I just got back from another day in New York. I was there to have lunch with Chef Jeff. If you haven't heard of Chef Jeff - he's the New York Times best-selling author of "Cooked," "bad boy of cuisine," and one of the top chefs in the country. His new show, The Chef Jeff Project, premieres on October 12th on Food Network. Check it out!
On the way back I decided to explore Yonkers for a bit. This city has a great character, charming architecture, and a socially responsible brownie factory - I'm sold! It reminded me very much of Holyoke (minus the brownie factory). I was on the search for Greyston Bakery, a business that was founded with a positive social mission. You can read about what makes Greyston so special here. I was under the impression that I could stop by and buy some chocolaty sweets to bring back home - but when I got there, it was only the factory.
I guess I'll be ordering some brownies online. Anyone want some brownies?
3 comments:
There are some similarities between Yonkers and Holyoke (i.e. charming architecture and an industrial history) but Yonkers is much larger around 200,000 people. Yonkers has numerous advantages over Holyoke. Its proximity to New York City and its inclusion in Westchester County are no doubt aiding to its pricey revitalization project, which is well under way.
That Greyston Bakery, that's the one that Ben & Jerry's buys its brownies from?
Absolutely, proximity is always a huge element, Yonkers to New York - Lawrence and Lowell to Boston. There is also no doubt that the pricing velocity of New York and Westchester will push people into Yonkers, hopefully filling up vacant housing and buildings, increasing the tax base. Holyoke's huge advantage over Yonkers is it's hydro-electric dam and canals system = bargain renewable energy.
Yup, Greyston is a major supplier to Ben and Jerrys, that's actually how I heard about it.
I just read "Instructions to the Cook," by the Greyston founder: http://www.amazon.com/Instructions-Cook-Masters-Lessons-Matters/dp/0517888297 Check it out - really interesting book & their home-base is lin Montague: www.zenpeacemakers.org
Nice to see another Holyoke/Valley blogger!
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