June 11, 2013

Zagat

Farm Dinners at Riverpark, Greenmarket Meals at Gotham

"A couple NYC eateries are going beyond the typical farm to table model with produce-forward dinners. Riverpark, which grows a bounty of fresh veggies in its own urban farm, is launching a series of dinners that showcases the ingredients for groups of six to 14. The three-course meals are served family-style and will feature dishes like squash blossoms with mint and whole roasted dorade with ramps."

SEE ARTICLE

June, 2013

About

Riverpark Farm in New York City

"But if your focus is more along the lines of eating what comes out of the farm, reserve Riverpark’s three-course farm dinner. It’s served on the restaurant’s patio – with an oblique view of the farm, and more direct views of the river over the FDR Drive..."

SEE ARTICLE

May 20, 2013

Brooklyn Atlas

Riverpark Farm

"What’s most impressive about this farm is that it’s completely modular, with vegetables and herbs growing inside 7,000 milk crates, all of which can be easily transported. For two years farm was located on a stalled construction site at the Alexandria Center, before finally being able to settle into their new home at the riverfront plaza earlier this month."

SEE ARTICLE

May 16, 2013

Zagat

Outdoor Wire

"If the East River is more your style, Riverpark sends word that they've relocated their urban farm, which is actually 7,000 milk crates that grow plants used in the restaurant's cuisine and hosts workshops during the summer. The garden was moved to a 10,000 square foot space on the riverfront plaza, and now guests that sit on the restaurant's patio can scope it out along with the river views."

SEE ARTICLE

February 4, 2013

La Colombe: Tasty Place

‘Wichcraft: Sandwiches for Chefs

"Chef Ortuzar says that he loves the challenges of working between the kitchen and the farm. At his Riverpark restaurant, he even gives customers an opportunity to dine on the farm, with a table situated in the center of the plot. "It’s great, working between the kitchen and the farm, because it goes in circles. The farmer is growing based on what we want to offer, but we’re cooking based on what the farmer is growing. We’re getting a lot smarter about what we’re growing and really refining it.""

SEE ARTICLE

November 20, 2012

Cooking Channel "Extra Virgin"

Urban Green

Dec. 12th 1:30 AM, 9:30 PM | Dec. 15th, 2:30 AM, 10:30 PM | Dec. 22nd 7:00 PM | Dec. 25th 7:00 PM

"No house is truly a home for Debi and Gabriele unless they can grow their own veggies and herbs. In their tiny Brooklyn backyard, Gabriele is trying to recreate a bit of the garden he has in Italy but if he's going to make it work he'll need help from some local folks who know how to make urban green. He and Debi go to Riverpark Farm to learn about creating a little garden plot in the city and then to Prospect Park with master forager Steve Brill to learn about what they can harvest in nature. Inspired by everything they see, and with some fresh ingredients they've collected, Gabriele and Debi make seared quail with a sauce from cornelian cherries and American black cherries that they gathered in the park, greens they've just picked, and polenta - it doesn't get greener than that."

SEE SHOWTIMES

November 8, 2012

Huffington Post

NYC's Urban Farms Face a Climate Change Reality Check

"Fortunately, the restaurant's extensive container farm had already shuttered down its beds for the season. "The portable concept of the farm allows us to make necessary moves quickly -- within a day if need be -- so we're always prepared in that sense," explains Yee."

SEE ARTICLE

November 2, 2012

El Mercurio

Con un huerto orgánico, chef chileno tiñe de verde un rincón de Nueva York

"Sisha Ortúzar dejó Chile en 1993 con el sueño de transformarse en un gran chef gourmet , tener su propio restorán y "algo más". Escogió EE.UU. como destino para estudiar Gastronomía en el Culinary Institute of America de Nueva York y luego de obtener su título fue aprendiz de Tom Colicchio, uno de los chefs más glamorosos de la Gran Manzana.

