Tomorrow evening, Wednesday, June 14th, New York City’s marquee tasting event will kick off the Summer and raises funds to help feed New Yorkers in need. As NYC’s City Harvest, first and largest food rescue organization, marks their 40th year serving New York City, they are kicking off summer with their premier tasting event, City Harvest Presents Summer in the City 2023: Dive In.
The waterfront event slated for tomorrow evening Wednesday, June 14, 2023, from 6:30 to 9:30 PM, the annual event will be held at The Lighthouse, Pier 61, Chelsea Piers, Manhattan. It will feature delicious bites and refreshing cocktails from some of New York City’s most notable restaurants, chefs, and mixologists including Aquavit, Butcher Bar, COTE Korean Steakhouse, Ed’s Lobster Bar, Eitan Bernath, Mexology, Muddling Memories, Nami Nori, Rezdôra, Ron Ben-Israel Cakes, and many more. This year’s theme will immerse guests in the good vibes of a retro beach bash. Grab your surfboard and shades, and dive into the ultimate evening of classic summer fun.
For top toques including Aquavit’s Emma Bengtsson, the event show cases their own going commitment to the communities they serve. “I come from a very loving and giving family, so when I was younger, taking care of the community and contributing to the community was a big part of life — helping your neighbors and being there for one another,” Bengtsson noted. “I often feel like i was so privileged in my youth having the security of knowing that there would be food on my table. If I can do that for anyone now, then that’s what I would love to do.”
Bengtsson’s special City Harvest offering will be miniature Swedish hot dogs with pickled cucumber and crispy onions. “I got involved pretty much the first year I got to New York – one of my first events was with City Harvest,” she added. “There are so many charities out there, so you have to choose to work on what’s really true to your heart.”
“I’ve always felt the importance of having nutritious food and that access to that shouldn’t be a privilege,” Bengtsson noted. “It’s so often that the food quality is low, and that the prices of vegetables and nutritious things are too expensive. Working with them has given me the opportunity to raise money and awareness, but what’s really great about City Harvest is that there are so many ways to get involved depending on what you’re interested in and what you can provide.”
The annual Summer in the City waterfront tasting event will raise money to help City Harvest rescue food that would otherwise go to waste and deliver it to help New Yorkers who are experiencing food insecurity put meals on their tables. At a time when 50% of working-age households in New York City are struggling to make ends meet as they navigate stubbornly high inflation, the expiration of pandemic-era supports, and increased food costs, among other challenges, this work is more important than ever.
City Harvest is New York’s first and largest food rescue organization, helping to feed millions of New Yorkers who struggle to put meals on their tables. During our 40 years serving New Yorkers in need, we have rescued more than one billion pounds of fresh, nutritious food and delivered it—free of charge—to hundreds of food pantries, soup kitchens, community partners, and our own Mobile Markets® across the five boroughs. This year, we will rescue and distribute more than 75 million pounds of nutritious food to our neighbors in need. Named one of America’s Top 100 Charities by Forbes, City Harvest works alongside our community partners to boost community capacity, expand nutrition education, and strengthen local food systems. Since our founding in 1982, City Harvest has always been there to feed our city—one day, one meal, one New Yorker at a time. To learn more, please visit cityharvest.org.
