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“Chef Katy Sparks at the Helm of New Tavern on the Green”

The last time I visited Tavern on the Green was when I ran the New York City Marathon in 1999. Prior to that, it was for my law school graduation party in 1994. I can’t remember many other visits, to be honest. Maybe once when I was a kid for a birthday. But really, who was eating at Tavern before it closed? Tourists? Bar Mitzvah guests? Prom dates? Who knows. Well, that’s all about to change.

The Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe announced a new lease on life for the Tavern this week, revealing that the City is prepared to award a 20-year license term to the Emerald Green Group for the operation and maintenance of a high-quality informal restaurant and outdoor café at Tavern on the Green. The Emerald Green Group principals, Jim Caiola and David Salama have operated Beau Monde in Philadelphia, a popular and well-reviewed restaurant, for over a decade. Best news of the deal: Emerald Green has named Katy Sparks as their executive chef.

I’m clearly biased, since Katy and I are good friends. I helped her write her cookbook, Sparks in the Kitchen, edited by Judith Jones and published by Knopfy in 2006 when Katy was the chef at Balducci’s. But friendship aside, I have been a fan of her cooking since her days at Quilty’s in Soho. Prior to Quilty’s she worked at The Quilted Giraffe, and with Bobby Flay at Mesa Grill and Bolo. Over the years, she has earned many accolades including being chosen as a “Top Ten Best New Chef in America” by Food & Wine Magazine. Katy is someone who’s as committed to local sourcing as she is to bringing bright, riveting flavors and textures to the plate. Her food is the kind you’ll want to eat after a bike ride, before a jog, while sunning in the meadow, or just because you’re hungry for something really good.

At Tavern on the Green, the Emerald Green Group will develop an informal restaurant and bar, and outdoor café (for 200-300), that will honor the original design intent of the Olmsted and Vaux park plan and exist in harmony with its naturalistic park setting. The building is currently being restored by the City to a smaller, more historic footprint. The City is performing significant structural and exterior work, allowing the Emerald Green Group the opportunity to focus on building out the interior to meet their specifications.

The Central Park Conservancy has invested more than $550 million to enhance, repair and maintain the Park’s 843 acres, attracting more than 38 million visitors annually and making it the most visited park in the United States.  The tremendous popularity of Central Park has created a need for more services and amenities for the park user.  The City felt the time was right for a fresh take on a dining establishment with a focus on serving visitors to the park and the surrounding community in a historic building, rather than formal dining and catering.  The new Tavern on the Green is envisioned as a neighborhood destination that will act in harmony with its natural park environs.  

“We are pleased to select the Emerald Green Group as the new operator of Tavern on the Green,” said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe.  “They have done an outstanding job with Beau Monde in Philadelphia and their vision for the iconic Tavern on the Green will create an informal restaurant and outdoor café that everyday park goers, neighbors and visitors can enjoy.  The result will be a destination that will attract and delight all park patrons, and bring new life back to a site that has provided dining in the park for 75 years.”  

Subject to the successful completion of contract negotiations and other required review and approvals, and the completion of the building’s restoration work, Tavern on the Green is anticipated to reopen in the Fall of 2013.

Read more about the new Tavern on the Green in the New York Times here.

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