A Golden Ticket to the New York City Wine and Food Festival

This year was my first Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival’s. I felt like Charlie on his tour through the Chocolate Factory. Though there was chocolate (my old favorite Lindt and a new favorite, Pure Dark), this was but a sliver of the drool-worthy fare laid out at this event. I recommend arriving early and skipping breakfast. You can make up for it when you get there.

Replace, for example, your standard two-egg omelet with lobster scrambled eggs topped with trout roe, crème fraiche, served, for your convenience, in a hollowed-out egg and designed, I think, to make your heart stop through an ingenious combination of cholesterol and extreme joy ( Highpoint Bistro & Bar).

Swap dad’s Bisquick pancakes for Viennese palatschinken wrapped around a tasty slice of trout and topped with concord grapes (Wallse).

Or, if you prefer something sweet, try a brown butter panna cotta topped with a Danjou pear (much like a regular pear) and Niabelle grape (much like a regular grape, but smaller and sourer; One if by Land, Two if by Sea).

This should not be confused with the sturgeon custard, which, though similar in appearance, has a very different flavor (Gilt).

Charlie, probably craving a savory antidote to his sugary tour, would have envied me, as I sampled not one, not two, but three select cuts of steak, each more delicious than the next (strip loin, BLT Prime; hickory smoked rib eye, The Palm Tribeca; and an equally lovely third steak, Dry Aged Beef Coulotte with Tuscan Kale, E&E Grill House).

I guiltily sampled a plum and sesame glazed lamb spare rib (very fatty, very delicious from China Grill) and shamelessly devoured the perfect plate of braised brisket (MexiQ Kitchen & Draught). Also delectable was a braised short rib, flavored with an unusual combination of anise, pomogranate carmel and curry (21 Club). I’m a little inclined toward meat of the four-legged kind, but I had a sashimi tuna steak that gave beef a run for it’s money (Blue Water Grill). My favorite dish actually ended up being seafood: Empellon’s octopus ceviche with parsnips and salsa papenteca. I don’t know what salsa papenteca is- it’s component parts are equally mysterious, but it is delicious. I loved the variety of textures- from the crunchy sunflower seeds to the soft creamy parnips and the chewy octopus.

Close seconds were a succulent chicken meatball encased in a fried ball of sticky rice (Tanuki Tavern) and perfectly cooked orecchiette with sweet Italian sausage, rosemary, and parmesan garlic (Benchmarc Events).

While Wonka’sfactory probably didn’t have meat, it most certainly didn’t distribute wine. This festival did. I deposited my gratis Ikea wine glass to more wine vendor stands than is probably advisable. Some favorites were a sweet Old Cask Malbec from Trapiche and an interesting, intense Sicilian wine called Nero DAvolo (Villa Pozzi). I also tried a selection of white wines from Greece, a derivation I hadn’t expected, but was pleased to find very tasty (Lyrarakis Wines of Greece). My favorite was a clean tasting rioja (Marques de Riscal Proximo). I enjoyed a glass of champagne (Nicholas Feuillatte) before moving on to stronger drinks. Jefferson’s 10 year aged bourbon was smooth and delightful, and the even older Redbreast irish whiskey knocked my socks off.

You wouldn’t know it if you didn’t look carefully, but 100% of the proceeds from this event go to the Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength . Perhaps the cause is downplayed because the thought of feeding hungry children while indulging in the city’s richest and most expensive food is a little discomfiting. Understandably, emphasizing the haring facts about hunger in America might undercut the enjoyment of the festival. A report this year from the Agriculture Department showed that 14.5% or 17.2 million US households are food insecure (World Hunger Education Service, Coleman-Jensen 2011). Even when supported by federal food stamp programs, many Americans are unable to afford regular, nutritious meals. In New York City one in six live below the poverty line, making less than $18,310 for a family of three and certainly not enough to purchase fresh and healthy food. Recent cuts in federal spending for food banks and soup kitchens (40% cuts this year) makes private donations and events like the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival’s even more important.

The Food Bank For New York Cityis one of the American Institute of Philanthropy’s top-rated charities, with an extremely low overhead and a retinue of awards recognizing their support for healthy cooking in schools, their distribution of fresh produce, and their food and health education programs. They help New Yorkers connect with food stamp distributors and advocate for food stamp access in all communities. They tackle the root of hunger, which is poverty, in a very direct way as well, offering tax-filing services that have earned applicants $61 million in federal returns this year alone.

Share Our Strength® focuses on ending hunger in children. Alarmingly, 9.8% of households with children experienced food insecurity last year. A subgroup of those children (1% of households) experience “very low food security”, which means that those children were considered undernourished by their caregivers. Share Our Strength® focuses on more than just the mid-day school lunch. They are working to provide nutritious breakfasts (perhaps not lobster scrambled eggs) that not only outfit kids for a day of work, but motivate them to come to school. They are also bridging the gap during summer vacation by advocating for summer meal programs.

While I understand the urge to focus on the delicious dishes at the New York City Wine and Food Festival and the desire to spare the attendees the story of the millions of hungry Americans, I would argue that knowing the facts behind the ticket price enhances the experience. For one, it made me appreciate the hardworking chefs churning out dishes for a good cause in a new way. It also made me feel a little less like Augustus Gloop, the greedy fat kid who drowns in Wonka’s chocolate river. The tour through the Chocolate Factory gave hungry kids like Charlie a chance for a better life, and in a way, the Food and Wine Festival is about that too.

Photos by Patrick Chang for Appetite for Good.

Help fight against hunger

100% of the proceeds benefit the Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength®

About the Food Bank For New York City
Food Bank For New York City recognizes 28 years as the city’s major hunger-relief organization working to end food poverty throughout the five boroughs. As the city’s hub for integrated food poverty assistance, the Food Bank tackles the hunger issue on three fronts — food distribution, income support and nutrition education — all strategically guided by its research. Through its network of approximately 1,000 community-based member programs citywide, the Food Bank helps provide 400,000 free meals a day for New Yorkers in need. The Food Bank’s hands-on nutrition education program in the public schools reaches thousands of children, teens and adults. Income support services including food stamps, free tax assistance for the working poor and the Earned Income Tax Credit put millions of dollars back in the pockets of low-income New Yorkers, helping them to achieve greater dignity and independence. 94% of donations go directly toward food distribution, acquisition and programs in all five boroughs of New York City. Learn how you can help at foodbanknyc.org.

About Share Our Strength®
Share Our Strength® , a national nonprofit, is ending childhood hunger in America by connecting children with the nutritious food they need to lead healthy, active lives. Through its No Kid Hungry® Campaign—a national effort to end childhood hunger in America by 2015—Share Our Strength ensures children in need are enrolled in effective federal nutrition programs; invests in community organizations fighting hunger; teaches families how to cook healthy, affordable meals; and builds public-private partnerships to end childhood hunger, at the state and city level. Working closely with the culinary industry and relying on the strength of its volunteers, Share Our Strength hosts innovative culinary fundraising events and develops pioneering cause marketing campaigns that support No Kid Hungry. Visit Strength.org to get involved.

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