Our May Supper Club, last night, brought together two dear souls, and culinary forces, Dr. Krishnendu Ray of the NYU Food Studies Program and Chef Floyd Cardoz of North End Grille in Manhattan. The format was a bit different from Supper Clubs past – we started the evening with ice-cold tamarind margaritas, followed by a short presentation from Dr. Ray on coastal Indian cuisine. Guests asked Dr. Ray thoughtful followup questions which elicited personal details and anecdotes about his grandmothers’ cooking, as well as his thoughts on concepts like ‘authenticity’ in cuisine.

The talk was followed by a four–course meal, cooked by Chef Cardoz, more characteristic of his time at Tabla than the food he cooks now. Clean flavors and bold aromatics tied into Dr.Ray’s observations about coastal Indian cuisine, looking outward to trade routes on the Indian Ocean, rather than inward to the familiar curries of Northern India. One of the founding principles behind our supper clubs was to create a space where top chefs could cook from the heart – to create a menu, different from their daily repertoire, reminiscent of their family history, memories, and experiences in the kitchen.

The sentimentality expressed by both Dr. Ray and Chef Cardoz, with regard to their food and traditions, are exactly the reason we love hosting these events. Gathering strangers around a communal table, to share and enjoy food and stories, tends to fill our space with laughter and joy – more than any other event we host. People connecting with people and chefs connecting with community, all over a plate of curry leaf marinated steak – yes, that’s our kind of party.

From Chef Floyd's Instagram

Spicy n’ Sweet is a fantastic local company focusing on Calabrian sauces and condiments. We carry both the Spicy and Sweet versions of their tomato sauce at Haven’s Kitchen – and the trio taught a great class last summer about preserving local produce!

Read below to learn more about their story.

HK: How did the Spicy ’n Sweet team come together?

Michael: Jorge and I met in 2008. It wasn’t long after that I decided it was time for him to meet my family for Sunday dinner to seal the deal… and sure enough, he fell in love with my mom’s (aka Nonna) cooking. The three of us share a love for delicious foods and have cooked together quite often. My mom’s an artist in the kitchen and her casaligna-style of cooking, we felt, should be shared with the world. So, we decided to form a modern family business together in 2011 and Spicy ‘n Sweet was born.

HK: Amongst the bourgeoning craft/artisan/small batch movement, why did you choose tomato sauces and condiments?

Michael: It was a natural choice, growing up in Brooklyn with my mom’s cooking and always being surrounded by clean and delicious home-made foods (slow cooked) in the Italian tradition is what I always understood as good food. My parents, who are both from the Italian region of Calabria, always maintained a garden at the house where we grew tomatoes, fresh herbs and other vegetables that we’d preserve at the end of every summer for the cold seasons ahead. This is the only way of life my parents know and they passed it down to us. Tomato sauce, for Italians, first and foremost, is a condiment. Not just for pasta! So whether it’s pasta, vegetables, meats, chicken, pizza… tomato sauce is very versatile in nature and can be used for cooking many different dishes. So we felt we needed to bring something like that to market (since it doesn’t exist) and try and step away from the mediocre ‘pasta’ sauces lining most grocery stores. We also noticed a lack of local, fresh-tasting sauces where most are made with imported tomatoes, high sodium, additives and a celebrity’s face on the label. We knew people would appreciate a product that’s preservative-free, hand-crafted, locally sourced (we use 100% vine-ripened Jersey Fresh Tomatoes) and the freshest ingredients available. This is the Nonna style way of cooking tomato sauce and that’s what we are jarring!

HK: How did you enter the food world? Did anyone have a background in the NYC food industry or in small business?

Michael: Jorge and I both have professional design backgrounds, but are avid cooks and bakers and share a common passion for food. We wanted to blend the two fields of food and design. Nonna, on the other hand, has cooked professionally and managed her own Brooklyn-based businesses years back. Nonna’s a smart businesswoman, but what really inspired the company was her knowledge of her native Calabria. Her childhood meals were fresh fish from her own town, vegetables, herbs and meats all farmed locally (what we know now as ‘organic’). Olives grown on her own grandparents farm and pressed into oil was always on the dinner table. She grew up learning about her native region and was taught how to live off the land. (Something that’s become very trendy today.) From the very beginning, Nonna has been experimenting and creating her own recipes for her family, but the authenticity of true Calabrese cooking (i.e., spicy) has always remained a very strong influence and inspiration in all her dishes.

HK: What were the steps in opening a small business that you were the most surprised by?

