Russ and Daughters to Open Café in Jewish Museum on UES

March 27, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Russ and Daughters, the quintessential appetizing store on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, will open a new outpost this spring in the Jewish Museum. The collaboration will bring a second outpost of the Russ and Daughters Café to the Warburg mansion, with 75 seats of sit-down, full-service dining as well as a take-out retail counter in a Solomonoff Architecture Studio-designed space.

The Jewish Museum was founded in 1900 and moved into the Warburg mansion in 1944. The Museum has been an ever-growing and evolving collection of art reflecting global Jewish identity since then. Works of modern and contemporary art are regularly presented in exhibitions that represent an unparalleled window into the Jewish culture for current and future generations to enjoy.

Russ and Daughters, which was established in 1914, will serve its signature selection of cured fish, bagels, knishes, salads, and egg creams in the new space. The appetizing store and brand have been family owned for four generations, and just recently branched out with its café, also located on the LES. This is a great moment in the history of both institutions and the Jewish cultural history in NYC.

To read more, please click here

Filed Under: Local Market Buzz, Openings, Opportunities Tagged With: ,

First Seafood CSA Model In NYC

August 27, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The first seafood CSA in NYC, Dock to Dish, will attempt to return restaurants to the older way of doing things, where they worked around what was in supply over what was in demand. We are more familiar with CSA’s where consumers sign up for a memberships to be provided with seasonal, local, fresh produce from local farmers. Dock to Dish operates in the same manner just with seafood rather than produce. Restaurateur Sean Barrett has come together with fishermen to apply the same CSA economic model to seafood and established Community Supported Fisheries (CSF).

Dock to Dish will help to foster the relationship between growers and eaters by shortening the distribution chain. Dock to Dish was founded in Montauk, Long Island to provide members with a weekly portion of high quality seafood caught sustainably within the last 24 hours. Dock to Dish then took off in New York City where it became the first Restaurant Supported Fishery with chefs such as Bill Telepan, Dan Barber and April Bloomfield subscribing amongst others. They receive an abundance of whatever is caught fresh such as bigeye tuna, fluke, black sea bass, swordfish, squid and many others. According to Edible, “Chefs used to rely on fishermen who came to their kitchen doors offering what was local, plentiful and in season. Then they wrote the menu. It put excitement into preparations: a little surprise to get the creative juices flowing.”

To read more about the CSF and watch a short video on how it operates, click here

Filed Under: Local Market Buzz Tagged With: , ,

Demand For Fresh Ingredients Driving Growth

July 31, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The restaurant trend to advertise locally sourced ingredients on the menu has now caused consumers to expect it. This demand is now beginning to be met in less expensive fast-casual restaurant chains. Guests are willing to pay extra for locally sourced fresh ingredients as is the case at Sweetgreen, Tortas Fronteras by Rick Bayless, Salata and Mad Greens. Marley Hodgson, cofounder of Colorado-based Mad Greens has states that, ” the plan is to have a dedicated portion of the menu that’s local specific.” As the chain begins to expand outside of Colorado, the availability of local produce and other ingredients will be an important determining factor for whether or not to install a new unit. For locations in markets that do not have long growing seasons the emphasis will be shifted to other ingredients that are produced in all seasons such as dairy.

Pricing structures in a fast casual business are not straightforward and the business models do not allow for much wiggle room, however, certain chains are coming up with ways around the structures in order to incorporate more locally sourced ingredients into the menu. Hodgson stresses that guests are willing to pay extra for local foods and believes that, “it’s a much more important trend than organic, but there’s a bifurcated customer base and you have to give them a choice. If you force them all to pay a higher price for local, that’s problematic, because there’s a portion that won’t pay. But there’s a large segment saying ‘yeah, I’m totally willing to pay more.’”

Salata, a franchise company operating in Texas, California and Chicago also sources local products and ingredients. Both Salata and Mad Greens are very transparent with their guests about where their food is coming from, which has proven to be much appreciated.

To read more about adding more locally produced foods to restaurant and fast casual chains’ menus and how it is helping to drive business growth, click here

 

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz, Operations Tagged With: ,

Down to Earth Farmers Market opening in Chelsea

June 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment

A new farmers market named the ‘Down to Earth farmers market,’ is opening this Saturday on West 23rd St & 9th Avenue in Chelsea. This summer market will be set up on the sidewalks and open from 9AM to 5PM until November 22, giving locals a chance to shop for locally sourced food. Nicole Reed, a spokesperson for Down to Earth, states that one of the main goals in opening this market is to increasingly get more people to source from New York agriculture. The Down to Earth group currently has 19 markets in the NY area, and this will be its second location in Manhattan, with its first being the Morningside Park market.

