tasting memories

An inspiring event for lovers of food and other delightful experiences. This dinner series to benefit the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture is an ode to locally grown seasonal produce and the five senses. Featuring a menu by Blue Hills' executive chef Dan Barber.
Via The Food Section.

Photo by Tony Cenicola, The New York Times.

Saying goodbye to the Meatpacking District after 23 years, Florent's colorful history is remembered in the New York Times article, Genre-Bending Hangout Takes Its Final Bows. Yet another casualty of the neighborhood's transformation from gritty to glitzy.

A moving article. Check out the multimedia feature Florent on Florent.

Whole Foods Market is opening up in Tribeca tomorrow. We took a tour of the store and I was impressed. They have expanded their selection of bulk items including grains, beans, nuts and even exotic salts. Their fifth location in New York City is huge with a large dining area upstairs and plenty of treats to attract food loving people in the area including sushi, middle eastern fare, gelato, crêpes and more.

Money conscious consumers like me will be happy to learn that when you buy by the case, Whole Foods gives you a 5% discount. Visit their bulk bins to save on items like rice, beans and nuts. Bring your own bag and receive a discount of at least 5 cents per bag. They will also be offering delivery service at this location.

What impressed me the most was learning about their environmentally responsible and community conscious values. They partner with local food purveyors, support sustainable practices and donate 5% of their profits to local community organizations. I feel good about supporting companies like Whole Foods.

Thanks, Sunetra for inviting us to this event!

Photo by Angelica Bartolomei Edmonds, 2001.

Seven years ago I got a phone call from my boss, Julie Hoffman. I was at my father and stepmother's home in Webster, NY. My father had passed away five days ago after a year long battle with auto-immune hepatitis and a failed liver transplant. Carolina, Abuela Sara, Titi Sara, and Carolina's mom and brother were there. Inside Carolina's immaculate suburbian house we were all enveloped in a cloud of mourning and the early morning phone call was not unexpected as the past few days were filled with phone calls of people sharing their sorrow and well wishes. Carolina, my step mom, answered the phone and then handed it to me. It was clear to me that there was something wrong.

Julie proceeded to tell me that there was an attack on the World Trade Center and that Scott, my husband, had asked her to call me to tell me that he was okay. Scott worked in the World Financial Center, the buildings adjacent to the World Financial Center. We turned on the television and saw the terrorist attacks unfolding before our eyes: the airplanes striking the first and second tower, the people jumping from the smoldering buildings and finally the collapse of both towers. I walked in circles around the house as I watched this disaster unfold.

I frantically tried to get in touch with Scott but the phone lines were down. Eventually I was able to get a hold of him via email to his Blackberry. He was making his way from Lower Manhattan to pick Angelica up from school in the Upper East Side. That day, he was running late for work. As he emerged from the subway, the first airplane had already struck the first tower and he watched in disbelief as people struggled to get air and escape the raging inferno. Who knows what would have happened had he been on time to work that day.

My first instinct was to rent a car and drive to the city to pick up Angelica and Scott. After just having lost my father, the thought of loosing my daughter and husband was unbearable.

There is absolutely no food related to this memory. All I remember was how desperately I wanted to be with my family.

That day everything was uncertain. We are vulnerable, fragile living beings. That phone call and the day that ensued brought a greater sense of gratitude. Even as we mourn the loss of loved ones, I am thankful for all the experiences that make their way into memory, thankful for the love and delight shared between friends and family, thankful for all the lessons and the falls and thankful to be alive, sharing today with Scott and Angelica.