En 2010 Ortúzar abrió el restorán Riverpark en el barrio Murray Hill, al lado este de Manhattan. "Es sofisticado, con una excelente cocina y muy buen servicio", apuntó la crítica de The New York Times. Así quedaba la primera parte de su sueño cumplida y en menos de un año supo qué hacer con el "algo más" que le faltaba."

SEE ARTICLE

October 29, 2012

Revista Capital

Un Oasis En Manhattan

"Es la mejor ciudad para tener un restaurante. Pero también la más difícil. Ahora, tener un huerto orgánico que abastezca la cocina, es simplemente un sueño. Pero un chileno lo logró: Sisha Ortúzar. Esta es la historia del chef que planta lechugas orgánicas en pleno Nueva York.?

SEE ARTICLE

October 19, 2012

This Big City

The Impact of Urban Farming in New York City

"Nestled in the Alexandria Center for Life Science in Manhattan, Riverpark Farm is a fresh-produce haven that grows every type of crop imaginable. The 15,000-square-foot farm features fresh Atomic red carrots, Shunkyo radishes, Red Russian Kale, New Orchid watermelons and more. Riverpark maximizes the farm space with “intercropping” and “advanced seeding,"..."

SEE ARTICLE

October 15, 2012

Seedstock

Manhattan Restaurant’s Rooftop Farm Provides all the Fresh Ingredients it Needs

"Below New York City’s skyscrapers, 8-foot tall okra plants tower over an impressive array of vegetables, herbs and flowers growing on a rooftop farm situated just 100-feet from the kitchen of Riverpark Restaurant. Lunch and dinner menus state that meals are made with “produce grown right here at the Riverpark Farm.""

SEE ARTICLE

October 7, 2012

BBC Mundo

Una granja portátil siembra ideas y alegría en Nueva York

"Entre edificios de concreto y en uno de los centros urbanos más desarrollados, emerge una presencia revolucionaria: tomates, pimentones y berenjenas. No estamos simplemente ante una de las tantas huertas urbanas en techos o jardines de Nueva York. La granja Riverpark Farm tiene una cualidad única, es completamente portátil."

SEE ARTICLE

September 18, 2012

TV Globo News - Brazil

Plantação de alcachofra em Manhattan; fazendas são montadas em arranha-céus de NY

"Em meio às grandes torres da cidade de Manhattan, empreendedores alugam terraços ou terrenos que aguardam a construção de novos prédios para montar fazendas urbanas que abastecem seus restaurantes."

SEE VIDEO

September 14, 2012

WNYC "All Things Considered"

Last Chance Foods: A Plethora of Peppers

"Riverpark's chef Sisha Ortúzar and urban farmer Zach Pickens talk about using and growing sweet and spicy peppers. Also, try Riverpark's recipe for Chilled Spicy Farm Pepper Soup."

TUNE IN

September 12, 2012

Breville

Road to the Recipe

SEE VIDEO

July 27, 2012

NY1

Edible: Kips Bay Restaurant Uses Rooftop Farm For Dish Ingredients

"Lots of chefs buy from farmers but at Riverpark, Chef Sisha Ortuzar employs one to tend to 165 kinds of vegetables and herbs just outside the restaurant. Not only can he serve super-fresh tomatoes but he can decide in advance what kinds he'll have and how large to grow them. But Mother Nature can’t always be controlled, even in Manhattan."

SEE VIDEO

July 26, 2012

Financial Times

Urban Ingenuity: Crate to Plate

"Basil, tomatoes, bronze fennel, okra, eggplants: such crops are usually grown on pastoral farms in the countryside or the gardens of leafy suburbs. But one Manhattan restaurant has taken the farm-to-table craze literally, building a vegetable farm in its concrete backyard.

New Yorkers hate wasting space, so when construction stalled on one of the two towers of the Alexandria Center, the Riverpark restaurant decided to make the most of the site."

