On March 14, The Fat Radish co-owner Benjamin Towill played host to A Ride In The Country x Just Food Benefit dinner. Ben will be embarking on a cross-country trek on bike to encourage the use of local, seasonal ingredients in everyday diets for the charity, Just Food.  8 weeks, 4,700 miles, 10 states. Just Food is an organization working throughout the 5 boroughs to make NYC a healthier place to live and eat. Photography by Tommy Mendes.

For the third straight year, The Fat Radish setup shop at the ever-growing Frieze Art Fair on Randall’s Island. Armed with salad bowls and a family-style setup, The Fat Radish brought in a custom built salad bar that would serve an array of salads using local, seasonal ingredients. During the 4-day public affair, they hosted a special gathering of creatives that included Athena & Victor Calderone, Ben Pundole, Dree Hemingway, Svea Berlie, Peter Semple & Impossible photographer Devin Blaskovich to capture the day.

n May 4th The Fat Radish partnered with Pioneer Works, the Center for Art and Innovation, as part of their first annual benefit dinner. Upon the grounds of this extensive property in Red Hook, Brooklyn, a 10ft. fire-pit was constructed of cinder blocks and an old shed was converted into a bar and taco stand. With a continued focus on sourced local ingredients, a cow was selected from the grassy knolls of New Jersey that would be served throughout a series of courses in numerous ways for a sit-down dinner. Meanwhile, a local Brooklyn brewery served beverages alongside Absolut cocktails.

The Leadbelly teamed up with Lost Weekend NYC  to host the first annual, Rockaway Classic @ 67th in Rockaway’s on March 8th. Proceeds would benefit the water-testing being done by the Surfrider Foundation (NYC) and NGO Waves for Water.  The west coast inspired single-fin surf classic turned a few heads due to its winter-weather timing from the likes of Guest of a Guest and BlackBook Mag’s BlackList.  Congratulations to Ben Margett’s, Tyler Breuer and Jeremy for taking 1st/2nd/3rd respectively (& stylishly).  Special thanks to all our sponsors Patagonia, Wonderland Sun, Boxed Water, The People’s Movement, Tonic Hair Care & Sagebrush Board Bags for the prizes & Beth’s Farm Kitchen & Bar Toast for keeping us toasty.

n November 4th, The Fat Radish, in an effort to shed light on the Heritage Foods initiative “No Goat Left Behind,” set out to do just that. Amongst family, friends and newcomers, The Fat Radish prepared goat in a variety of ways to be served up over 5-courses.  ”No Goat Left Behind” is part of a national movement to encourage a sustainable end market for dairy animals.  With that said, goat is a seasonal animal, so this autumn treat yourself to a little goat and take part in this movement towards sustainability whilst also taking a culinary adventure.

he latest restaurant project from Silkstone, The East Pole, is a less rustic version of it’s downtown counterpart The Fat Radish, but carries on the same philosophy sourcing local, seasonal ingredients served in its simplest form to create their home-cooked approach. Handcrafted cocktails are served from an upper and lower-level bar featuring a menu that changes seasonally.  For more info contact info@theeastpolenyc.com.

The Fat Radish teamed up with Outstanding in the Field for the second year in a row, this time by way of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Set atop a six-story industrial building known as Brooklyn Grange Farm, a large table was laid through the fields while guests selected their plates from an assortment laid out in a vintage chest and crates and enjoyed the expansive Manhattan skyline over cocktails.

Silkstone latest restaurant project is a cocktail and oyster bar on Orchard Street called The Leadbelly. Using the the principals and philosophy that serves a wide selection of East Coast oysters, hearty seasonal bar snacks, biodynamic wines and seasonal cocktails. There are live music performances every night. For info please contact info@theleadbelly.com.

