Great ready for a new twist on the NYCWFF Burger Bash, a perennial favorite!
This year, due to Covid-19, the Burger Bash has been transformed for a virtual experience.
It will be held in our kitchen on Friday, October 9, 2020.
Previous Burger Bash competitors will prepare their burgers for a panel of celebrity judges from Elvis Duran and the Morning Show including Elvis Duran, Danielle Monaro, Nate Marino, and Skeery Jones.
They’ll award the winner the Prime 6 Judges Choice Award.
Viewers will be able to do more than just watch the competition.
As part of their ticket purchase, they’ll receive:
As you get ready for the Burger Bash, grill your burgers, mix your cocktails, and immerse yourself in the competition!
Great Performances’ Catering & The New York City Wine & Food Festival
With the festival going virtual this year, the Burger Bash will take place in our recently relocated kitchen in the South Bronx.
Our modular set up allows us to easily reconfigure our kitchen to accommodate the judges’ tables and space for each of the competing chefs — and allow for proper social distancing!
Great Performances has a long history (more than ten years!) as the official caterer of the New York City Wine and Food Festival.
Our Festival and Event Production team provides behind-the-scenes logistical and operational support for the NYCWFF and the annual Burger Bash.
From staffing, bar support, food production for chefs and support sponsors, it’s been one of our most exciting festival relationships in New York City.
As you can imagine, we do a lot of food purchasing!
With so many raw ingredients coming into our kitchens, the focus on sourcing and procurement is critical.
Jon Roode, Director of Purchasing, oversees the department and applies a holistic lens to the process.
As part of the culinary team, he works closely with our chefs and sales team to understand what ingredients will be needed for the coming days, weeks, and months.
Applying data from previous years, Jon creates forecasts for ingredient needs and plans purchasing accordingly.
But all this is just one piece of the equation. Here is a look at Trends and Externalities Impacting Food Supply in Catering.
A series of events this year have impacted the availability of a variety of ingredients from fruits and vegetables to grains and baking goods to meats.
Jon has been carefully monitoring weather and environmental issues including the wildfires in California, rains and flooding across Texas, Florida, and throughout the southern states, as well as early frosts at local farms in upstate New York (including our own Katchkie Farm).
Jon was able to quickly spot changes in trends and engage different suppliers and vendors to ensure minimal disruption to our supply chain.
STRAWBERRIES
California, a top growing region for the nation, is the primary source for strawberries.
The current berry crop has been decimated by wildfires, so strawberries are limited in supply, poor in quality, and have spiking prices.
Jon recommends turning to raspberries which are a safer bet than even blackberries or blueberries which are also currently inconsistent.
CITRUS
In the fall, the citrus crop is transitioning, and supply is dropping.
At the grocery, you’ll notice that there’s limited availability and that prices are increasing.
Orchards in Florida are struggling due to weather conditions.
The home consumer will notice a green hue to oranges skin as they’re still ripening.
Jon recommends a substitution of clementines which are available and delicious.
APPLES
We’re excited about another popular orchard fruit – local apples!
Go apple picking (or purchase a bushel from your local farmers’ market) and pick up some Gala, Cortland, Crispin, Empire, Fuji, MacIntosh, and Mutsu apples.
If you do, consider making a cobbler, pie, or homemade applesauce.
Any blend you bring home will work: the variety offers different textures that will make your dish taste great.
We’ll be sharing some recipes that feature apples in the coming weeks – stay tuned!
Kale’n it at Katchkie Farm: gorgeous produce gets harvested in October!
One of the big initiatives Jon has been working on is with Katchkie Farm Manager Jon Ronsani.
Reviewing several years of data, he shared our consumption schedule with Farmer Jon who was able to create a crop plan to help provide farm-fresh, organic produce on a schedule and in quantities that would benefit our kitchens and ultimately, our guests.
We’ve been enjoying a summer of incredible produce, especially our famous Katchkie tomatoes.
We are preparing our latest batch of Hot Katchkie, a signature fermented hot sauce developed by founder Liz Neumark and brilliantly executed (with amazing flavor accents) by Executive Sous Chef Dana Marie Moore.
An early frost at the farm ended the season for the more delicate vegetables like tomatoes, eggplants, and summer squash.
