City Rhythms:
The New NYC
Food Movement

 

Seeking to follow the vocational rhythms of the city, the Center for Faith & Work (CFW) hosts monthly cross-vocational gathering spotlighting specific sectors each month.  On January 23rd, the evening focused on Food and was held at the American Bible Society at Columbus Circle.

To begin the night, Amilee Watkins gave a broad overview of the importance of the food industry in NYC, sharing the sheer numbers and surprising diversity of roles for those employed in this sector (430,000 in the NY Metro area, ranging from baristas, to line chefs, from dishwashers to executive chefs.  Attendees were immersed in food from the start, sampling a variety of cheeses from Katy McNulty of catering company, The Pixie and The Scout. CFW staff member Scott Calgaro interviewed McNulty alongside Christopher Nicolson of Iliamna Fish Co. and Red Hook Winery.

McNulty, who practiced culinary art at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, has worked at Chapter One (Dublin, IE), Patowmack Farm (VA), Applewood (NY), Blue Hill (NY) and La Mar Cebicheria (NY), where she served as Chef de Cuisine. She is currently the Merchandising Manager and Provisions Buyer at Stinky Bklyn. In 2013, Katy and Jonathan Hittinger created a market-driven catering company: The Pixie and The Scout to unite their deep network of farming and fishing friends with an even deeper commitment to magical and sustainable hospitality.

Christopher Nicolson’s family has been working an Alaskan fisher together for many generations.  They launched the Iliamna Fish Company to sell their wild sockeye salmon to retailers, consumers and chefs.  For two months each year, Nicolson’s family travels to Bristol Bay, Alaska to fish the salmon.  He’s also a winemaker at Red Hook Winery.

After hearing from the event’s featured practitioners, David H. Kim presented a theological overview of the narrative of food throughout the Bible.  “Food is a powerful connecting point,” Kim said, “connecting us both to creation and redemption.”  Kim shared that our daily meals are part of God’s way of communicating to us his provision for us  and pointed out the significance of food at the culmination of creation.  He then progressed forward through the biblical narrative, and revealed that it is ultimately in Christ that we feast upon the true bread of life and find satisfaction for our weary souls.

The evening ended with food selections from Nicolson and McNulty. The menu for the evening included Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon, Sweet & Spicy Pork Tenderloin Lettuce Wraps, Proscuttio Americano, Artichoke & Queso Fesco and Flying Disc Ranch Medjool Dates. Red and white wines from Red Hook Winery were also served.

 

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