SEE ARTICLE

July 23, 2012

Grubstreet

Battle of the Rooftop Salads

"The Plate: A fourteen-ingredient boutique blend recently included Ruby Streaks mustard greens, feathery bronze fennel, and pickled Chioggia beets, resulting in a salad so beautiful it made you want to fling off your shoes and run barefoot through it. A restrained hand with the Champagne vinaigrette lets all that plant life speak for itself, though a quibbler would say there’s a bit too much going on."

SEE ARTICLE

June 21, 2012

The Village Voice, Fork in the Road

Summer Solstice: Restaurants Farm Fertile Ground in New York City

"Another example of inner-city creativity is the Riverpark farm. Riverpark may seem like somewhat of an anomaly in the chaos and congestion of Manhattan, but this Tom Colicchio restaurant is a thriving, verdant oasis amidst the skyscrapers of Kip's Bay. The Riverpark restaurant sources vegetables from its adjacent farm, a 15,000-square-foot plot that produces a bounty of diverse vegetables. Plants are grown on recycled milk crates and are truly "farm to table," picked and eaten on the same day."

SEE ARTICLE

June 1, 2012

Vogue

En Plein Air: Where to Dine Outside This Summer

"A dream of a summer dinner for the urban locavore, Tom Colicchio’s East Side oasis, Riverpark, is now taking reservations for its exclusive farm table, embedded in the restaurant’s organic garden atop the Alexandria Center with a view of the East River. With lunch and dinner at $140 per person, these twelve seats should prove the most coveted in Manhattan this summer, as many of the ingredients will be sourced from the ground-floor farm. With a menu that changes daily and features everything from lovely garden dishes like Sweet Pea Panzanella with white anchovies and Fresno chiles to coastal braised Long Island Black Sea Bass with artichokes, black olives, and lemon, your ideal summer dinner party could be as easy as ordering the chef’s Rhubarb pie."

See Article

May 23, 2012

Immaculate Infatuation

Summer Guide, New York City 2012
"This restaurant is in a strange location inside of an office building near Bellevue, but Riverpark has some incredible views of the East River, and is one of the most extensive outdoor restaurant settings that exists in this city. They actually have their own "farm" on premises, where they grow over 200 types of fruits, vegetables and herbs."  SEE ARTICLE (PARTIAL)

April 30, 2012

Edible Manhattan

Where A Tower was Tabled, A Farm Took Root

"Everything picked from this pedigreed Manhattan patch goes straight to Ortuzar’s kitchen next door—he’s the executive chef of the year-and-a-half-old Riverpark, run by ‘wichcraft. Here among the Kips Bay skyscrapers, farmer Zach Pickens grows 250 specialty crops including purple mizuna, bronze fennel, Poona kheera cucumbers, sweet Thai basil, burgundy okra, northeaster beans, white satin carrots, tri-star strawberries, Concord grapes and 10 types of tomatoes, all of which will grace Riverpark’s plates a few feet away."

SEE ARTICLE

April 24, 2012

The New York Times

Riverpark Adds an Outdoor Farm Table
"Riverpark, the restaurant in the Alexandria Center, a group of office towers overlooking the East River at 29th Street, has had its own farm since last year. Nearly 200 different edible herbs, vegetables and berries are planted in soil in 4,000 milk crates set up in the plaza in front of the restaurant. This spring, Riverpark is adding outdoor dining on the farm. A table that seats up to 12 guests has been set up under a tent on a deck, along with a bar. And there, Sisha Ortúzar, above, the chef who runs the restaurant in partnership with Tom Colicchio, will serve lunch and dinner." SEE ARTICLE

April 20, 2012

Cool Hunting

Approaches to sustainable agriculture in several of the world's largest cities
"Riverpark Farm grows out of Alexandria Center in New York City, utilizing all 15,000 square feet of their available space to accommodate a year-round growing season. Riverpark Restaurant serves up the farm's bounty under the vision of chef Sisha Ortúzar, and chefs commune with farmers to get a huge variety of seasonal ingredients from soil to plate. While still a fledgling effort, the union has produced a cornucopia of foodstuffs from shishito peppers and watermelon to pickling cucumber and tri-star strawberries. Challenged with space and a fickle clime, Riverpark uses space-saving techniques such as intercropping and advanced seeding to increase yield." SEE ARTICLE