Michael: All the red tape, really. The food industry’s many rules and regulations. But we’re persistent so we pushed right through it. NYC is a tough place in general so opening a business was a process, but worth it! We were also surprised at all the new food manufacturers that started out around the same time we did. That was actually very satisfying to see because it told us that something was happening in the food world. A kind of revolution really, and to be a part of it all is very exciting.

HK: Where do you source your ingredients and packaging from? Have you had any interesting discoveries about sourcing?

Michael: We source from New York/New Jersey farms and Nonna’s own yard we call Our Urban Garden. I mean, if we can grow it ourselves, why not? This year we will be sourcing more from farms located here in NYC. Obviously, the olives and extra virgin olive oil we use are from sustainable Mediterranean farms. Otherwise, we try to keep it as local as possible. We even get our packaging (all designed in-house) from NY and MA. Recently, we’ve discovered something very interesting in sourcing locally. Stay tuned!

Where do you hope your small business will take you in the future? Do you have plans to expand or grow?

Michael: This year we’re hoping to be available to customers along the entire East coast to start, for sure. We have a growing presence in online marketplaces—with our very own launching soon—And we’re currently available in specialty shops all over NYC, as well as stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Washington DC, Washington state, Tennessee, Illinois, California, Kansas, Texas, Florida and even a great shop in Canada.The idea has always been to bring ‘local’ to a national level. Expanding our product line and growing our market presence is definitely part of the overall goal. How big and where exactly? That remains to be seen. We are amazed at how people are already responding to our products and we plan on giving them the same high quality foods that only Nonna knows how to cook.

SHOP THE SAUCES HERE

Haven’s Kitchen is very excited to be hosting our very own CSA site this summer, partnering with Katchkie Farm to provide our customers with a 22-week local veggie subscription service. Read our FAQ below to learn more about the CSA model, and why Haven’s Kitchen CSA pick-ups will be the coolest place to be this summer.

What is a CSA?
CSA Stands for Community Supported Agriculture. The CSA model allows city residents to have direct access to high quality, fresh produce grown locally by regional farmers. When you join a CSA, you’re purchasing a “share” of vegetables from a regional farmer. Our farmer, Katchkie Farm in Kinderhook NY, will deliver that share of produce to Haven’s Kitchen every Wednesday, from June 12 – November 13.

Why Join?
A lot of reasons! Most importantly, the BEST way to support local, small, organic farms is to buy directly from them. That’s exactly what you’re doing at the Haven’s Kitchen CSA. Plus, the early bulk payment enables your farmer to plan for the season, purchase new seed, make equipment repairs, and more. The added bonus of joining the CSA at Haven’s Kitchen is that we will have other house-made prepared foods to purchase, along with a cash bar, light dinner fare, and monthly cooking demos in our kitchen.

What do I get in my share?
Aside from the satisfaction of supporting sustainable agriculture and a great place to spend the evening with other great people, you’ll go home on Wednesday with a bag chockfull of vegetables picked that morning, cooking tips, and recipes.

What’s it cost?
The price for a full share for 22 weeks of fresh, organic produce is $580. You can split the share with a friend if you choose, and if you do the math, that’s about $26 per week. The cocktail part is completely up to you.

How am I helping the food system?
The best part of a CSA is that it’s a win-win-win-win (that’s FOUR wins). Great for the consumer: no middleman, fresh food, and transparency. Great for the farmer: a definite market and financial security for the season. Great for the environment: limited use of fuel, organic farming methods, and more biodiversity. Great for the economy: if everyone spent $10 per month at a locally owned, independent business over $9.3 billion would be directly returned to our economy.

How do I sign up?

REGISTER ON KATCHKIE’S WEBSITE. Your password is: 109w17thst.

Feel free to email US with any questions!

$580 for 22 weeks of produce, beginning June 12, 2013. Click on FULL PAYMENT on the Katchkie website. 

Haven’s Kitchen will host Happy Hours weekly and cooking demonstrations monthly, and will have prepared food items for purchase.

 More information about Katchkie Farm and their CSA.

http://katchkiefarm.com/harvest-our-bounty/csa/havens-kitchen-csa-2013/

Making staff meal is not only a good way to feed a crew of hungry HK-ers, but it’s also a great way for our cooks to test their abilities in the kitchen. Today, armed with some leftover navy beans, tomatillos, swiss chard and mushrooms, we made our own corn tortillas for vegetarian tacos.

