Virginia Tech – FutureHAUS

The Virginia Tech FutureHAUS is a research concept of the VT Center for Design Research which proposes an innovative new approach to the way we construct buildings. This process promises energy-efficient, sustainable, and smart solutions for medium to high density urban housing. The prefabricated FutureHAUS Kitchen, a signature feature of the prototype which demonstrates the wirelessly “connected” kitchen. The kitchen and living room “cartridge" prototypes were featured in 2015 at KBIS in Las Vegas and AIA National Convention in Atlanta. Joseph Wheeler, AIA, Professor at Virginia Tech School of Architecture + Design will explore environmental and sustainable architecture and the implementation of advanced design theory and ideas.
Panel Discussion

Following the the three keynote presentations for Eating, Living & Building: The Kitchen of Tomorrow, there will be a panel discussion, moderated byJohn Morgan
The panel talk will further explore food, food storage and preparation, sociology, wellbeing, health, technology, construction methods and materials, and their impact on the future design of kitchens.

John Morgan, is a well-respected 20-year kitchen and bath industry veteran. A manufacturer’s representative, consultant, trainer, and speaker, he has served on advisory councils of many industry manufacturers and Virginia Tech. In 2013 John Morgan proudly served as the 2013 NKBA National President. Morgan authored the popular “Rep’s View” column in Kitchen & Bath Design News for nearly a decade, and currently represents nationally-known cabinet and technology companies through his Baltimore/ Washington-based agency,Morgan Pinnacle.
Schedule:


Noon ~ 1:00 PM Sign In &Lunch


1:00 PM ~ 6:00 PM Symposium 


(15 minute breaks between sessions)


.4 CEU/ 2 HSW & 2 LU


NKBA NARI AIA


ASID self reporting


Fees
NKBA Members prior to 11/11   $75.00
NKBA Members after 11/11       $100.00
All Other Professionals              $100.00
Pre-registration is required

Friday, November 6, 2015

Garden to Table Events Mark November: Sourdough Cookbook, The Inspired Landscape, Urban Farming, Culinary Culture & the Kitchen of Tomorrow



There are a number of outstanding events scheduled in the next few weeks that you simply cannot miss.  Adding the cherry on top, I’m delighted to share that all of them feature some of my favorite people. (Including moi!)

First Up: The Horticultural Society of New York celebrates the release of Sarah Owens’ first book Sourdough: Recipes for Rustic Fermented Breads, Sweets and More. HSNY (yeah George Pisegna!) invite reads:  “Sarah will offer a slide presentation of the botanical contributions included in this beautifully photographed cookbook. Join in an afternoon of food and wine (my aside: I’ve seen the homegrown food Sarah is cooking up - it looks delicious!) as the former Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) Curator of the Cranford Rose Garden reveals her inspiration working as a rosarian and how it has contributed to her evolution as a seasonally-inspired baker for her micro business BK17  based in Brooklyn, NY and Louisville, KY. Copies will be available for purchase.”  
Sarah and Ngoc's book is hands-down glamorous elegance in its purity and scope.

I met up with Sarah on Tuesday -- she’s in Gotham for the first leg of Sourdough’s promotional efforts. I’ve worked with Sarah at BBG and she worked with me for my Garden State Duchess Designs clients. I’ve long admired her botanical acumen and her inimitable style. I love Sarah! And you'll fall in love too, reading her book and learning how she bakes with the best ingredients, including those botanicals, - along with love…
She told me during our interview sitting in Union Square park basking in the Indian Summer weather, how she first met up with her incredible photographer, Ngoc Minh Ngo in the Cranford Rose Garden -- and well, the professional connection, "blossomed!" -- to Sarah’s baking and ultimately, to the collaboration on Sourdough. I’ll be writing a full review and feature on Sourdough shortly here for Garden Glamour by Duchess Designs and for my Examiner Leeann Lavin Food & Drink column.

In the meantime, do not miss this rare opportunity to see and hear Sarah talk about her transformative baking, use of healthy, local grains, and the magic of sourdough!

The book talk and tasting takes place from 3:00 pm to 6:00pm at UnionDocs Center for Documentary Art, 322 Union Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211 Email: scourtade@thehort.org
Sourdough author, Sarah Owens, photo: Ngoc Minh  Ngo

Second on the events calendar: Monday, November 16, 6:30 pm is one of the events I'm involved in. I'm so proud and honored to be a part of this one. It's been more than a year in the making.

The Culinary Historians of New York (CHNY) and the NYU Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health present “Savoring Gotham: Celebrating the Making of the Definitive Companion to New York City’s Food.”


The program takes place at NYU, 411 Lafayette Street, Fifth Floor.t

A reception featuring iconic and ethnic New York foods will precede the talk, and copies of Savoring Gotham will be available for purchase.

Admission is $25 for CHNY members; $40 non-members and guests; $10 for full-time students with ID and free for NYU faculty and students with ID.