MARCH 24, 2012 & MARCH 30, 2012

Cooking Channel's "Kelsey's Essentials"

Kelsey Visits Riverpark Farm
Kelsey visits Riverpark Farm for inspiration from the produce, a lesson in making milk-crate planters, then shares her essential tips and recipes. SEE LISTINGS

December 28, 2011

Rick Pomerantz Photography

Young Farmer Series: Farming in Midtown Manhattan
"The local sustainability movement is not limited to rural areas or smaller cities where land might be cheaper than the sky-high real estate market of New York City. There are a number of farming initiatives gaining a foothold in the big apple. One that caught my eye recently is Riverpark Farm, affiliated with an eponymous restaurant located in a neighboring skyscraper at Kip's Bay at the east end of 29th Street." See article

December 26, 2011

The Visual News

15,000 Square Foot Urban Farm Goes Portable
"Born through ideas of sustainability and more portable approaches to urban farming, Riverpark Farm partnered with Alexandria Center for Life Science and Riverpark restaurant to create one of the largest urban farms in New York City. The unique farm is located on the future site of Alexandria Center's west tower. With the downed economy, building on the site has been suspended, leaving the lot a perfect place to create an urban farm." See article

December 22, 2011

The New York Times

Temporary Tenants Bring Life to Stalled Construction Sites
"An urban farm off the East River. Artisanal food and crafts sold out of recycled shipping containers at the Dekalb Market. Smorgasburg and the Brooklyn Flea on the Williamsburg waterfront...These are happy solutions to an economic problem. The sluggish market has effectively turned off the spigot for construction financing, so there are more than 600 stalled construction sites in New York City, according to a recent count by the city." See article

December 3, 2011

Associated Press

Farms, stores brighten stalled NYC building lots
"Instead of allowing these lots to become eyesores, some developers are coming up with creative ways to use them temporarily until construction can begin. Grow vegetables in milk crates? Sure. Sell doughnuts out of a shipping container? In New York City, where open space is a precious commodity, just about anything goes. In a lot near the East River, an urban farm sprouted last summer on the spot where the construction of a life science park is in limbo. At roughly 15,000 square feet, it's a patch of green in the shadow of the tower next door." See Article

November 7, 2011

Rodale

Your Perfect Fall Super-Food Salad
"On a recent sunny, brisk day, farmers were harvesting baby red bok choy and gathering herbs before the impending frost. An autumn scene in the bucolic countryside? Not exactly: This unique farm is located smack-dab in the urban grid of Manhattan." See Article

October 31, 2011

The Village Voice, Fork in the Road

Riverpark Farm Readies Itself for Winter
"Winter's a tough time for any farm, and especially for farms that are just starting out. The 15,000 square foot Riverpark Farm at Alexandria Center, a collaboration between Riverpark restaurant and the Alexandria Center for Life Science, is no exception. 'The storm this week got us by surprise because we weren't prepared for it,' says Sisha Ortúzar, Riverpark's chef and a co-founder of the farm along with Jeffrey Zurofsky and Scarlet Shore. But the cold weather isn't going to halt the farm completely. In fact, Ortúzar has plans to grow vegetables throughout the winter months." See article

October 26, 2011

Inhabitat

Inhabitat Tours Riverpark's Urban Farm on a Stalled Manhattan Construction Site
"Stalled construction sites are a dime a dozen in New York City, but not all of these half-built lots are ugly eyesores. Tucked away on a site in the Alexandria Center for Life Science, between First Avenue and the East River on 29th Street, sits Riverpark Farm. Arguably the Big Apple's "most urban farm," the lush food producing plot was built this past spring by ORE Design & Technology for Riverpark, the Tom Colicchio restaurant on site. Given our love for urban farming and sustainable food, we were thrilled when ORE recently invited us to tour the farm..." See article

