courtesy of Liz Young Tours
A green-friendly networking event celebrating all things female and food, what could be bad?! As we continue to get bombarded with bad news about publishing and everything else in between, it was a breath of fresh air to attend the Green Goddesses event in New York City earlier this week, hosted by Les Dames d'Escoffier NY, Women Chefs & Restaurateurs, and the New York Women's Culinary Alliance. The room at the Astor Center Monday night was packed with authors, chefs, photographers and other food and wine aficionados who were happy to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.
Martha Stewart was the keynote speaker, which kept the crowd quiet for a little while, at least. A big advocate of organic farming, she talked about her sustainable farm property in Bedford, New York, and other productive farms in the area, like Rainbeau Ridge and Cabbage Hill Farm. She also sang the praises of Farm Forward, an organization in which her daughter, Alexis, is very involved. (This is a nonprofit advocacy group established in 2007 that focuses on the unsustainability of factory farming.)
Other topics ranged from her childhood days growing up on a farm to her many travels like California with Alice Waters and Japan with Nobu to learn how to slice sushi. She also made a point of praising her staff for creating more than 1,000 original recipes a year, and juggling an ever-growing list of successful ventures in publishing, TV, broadcast and web. One thing's for sure: Martha Stewart's culinary adventures aren't slowing down any time soon!
Speaking of culinary adventures, the women I talked to at the event were full of great ideas and high hopes. It's always refreshing to be surrounded by people who love what they do. One photographer is about to launch a book featuring accomplished chefs who were asked to create Vegan recipes for their restaurants. Another woman spoke about her move to the U.S. from Brazil to bring some of her native Brazilian culture to the culinary community here. And then there were the wine professionals in the group who swapped stories about favorite brands. (The $8 to $10 price range is still the "sweet spot" at the register for a bottle of wine, since of course, it's all about the value.)
A great night, fun crowd, and special thanks to Elizabeth Karmel, event emcee and chef/author extraordinaire who told me about the event in the first place! And Kirsten Teissier, Elizabeth's PR manager, who gets my vote for the best green party jacket of the night!