To purchase tickets in advance, visit

The eagerly awaited Savoring Gotham was published by Oxford University Press. Editor Andrew F. Smith said it is easily the most comprehensive reference work on the history of the city’s food and drink.
Among the CHNY members who contributed the book are: Ari Ariel (area editor), Scott Alves Barton, Tove K. Danovich, Cara De Silva, Doug Duda, Megan Elias, Meryle Evans, Polly Franchini, Cathy K. Kaufman (senior editor), Michael Krondl (area editor) Leeann Lavin, Walter Levy, Renee Marton, Anne Mendelson, Marion Nestle, Jacqueline Newman, Alexandra Olsen, Linda Pelaccio, Carl Raymond, Peter G. Rose, Meryl Rosofsky, Stephen Schmidt, Andrew F. Smith, Alexandra J.M. Sullivan, Judith Weinraub (area editor).

I researched and wrote three chapters: Farm to Table, The History of Greenmarkets, and Ladies Who Lunch.

Savoring Gotham covers New York’s culinary history, but also some of the most recognizable restaurants, eateries and culinary personalities today. And it delves into more esoteric culinary realities, such as urban farming, beekeeping, the Three Martini Lunch and the Power Lunch, and novels, movies, and paintings that memorably depict Gotham’s foodscapes. From hot dog stands to haute cuisine, each borough is represented.
A foreword by Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster and James Beard JBF Awards winner, Garrett Oliver and an extensive new bibliography, round out this sweeping new collection.
Third, is Tuesday, November 17th and it brings the talented and inspiringSusan Cohen Landscape Architect to speak at The New York Botanical Garden to talk about her first book: The Inspired Landscape: Twenty-One Leading Landscape :Twenty-one Architects explore the creative process.”

The forward is by Peter Walker, an influential landscape architect and co-designer of the hauntingly beautiful September 11 Memorial gardens. (Peter spoke at the recent Landscape Design Portfolio series. I’ll cover his talk in an upcoming Garden Glamour post)
I

It’s only natural that Susan’s first book would document the era’s most creative landscape architects. After all, Susan has coordinated the award-winning Landscape Design Portfolio series at NYBG since its launch 17 years ago. Every autumn, she has singlehandedly, brought the best of the industry’s designers to speak about their work -- commercial and residential -- inspiring all of us who listen and learn…
Susan is also the Program Coordinator for the Garden’s Landscape Design Certificate Program; she also teaches courses in the program. Susan is a garden guru treasure - and I love her!

After earning a Certificate at the Botanical Garden herself, she received her BS in Landscape Architecture from City College of New York. She is principal of Susan Cohen Landscape Architect in Greenwich, Connecticut and an award-winning designer, who also lectures and writes about garden history and landscape design.

Susan and Sheila Brady will speak at the Landscape Design Alumni Series: Finding Your Muse at 1:00 pm at the Garden, Watson Room 302. Fee is $29 for Members and $35 for non-Members.

I’m so sorry I will miss this talk - as it’s sandwiched in between two talks/events I am doing. However, I promise to catch up with Susan, have her sign a book, and get a feature story for you Garden Glamour readers.

Photo courtesy NYBG, photo: Alfredo Gaskin
Yet another big green event is the New York Botanical Garden’s (NYBG) Bronx Green-Up Program Presents a Symposium: “Growing the Urban Farm”


What: Symposium: “Growing the Urban Farm”

Who: Featured Speakers:


· Mchezaji “Che’ Axum, Director of the Center for Urban Agriculture and Gardening Education in the College of Agriculture Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences at the University of the District of Columbia. 


· Nevin Cohen, Associate Professor, CUNY School of Public Health


· Annie Novak, Manager of the Edible Academy, The New York Botanical Garden, and co-founder, Eagle Street Rooftop Farm. 


· Karen Washington, Community Activist, Gardener, and Farmer. A Bronx resident, founding member of Bronx Green-Up, and a passionate advocate for urban agriculture.



After the presentations, Todd Forrest, Arthur Ross Vice President for Horticulture and Living Collections at the New York Botanical Garden, will moderate a discussion about the future of urban agriculture in New York and beyond.

NYBG Urban agriculture is growing rapidly in cities across America. Vacant lots, abandoned green spaces, and even rooftops are being transformed into productive farms that provide fresh produce and opportunities for healthy activity, income, and many other benefits for urban families. Can the unprecedented growth of urban agriculture continue? Can urban farms produce enough food to feed large numbers of city residents? What new policies must be adopted to improve and promote urban agriculture? Will rooftop and vertical gardening systems increase the productivity of urban farms? What benefits beyond food production does urban agriculture provide to the community?

When: Wednesday, November 18, 2015, 6–8 p.m.

Where: The New York Botanical Garden, Ross Hall 2900 Southern Blvd, Bronx New York 10458

Admission: Non-Member $20; Member $10

To purchase tickets, visit nybg.org/AdultEd or call 800.322.NYBG (6924)


And then there's my big talk -- drumroll please -- on the Future of Food: Culinary Culture – How Food and Its Production Fuel the Kitchen: Eating, Living, & Building ~ Designing the Kitchen of Tomorrow for the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA). I’m one of three keynoters at the event to be held at Hafele New York Showroom from noon to 5:45 lunch included.

It’s going to be epic.

More on this event, too.

It’s quite a busy month -- and we’re only at the halfway mark!

It's quite a garden-to-table kind of November. Which is a fitting seasonal salute as we cruise into Thanksgiving and count our harvest blessings.

Such garden glamour.