Coverage of the From Farm to Tray Event 2013

I have the pleasure of introducing you again to Anthony Losanno. Anthony has become a friend of mine since meeting on that website, twitter. We both have a love for good food, and he has guest posted here before for the SWEET event, Food Network Wine and Food Festival, Godiva Event at the South Beach Food and Wine Festival and the opening of Le Palais Des thes Soho. It is always fun to find someone who you share a passion with, and is a great person as well. Anthony was attending the From Farm to Tray event, and was kind enough to give us a little report of the festivities. 

Hope you enjoy the post : 

What’s not to love about an evening of food, music, a silent auction, and all of the proceeds benefiting a really great cause?  I attended From Farm to Tray at Holy ApostlesSoup Kitchen .

This organization does some incredible work in providing over 1,000 meals daily to hungry and homeless New Yorkers. Stop and think about that. It’s quite an incredible feat but this commendable act happens daily with Holy Apostles having served over 82,000 meals this year alone.

From Farm to Tray brought together a roster of celebrated chefs with the challenge of creating a menu of using fresh, sustainable ingredients that originated from within 100 miles of New York.

Organizer, Sara Pandolfi of www.saradish.com and her team along with sponsors like Starwood, Whole Foods, and restaurants like One if by Land, Two if by Sea, Spoonbread, Peels, Freemans, and Park Avenue Spring outdid themselves to create a memorable evening and raise a lot of cash to help the soup kitchen keep feeding those in need.

On to the food…

Preston Madson and Ginger Pierce of Freemans, Peels & Isa grilled up beer brined Haloumi cheese and smoked sausage on a sourdough roll. 

Park Avenue Spring’s chef Kevin Lasko created a pastoral and tasty garden filled with squash blossoms with fennel pollen, radishes, as well as an amazing sweet pea hummus

Yvan Lemoine from Season 8 of Food Network Star brought together two of my favorites in a duck terrine and chicken liver mousse dish.

Holy Apostles’ own chefs whipped up their own dish, a tasty peppered Salisbury steak slider with mushrooms, green peas, and sherry vinegar.

One if by Land, Two if by Sea served up a Long Island razor clam and Maine uni duo (this is on the restaurant’s appetizer menu if you want to taste it for your self). 

Norma Jean Darden of Spoonbread offered up fried catfish and collared greens accompanied by one of my favorite foods…cornbread.

Cocktail Caterers brought creamy polenta and herb cake with a spring mushroom ragout.

To end on a sweet note, SoCo Creamery served up a variety of ice cream. I tried the chocolate love and the sea salted caramel. Both were delicious.

The evening ended with a silent auction with prizes ranging from hotel stays, restaurant gift certificates, art, Broadway show tickets, and more. I won a giant hatbox filled with one of my favorite brands of chocolate – Vosges Haut Chocolat . If you’d like to donate to Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, you can by texting “HASK” to 91011 with a pledge amount.

Please be sure to follow Anthony’s travels and dining adventures on Twitter: @losanno

*Disclaimer: There has been no monetary compensation for posting this content. Brands mentioned are not affiliates or sponsors of this blog post. The opinions expressed are completely based on the author's experiences.

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From Farm to Tray Event May 16th 2013 in New York City

 Top New York chefs take on 100 Mile Menu challenge to fight hunger with                                 Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen

New York City, New York,  April 15th, 2013. Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen - the largest emergency food program in New York City - will host 'From Farm to Tray', a sustainable food benefit on May 16th, to raise much needed funds before the busy summer season, when children and families join the ranks of those seeking a nutritious meal at the soup kitchen.

            On the night, chefs from some of New York's best loved restaurants including One If By Land, Two If By Sea, Park Avenue Spring, Freemans, Isa, Peels and Spoonbread, will create a tasting menu with ingredients sourced from within a 100 mile radius - something that Michael Ottley, Director of Operations at Holy Apostles, does every day.

            "People think because we serve over 1,000 meals a day it's quantity and not quality that's important," says Ottley, "but a lot of work goes into making sure our menu is sustainable and nutritious. We serve fresh fruit and vegetables every day, and all dairy produce is sourced within New York State. Over the last two years, we've cut out all processed food from the menu. For some of our guests, this is their only meal - it needs to healthy and nutritious."

            From Farm to Tray will be the first benefit for  Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen to host in over three decades, reflecting the fact that with government funding only covering 8% of the soup kitchen's annual expenses, it is essential to innovate and diversify funding sources to meet the continuous and growing demand for its services.

            'We see new faces on our line every day,' comments Executive Director, Reverend Glenn Chalmers. 'About half of the people who come here are homeless, but for many of them, eating here allows them to stay in their homes. The latest studies show that within low income families, over 40% cut back on food in order to pay their rent.'

            With meal counts topping 1,000 a day, the soup kitchen's commitment to sustainability and nutrition is something that participating chefs taking part have responded to with enthusiasm. 'Creating the 100 Mile menu is a challenge but it's fun,' says Kevin Lasko of Park Avenue Spring. 'And it's for a great cause - I don't know how the soup kitchen does it for so many meals each week.'

             Like the hungry New Yorkers who eat at the soup kitchen every day, guests at From Farmto Tray will dine in the beautiful sanctuary of the landmark Holy Apostles Church, a space that New York Times journalist Anna Quindlen dubbed "the most majestic dining room in New York City". VIP packages are available, offering VIP guests the opportunity to enjoy photo opportunities with chefs from 6-7pm, before general admission from 7pm - 9pm.  Sustainable beverages and cocktails will be served on the night and guests will also have the opportunity to take part in a silent auction benefiting the soup kitchen.

            To find out more visit www.farmtotray.org or call 212-924-0167.

This is a really wonderful event for a great cause and I wanted to let you know it was coming up. A great way to help others and enjoy a foodie night out is what I would call it. 

About From Farm to Tray:

From Farm to Tray is a cocktail reception featuring sustainable food and beverages to benefit Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen on May 16th.

Featured chefs:

-          Colt Taylor, One If By Land, Two If By Sea

-          Kevin Lasko, Park Avenue Spring (Summer, Autumn, Winter)

-          Kurt Kretschmar, Cocktail Caterers

-          Preston Madson & Ginger Pierce, Freemans, Peels & Isa

-          Yvan Lemoine, Season 8 Food Network Star Finalist

-          VIP Cocktail Hour Hosted by Executive Chef Norma Jean Darden, Spoonbread

Event Details:

Church of the Holy Apostles, 296 Ninth Avenue (at 28th Street), New York, NY 10001

·         6-7pm: VIP Reception (photo opportunity with Featured Chefs)

·         7-9pm: General Admission cocktail reception

·         Tickets start at $125. To purchase visit Farmtotray.org or call 212-924-0167

About Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen:

Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen is the largest soup kitchen in New York (second largest in the US) and has been a symbol of hope and compassion in the Chelsea section of Manhattan since 1982. Every weekday between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., nutritious, sustainable meals are provided to more than 1,000 hungry New Yorkers who dine in the beautiful nave of the landmark Holy Apostles Church.

The mission of Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen is to provide more than just a hot meal and over the last number of years we have extended our services to include counseling, advocacy and referrals. In 2011 alone we held a record number of 8,188 counseling sessions 

*Disclaimer: There has been no monetary compensation for posting this content. Brands mentioned are not affiliates or sponsors of this blog post. The opinions expressed are completely my own based on my experiences.

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