October 18, 2011

Food Republic

Urban Agriculture is on the Move: Portability is the name of the game for urban farmers
"Vertical farming. Rooftop gardens. A greenhouse on a boat. Pop-up farms on stalled construction sites. Farms in the beds of trucks. The urban farming movement is reaching a crescendo. Nowhere is this more evident than in New York, where there are over 500 community gardens and between 15 and 30 urban farms according to a 2011 brief by the Urban Design Lab. And there is plenty of room for growth on the city's 14,000 acres of arable rooftop space and 600 empty, stalled construction sites...Riverpark Farm, one of Manhattan's most ambitious urban agriculture projects, embodies the future of urban farming." See article

October 17, 2011

Core77

An Empty Lot Becomes a Riverpark Farm in NYC
"Riverpark succeeds as a representation of the re-invigoration that can happen quickly with simple solutions in this economy—turning an empty, unused, concrete lot, into a living, breathing, flourishing space that provides food, fresh air, and hope." See article

October 4, 2011

Municipal Art Society of New York

Riverpark Farm Wins the 2011 Livable City Award!
"The MAS Livable City Awards recognize individuals and groups working to improve livability in New York City and whose efforts are defining the character of the city. Through this program, MAS honors the extraordinary organizations that make New York the vibrant, creative place it is. Without their commitment to addressing urban challenges and enriching the city's cultural environment, New York would be a much less interesting and productive place to live." See article

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

TakePart

Farm to Table in the Urban Jungle: New York's Riverpark Farm lets diners eat right where their food grows.
"The recession may have put the kibosh on numerous construction projects—including an estimated 600 in New York City alone—but some green-fingered locals are getting creative and putting the idle real estate to good use." See article

SEPTEMBER 23, 2011

Pulp Lab

Slow-ingredients, close at hand
"Transitioning from fashion week to food, hungrily, happily, we whisked downtown to visit Riverpark, the latest edi-ception from five-time James Beard Award winner, Tom Colicchio. Nursing a Thai basil watermelon cocktail while digging through a selection of organic baby beets, Colicchio explained the inner-workings of his mobile operation." see article

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

Smart Planet

Stalled NYC Construction Site Becomes Urban Farm
"What to do with thousands of square feet of real estate where construction is on hold? Plant okra and eggplant, of course...Last week I spoke with Sisha Ortuzar, a Riverpark partner and co-founder of the farm, about the innovations used to keep the farm mobile, how New Yorkers can dine on fresh vegetables in the middle of the farm, and the one crop he'd like to plant, but can't." See article

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

Inhabitat

Riverpark Farm Table Restaurant Opens in NYC's Most Urban Farm
"The Riverpark Farm and Restaurant is bringing the ultimate farm fresh dining experience to the middle of the island of Manhattan. As of Tuesday evening, the Riverpark Farm Table is open for business and boy will business be delicious. The table is a modern take on the picnic style placed in the center of the farm's 15,000 square feet of growing space. Forget about the 100 mile diet, the Farm Table is the 20 foot diet, you'll be eating a delicious array of organically grown vegetables that found their roots just feet from where your wine glass is sitting." See article

SEPTEMBER 14, 2011

Eater

Riverpark Launches 12-Seat Farm Table
"Want to have a dinner party, birthday party, or tiny rehearsal dinner on a farm but are too lazy to go to a for real farm? Riverpark's got you covered." See article

SEPTEMBER 14, 2011

CBS2 New York

Tony Tantillo's Dining Deal: Riverpark Restaurant
"If you like farm fresh food, this is a Dining Deal for you. CBS 2's Tony Tantillo checks out Riverpark Restaurant to sample dishes with just-picked ingredients, for the ultimate farm-to-table experience." See video

