A Sneak Peek at This Year’s Taste of Greenmarket
Why wait to see the mouthwatering slideshows after a big tasting event is over? At food events like Taste of Greenmarket, which will be held today at 82 Mercer, many of the courses served are one-off specialties from the chefs, never to be found again at their restaurants. Now in its fifth year, Taste of Greenmarket has become bigger than ever, with twenty-six of the leading chefs from the city preparing small plates based on all that’s good at the market. We’ve finagled a few spoilers on what’s cooking for that evening below. Should you be tempted, tickets are still available for the soiree; at the very least, it might inspire your next Saturday’s shopping trip.
For another “taste” of the action, this year’s Taste of Greenmarket will be honoring Women in Agriculture. More than fifty of the female farmers who sell at the Greenmarkets have been invited for the toast, according to Jeanne Hodesh, Publicity Coordinator for GrowNYC. For as much of the food they provide to these restaurants, it’s rare they have time for a ladies’ night at one of them. The event aims to change that with one great bash. “The women are SO excited,” gushed Hodesh.
You can also expect to find all the chefs themselves serving up their courses at Taste of Greenmarket in support of the farmers. The banquet hall of 82 Mercer in Soho will be lined with their separate serving stations, with plenty of room to mingle in between (and seldom any lines in years past). Fresh flowers from regional farmers at the Greenmarket will be arranged for a spring flourish with the help of Chef Mary Cleaver. Many of the chefs haven’t finalized their food samplings yet, much in part due to the transient nature of seasonal ingredients. But those who have offered teasers of their dishes du jour are as follows:
Marinated Diver Scallop Rosette with Greenmarket Salad (Gabriel Kreuther, The Modern)
Pork Terrine & Sugarsnap Peas (Michael Anthony, Gramercy Tavern)
Pastrami-Spiced Short Ribs with Cucumber, Summer Squash Salad with Harissa Vinaigrette (Peter Hoffman, Back Forty)
Fromage Blanc Mousse with Roasted Strawberries & Honey (Heather Carlucci Rodriguez, PRINT)
Spinach & Goat Cheese Borek with Labne Spice Bar (Mary Cleaver, The Cleaver Co.)
“Boat House Punch” (Julie Reiner, the Clover Club)
“700 Songs Gimlet” (Allen Katz, the Shanty)
Proceeds from the event will benefit the Greenmarket’s Youth Education Project, and can be purchased at GrowNYC.org
