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Irving Farm Coffee Roasters was founded in 1996 when David Elwell and Steve Leven opened a much-needed neighborhood café in Gramercy Park, hoping to provide a space where people could gather and drink great coffee. At a time before “handcrafted,” “organic,” and “fair-trade” had yet to enter the coffee drinker’s lexicon, the two trailblazing college friends distinguished their Gramercy shop from other java huts in New York by stocking it with specialty blends and single-origins. Shortly thereafter, they decided to convert a carriage house in bucolic Dutchess County into a roastery, determined to learn the craft of coffee roasting themselves. This proved to be more of a challenge than they’d anticipated: before the movement known as the Third Wave of Coffee revolutionized the industry in the late ‘90s, there weren’t as many resources available to novice roasters. But with help from friends and roasting mentors, as well as feedback from customers, they learned by doing and became pioneers in the exploding coffee scene in New York City. Fast-forward twenty years, and now Irving Farm is one of New York's most beloved hometown roasters with seven cafés, a bustling wholesale business, the only SCAA-certified Training & Education Loft in NYC, a brand new Roastery & Tasting Room, and a green coffee buying program led by Dan Streetman that focuses on direct relationships with farmers, sustainable practices, and a philosophy of quality over quantity.
"We drink tea to forget the noise of the world."
Founded in 2003, Tay Tea is the brainchild of a tea-obsessed New Yorker who comes from a third generation tea blending family.
Nini Ordoubadi loves tea and loves sharing it with people.
She muses. . .
"TEA is my art. It mirrors my soul , one that is steeped deeply in Persian culture and hospitality.
Through my tea blends, I tell my stories and connect to other’s stories. I invite new friends into my world.
"Join me -- drink tea and linger…"
Long gone are the days where the hills and dales of New York’s Hudson River Valley were bursting with majestic apple trees and the scent of ripening fruit. Though many of those orchards may be gone, there is a quiet renaissance going on all around us. A renaissance that is bringing life to new orchards and old traditions. There is one place not too far from you where the magic lives all year round.
Westwind Orchard is an historic apple orchard located in New York’s Hudson River Valley in the shadow of the Catskill Mountains. It has a story that starts in the 1930s when it was first planted by Chester Khon. The orchard was tended and farmed by Mr. Khon for 40 years or so before it was purchased by the Schoonmaker family of Accord. Westwind is the original name of the orchard, and we are proud we kept it.
In 2002, the Chizzola family bought the property with dreams of fresh air and country living. Well, we’re here to tell you it has not been easy and it’s certainly still a work in progress, but in 2016 we’ll add a few more pieces to the puzzle and focus our optimism on the coming year. When I first started out, everyone thought I was totally crazy. Well, after nearly a decade of reviving the farm and orchard, I have to agree, I WAS CRAZY, but not totally.
Westwind Orchard is more than just a hobby or avocation; it is a passion and a dream. One that I pursue daily with the same vigor and intensity with which I pursued rock-climbing (a little hobby of mine that first brought me to this part of New York) so long ago. Today, Westwind Orchard stands for more than just local, organic apples. We are a vision for local farming and the future of our region.
In 2005 we began renovating the orchards by clearing brush, reviving older trees, taking out dead ones, and planting new ones….all in anticipation of one day having a modern, organic orchard and farm. Then we got Honeybees, and are blessed to have 40,000 “free” workers to pollinate our trees and flowers. Then we built a deer fence, so we could keep those beautiful but disruptive creatures away from our trees. And finally, we started to diversify our orchard with new apple trees. But not just apples….we also planted pears, plums, cherries, paw paws, berries, garlic, winter squash, and grapes. The picture was becoming clearer. In 2008 we achieved our biggest accomplishment by becoming a Certified Organic farm!
Today, we make maple syrup, jams, apple sauce, honey, and raise chickens for eggs. Last year, we added a wood-fired pizza oven and planted more orchards – we’re like the bees, always busy. This year we’ll offer for the first time ever our very own, hard cider made with from our own apples and fermented in the wilds of Accord.
We are a Holistic Community Orchard and only use ecologically sensitive products like neem oil, Effective Microbes (EM), seaweed, kelp and compost teas to help us grow healthier soil, trees, fruits and vegetables. We strongly believe in LOCAL FOOD and in OUR COMMUNITY. Everyone needs farms (and farmers!), but more importantly they need good, wholesome, healthy food—what better place to get all that than right here. The Chizzola family hopes you’ll come visit Westwind Orchard soon. Come see what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, and mostly enjoy the fruits of our labor, from us to you.
http://westwindorchard.com/
Fruition is a small batch bean to bar chocolate workshop located in the Catskill Mountains of New York.With meticulous attention to detail, we slowly roast and stone grind carefully selected cocoa beans to accentuate their inherent flavor.
Our chocolate is made from fair trade and organically grown cocoa beans.
Bryan Graham is the founder of Fruition Chocolate Works and Confectionery. From a young age, Bryan has been passionate about both chocolate and food. He attributes his interest in the field of baking and pastry to his grandmother, an outstanding baker. Through visits to her farm in upstate New York, Bryan learned how to pick perfectly ripe ingredients, and how to transform them into pies, tarts, jams and jellies in the old world tradition only a grandmother can teach.