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

Shecky's.com

Riverpark Farm
"The ubiquitous farm-to-table movement is turned on its head by one venue risking to take the table to the farm. The teams at Tom Colicchio's Riverpark restaurant and the Alexandria Center for Life Sciences have transformed a stalled construction site into a working urban farm, and one lucky table lies amongst the produce. A party of approximately 12 can dine al fresco on a wooden porch under tent-like umbrellas as 100 varieties of vegetables, herbs and flowers, nestled in milk crates, line the deck." See article

SEPTEMBER 12, 2011

Mansfield News Journal

Lexington Grad Manages Farm in Manhattan
"The phrase 'like father, like son' definitely applies to Ed and Zach Pickens, but the younger of the clan said he never saw his fate coming. This summer, Zach, 28, was hired at Riverpark, a one-of-a-kind restaurant in New York City owned by Tom Collichio, head judge on the reality show,'Top Chef.' The amazing part? Zach manages the 15,000-square-foot farm, about 200 feet from the restaurant, which produces ingredients used daily by restaurant chefs." See article

SEPTEMBER 9, 2011

ABC News

An Urban Garden Right in the Middle of New York City
See Video

AUGUST 30, 2011

Forbes

Meet Manhattan's Stalled Construction Site-Turned-Urban Farm
"Riverpark Farm, which will be officially unveiled to New Yorkers next month, occupies one of more than 600 stalled construction sites in the Big Apple alone. Thousands of projects sit vacant and frozen in other cities across the U.S. Riverpark Farm represents one creative way local citizens and property owners can and are increasingly are beginning to experiment with cities' forlorn patches of economically stagnant land." See video and article

AUGUST 22, 2011

ABC Eyewitness News

A view of the East River and a farm
"It's referred to as a farm, because it's that big. It's believed to be the largest of its sort in Manhattan - about a third of an acre. The farm was planted in the spring and it's been growing right through the summer. The food is consumed at its sister restaurant, which opened less than a year ago." See video and article

AUGUST 16, 2011

Crisp Green

Riverpark: NYC's Largest Portable Urban Farm
"Riverpark Farm is a fantastic demonstration of the possibilities present in urban agriculture when people are willing pool their resources. Food can be grown anywhere there's a little space, and access to water and sun. In September 2011, the Farm will reveal a unique green space offering private outdoor dining at a Farm Table with views of the city, the East River, and the unique urban farmscape." See article

AUGUST 12, 2011

Architizer

Riverpark, New York's Most Urban Farm
"Not only is the new Riverpark farm one of the largest urban farms in New York, it is the city's most urban farm, which is to say, it is the only one which functions (and thrives) in the throes of a truly urban environment." See article

AUGUST 9, 2011

Fast Company

A Portable Urban Farm, Made Entirely Of Milk Crates
"Savvy urban restaurateurs from New York to California have recently discovered that growing their own produce, whether on a rooftop farm or a neighboring site, is easier than trekking to local farmer's markets or buying from local suppliers--and it provides lots of publicity. When Sisha Ortuzar and Jeffrey Zurofsky, partners at the popular 'wichcraft chain, decided to open up a new restaurant, they too sought out their own farm space. But instead of building a rooftop farm, the Riverpark restaurant team opted to take over a neighboring construction site that had lain idle for years, fill it with milk crates, and grow piles of produce." See article

AUGUST 11, 2011

PSFK.com

Pop-Up Farm in NYC Provides Produce for Nearby Riverpark Restaurant
"The 15,000 square foot urban farm uses thousands of repurposed milk crates filled with soil as its farmer's field, which can easily be rotated or moved to face the sun or sit in the shade." See article

AUGUST 11, 2011

The New Zealand Herald

Real-life invisibility cloak
"An organisation called GrowNYC has taken advantage of the space available on a stalled construction site in New York and developed a 15,000 square foot vegetable farm. Produce from the farm is then sold to the Riverpark restaurant on the site. Instead of letting the area languish, the farm is sporting 6,000 plants and supplies the restaurant with abundant, fresh and seasonal vegetables for diners to enjoy." See article