To make your own, just follow the easy steps below:

To make about 15 tortillas, use two cups of masa, which is dried and powdered corn. Masa can be found in most grocery stores these days, look for it with the Mexican ingredients, or with the grains and flours.

Mix in about 1 ½ to 2 cups of very warm water into the 2 cups of masa and mix well with your hands. The dough should be fairly moist, but not so much that it is sticky. Gather the dough into golf-sized balls and either use a tortilla press to press the dough into a flat round, do what we did and improvise!

First, we covered a cutting board in plastic wrap to keep the dough from sticking. Then we covered a plate in plastic wrap and pressed down on the masa dough. Next, using a small rolling pin, we flattened the dough very lightly until it was about 1/8 inch thick.

Place on a very hot skillet or cast iron pan until it becomes golden brown. Continue making tortillas until you have enough for the crowd you’re feeding and wrap in aluminum foil to keep warm. If you’re making the tortillas ahead of time, you can pop them back into a low oven (about 250 degrees) to reheat. For a vegetarian taco, fill with sautéed swiss chard and roasted mushrooms, like we did, or serve with shrimp, roasted chicken or a braised meat of your liking.

For a little extra flavor on top, make this quick and easy Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Alison and Julia were interviewed by the lovely Erin Fairbanks about Haven’s Kitchen. The conversation covered the basics of Haven’s Kitchen as a business, as community center, and as an agent for change. Alison talks about Joan Gussow as a major inspiration for opening Haven’s, and how giving greenmarket tours to children uncovered the need to offer tours for adults. Listen here to learn more about how HK came to be, and why we all love it so much.

LISTEN HERE

HeritageRadioNetwork.org is a 501c3 non-profit organization that relies on listener support – be sure to click that DONATE button!

If you are interested in booking the Third Floor, please e-mail OUR EVENTS TEAM.

We love fennel for so many reasons! It’s crunchy and sweet, bright and satisfying, local and keeps well. It’s a wonderful winter vegetable that stores just about as well as onions, and can stay fresh in your refrigerator for many weeks to offer you something raw and crunchy in the doldrums of winter.

All parts of the plant are edible, from fronds to bulb. We like to reserve the fronds and use as garnish or as a replacement for dill. In addition to its lovely and delicate flavor, fennel is very healthy and is a great aid to digestion. Our favorite way to eat fennel is in this raw salad using citrus, raw celeriac, and a nice bright olive oil. This recipe was featured in our Quick and Healthy Soups, Salads, and Sandwiches cooking class.

Recipe from Chef Ashton Keefe. Simply delicious.

We knew that this would be a great way to find a private label olive oil that we loved and wanted to support. A few months ago, Jennifer from Gourmet Cooking and Living allowed us to taste a number of oils from small olive growers, and told us the history of the land, the farmers, and the way that each oil was produced. The variety in colors, flavor profiles, and stories was astounding.

As a team, we fell hard and fast for sustainably grown and harvested F.A.M. Irpina Colline Dell’Ufita, a single estate Olive Oil from Venticano, Italy. The oil has a beautiful golden yellow hue, with bright green undertones. We were taught how to taste the oil properly: from a small plastic cup, warmed by covering with your hands and swirling for a few moments. The warmed oil “opens” like wine, allowing you to clearly smell the complexity of the oil. We then all took small sips of the oil from the cup, and made a somewhat rude sounding slurping sound, which further opens up the flavor profile and aroma.

Its taste is bright and fruity, with the scent of freshly cut grass. The slurping really highlights the intensity of the peppery flavor, which is very reminiscent of tomato vines. Jennifer explained that pepperiness indicates the freshness of an oil – our oil is from the first pressing and is only slightly filtered.

One of the most exciting things we learned about our oil is how healthy it is in comparison to others. Olive Oils are usually assessed based their amount of polyphenols, which indicate the amount of antioxidants present. A normal olive oil has 300 mg/kg polyphenols; a great olive oil has 500 mg/kg polyphenols. Our private label oil has 640 mg/kg!

Don’t just take our word for how fantastic our oil is – it’s also award-winning: Three Olives and Label from Slow Food, Two Leaves from Gambero Rosso, Best Bio Olive Mill (for organic production), and finally the 2012 First Place for the Intense Fruity category at the SOL of Verona.

Our mission at Haven’s Kitchen is to help our customers live a more rewarding food life. Eating wholesome and seasonal produce, that’s not only personally rewarding, but also good for your neighborhood small businesses and the environment. What’s your food resolution?