Happily, hearty greens like kale and chard, and winter squashes like butternut squash will only get sweeter!
We’re also eagerly anticipating deliveries of kale, delicata squash, chard, beets, peppers, radishes, lettuces, and herbs.
We have gallons of tomatoes processed and preserved for use throughout the winter, as well as incredible basil pesto in the freezer.
In the general course of events, we’re always diligent about thoughtful ingredient sourcing, applying our philosophy of fresh, local, seasonal, and when possible, organic.
But this year, in the face of the coronavirus, our changing programs, and our work providing meals for some of New York’s most vulnerable groups, we’ve been even more diligent about monitoring how our supplies are being impacted.
Adjusting our usage predictions for the current environment, Jon Roode has been able to get ahead of our needs and ensure we have the best ingredients available at the right prices for our kitchen and customers.
With respect for Mother Nature, we thank Farmer Jon, Purchaser Jon, and all our hard-working suppliers!
Living in the Covid era has brought countless restrictions, rules and limitations into our lives (not to mention thrown a monkey wrench into our industry.) From job and work disruption, family separations, the way we shop, cook, sleep, dress and learn; from where we live, how we travel, the way we plan – every facet of our daily lives.
With all the restrictions on us, we noticed another casualty – our spontaneous collaboration and creativity.
We wanted to try to do tap into the creative juices that are within all of our co-workers, and get unleashed!
So we launched: The COVID-BE-DAMNED INNOVATION INITIATIVE.
Meetings were held virtually via video conference, and it was great to see and hear from colleagues we don’t always work with closely, especially now when we’ve been so removed from each other physically. Having representation from a variety of departments in each team was eye opening as we learned about the experiences and perspectives of different teams within the company.
Ideas were presented during our First Friday video conference.
The ideas generated were also incredibly diverse, covering disciplines such as catering marketing, sales, operations and more.
Ideas included incorporating technology in the form of QR codes to marketing collateral; creating curated Great Performances boxes of food, ingredients and recipes; finding ways to support the creative dreams of our talented cater waiters; innovating process improvements through structured frameworks; and finding new homes for our unused inventory.
Each idea presented challenged our thinking and perspectives and continue to drive our constant push for excellence and innovation.
Cover image: Photo by Raul Varzar on Unsplash
Among the many challenges of Covid is how we feed people.
At Great Performances, we take pride in both our delicious, fresh food and our impeccable, thoughtful service.
But what happens during a pandemic when we all have to be much more mindful of health and safety and minimizing contact between people?
Aside from restructuring our food service program with individually packaged meals and contact-free delivery, we’ve explored technology options to support our customers and our venues.
Here are some insights as to what The Future of Food Service from our partners.
Some of us may remember Automats — food vending machines that were popular during the first half of the 20th century.
The most popular chain, Horn & Hardart, once had 40 automats across New York City but closed the last one in 1991 after years of competition from fast-food restaurants; and a more recent entry, Bamn! in the East Village closed in 2009.
But with current requirements to minimize contact during Covid, automats — or similar technology solutions — are the future of food service.
This time, though, they come complete with automatic sanitation systems using UV technology.
“Covid-19 has taught all of us many new ways to approach creative food service and innovative hospitality with new lenses. Teaming up with partners like ViaTouch Media led by CEO Tom Murn whose modern vision of automat named “Vicki” offers guest a complete contactless visitor experience selling items from cold beverages to artist inspired masks. Vicki has built in UV technology to ensure all contact points and products are clean and sanitary between each customer interaction. Now more than ever the safety of our guests and teams is vital,” comments Gary C. Bedigan, Senior Director Venue Operations who’s been working with ViaTouch Media to bring the automat to Brooklyn Museum.
At our amenities spaces like Rockefeller University and The Bankers Club at 120 Broadway, we’re using online ordering tools like Grab and Square so that guests can easily order from our menu and set pickup or delivery times.
Jennifer Elliott, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, along with Brandon Reichert, Director of Technology and Transformation, spearheaded these efforts.
“We needed to create a safe environment for our guests, clients and staff. We quickly determined that in order for us to continue to serve our guests was to implement technology solutions,” Jenn explains.
“The tools we selected are easy for our guests to use and provide our teams with the flexibility to update the menus to reflect our regularly changing menus,” adds Brandon.