At the age of 16, Bryan began an in depth study of food through a mentor program where he became a baking and pastry apprentice at the renowned Bear Café in Woodstock, New York. Within the first week of working beside Executive Pastry Chef Heather Haviland, Bryan confirmed his love for pastry. After showing true commitment and dedication to the Bear Café, Bryan was offered a permanent position as Assistant Pastry Chef at the Bear Café. At age 18, he was promoted to Pastry Chef.
Five years later, Bryan decided to continue his education at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. He completed his externship at Jacques Torres Chocolates in NYC. However, it wasn’t until Bryan made chocolate from bean to bar with Chef Peter Greweling that an interest in the history and science of chocolate and confectionery was sparked. Since, Bryan has educated himself on the science, technique, and craft of handmade chocolate.
Dough was founded in 2010 by Chef, Fany Gerson, as a celebration of the doughnut. Inspired by her Mexican heritage as well as European influences, Fany set out to craft an iconic version of this classic treat.
After months of work in the kitchen perfecting her recipe, Fany now provides the world with a unique, refined doughnut that strikes the perfect balance of flavor and texture.
Handcrafted, Small Batch Process
Dough's doughnuts are handmade with love and care. Workers passionately master the craft of doughnut making through a hands-on approach that focuses on freshness and fullness of flavor.
Additionally, Dough's doughnuts are made in small batches throughout the day to ensure that they are always fresh for customers to enjoy.
We are bakers whose work expresses out commitment to patience, attentiveness and hand-craftsmanship. Since 1997 we have furnished bread for the tables of Balthazar – Keith McNally’s Parisian brasserie which opened that year in New York – and loaves, croissants, and pastries for our adjoining retail shop/
As our bakery has grown, we have not compromised our ideals or technique. We bake from scratch every day of the year. Using fine ingredients and traditional methods, we create products of uncommon character and integrity and deliver them fresh to discerning restaurants, hotels, caterers, and gourmet shops throughout the New York Metropolitan area.
Toni’s Kitchen was started in 1982 by parishioners at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church with the simple mission to “serve our neighbors in need.” Following the lead of a soup kitchen in nearby Paterson, people arriving for a hot meal were treated as guests and served restaurant style. The parishioners felt that this approach offered more dignity and respect than the traditional “stand in line” soup kitchen model.
At the time, Antoinette “Toni” Green was the cook for the South End Day Care Center, also housed at St. Luke’s. Toni agreed to be the lead cook for the new ministry and brought her years of experience and talent to the project. Described as a generous, “spirit-filled and amazing” woman, she was the perfect choice both to cook and lend her name to the new program.
Toni’s Kitchen served meals for the next 20 years without interruption and despite challenges to resources and operations. By, 2005, we had more than 250 volunteers, had formed key partnerships and had reorganized kitchen operations, revitalizing the ministry to the community. In 2015, a total of 52,000 meals were provided on-site and in the community through our Family Outreach Initiative.
Today, Toni’s is “more than soup,” serving healthy meals and connecting guests with financial, health and counseling services. Toni’s Kitchen is now busy 7 days a week.
Granola Lab is a small-batch granola company based in Brooklyn.
Our unique inventions are all-natural, preservative-free, and include many organic ingredients. Never too sweet, Granola Lab varieties are bold, super flavorful, and full of healthy nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. Each flavor is a perfect topping for yogurt, applesauce, fresh fruit, ice cream and more.
At Granola Lab, we’re inventing a better breakfast!
Our varieties:
• Activation Energy – Coffee, dark chocolate & hazelnuts
• Cranberry Cashew Compound – Cranberries, cashews & cloves
• Elemental Formula – Maple syrup, pecans & orange
• Get Gingernsapping – Candied ginger, molasses & allspice
• Mediterranean Mix – Sesame, almonds, pistachios & cardamom
Building the Lab – a message from Lab founder Alex Crosier
I founded Granola Lab in March of 2010 to bring my unique, creative twists to a beloved pantry staple. I’m a librarian by trade—not a food biz professional!—but my homemade granola kept garnering the highest praise from friends and family. I already wanted to start my own business...suddenly granola seemed like the perfect fit! I’m so pleased to be sharing my irresistible concoctions with hungry customers throughout Brooklyn and beyond.
After five years of moving between different commissary kitchens and sublet situations, Granola Lab has settled into our own, dedicated space in Sunset Park's industrial business zone. We love our sun-soaked, airy headquarters!
Lab technicians
The Granola Lab team is firing on all cylinders! Tony, Brenden, and Arlin take granola production seriously...but not too seriously.
“I saw a real need for freshly made, fabulous gluten-free foods right here in central New Jersey,” said Marilyn Besner, a veteran baker and cook whose longtime dream of opening her own place is being realized as she transforms the Lawrenceville Inn into a community gathering spot. “WildFlour’s baking and cooking will certainly be good for you, but its emphasis is deliciousness.”