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Photos Courtesy of Cleaver Co.
For Cleaver Co., a local-sourcing catering business, 2009 has been a mixed bag. These days, the environment's a hot topic, from greenhouse gas initiatives to organic greens, while the economy's gone cold. And the recession hasn't avoided catering budgets.
"It was so wonderful to see Michelle Obama digging a garden on the White House lawn," Mary Cleaver remarks with a mix of awe and relief. The First Lady has made locally grown food a part of her campaign for healthy, green living. At the same time, Cleaver estimates, the economic crisis has led to a 30% drop in the organic and sustainable food services market across the nation. Catering jobs make up 80% of the Cleaver Co.'s revenue stream, with the remainder coming from The Green Table, a restaurant attached to the company kitchen in Chelsea Market. Organizations are cutting back on events, and people are cooking more meals at home. Yet Cleaver, who opened her first kitchen on Franklin Street in Manhattan in 1981, has surmounted far grizzlier obstacles than this current financial crisis.
Eating with the Seasons
"When I moved to New York, there was no local produce," recalls Cleaver. "You could get exotic foods from around the world, but you couldn't get a tomato from New Jersey." Cleaver grew up in Vermont, where she had "grown up eating with the seasons." Over the past three decades, Cleaver has built relationships with farmers in the area and now places orders with four regional produce distributors. While in the past few years there has been a sea change in both the supply of and the demand for regionally sourced food, Cleaver helped clear the way in New York for this paradigm shift.
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Mary Cleaver |
"We are reverting," Cleaver says, to a time before "you could buy raspberries from Chile in February." For Cleaver Co., local sources aren't just nearby farms; they are also neighboring purveyors in Chelsea Market. Amy's Bread provides the toast that goes with baked eggs as well as a local cheese plate for brunch at The Green Table. The cheese likely comes from Lucy's Whey, located conveniently just across the way.
Cleaver Co.’s kitchen sources the same ingredients to cater events, from fundraisers and benefits to wedding receptions. This Thanksgiving, they concocted feasts for groups ranging in size from eighteen to fifty. And they have created spreads for up to five-hundred wedding guests. They also claim many environmental not-for-profit organizations as regular clients, including River Keepers, the Small Planet Fund and the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
One of Cleaver's most loyal fans is Alice Waters, the poster child of the local food movement. Like Waters, Cleaver was ahead of her time in sourcing from regional farmers. In 2004, the two were tapped to participate in a New York-based cultural series that paired chefs with artists. Now they collaborate: whenever Waters has a New York event, she calls on Cleaver Co. for assistance.
Green-minded brides-and grooms-to-be can now follow suit. On January 9, 2010 Cleaver Co., which recently catered wedding festivities for Slow Food USA's Erika Lesser, will have a booth at a Brooklyn bridal fair.
Blakely Blackford is a writer who focuses on what people create, from high-rise buildings to low-priced menus. She believes that the challenge to go green, when tackled, invigorates any design.Do you know someone that should be featured in The Leaflet: Focus on For-Profit Business?
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