The Josh Levine Memorial Foundation and Slow Food teamed up Sunday, April 6, to host a cocktail party, silent auction and dinner, raising more than twice as much as last year to benefit their Edible School Garden project, which was profiled in our Fall 2013 issue.
Approximately $18,000 was raised last year to fund master farmers to offer their guidance, leadership and experience to schoolchildren. This year, the foundation raised around $40,000 according to Bridgehampton schoolteacher and Slow Food leader Judiann Carmack-Fayyaz.
The sold out event was held at Dodds & Eder, a bigger venue than last year’s Bay Street Theatre. The rooms were comfortably filled with members of the community mingling and trying the excellent food and drink offered by such vendors as Mecox Bay Dairy, Almond, Nick and Toni’s, Bedell Cellars and many others. Food was served by Slow Food volunteers. The venue later moved to the American Hotel, which hosted a sold-out dinner.
Carmack-Fayyaz credits their success to the larger venue and greater support from local schools (up from five to 23 in the past five years). Most important to their success was the idea of Josh Levine’s father, Myron Levine, to add a silent and online auction.
Josh Levine, a young farmer who died tragically in a tractor accident, loved his work on the East End. In the past four years, the foundation has raised funds to benefit the Summer Search Program, the Nutritious Delicious School Cookbook and the Slow Food East End Chapter Farm Intern program, among other projects.
“I think its really amazing when we can turn a tragedy into something wonderful” said Carmack-Fayyaz. “We can see the legacy of Josh Levine in the success of these programs and in bringing farmers into our schools.”
For more information, about the foundation’s mission and its beneficiaries, visit The Josh Levine Memorial Foundation and Edible School Gardens. To learn more about participating in the local slow food movement, visit Slow Food East End.
Participating restaurants and food vendors included:
A Taste of the North Fork, Jeri Woodhouse
Aldo’s Café, Chef Aldo Maiorana
Almond, Chef Jason Weiner
Art of Eating, Chef Cheryl Stair
Breadzilla
Buoy One, Chef David Girard
Chef Bryan Futerman
Dark Horse, Chef Jeff Trujillo
Estia’s Little Kitchen, Chef Colin Ambrose
Fresh Hamptons, Chef Todd Jacobs
Janet O’Brien Caterers
Mecox Bay Dairy, Art Ludlow
“Montauk Pearls”, Mike Martinsen & Michael Doall
Nick and Toni’s, Chef Rachel Cronemeyer
Noah’s, Chef Noah Schwartz
North Fork Table & Inn, Chef Gerry Hayden
Robert’s Restaurant, Chef Robert Durkin
Seafood Shop, Chef Paul LaBue
Participating Vineyards included:
Anthony Nappa
Bedell Cellars
Channing Daughters
Kontokosta Winery
Lieb Cellars
Martha Clara Vineyards
Mattebella Vineyards
Palmer Vineyards
Roanoke Vineyards
Sparkling Pointe
Wölffer Estate
