High Line Food

Chef and owner of La Newyorkina, Fany Gerson creates frozen treats inspired by her native Mexico. Much of the equipment in her Red Hook-based kitchen was destroyed by flooding during Hurricane Sandy. Photo courtesy of La Newyorkina

It’s freezing cold in New York City, but the winter weather is not stopping us from dreaming about summer, a time when bergamot is blooming, bees are buzzing, and paletas are plentiful on the High Line.

Alas, we were saddened to hear that the Red Hook headquarters of La Newyorkina, one of our beloved High Line food vendors, were devastated by severe flooding during Hurricane Sandy.

Chef/owner Fany Gerson wants to rebuild the kitchen equipment, but she needs help. Follow us after the jump to learn more and watch her Kickstarter video.

More than 250 neighbors joined us for a communal meal on the High Line on Saturday, October 22, 2012. Large photo by Scott Lynch. Soup photo by Jenna Saraco. Remaining photos by Sari Goodfriend

This special blog post comes to you from Ana Nicole Rodriguez, a High Line neighbor who grew up in West Chelsea and now works as an editorial intern for Food Arts Magazine. We invited Nicole to join us last weekend to document the second annual Social Soup Experiment on the High Line, an event presented by Friends of the High Line as part of High Line Food, a program that brings interesting, sustainable food to the High Line.

What is a park if not a space in which to bring people together?

That community sentiment, along with a focus on seasonality and local food sourcing, is precisely what inspired this year’s Social Soup Experiment. Dining need not exceed the simplicity of wholesome ingredients and smiling faces. A large spoon, two long wooden tables decorated with apples, and a group of more than 250 hungry neighbors is all you need to make the High Line’s “restaurant without walls” possible.

Honey Day at the High Line featured educational activities, honey tastings, and honey products for sale, all in celebration of the industrious honey bee. Photos (clockwise from right) by Liz Ligon, Jenna Saraco, and Melissa Mansur.

Friends of the High Line partnered with Brooklyn Grange Farm to bring in beekeepers from the five boroughs for the first-ever Honey Day at the High Line.

Yesterday, a full afternoon of activities included an extra-special Play With Your Food session with La Newyorkina, an educational beehive, special Honey Day-themed treats from High Line Food vendors, and honey tastings from beekeepers from the five boroughs.

Join us after the jump for more photos from the event.

“Decisions, decisions,” Rhesa Storms tweeted to accompany her #shareameal photo submission. Photo by Rhesa Storms.

This is the first season that you can enjoy both sweet and savory food offerings at the High Line.

To celebrate the moments made possible by delicious food, great company, and a one-of-a-kind public space, we asked you to share your photos with us on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #shareameal.

The winner in July was Rhesa Storms, who took an adorable photo of her young friend peering over the edge of Melt Bakery’s cart on the High Line.

For its outpost at the High Line, Bark is collaborating with Dickson’s Farmstand Meats in Chelsea Market to source animals from local, small-scale farmers to reduce waste and costs.

If you are looking for a good excuse to indulge in a nice, juicy hamburger this summer, we’ve got some great news for you. We are pleased to share that Bark, the Brooklyn-based hot dog purveyor, is sourcing organic, humanely-raised New York State beef for its menu items at the High Line.

Learn more after the jump.

This season of High Line Food is in full-swing! Follow us after the jump to learn how you can enter to win a complimentary lunch from Terroir at The Porch.

L'Arte del Gelato's frozen treats combine a variety of high-quality ingredients including the recent addition of milk from Battenkill Valley Creamery. Photos: top by Lou Manna, courtesy of L'Arte del Gelato; bottom courtesy of Battenkill Valley Creamery.

High Line Food is committed to working with entrepreneurial food partners whose products are good for the people eating the food, good for those who grow it, and good for the land. With this core philosophy in mind, we were thrilled when returning food partner L’Arte del Gelato decided to make the switch to locally-sourced milk for their full-range of gelati on offer at the High Line.

This new sustainably-produced New York State milk from Battenkill Valley Creamery is a great addition to their already impressive roster of high quality ingredients.

“Italians know that the secret to good food is to step back and let the ingredients speak for themselves!” L’Arte del Gelato co-founder Francesco Realmuto says. “Using Battenkill Valley Creamery milk for all of our High Line gelati is a great way to showcase delicious local food from right here in New York State.”

Learn more about the family farm supplying L’Arte del Gelato’s milk after the jump.

TMost of the new and returning food partners will be located on the High Line between West 15th and West 16th Street. Photo by Iwan Baan.

The beginning of the 2012 season of High Line Food is just around the corner!

You can look forward to enjoying a frozen treat, handcrafted coffee, savory snack, or even a glass of New York State wine, on the High Line soon.

Read more after the jump about our new and returning food partners who will be serving a variety of drinks, snacks, and light meals on the High Line this year.