The Fat Radish teamed up with Outstanding in the Field to put on a dinner for a hundred guests in the East Village’s 9th Street Community Garden. In true Outstanding In The Field  fashion a long winding table was set up in the courtyard, guests chose their seats while enjoying cocktails made with Brooklyn Gin. Phil and I have always had a picture of outstanding in the field in our office, it was truly one of the highlights of our Silkstone journey being involved in this dinner. We worked with the guys at Brooklyn Grange roof top farm, and Nick produced an amazing menu with there incredible produce. I feel posting this in the depths of winter makes you long for the summer and their next visit to NYC.

This fall, we were lucky enough to take The Fat Radish to Paris, we were invited by The Sporting Project and amazing creative agency set up by our two friends Tara Gilson and Jenny Capano, through their love of Paris and their roots in New York, The Sporting Project brings the best of two cites together. Ben, Phil and Nick represented The Radish. We spent the mornings in the food markets and created a 5 course tasting menu and Phil transformed Bobs Kitchen from Juice Bar and Canteen by day to The Fat Radish by night. There was also a  Family Band Traveling Photo Booth set up out side the restaurant for guests and passers by to get a vintage Polaroid to take home. A massive thanks to Mark, Amaury the team at Bobs Kitchen. Film created by the one and only, Kate Deez.

Our main cafe at the Frieze Art Fair was centered on our uniquely-designed salad bar, modeled after an old-style self-serve New York deli counter. Designed in house by owner Phil Winser, the salad bar contained large bowls for nine different salads, kept cold by dry ice in individual buckets, located just underneath each bowl. The nine salads included the best seasonal ingredients with an emphasis on Spring vegetables (with a few of our Fat Radish staples, including our Kale Caesar Salad, in the mix). All salads were created by our kitchen team, led by Chef Nick Wilber and Chef Ana Morris.

The launch of the Opening Ceremony Annual was celebrated in style at the Silkstone Loft. The space was adorn with exercise balls, hoola-hoops, ribbon dancers and a piñata, all in the spirit of their first issue themed around sports. Nick Wilber, our Executive Chef at The Fat Radish, prepared a family style meal for all to enjoy.

On March 1st 2012 Gant Celebrated the completion of it’s shoot for the Fall 2012 Line with a dinner at The Fat Radish. Served was the Beet Crumble, Whole Salt Baked Black Bass, and Roasted Cauliflower along with a slew of other seasonal dishes. Which only seems appropriate when you hear Christopher Bastin speak about his inspiration for the collection. ”I wanted to create a wardrobe for an imaginary chef and co-owner of a restaurant on this New York scene”, says Bastin, “Once I started looking into what they were doing, (Ben and Phil) became the campaign guys… They’re two Brits changing the game in their own way. They do a lot of vegetarian stuff.” Adam Wright-Smith and Joe Termini, also part of the Silkstone team, are the other two featured in the campaign.

The Fat Radish donated a cooking class to a local elementary school this past Monday. Ben Towill and Chef Nick Wilber went over the basics of how to prepare food with the kids. Cookie dough was made from scratch and rolled out into large letters that spelled “The Fat Radish”. While that was in the oven avocados were mashed in to guacamole and devoured. Everyone went home with full tummy and a smile on their face.

A small private room in the back of the Belasco Theater was designed for the cast of ‘End of the Rainbow’. With portraits of Ms. Garland herself on the walls and furniture of the era, the room has a feel that evokes the 1950′s. The centerpiece in the room is a vintage chest that designer Kate Dougherty repurposed in to a stocked bar. Gifts and Flowers have been arriving steadily as Tracie Bennett continues to impress.

Our second, smaller cafe at Frieze New York included pre-packaged sandwiches and salads- all original recipes from our kitchen team. Our in-house design team created branded Fat Radish stickers and menus for each item served. This space also doubled as an espresso bar with Laughing Man coffee and espresso drinks.

This past week, The Fat Radish operated two pop-up cafes at the Frieze Art Fair, taking place in New York City for the first time ever. The half-mile long tent was set up on Randall’s Island with 182 exhibitors from around the world. In addition to our freshly made salads and sandwiches, Roberta’s, Frankie’s, The Standard Beer Garden and Sant Ambroeus all operated spaces, serving the diverse crowd of artists and art-lovers.

