NYBG’s beloved Family Garden Picnic returns on Sunday, September 27, with organic gardening activities, delicious refreshments, and live cooking demonstrations for the whole family. This annual event benefits the Edible Academy at an afternoon of outdoor exploration and celebration in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, the centerpiece of the planned state-of-the-art facility that will become the hub of the expanded organic vegetable gardening program at NYBG.
NYBG has been a leader in organic vegetable gardening education for nearly 60 years. Become a part of this long-standing tradition by bringing the whole family for an exciting culinary adventure, live music, crafts, and a delicious picnic. Special guest Chef Carla Hall, co-host of ABC’s The Chew, will present a live cooking demonstration for guests. Hall will be joined by Chefs Andy Nusser of Tarry Lodge and Anthony Sasso of Casa Mono, two culinary talents from Mario Batali’s acclaimed restaurants. Click through for photos from last year’s Family Garden Picnic!
Treat you and your family to a delicious meal at the Garden this weekend, prepared by renowned chefs from the Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group. Dinner features a three-course, family-styled meal using only fresh and seasonal ingredients. Kids will also have the opportunity to get their hands dirty with gardening and craft activities alongside cooking demonstration. It’s fun for the whole family, get your tickets now!
Arrive early and experience the blockbuster FRIDA KAHLO: Art, Garden, Life exhibition with all the exciting programs running throughout the day (and weekend!), including live dance performances and a special screening of famed Mexican film, Café, Cantos de Humo or Coffee, Chants of Smoke.
Take advantage of the beautiful weekend and come to the Garden—with so many activities, we’re sure it’ll be one for the books!
This Sunday, August 9, join us for the next event of our special Family Dinners with Mario Batali’s Chefs! Bring the kids to enjoy a warm summer evening with outdoor dining in the green oasis of the Garden, all prepared by leading chefs from the Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group‘s acclaimed restaurants.
NYBG provides a family-friendly fine dining experience in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, the future center of the Edible Academy and the perfect setting for a freshly prepared, garden-to-table meal in the open-air dining pavilion. Kids ages 4 to 12 can enjoy fun and educational outdoor activities in the hub of our organic vegetable gardening program as visiting chefs from the Batali & Bastianich restaurant group come to lead a live preparation of an exclusive tasting menu featuring healthy and delicious options. Continue reading for details, including the exclusive menu that will be prepared for guests on August 9.
There is no better place for guests to enjoy this special three-course, family-style menu than in the green seclusion of the Garden grounds on a cool summer evening. However, these Family Dinners are about more than just good food—though there will be plenty of that. Kids begin the evening with hands-on craft and gardening activities, followed by a cooking demonstration so families can see the custom menu come to life before tucking in to a delicious meal together. This MasterCard® Priceless event goes to support the Edible Academy initiative, so treat the family to a wonderful evening while contributing towards the Garden’s educational programming for children.
Tickets are sure to sell out, so book now. Read on for the full details about this Sunday’s special menu, and to get more information about the Edible Academy.
Celebrated chef and NYBG Board Member Mario Batali is Honorary Chair of the Edible Academy Committee, and for four nights only the Garden will host chefs from the Batali & Bastanich Hospitality Group‘s acclaimed restaurants to prepare a three-course, family-style menu to be served al fresco in the most secluded green oasis in New York City. Your family can join in the fun too, so read on for more details about the special menu and fun activities in store!
Well, harvest time is just about here, and the whole family is invited to enjoy a nutritious and delicious meal, al fresco, at Family Dinners with Mario Batali’s Chefs! Visiting culinary talents from the Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group’s stellar restaurants—including Otto, Del Posto, and Eataly—will host a series of evenings featuring hands-on gardening and craft activities followed by a a three-course, family-style menu. Each evening will take place under the cool evening sky in the Whole Foods Market® Family Garden Kitchen.
With the return of the NYBG Greenmarket, we don’t know what to pick from this summer’s bountiful local produce. Ever wonder what New York’s most talented chefs have to say about what to do with fresh fruits and vegetables? Thanks to NYBG’s good friend Mario Batali, we were able to ask these same questions to some of the people behind Batali’s spectacular restaurants, such as Eataly and Del Posto.
In our Kitchen Tales series, six chefs discuss their favorite vegetables in a number of brief video interviews. Click through to hear their tips and anecdotes.
Encouraging families to eat better and live healthier lives is a matter of reconnecting people, especially city-dwellers, with where their favorite fresh fruits and veggies come from and how much better they taste when grown with local care. NYBG has long offered such programs to let kids see their greens at all stages of growth before they end up on their plates, and to meet the growing demand for garden-based educational programs we launched the Edible Academy initiative.
While our array of educational and family programs, including Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens, continue to make a difference in the community, the ultimate aim of the Edible Academy is to double the number of those we serve through the opening of a three-acre, state-of-the-art complex on the Garden grounds. Including an amphitheater, children’s garden, and educational greenhouse, the Edible Academy is our vision of the bright future for family nutrition and educational outdoor fun. And, once again, our friends at Whole Foods Market are helping to make that vision real.
At first I set out to tease you (not maliciously!) with menu selections from this Saturday’s upcoming Family Dinner featuring Chef “Dodo” Fortunato Nicotra of Felidia, one of Mario Batali‘s trusted culinary masterminds. But then it came to my attention that this week’s evening is ALMOST sold out! Not to worry, though—you can still get tickets for Saturday if you rush, but even if you aren’t able to land tickets to this weekend’s event, there’s still one more opportunity on the horizon for gourmands with an appetite in tow. And one more opportunity for me to tease you, I suppose.
On Sunday, September 29, we’re firing up the grills in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden for one last seasonal gourmet gathering. This time around we’ll be spotlighting dishes and demonstrations from the dynamic duo of Chef Dan Drohan of Otto Enoteca Pizzeria and Chef Josh Laurano of Tarry Market.
Before dinner, kids and parents alike are invited to join Family Garden staff in the vegetable beds for hands-on gardening and craft activities, after which we’ll jump straight into preparation with an expert cooking demonstration by our visiting chefs. Save room for cavolo nero and ricotta salad, agnolotti al forno with swiss chard and pecorino, sweet potato and walnut budino, as well as paired wines and more. Trust me—you’ll leave well-fed.
For more info on upcoming menus and getting your tickets, visit our Edible Garden page. Though I’d suggest registering soon—judging by September 21’s dwindling tickets, the one taking place on the 29th should fill up quickly as well. Don’t miss these last opportunities to enjoy the flavors of summer with Mario Batali’s finest!
From the Mozzarella di Bufala to the Pistachio Olive Oil Cake, the three-course, family-style meal cooked up by Chefs Cruz Goler and Frank Langello during July’s Family Dinner was a summer highlight for food lovers. But with different chefs come new and unique dishes! And without missing a beat, we’re leaping headlong into our second Family Dinner this Sunday, August 11, with the talents of another pair of Mario Batali‘s renowned chefs at the ready. With Chef Anthony Sasso of Casa Mono and Chef Andy Nusser of Tarry Lodge manning the grill, this is an unmissable al fresco experience.
Heirloom tomatoes, Shrimp al Ajillo, grilled apricots—there’s a lot going into this round’s menu. But I won’t spoil it all for you if you don’t want to see it; you can always find the full listing here. In the meantime, you’ll be greeted with expertly paired wines, sparkling Italian water, bookend cooking demonstrations set up around the dinner schedule, and hands-on gardening activities to keep your little ones occupied while the food is cooking up.
These photos from our July 28 evening, courtesy of Andrea House, should give you a taste of what you’ll enjoy this Sunday.