AUGUST 8, 2011

Trend Hunter

Pop-Up Farms
"Using stalled sites, this pop-up farm by GrowNYC and Riverpark mixes recession cool with local and eco-efficiency." See article

AUGUST 5, 2011

Inhabitat

Riverpark Farm Takes Root on a Stalled Manhattan Construction Site
"The farm has more than 6,000 plants growing on it, an impressive feat for a venture that just began earlier this summer. It is already supplying the restaurant with hundreds of different types of fresh vegetables and herbs like squash blossoms, eggplant, lettuce, and purple basil, where chef Sisha Ortúzar whips them up into delicious dishes." See article

AUGUST 5, 2011

NY1

Midtown Restaurants Bring In Produce Straight From The Crate
"'It's just amazing to think that in a few short months we transformed a stalled construction site into a productive, innovative urban farm in the middle of New York City,' said Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. Executive Director Scarlet Shore." See video and article

AUGUST 5, 2011

Care2.com

Manhattan Farm Flourishes in Milk Crates
"The milk-crate farm is on the site of what will eventually be the Alexandria Center's west tower. Like so many construction projects in a flat economy, this one is on hold. The Farm's Web site calls Riverpark Farm, 'a landmark example of temporary alternative use of a stalled site to stimulate local interest and economic activity, benefit the environment, and beautify an area, and engage the community.'" See article

AUGUST 4, 2011

gbNYC

Restaurant + REIT = Urban Pop Up Farm on Stalled East Side Construction Site
"A stalled construction site in Kips Bay is probably the last place you'd expect to find a 6000-plant farm. But at 430 East 29th Street, Riverpark Farm is making a statement about how urban space can be utilized in innovative ways." See article

AUGUST 3, 2011

The Real Deal

Farm sprouts at stalled Murray Hill science center construction site
"More proof that stalled construction sites aren't inherently relegated to become boarded up eyesores while developers await financing comes from the farm sprouting at the stalled Alexandria Center for Life Sciences." See article

AUGUST 3, 2011

GOOD

A Pop-Up Farm Opens in Midtown Manhattan
"In a complex just east of FDR Drive, rows of vegetables and herbs are thriving in black milk crates that can be picked up and transported at any time. Although a construction wall surrounds the farm right now, there are plans to build a white picket fence around the area and put a table in its center, where patrons can choose to eat. Diners will be able to sit among rows of squash, tomatoes, and basil and look up to see the Empire State Building just blocks away." See article

AUGUST 3, 2011

Crain's New York Business

Farming returns to Manhattan
"Roughly 6,000 plants are growing on a 15,000-square-foot urban farm in the Alexandria Center for Life Science on a plot where a tower had been slated to rise in the four-acre campus on the East River. The farm at 430 E. 29th St. is a venture between the center's owner, Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc., and the Riverpark restaurant, which leases space in the campus." See article

AUGUST 3, 2011

Grub Street New York

Riverpark Farm Suggests Manhattan Might Be an Okay Place to Plant a Garden, After All
"Ortuzar and 'wichcraft partner Jeffrey Zurofsky had planned when opening Riverpark less than a year ago to eventually have a farm on the premises of the Alexandria Center science park, which houses the restaurant. The duo was lucky to be able to take advantage of a 'stalled site,' one of 600 such lots in the city where construction is on hiatus. Now, just two weeks in, two staff farmers hired by the restaurant are tending more than 6,000 plants in 85 varieties of fruits, vegetables, and herbs." See article

AUGUST 3, 2011

The New York Observer

Tom Colicchio's Farm on East 29th Street
"Tom Colicchio's Riverpark Restaurant and the Alexandria Center for Life Science have teamed up to plant a farm on a stalled site, thereby creating a mash-up of two of our favorite things. And with more than 600 stalled construction projects littered throughout the city, that's a lot of potatoes." See Article

