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:

• A signature Pat LaFrieda Burger Bash Box (serves 3-4 and includes eight artisanal burger patties, Martin’s Potato Rolls, Cabot Cheese, the Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Burger)
• A bottle of Heinz Ketchup 
• A Johnnie Walker Cocktail Carryout Kit (includes mixers to craft four variations of Johnnie Walker highballs: Crisp Apple, Spicy Ginger, Burnt Orange, and Bitter Lemon; alcohol must be purchased separately).

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.

Purchase your Burger Bash tickets on the NYCWFF website.

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.

Externalities Impacting Supply

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!

From Farm to Kitchen – Planning Strategies at Katchkie Farm Informed by Purchasing Trends

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

More Catering Industry News

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.

CATERING OFFERINGS DURING THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK

What we can offer:

• Contactless delivery to designated sites
• Delicious, nutritious meals from daily breakfasts to packaged, boxed or bagged lunches and dinners
• Food prepared and packaged in facilities exercising the highest levels of food safety and sanitation

SAFE FOOD SERVICE DURING NEW YORK’S COVID-19 CRISIS

We are committed to the health and safety of our clients, guests and employees and follow the highest levels of food sanitation and safety.

1. Our commissary is a secure, gated area and there is no access for the general public
2. All employees are monitored; any employee showing a sign of illness will not be allowed on the premises
3. We require employees to
   
   • Wash hands every 20 minutes
   • Sanitize all surfaces every 20 minutes
   • Wear single-use gloves for all food preparation
   • Change into uniforms that are only worn in the kitchens

We have the capacity to provide over 25,000 meals per day; let us know how we can support you.

Learn More

BAGGED BREAKFASTS

Option 1

• Bread + Fruit + Protein
• Sample: Muffin, Banana, Yogurt

Option 2

• Pastries, Fresh Fruit, Boiled Eggs
• Sample: Bagel, Fresh Berry Cup, Boiled Eggs

BOXED LUNCHES / DINNERS

Option 1

Bagged Lunch

• Salad, Sandwich, Snack
• Sample: Mixed Green Salad; Ham & Cheese Sandwich; Chips

Boxed Dinner

• Starch, Protein and Vegetable Bowl
• Sample: Grilled Chicken with Sauteed Spinach on Polenta Cake

Option 2

Boxed Lunches / Dinners

• Gourmet Salad, Handcrafted Bowl, or Chef’s Daily Sandwich; Dessert
• Sample: Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad with Bacon, Blue Cheese, Avocado, Egg, Market Greens & Aged Sherry Vinaigrette; Cherry Pistachio Crumble Bar

BENTO BOXES

Lunches & Dinners

• Boxed dishes with sides and dessert
• Sample: Soy Glazed Cod, Zucchini Noodles with Ginger Vinaigrette, Bok Choy, Black Rice Edamame, Coconut Rice Pudding

Minimums apply. To discuss your options, contact our team today at shaun.roberts@greatperformances.com

A Pizza Farm In Upstate New York

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!

We’re in Phase 4 of reopening New York and it couldn’t come at a more perfect time. As the days get hotter, we have some great ideas for you to cool off at some of our favorite venues.

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, Katonah, NY

Live Concert on the Lawn Series beginning August 1

Caramoor kicks off its four part Concert on the Lawn series with Charles Turner & Uptown Swing. You may recognize them from the late night session at Dizzy’s Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Upcoming concerts include performances by Latin Grammy® nominee and Latin Grammy Award Winner, Flor de Toloache, the first all-female Mariachi and by Beginner’s Ear, an immersive listening experience. Click here to learn more about Caramoor’s Concert on the Lawn programming.

Looking for musical escapes from the comfort of your home? Caramoor has a series of livestreams featuring a variety of artists and musical styles. Click here to see Caramoor’s upcoming calendar of events.

Wave Hill Public Gardens, The Bronx, NY

Opens July 30

Wave Hill reopened on July 30 and we couldn’t be more excited to visit this hidden gem in The Bronx. Advance ticket reservation is required and begins each Monday, so make sure to make your plans as soon as possible. For the first two weeks, admission is free. You’ll wander across 28-acres which include gardens, greenhouses and woodlands and enjoy more than 4,000 varieties of plants. If you haven’t been to Wave Hill, make sure to add it to your list. Click here to visit this Garden of Wonders nestled in The Bronx.

In between visits, or if you can’t make it in person, make sure to check out their virtual programs. You’ll find Adult Workshops, Garden Notes, and Nature Expeditions. Click here for Branching Out, Wave Hill’s virtual programs.

Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad.