From curated Afternoon Teas at Wave Hill to a farm-to-pizza pop up featuring Hilltown Hot Pies at Katchkie Farm, technology is helping us create memorable experiences for our guests.
Pre-ordering an Afternoon Tea at Wave Hill (coming soon!) also allows guests entry to the recently reopened Wave Hill Public Garden in The Bronx.
Guests select their preferred Afternoon Tea and have the option to upgrade with a sparkling wine pairing which they will enjoy on the Kate French Terrace adjacent to the cafe.
If you haven’t enjoyed a farm-to-pizza experience yet, make sure you get your orders in now.
Ending in a few weeks, Rafi Bildner from Hilltown Hot Pies has been slinging his Neapolitan-inspired pizza at our wood-burning pizza oven at Katchkie Farm, our organic farm in Kinderhook, NY.
Produce freshly picked from the fields tended by Farmer Jon are the stars to these pies, supported by Rafi’s exquisite sourdough, local cured meats, and delicious cheeses.
Each month, our Great Performances menus feature seasonal ingredients. This month for the September Food Festival Recipe, we chose to celebrate corn with this Easy Seasonal Corn and Oyster Mushroom Salad Recipe.
It’s our way of celebrating the earth and bringing our special touch to every menu.
To get more seasonal ingredient tips, check out more recipes at Katchkie Farm.
Katchkie farm is a NOFA-certified organic farm in Kinderhook, New York, dedicated to building connections between consumers, food professionals and families and healthy, delicious local food.
¼ small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
¼ tsp sugar
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
Paprika
10 oz cooked corn, cut from the cob (cook on cob in salted boiling water for 3 minutes)
2 oz cooked wild rice (cook in salted water or vegetable stock until just al dente)
10 oz oyster or shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 oz arugula
Salt and pepper
1 pound pasta, shape of choice
Dissolve sugar and a pinch of salt in sherry vinegar in a medium bowl.
Add thinly sliced onion and combine.
Set aside for 1-2 hours to pickle the onion.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in small skillet.
Add mushrooms, tossing until browned.
Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
Let cool.
Add a pinch of paprika and remaining 2 tbsp olive oil to pickled onion and combine.
Add corn, wild rice, mushrooms and arugula and toss gently.
Season with additional salt and pepper and serve.
To Serve garnish the top with a few pieces pickled onion and arugula.
Corn is rich in prebiotics, a type of fiber that acts as food for our good gut bacteria.
Keep your gut happy and healthy by including corn in your way of eating!
For Anastassia Batsoula-Deuel, making pelmeni is more than just cooking—it’s a cherished family tradition. She grew up rolling out these hearty Russian dumplings alongside her mother and grandmother, filling the kitchen with warmth and conversation. Now, she hopes to pass the tradition on to her little one, sharing the joy of homemade comfort food, one bite at a time.
As we look ahead to the fresh flavors of Spring, Chef Tatiana Iglesias shares her Fresh Sprout & Herb Salad recipe.
We’re beckoning Spring this month by highlighting the delightfully mild Spring Garlic in a creamy Spring Garlic Cavatelli recipe.
Chef Mary Ellen Muzio shares her Chickpea Flour Crepe Recipe, the perfect way to make gluten-free crepes for Gluten-Free February!
This month we’re celebrating Dried Chilis with a Salsa recipe brought to you by Culinary Director, Andrew Smith.
Chef Joe Bachman shares his centerpiece recipe for Valentine’s Day: Seared Scallops with Butternut Risotto.
Looking for a special yet easy to prepare meal for Valentine’s Day? Chef Brandi Solomon has put together the perfect one!
Chef Albert Bello shares his Valentine’s Day Entremet recipe, the perfect way to impress your loved one this season.
For the past several months, as we’ve stayed at home and missed so many of the events that mark our spring and summer, we’ve been busy behind the scenes at Great Performances planning how we’ll be able to run events safely.
The scale of our events may have changed, but the care and attention we put into them remain remains the same—if not somewhat heightened.
We’ve stepped back and taken a fresh perspective of how we run events and rethought every single step.
We have two main priorities:
From the first moments of collaborating with our clients, we apply our Covid lens.
Top of mind is how to reduce the number of staff members.
We have to rethink menus and how we can continue to deliver flavor and variety but with fewer people in the kitchen.
