Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
During the pandemic, three East Village residents became friends while spending time with their pups at the Tompkins Square Park Dog Run.
The men (from left above), Will Kroeze, pastor at Trinity Lower East Side, Dan Hyatt, a middle school teacher, and Will Horowitz, a chef and author who co-founded Ducks Eatery and Harry & Ida's Meat and Supply Co., bonded over a mutual interest in the intersection of food, spirituality, and community.
They have put the conversations into action, creating an old-school cookbook that will benefit Trinity Lower East Side Services and Food for the Homeless (SAFH) and community fridge on Ninth Street and Avenue B.
This past week they started casting a wide net requesting recipes and are interested in everything from favorite family dishes that your grandparents created to unique ways to prepare favorite meals.
To date, they've already secured commitments from C&B Café, Katz's, Nom Wah Tea Parlor, Russ & Daughters, SMØR, Superiority Burger, Veselka and Zaragoza's ... as well as Hearth Chef Marco Canora, Susan Sarandon, and the owner of SOS Chefs on Avenue B.
"Nothing can build a community like food. Whether it’s showing love by preparing our favorite recipes, sharing a meal with friends and strangers alike, or serving our neighbors in need, food has an unparalleled ability to bring people together," Pastor Will said. "Our hope is that our cookbook will weave together the many food stories of our neighborhood in a way that’s never been done before to create a symbol of what makes the Lower East Side such a very special place: our rich diversity."
The self-published book will be available in time for the end-of-year holiday season...