Pam Brown

This year, we’re especially thankful for the dads in our lives. They wears so many hats (or ties!): guide, mentor, coach, tutor, sage, shoulder. We’re learning new ways to celebrate dads this year, even if it is a little trickier than setting up the VCR.

And for those whose fathers are no longer with us, we honor them and celebrate their memories. It’s another way of keeping them close to us and passing on their legacy to future generations.

Below, we’ve gathered stories from some of our fathers and sons across Great Performances as they remember their fathers.

Check out more Father’s Day photos and a Father’s Day wish list.

Vincent Palumbo, General Manager, CPS Events at The Plaza

I am extremely fortunate to observe Father’s Day as both a father and son.

As a Son

I’m not sure if it was my dad bringing the old world with him or the insecurity of a new country that seemed so big to him, but whatever the reason,  my father made it a point to keep us close to him and close to each other. This was especially true with dinner. Every night at 6 pm, no matter where we were or what we were doing, we knew to come home and have dinner together as a family. All four of us kids were there. My mother would send one of us to buy the bread (usually a source of contention between the siblings on who would go).  The weeknight dinner always consisted of a pasta (usually with lentils, chickpeas, green beans) and then a protein served family style in the middle of the table. As I got a little older, my dad would pour me  half a glass of the Carlo Rossi jug wine and mix it the other half with sprite (I believe Italian Americans invented the modern wine cooler, but that’s a different story). We would finish up with my dad usually slicing up some fruit and sharing with us. This would be the longest course, usually due to the stories he would tell us about growing up in Italy. This is where he truly shined, with each story leaving us in stitches before he even got to the ending. Throughout the years, we heard some of these stories’ multiple times, but they never got old and always ending with us laughing as if we heard it for the first time.

At that moment, it just looked like we were having a delicious meal,  but it’s dual purpose, intentional or not, was that it set the tone and strengthened the roots that we have as a family. Today, as we lead our own lives with our own families, we are as close as ever. Even now during the occasional Sunday together, we don’t dare show up late to my parent’s house and yes all four adult children still cannot agree on one simple question…..”who is getting the bread?”

As a Father

The Covid-19 pandemic has no doubt effected many families. Times like these have dramatically affected all aspects of our lives. My 15 year old son Domenico is a resident at the Center for Discovery, which is a residence for children with special needs. Due to this pandemic, we have not been able to visit him

or have him home on weekends since March. While this has been extremely difficult for my wife & I, the steps that the Center and it’s staff have taken to ensure the safety and well-being of our son and it’s other residents has been a source of comfort for all us and for that I am extremely grateful to them. This week they are starting to allow families to visit, which would make a truly special Father’s Day gift for me.

At this stage of my life, with two kids of my own, through the example that my father & my father in law have set…..I’ve learned you never stop being a father even when the children become adults (maybe especially). For that I can only say thank you to both and  propose a toast to all of the dads on a healthy and safe holiday. (Carlo Rossi wine optional.)

Justin Schwartz, Executive Chef – Production, Great Performances

Years ago my father took a job in the city. This was after the great recession and it seemed everything was headed towards recovery, including our family. For Father’s Day that year I got him a wallet, perfect for the city. Small, sleek and really well made with a front pocket for a metro card. He of course loved it, and I would swell with pride every time I saw him use it, and he did use it, every day from that day on until he passed away some years later. He was diagnosed with cancer while I was in college and passed away just after I graduated from culinary school. I can still remember the look on his face when I graduated, pure joy seeing his baby pursuing his passion. What could be better for a father?

After everything was over, on an afternoon when my brother and I missed him terribly, we agreed to go through his things. Looking back this was probably the first time we began to mourn him together, as a family. We came across the wallet, still full of the various pieces of his life, and I immediately claimed it  as my own. I still use it today and I think of him every time I hold it in my hand. I even left a card of his inside. Seeing something with his name printed on it, even an old credit card, brings back the look of his face, the smell of his hair. Sometimes I just take it out and hold it in my hand when I miss him.

When I miss him, a trip to the local diner brings me back. I remember on Father’s Day, we would go on outings and he would order—without fail—a chicken salad sandwich on toasted rye with lettuce, onion, a full sour pickle on the side, and a Diet Coke with a slice of lemon. Before coming home, we’d get chocolate and vanilla swirl frozen yogurt with mixed nuts. Now that I have kids, we’ll go to the local diner and I find myself ordering his meal. As my children watch me eat it, I wonder what they are thinking and if this food will do the same for them as it does for me.