Here are a few vendors that the market will be featuring:

  • Roots to River
  • Alex’s Tomato Farm
  • Locust Grove Fruit Farm
  • Meredith’s Bread
  • Tuthilltown Spirits Farm
  • Dickson’s Farmstand Meats

For more information on the market click here

Filed Under: Events, Local Market Buzz, Openings Tagged With: ,

SWEETGREEN: SALAD ENTERPRISE

February 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment

1164 Broadway between 27th Street and 28th Street (NoMad) • 646.449.8884

sweetgreen

sweetgreen

Their Success… Rain or shine, sleet or snow, patrons are willing to form queues out the door for sweetgreen’s delicious and nutritious made-to-order salads and wraps. The food and interior design reflect sustainability. Sweetgreen’s fare is organic, local and sustainable, and any scraps are composted in the kitchen. Even the packaging and serviceware are 100% plant-based and compostable. Reclaimed materials comprise the store structure, and energy efficient LED and Fluorescent lights illuminate the space. Five core values, displayed on their site and in-store, echo sweetgreen’s “culture, spirit and dedication to doing what’s right.” These values speak to the importance of company-guest-community symbiosis, sustainability, authentic food and relationships, meaningful connections and making an impact. Sweetgreen, however, does not just talk about forging strong and persified community ties— they actually do it.

Sweetgreen introduced “sweetlife” in 2010, an original approach to unite fans with a meaningful cause. Sweetlife is an annual music and food festival hosted by sweetgreen that celebrates “flavorful music, wholesome food, and thoughtful living.” Sweetgreen donates all proceeds from sweetlife to “sweetgreen in schools.” “Sweetgreen in schools” is a collaborative initiative with DC Farm to School in which students learn about healthy habits, sustainability, local sourcing and food origins through an eight-lesson interactive program.

The successful salad chain lauds their local purveyors. Prominently displayed chalkboards that hang just above the communal seating pavilion illustrate the vinculum between ingredient, purveyor and region. The transparency in acknowledging those who have contributed to sweetgreen’s success through the supply of their produce resonates well with origin-concerned guests. Furthermore, the bold presentation promotes increased foot traffic and speedier lines by thwarting the “where does this ingredient come from?” dance with languid guests next-in-line.

Volunteerism and giving back to the community encompass key cornerstones in sweetgreen’s culture. Through mobile app payment, 1% of purchases are donated to City Harvest to support nutritional education and food rescue programs. The company’s internal volunteerism demonstrates an unwavering spirit. According to Head Coach Greg LaFauci, sweetgreen’s internal volunteer program with the Bowery Mission proved so successful that despite there only being a handful of spots available for staff to fill, literally dozens of employees volunteered to give up their Friday night plans without any incentives.

LaFauci said it best, “You can’t be successful in an unsuccessful community. Having staff aligned with the mission of giving back is tied in with their success”

Take Aways…Forging strong and diversified community ties extends beyond just an essential core value— it creates meaningful connections internally and externally.

Filed Under: Retail Spotlight Tagged With: , , ,

Sweetgreen Expanding to Williamsburg and Tribeca

February 4, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The sustainable and local salad and wrap chain, Sweetgreen, will be making its way to Williamsburg at 162 North 4th St and to Tribeca in the former Il Mattone space this summer. Co-owner Nicolas Jammet said in regards to the upcoming Brooklyn location: “Sweetgreen was born to live in Brooklyn and we could not think of a more perfect neighborhood than Williamsburg.”

Filed Under: Local Market Buzz, Openings Tagged With: , , , ,

Food Almanac 2014: Food and Farm Policy

December 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment

On Wednesday, Feb 12 from 6:30-9:30pm at the Center for Social Innovation, the Food Systems Network NYC will feature a panel discussion about food and farm policy predications as they relate to NYC and the nation. The event will commence with networking and passed hors d’oeuvres followed by the panel, dinner and a Q & A. Wine and local beer will be served. The panelists have not yet been revealed, but check back at Food Systems NYC to find out more.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: , , ,

Third Annual Slow Food Show

December 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment

This Sunday, December 8th from 1-6pm at the Astor Center Screening Room (399 Lafayette St.), Slow Foods will hold its third annual food vendor showcase featuring local producers. Samples will be offered and products available for purchase. Proceeds support Slow Foods NYC programs. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased here.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With:

Global Organic Food Market Boom

November 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The organic food industry is expected to expand exponentially. Transparency Market Research (TMR), a market intelligence company, mentioned that a few key leaders in the industry include Hain Celestial Group Inc., Whole Foods Market Inc., The Kroger Co., Amy’s Kitchen and Organic Valley.

Now more than ever  Americans, especially, are concerned with health issues across the board including environmental safety, animal welfare and food quality. Increases in awareness about organic food benefits, worldwide organic farming, the number of retailers providing organic products and implementation of government regulations are attributed to the global organic food market expansion.

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz Tagged With: , , , ,

Fast Casual Chain Adopts Rooftop Garden Model

August 26, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Hyper local sourcing is a major trend for fine-dining restaurants, many of whom have started their own rooftop gardens.  But Northeast chain B. Good has shown how the model can work for the fast casual segment.   The chain reports it has actually saved money growing their own produce, compared to buying it from local farms, but insists the benefits are broader than financial success.  The brand’s identity centers on sustainability and healthy food, so growing produce on-site “‘…reinforces what our brand is supposed to be about. Our customers will get really crazy about it,'” said B. Good co-founder Jon Olinto.

For the full story, click here.

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz Tagged With: , , ,
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