Slow Down Success!

Our annual Slow Down fundraiser was a smashing success! We enjoyed a lively evening of spirited conversation and meaningful connection – all anchored around the mission of good, clean, and fair food for all New Yorkers.

RECAP: The event took place at The Marshal, with a full house of supporters. Attendees enjoyed a delicious four course dinner paired with organic and sustainable wines generously provided by Opici Wines & Spirits. Nine lucky winners walked away with raffle prizes, including a copy of the newly-released Slow Drinks book by Danny Childs, multiple bottles of slow wine including a set donated by Chambers Street Wines, a generous gift basket full of goodies from Aviation Gin, high-end Patagonia travel bags and gear, a personal functional nutrition consultation from Heart & Belly, and a private chef session with Chef Shani Patterson. The funds raised provide vital support for our Urban Harvest program and Ujima Garden, our Snail of Approval restaurant certification program, our Slow U education program and events, and more.

COMMUNITY: The intimate and cozy setting allowed people to mingle with Slow Food NYC board members, meet like-minded New Yorkers, and enjoy the company of friends and family while dining in true Slow Food style – taking time to savor and appreciate local, sustainable food and drink while sharing in the community and joy of breaking bread together. We also loved seeing the attendees’ excitement about getting more involved with our chapter and the energy and passion for our mission! Thank you to everyone who attended and shared the evening with us.

(blog continues below photo)

Group of people raising a wine glass to toast

SUPPORTERS: Endless thanks to Chef Charlie and everyone at The Marshal for providing the delectable food and impeccable service. We’re indebted to Opici Wines & Spirits for their ongoing support and partnership, and for donating all of the wine pairings.

We’re grateful to our sponsors and donors for their contributions:

Aviation Gin (financial support and raffle donations)

Hardie Grant Publishing (financial support and raffle donations)

Patagonia NYC Upper West Side (multiple raffle donations)

Chambers Street Wines (raffle donation)

Heart & Belly, LLC (raffle donation)

Chef Shani Patterson (raffle donation)

Slow Wine USA Tour (raffle donations)

Heritage Foods (discount for attendees)

 

Please consider patronizing our generous supporters!

 

Thanks to our members and everyone who is a part of the Slow Food NYC family.

A Letter from the Slow Food NYC Board

An Update to our Slow Food NYC Community,

We’re thrilled to share all kinds of amazing news and let you know some new ways to be part of the Slow Food NYC mission. 

Our NYC chapter and 100% volunteer board support more than eight million New Yorkers across five boroughs. We’re excited to be rebuilding in a post-pandemic era and striving to reach all the communities in our purview. We’ve launched two new giving campaigns to engage our members in this vision. 

Donations: If everyone reading this gave just $10, it would do wonders to help us expand our efforts across all of our programs and NYC communities. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated! 
Recurring support: We’re launching a new program for recurring donors! Our goal from this letter is modest but impactful: we’re seeking at least ten people to become recurring donors of $10 a month or more, and ten or more people to become recurring donors of $20 a month or more. You’ll be recognized in a thank you on our website as an ongoing supporter (you can also choose to be anonymous). Recurring donations help us manage the seasonality of cash flow and plan more strategically, and you’ll have a special place in the SFNYC community. 

Exciting Updates: 

Urban Harvest

  • We’re thrilled to announce we’re a grant recipient from the Slow Food Negroni Week Fund to support our Urban Harvest Program and the Ujima Garden in East New York, Brooklyn!  Only a select few applicants received funding from this worldwide grant, and it validates the important role that Urban Harvest plays in our NYC ecosystem. The grant helps cover partial operating costs for expansion and we are continuing to seek other grant funding to expand even further. We’re grateful to Slow Food International and Negroni for this honor. 

Snail of Approval 

  • We launched a newly expanded Snail of Approval (SoA) program this summer. The SoA Red Snail designation is like the Michelin Star of sustainability, and honors the restaurants and food purveyors who align with the good, clean, and fair mission. We’ve trained a new crew of volunteers to begin actively reaching out across the city. 

Slow U 

  • Our Slow U program provides educational and entertaining events and a like-minded community for Slow Food NYC members. We’ve returned to pre-pandemic levels of events, with in-person and remote options across different neighborhoods and formats. Look out for our two upcoming “Slow Down” event invitations to go out this week, and more events planned for the Fall! 

Supporters 

  • We’re grateful to Patagonia UWS and Hardie Grant publishing for donations in support of our upcoming “Slow Down” events. If you would like to donate to our raffle or become a business sponsor, please reach out here. 

Thank you for being part of our Slow Food NYC chapter, and for supporting the mission of good, clean, and fair food!


Announcing Eight Snail of Approval Establishments to Visit This Autumn

Announcing Eight Snail of Approval Establishments to Visit This Autumn

Slow Food NYC is thrilled to announce our 2022 autumn cohort of restaurants recognized with the Snail of Approval designation. All seven of our awardees were previously recognized by the Snail of Approval program and applied for a renewal of their award. To be eligible for renewal, each establishment shared how they continue to embody the Slow Food values of good, clean, and fair and their answers then underwent a voting process by the Snail of Approval committee to approve them.

Thank You for Slowing Down at The Marshal

Thank You for Slowing Down at The Marshal

Slow Food NYC was thrilled to bring back our annual in-person fundraiser event, the “Slow Down” to raise funds for our Urban Harvest Farm at Ujima in East New York. The event took place on October 3rd at The Marshal in Manhattan and even the heavy rainstorm couldn’t keep people away. The dining room was packed and brave Slow Food supporters cozied up under blankets and heat lamps in the outdoor dining area in addition to gathering inside for a convivial celebration. Thank you to all who came out to support.

Support the Good Food NY Bill for Values-Based Public Food Purchasing

Support the Good Food NY Bill for Values-Based Public Food Purchasing

We have an opportunity to give local governments throughout New York the ability to make decisions that are best for our communities, workers, animals, and the planet. Communities across the state are mobilizing around this bill—including over 80 labor and food organizations—to get their local institutions in full support of this movement.

Send a letter today to your State Senator and Assembly Member to vote YES on the Good Food NY Bill and show your support for a values-based approach to public food purchasing.