We carefully plan the entire event, step by step, including preparing and serving food, pickups, beverage service, and bars.
Hors d’oeuvres are passed in covered trays with individual toothpicks to prevent direct contact with the food once it is placed on the tray.
And although bartenders are still preparing drinks at the bar, they’re behind a protective shield with a waiter acting as the liaison between guests ordering beverages and the bartender preparing the orders.
We have a responsibility to keep up to date on the latest guidelines for health and safety at events and gatherings, convey them to our clients, and get ahead of any permits that are required.
"We have to be much more thoughtful, strategic and cognizant and aware of everything that affects the event. In the past, I could have planned an event for 1000 people in less time than it took me to plan a recent event for 40 people.”
Of all the events that have been canceled this year, perhaps the most heartbreaking are the weddings.
For the most part, our couples have been incredibly flexible and resilient, despite their disappointment.
With the reopening of outdoor venues, we worked closely with our partners like Wave Hill and Caramoor to create a variety of packages to help couples celebrate their special day with their family and friends with an extra eye on health and safety.
These smaller, more intimate weddings – or microweddings – meet all requirements for social gatherings and we’re happy to celebrate with couples each weekend for the coming month, with back-to-back weddings on each weekend day.
“We are excited to help bring the dreams of our couples to life, even if it’s a little different than what they had originally planned! Many couples have decided to do a smaller ceremony and dinner now with plans to book a ‘Wedding Sequel’ next year: a larger celebration with their originally intended guest list.” Amanda DiUglio, Senior Event Director.
From the moment planning starts, we work together with the couple to help guide COVID-friendly set-ups, floor plans, and menu selections while keeping their personal style and vision.
To discuss your event contact us
Call: 212.727.2424
Email: celebratefood@greatperformances.com
Or complete the form.
The Great Performances Artist Fellowship Awards celebrate and support the artistic pursuits of our team members. Each year, we award four $5,000 grants to employees engaged in creative projects across various disciplines, helping them advance their artistic careers while continuing their work in hospitality. The fellowship embodies Great Performances’ long-standing commitment to fostering a community where the arts and hospitality thrive together.
The Artist Fellowship Awards were founded by Great Performances’ CEO and founder, Liz Neumark. As an aspiring photographer, Liz built GP to provide flexible work opportunities for women in the arts, allowing them to support themselves while pursuing their creative ambitions. What began as a small initiative in 1986 with two $1,000 grants has grown into a celebrated program that has awarded thousands of dollars to emerging and established artists within the GP family.
Great Performances has always been deeply connected to the arts. From our origins as a catering company designed to support artists to our continued collaborations with New York City’s most prestigious cultural institutions, creativity is at the heart of what we do. The Artist Fellowship Awards were established to reinforce our commitment to the arts by directly investing in the artistic dreams of our team members. We recognize that many of our employees are multi-talented individuals balancing their work with their artistic aspirations, and we want to help them succeed.
Each year, GP invites employees to apply for the Artist Fellowship Awards by submitting proposals detailing their artistic projects and how the grant will help bring them to life. Applications are reviewed by a panel of distinguished judges from the arts and cultural sectors. In 2024, our panel included leaders from Caramoor, The Apollo Theater, and other esteemed organizations. Winners are honored at a special ceremony, and their projects are featured in GP’s ongoing celebration of the arts.
The Artist Fellowship Awards have funded projects spanning film, music production, publishing, visual arts, and more. Our 2024 recipients include a musician creating a tribute album to legendary bassists, a poet and performer exploring themes of resilience, a filmmaker developing an animated drama, and a composer recording an original musical. The awards have been featured in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, underscoring the impact of our commitment to the arts.
We are proud to support our team’s artistic endeavors and look forward to seeing the incredible work that continues to emerge from this program.
2011
For 40 years, Great Performances has been feeding the people of New York City at corporate events, social gatherings, non-profit fundraisers, and even more critically, during times of crisis and uncertainty.
Today, as we face the threat of Covid-19 we continue to offer our services and support to our New York family.
We’re working with hospitals to support their staff; with city agencies working with at-risk populations; and with businesses unable to release employees with critical functions that cannot be managed from home.
What we can offer:
We are committed to the health and safety of our clients, guests and employees and follow the highest levels of food sanitation and safety.
