Coordinates: Support City Harvest’s NYC Restaurant Partners
March 4, 2022
For this Coordinates story, we’re shining a spotlight on City Harvest, NYC’s largest food rescue organization. Nearly 40 years ago, City Harvest began with a goal of eliminating New York City’s food waste through the rescue of discarded food collected from restaurants, bakeries, and cafes and delivery of that surplus food to community soup kitchens and food pantries. As of this year, the city’s largest food rescue organization has donated over one billion pounds of food with more than 250 million of those pounds arriving since the start of the pandemic. Master & Dynamic is a proud supporter of City Havest's mission, and with our customers' support, we have been able to donate over 80,000 meals to New Yorkers in need.
In an ongoing effort to support City Harvest, we’ve compiled a list of some special restaurants in NYC contributing to the nonprofit's goals. Each chef is a member of City Harvest’s Food Council, a group of over 90 of New York City’s (and the world’s!) top chefs and culinary experts dedicated to spreading awareness of their mission, raising funds to support their work, and donating high quality food to help feed hungry New Yorkers. Whether you're planning a trip to New York or looking to discover a new spot, consider visiting one of the restaurants below who give back to the local community through City Harvest.
Le Bernardin
From raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for City Harvest with an exclusive lunch menu in its lounge to having a dedicated fridge in its kitchen for food donation, Le Bernardin and its head chef Eric Ripert are strong supporters of the organization, where Chef Ripert serves as the Vice Chair of City Harvest’s board. When the three star Michelin restaurant first reopened in March 2021, after COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were lifted, it donated five dollars to City Harvest for every diner—raising enough to aid the organization in feeding 460,000 New Yorkers. For Le Bernardin’s efforts in helping City Harvest, Eric and Sandra Ripert will be honored at the organization’s annual gala this year. A special dining experience can be purchased at Le Bernardin to benefit City Harvest as part of its “Dine Out to Feed Good” opportunities.
To benefit City Harvest, Chef Danny Mena of La Loncheria is offering a special dining experience at his contemporary Mexican cafe as part of the organization’s “Dine Out to Feed Good” opportunities. Mena, who is on City Harvest’s Food Council, hosts the event “Bowl of ‘Zole”—an annual festival that partners with the organization to donate funds and/or food.
Located in the heart of Bushwick, Brooklyn, La Loncheria offers a modern spin on Mexican cuisine informed by the iconic cantinas found in Mexico City.
From the team behind Adda, Dhamaka offers “Unapologetic Indian” cuisine. It features an ingredient-focused menu with a variety of herbs and spices made in-house as a tribute to the Indian food Mazumdar Pandya grew up eating.
Dhamaka co-owner’s Roni Mazumdar and Chef Chintan Pandya provided special meals at their Indian restaurant in order to raise funds to benefit the organization’s work during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Back in March 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in NYC, Chef Dominique Ansel and the bakery donated blueberry cronuts and other sweet treats to raise the spirits of City Harvest’s frontline workers and drivers during the beginning of the pandemic and continues to support the organization with year-round fundraising initiatives.
Dominique Ansel serves a selection of pastries and treats, with locations in SoHo and the Flatiron District of NYC.
COTE, a Korean steakhouse located in the Flatiron district of NYC, hosts several fundraising events for City Harvest and participates in several of the organization’s special events. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant donated proceeds from their takeout and delivery program to help City Harvest feed more than 25,000 families for a day.
Chef David Shim and Simon Kim offer a unique dining experience that fuses Korean barbeque and a classic American steakhouse into one. Cote is considered one of the best steakhouse restaurants in NYC.
Aquavit offers a special dining experience to benefit City Harvest’s “Dine Out to Feed Good Opportunities” initiative. Chef Emma Bengtsson is also a member of the City Harvest Food Council.
This restaurant offers an exquisite dining experience with seasonal Nordic cuisine and is perfect if you’re looking for a special evening in NYC.