Ronnie Davis, Managing Director, Great Performances

I inherited my love of cooking from my father, who was a prominent caterer in my native Philadelphia. Like him—even though I feed people for a living—the most relaxing thing I do in my off-time is cook, especially for others. We loved to cook at home if we had a rare Father’s Day off from doing an event. I loved making Mussels, Clams & Calamari Marinara for him using an old family recipe from our Italian neighbors in South Philly. The secret was in the sauce, which could be made a few days in advance and frozen. Using a heavy pot, like a Dutch oven, the results were always perfect.

Some of the fathers on our team have shared their wishes for Father’s Day and photos with them and their kids.

Rob Valencia
Culinary Director, Great Performances

 

As the father of a 19 month old toddler, for Father’s Day, I’d like for him to at least sleep late or go to bed on time.

 

Joel Rivera
Director Of Facilities, Great Performances

Running shoes! I need to get off my cheeks!

Mike Warren
Director Of Catering, CPS Events At The Plaza

Me and my boys at my wedding.  Love wins.  They love me for who I am and I love them unconditionally.

Mark Rivera
Purchasing Manager, Great Performances

   

GP TALKS: THE IMPACT OF CORONAVIRUS ON CATERING STAFF

You’ve got pressing questions about the impact of Coronavirus on catering staff, so we’ve rounded up experts to give you answers!

The world has changed. Events and galas, which provided thousands of jobs for catering staff, often comprising artists, actors, singers and other creatives, have disappeared. Even as we slowly recover, there’s concern about what the future of catering and events will look like and what that means to the creative community who once perceived New York as a cultural center.

We’ve assembled a panel of incredible individuals across a variety of creative fields, all who have been a part of the Great Performances catering team and two notable catering historians. Along with Ronnie Davis, Managing Director of Great Performances, they discuss the joys and challenges of their roles, the impact of Coronavirus, and what they see for the future.

THE PANEL

MATT & TED LEE

HOTBOX

Food Writers & Cookbook Authors

Charleston, SC raised brothers Matt Lee and Ted Lee have had a twenty-year career in food-writing, featuring three award-winning southern cookbooks. Their latest book, Hotbox, is a work of non-fiction covering the catering industry and its roots in New York’s theatre community. The New York Times Book Review called Hotbox “The Kitchen Confidential of big-ticket catering.” Matt, his wife Gia, and their three sons live in Charleston, SC. Ted lives with his wife, the artist E.V. Day, in Brooklyn, NY.

WES MASON

GREAT PERFORMANCES

Events Coordinator

Wes is a Brooklyn based actor, singer, and guitarist who was born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia. He possesses an instinct for dialects and impersonations as well as vocal abilities that have earned him a reputation as a genre-defying artist from opera to rock. In opera, he is celebrated for his performances in American works such as Breaking the Waves, As One, and Three Decembers. On film, he recently appeared in the thriller Last Moment of Clarity. This past February, he made his Off-Broadway debut as Wotan/Gunther/Hagen in On Site Opera’s production of Das Barbecü.” This fall marks Wes’s sixth year at GP.

APRIL HENRY

GREAT PERFORMANCES

April Josephine (Henry)  has been with GP since the fall of 2017. Originally from Southern California, April moved to the Big Apple to pursue her theatrical career and continue to learn and grow as an artist. Select recent theater credits include West Side Story (Anita) Houston Texas; Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer National tour (Dance Captain) McCoy Rigby Entertainment; Up Here, La Jolla Playhouse. April also instructs dance, and choreographs youth theater productions, and hopes to combine her passions for both youth and the arts in an impactful way, while living in her favorite city.

AUBREY ELSON

GREAT PERFORMANCES

Captain

Aubrey is also originally from Southern California, and is an actress, singer, and dancer who has worked all over the country and internationally as well. She has performed and traveled with two national tours, at Madison Square Garden, as well as several regional musicals, plays, and readings. She just finished earning her MFA in Theatre Performance from Florida Atlantic University several months early because of Covid-`19, which she left NYC and GP to pursue. She is also a prolific audiobook producer and teaches Acting and Speech at the collegiate level.  She has been with GP since 2009.

NATHAN MATTICKS

GREAT PERFORMANCES

American baritone Nathan Matticks is rapidly establishing himself as one of opera’s brightest hopefuls. A 2018 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Regional Finalist and District Winner, last season was punctuated by a Carnegie Hall main stage debut in Vaughn Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem and Rutter’s Mass of the Children. Matticks joined Florida Grand Opera for their 2019/2020 season as Conte Robinson in Cimarosa’s rarely performed Matrimonio di Segreto, covering the title roles in Rigoletto and Don Giovanni. He was with GP for the past three years.

Moderated by Ronnie Davis, Great Performances, Managing Director

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