We have the capacity to provide over 25,000 meals per day; let us know how we can support you.
Bagged Lunch
Boxed Dinner
Boxed Lunches / Dinners
Lunches & Dinners
Minimums apply. To discuss your options, contact our team today at shaun.roberts@greatperformances.com
Each month, our Great Performances menus feature seasonal ingredients.
It’s our way of celebrating the earth and bringing our special touch to every menu.
This month we celebrate what may be one of Summer’s freshest ingredients, the tomato.
Celebrate with us and make this pasta with fresh Pomodoro sauce. It’s simple, easy, and delicious.
1 pound pasta, shape of choice
4 large very ripe tomatoes (about 1.5 lbs), 1/4 inch dice
1 tsp sea salt
Pinch chili flake
1/4 cup fresh basil, chiffonade
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese
Bring a large pot of water to boil, salt generously and cook pasta till al dente (follow directions on package).
Reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid then drain pasta.
Immediately combine pasta, diced tomatoes, basil, salt, chili flake, 2 tablespoons olive oil and reserved pasta water.
Mix gently but thoroughly. Check for seasonings; if the tomatoes are very sweet you may need more salt.
Divide between 6 warmed plates, garnish with additional basil, a drizzle of olive oil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Serve warm.
For Anastassia Batsoula-Deuel, making pelmeni is more than just cooking—it’s a cherished family tradition. She grew up rolling out these hearty Russian dumplings alongside her mother and grandmother, filling the kitchen with warmth and conversation. Now, she hopes to pass the tradition on to her little one, sharing the joy of homemade comfort food, one bite at a time.
As we look ahead to the fresh flavors of Spring, Chef Tatiana Iglesias shares her Fresh Sprout & Herb Salad recipe.
We’re beckoning Spring this month by highlighting the delightfully mild Spring Garlic in a creamy Spring Garlic Cavatelli recipe.
Chef Mary Ellen Muzio shares her Chickpea Flour Crepe Recipe, the perfect way to make gluten-free crepes for Gluten-Free February!
This month we’re celebrating Dried Chilis with a Salsa recipe brought to you by Culinary Director, Andrew Smith.
Chef Joe Bachman shares his centerpiece recipe for Valentine’s Day: Seared Scallops with Butternut Risotto.
Looking for a special yet easy to prepare meal for Valentine’s Day? Chef Brandi Solomon has put together the perfect one!
Chef Albert Bello shares his Valentine’s Day Entremet recipe, the perfect way to impress your loved one this season.
You’ve heard about organic farms, dairy farms, and poultry farms, maybe even wind farms, but have you heard of a pizza farm in Upstate New York?
Up at Katchkie Farm, we’ve got more than just fantastic produce growing in our fields; we’re delighted to announce Rafi Bildner as our chef in residence this summer, slinging artisan sourdough pizzas at a pop-up version of his Hilltown Hot Pies.
On weekends through September, he’ll be using produce fresh from our fields and locally sourced meats and cheeses to create Neapolitan-style pizzas fired in our wood oven.
The pies are available by pre-order only and can be either picked up or, if there are tables available, enjoyed at the farm.
A portion of the sale of each pie will be donated to The Sylvia Center, the nonprofit dedicated to teaching nutrition and healthy cooking to children and their families in underserved communities in Columbia Co. and New York City, which maintains its Learning Garden at Katchkie Farm.
The flavors are fresh and exciting, including the Beetza, basil pesto, roasted beets, sweet caramelized onions, fresh mozzarella, chevre; the Field & Forest, plum tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, roasted mushrooms, pickled onion and soppressata; and Garlic Goat, green garlic sauce, zucchini, chevre, fresh mozzarella, toasted pine nuts, chili flakes.
Vegan pies are also available, changing weekly to reflect the bounty of the farm.
Order your pies early — they sell out quickly!
You can order them online at https://hilltown-hot-pies-at-katchkie-farm.square.site/for pick-up Thursday through Sunday from 4 to 8 p.m. at the outdoor Pizza Pavilion on Katchkie Farm, 745 Fischer Road Extension, Kinderhook, NY 12106.
As you’re waiting for the deliciousness, check out some photos of the farm, the pizza, and Rafi in action!
