Dining with Purpose

Sophia Li

As world leaders and changemakers descended in New York for Climate Week earlier this month, a slower-paced, more intimate gathering took place away from the conference rooms and panel stages to close out the week at an urban farm and green oasis at the tip of Manhattan.

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A continuation of our collaborative Heart of Hosting series, Family Style and Chandon hosted a diverse group of change and tastemakers—from Bon Appetit Editor-in-Chief Jamila Robinson to filmmaker Gelila Bekele, supermodel and activist Cameron Russell and Creative Director Gabriella Khalil of hospitality cult-favorite Palm Heights Hotel—at The Battery Urban Farm to celebrate the beloved nonprofit One Love Community Fridge.

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Yukari Pass, Bernice Kwok-Gabel, Rhod Needham, Jamila Robinson, Stanley Lumax, Kenny Anderson, Gelila Bekele, Charlotte Eyerman, Sophia Li, Asmeret Berhe-Lumax, Jay Lipman, and Adam Walker

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Stanley Lumax, Nana Eyeson-Akiwowo, and Gelila Bekele

Gabriella Khalil

Jamila Robinson, Nana Eyeson-Akiwowo, and Asmeret Berhe-Lumax

Rachel Summer Small

The evening’s setting was intentional and set the tone for a night dedicated to sustainable food and community-driven solutions: OLCF has partnered with The Battery Urban Farm since 2022, working closely with Programs Manager and Head Farmer Adam Walker, who has been donating excess harvests to their fridges to fight food insecurity right in our backyards. For the evening, The Battery, which serves as an educational classroom to over 5,000 students from 100 local schools, harvested farm-to-table produce for chef Naomi Lawrence’s kitchen with supplemental produce coming from Natoora.

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Known for her ability to transform hyperlocal ingredients into elevated, approachable dishes, the chef curated a menu that fused her Jamaican and Eritrean roots into each dish, calling her approach “heritage-cooking.” As guests shared bites of Lawrence’s heirloom tomato crudo and fairytale eggplant with crispy okra, they sipped on Chandon’s Reserve Blanc de Blancs, a Napa-certified, Climate Smart wine. This certification requires wineries to adopt over 100 sustainability practices, from conserving water and energy, reducing waste, and cutting greenhouse gas emissions, to fostering social equity through thoughtful community and workforce engagement. The dinner's conversation then turned toward the important impact work of OLCF, whose mission of fighting food insecurity through community fridges has taken on new urgency. "Collaboration isn't just necessary," says founder Asmeret Berhe-Lumax. "It's the only way to achieve real, lasting change. Bringing together local and diverse perspectives is the key to building sustainable initiatives that truly serve our community." She says this from heartfelt experience, as last year alone OLCF redirected 2.3 million pounds of fresh food to serve roughly 770,000 people who we all count as neighbors. 

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Asmeret Berhe-Lumax and Anna Castellini

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Selim Adira

The evening served not only as a celebration of food, hosting, and community but also as a reminder that we can all play a role in fostering climate solutions: one plate, one community fridge and one toast at a time.