Mine is cooking something new for staff meal once a week. The meal doesn’t have to be uniquely ethnic (although it could be!), use a slew of ingredients, contain meat, or even require hours behind the stove. It could simply be something I haven’t even done before.

After a holiday jaunt down to Charleston and eating my way through butter-laden grits and crispy fried oysters I realized today that although I had eaten a fair share of shrimp and grits in my lifetime, I had never made it. Shrimp and grits for staff meal! Week one down of the resolution, feels good.

Warning for all those with a resolution to diet, this recipe isn’t for you.

HAVEN’S KITCHEN SHRIMP AND GRITS

Serves 4

• 1 cup of grits (not instant)
• 4-5 cups of water
• Salt, to taste
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ cup of cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup of heavy cream or whole milk
• 15-20 medium shrimp, deveined and peeled, tails left on
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Pinch of smoked paprika
• 4 strips of bacon, cut into ½” pieces
• 1 onion, small dice
• 2 gloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and minced
• ½ cup of white wine
• Parsley

Heat water in a large pot. Bring to a boil and salt. Slowly pour in grits while whisking. Whisk off and on over medium low heat until grits absorb water. Season with salt, butter, cheese and cream.

Place shrimp in a bowl and seaon with salt, cayenne, and paprika.

Meanwhile fry bacon over medium and cook until browned. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and jalapeno and cook until fragrant, about one minute. Add shrimp and cook for 1-2 minutes per side, until just cooked. Add wine to deglaze the pan and create sauce. Reduce and serve shrimp and sauce over grits. Grate with extra cheddar and parsley if desired.

Haven’s Kitchen supports our local economy is as many ways as we can. While we do tend to focus on food and farmers, we also want to highlight small business owners in NYC who are creating beautiful things with thoughtful techniques and traditional methods. In addition to the joy of supporting local businesses in our shop, we love that we can build personal relationships with our purveyors. We create stronger ties to our purveyors by connecting their products to their story.

Common Good is particularly near and dear to our hearts. It was one of the first products we had in our shop, and we love that a local business is working on the oft-ignored matter of packaging waste and household cleaning. We carry Common Good All Purpose Tea Tree Spray, Bergamot Dish Soap, and Lavender Hand Soap.

Read our interview below to learn more about how Sacha Dunn came to start Common Good!

HK: How did the Common Good team come together?
SD: I started Common Good with my husband, Edmund Levine two years ago. We’ve known Dawn for over 10 years working together as stylists. That she was able to join Common Good so early on was so lucky for us. We all know each other so well and I trust her sense and taste. Also, it’s great to work with someone who will tell you when you’re wrong! She has that special knack of being able to do anything which is essential in a small business. Now she and I run the business together.

HK: Amongst the bourgeoning craft/artisan/small batch movement, why did you choose soap?
SD: Edmund and I took the kids to visit my parents in Sydney Australia and were doing tons of laundry. We realized that we were refilling Mum’s big plastic bottle with those soft refill packs and she’d kept the same bottle for years. It occurred to us that we couldn’t do that back in New York and it seemed crazy. The amount of recycling we were taking out each week was awful and a lot of it was from cleaning products. So the idea sparked more from a waste problem than a love of soap. We decided to create refill stations for household cleaners.

HK: How did you enter the soap and cleaning field – had you already made it? Do either of you have a background in chemistry?
SD: Once we decided to create refillable products, we started researching the chemistry. It took a year of research and working with chemists before we were ready to make anything. We knew we had to understand the chemistry and get that right if we were to convince people to refill their bottles. Now we have wonderful chemists working on our formulations and making the safest, most effective and greenest products we can.

HK: What were the steps in opening a small business that you were the most surprised by?
SD: Oh boy, all of it! We went from creative freelancers to wholesale manufacturers. The nicest surprise is how much fun it is to work with friends to create a tangible product that we know make a positive difference to our lives and the environment. We love coming to work.

HK: Where do you source your materials and packaging from? Have you had any interesting discoveries about sourcing?
SD: A stylist friend once said that you just need to make 6 phone calls to find anything and it’s true. We use as many local suppliers as we can and have met some wonderful people. We are lucky to live in Brooklyn where other entrepreneurs are willing to offer a suggestion. Like the glass bottle warehouse that is 6 blocks away from us. Who knew?!

HK: Where do you hope your small business will take you in the future? Do you have plans to expand or grow?
SD: We love being able to create beautiful products that improve our quality of life but that also have a greater mission to reduce waste. We would love to see refill available to everyone who wants it across the country and we’re working on it.