AUGUST 3, 2011

Gothamist

Stalled Construction Site Becomes Lush Urban Farm
"A stone's throw from the FDR, a stalled construction site has been put to good use as a lush farm growing produce for Tom Colicchio's restaurant Riverpark, on East 29th Street. In operation since last month, the farm is currently boasting over 100 different types of vegetables, herbs, and flowers, and yielding dozens of varieties of fresh produce for the restaurant. Most of the plants began their life at Wilklow Orchards in the Hudson Valley and were shipped down to the garden, which is built on a series of movable milk crates." See Article

AUGUST 3, 2011

Citybizlist New York

Riverpark Farm at Alexandria Center Debuts in September
"In today's economic climate, Riverpark Farm now the supplier for dozens of varieties of fresh produce to an adjoining restaurant in Alexandria Center. When the fence is dropped, New Yorkers will see a private outdoor dining area with a farm table and views of the East River and a unique urban farmscape with more than 6,000 plants, boasting about 100 types of vegetables, herbs and flowers." See Article

AUGUST 3, 2011

GlobeSt

A REIT Grows an Urban Farm
"Growing tomatoes, peppers, herbs and other fresh produce isn't a typical task for your average REIT, but Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. is planting the seeds for the latest trend in the commercial real estate industry: urban farming. In partnership with Riverpark restaurant under chef and co-founder Sisha Ortúzar, the life science REIT launched the creation of the Riverpark Farm at Alexandria Center, a 15,000-square-foot former stalled construction site at 430 E. 29th St. in Kips Bay, which, in time, is intended to blossom into a full-fledged agricultural oasis in the middle of Manhattan." See article

AUGUST 3, 2011

DNAinfo

Urban Farm Feeds Fresh Veggies to Tom Colicchio's Riverpark Restaurant
"'The farm is a true reflection of innovation and teamwork,' said Scarlet Shore, the executive director of corporate strategy at Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. 'Here, in a few short months, we have transformed a temporarily idle construction site into a productive urban farm.'" See article

AUGUST 3, 2011

The Feast

Farm-to-Table Restaurants That Rise Above the Trend
"This week, word comes that Tom Colicchio-owned restaurant Riverpark now has a rooftop farm in the Riverpark Farm at Alexandria Center. Currently, it's supplying produce to Riverpark and a location of Colicchio's sandwich empire 'wichcraft located next door. Soon, there will be a chefs table located adjacent to the garden on the roof so diners can take part in the experience." SEE ARTICLE

AUGUST 3, 2011

NearSay

Gramercy Construction Site Sprouts Produce for Restaurant
"Chef Sisha Ortuzar saw an opportunity, creating a farm made of milk crates which act as planters. Another bonus, they are portable so when construction resumes on phase two of the project, the 15,000 square foot farm can be moved to another area of the grounds." SEE ARTICLE

August 3, 2011

New York City's Most Urban Farm, the 15,000 Square Foot Riverpark Farm at Alexandria Center™, Now Growing on East 29th Street in Manhattan

The Riverpark Farm, created under the direction of Chef/Partner Sisha Ortúzar, is already supplying fresh produce to the adjacent Riverpark restaurant, making innovative use of one of New York City's 600+ stalled construction sites See press release

AUGUST 2, 2011

The New York Times

Tom Colicchio's Secret Farm, Right Next to the F.D.R. Drive
"Riverpark Farm is weeded, watered, tended, harvested and replanted by two full-time farmers, with the assistance of chefs from the kitchen, who can be observed sauntering through the garden, clipping herbs at dinnertime. 'This week we're taking out 50 pounds of cucumbers a day,' said Sisha Ortúzar, Riverpark's executive chef and a partner, 'and last week it was zucchini and squash.' The menu is changed daily to reflect the harvest." See article

AUGUST 2, 2011

Eater NY

The Summer BBQ Blowout Festival; Riverpark's 'Secret' Farm
"Last fall, Riverpark's Sisha Ortuzar told Eater that he and his team had plans to open a farm in the city. Now, the NYT reports that the farm is up and running in a stalled construction site just 100 feet from the restaurant." See Article