An evening in the Silkstone Loft with Krug and a unique table design by Phil Winser and Flowers by Brenton Wolf. - See more at: http://www.silkstonenyc.com/food/krug-phillip-lim/#sthash.ESiTTIvy.dpuf

Event: Benefit dinner for Art Production Fund, “a non-profit organization dedicated to helping artists realize difficult-to-produce works, reaching new audiences and expanding public participation and understanding of contemporary art.”

Venue: A Warehouse on the West Side Highway near Houston Street

Catering Elements: A seated family style barbecue dinner for 500 guests on long banquet tables decorated with succulents and flowers arranged by resident florist, Brenton Wolf.

On Saturday, June 2, 2012, the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic will be held at the beautiful Liberty State Park. Concessions will be available at the event, however, Luxury Picnic Baskets are perfect for a couple to enjoy and will be available for pick at the event. Pre-order yours before May 26th, 2012.

Event: Krug House Aspen

Location: A private home in Aspen, Colorado

Production &Catering Elements: A four-day event consisting of trade lunches, apres-skis, dinners, and finally, on the last evening, a holiday party, all taking place in a beautiful house in the mountains. Materials from the original champagne makers, postcards with photographs from the Krug cellars, and vintage bottles adorned the rooms to make the home a true Krug House. With fantastic catering from The Little Nell as well as from Chef Nick Wilber from our very own The Fat Radish, the food paired perfectly with the various vintages enjoyed by Krug House guests.

Event: The annual Charity:Ball for Charity:Water, a non-profit organization that brings safe, clean water to people in developing nations. By the end of the evening, Charity:Water raised $2.6 million (in one night!), all of which will be used toward safer, cleaner water projects like well-building and improved sanitation.

Location: The 69th Armory

Catering Elements: A variety of canapes and finger sweets and custom made cocktails.

Event: Bullett Magazine‘s First Anniversary Party

Location: Angel Orensanz, on the Lower East Side

Production Elements: A performance from Crystal Castles, a vintage photo booth with fur hates, guns and trumpets as props, a large moss-covered bar, a forest with large trees, an envelope installation where guests wrote their secrets in hung them from branches, and a light up, custom made Bullett sign guests saw as they entered the party.

Here are few choice photographs that came out of the photo booth at the Bullett Magazine Anniversary Party. Props included an array of items from wearable birds nest, to a brass horn, a stack of firewood or a musket.

Event: “Yelloween”, Veuve Clicquot’s Halloween Party

Location: 214 Lafayette Street, a graffitied building on Lafayette Street that is secretly an amazing four story apartment.

Production & Catering Elements: Once inside, guests passed through a densely forested path to the second floor where a photo booth had been set up. Upon reaching the third floor guests found themselves surrounded by the most spectacularly costumed guests, hired performers, trays full of delicious canapés and a Veuve Clicquot champagne fountain. Happy Yelloween.

Event: UNICEF’s Second Annual Masquerade Ball, involving both corporate and individual philanthropists who are committed to improving children’s lives in a night of celebration.

Location: Angel Orensanz on the Lower East Side

Production Elements: Costumes, face paint, railings and pillars wrapped in vines and a floor flooded in smoke.

Event: Cohen-Berman Wedding, September 10th, 2011

Location: Liberty Warehouse in Red Hook

Production & Catering Elements: Silkstone created an inside garden with a floor completely laid with sod, white picnic tables and large flower displays and vines where the guests enjoyed a family style dinner. After the reception, guests were brought out on to the balcony for a surprise firework show, set off from the middle of the water and cakes and pies from go-to pastry company, Shell Co. Downstairs, we designed an old dive bar complete with antique furniture, a taxidermy tank and a full fridge of Budweiser, along with a photo booth which included Americana costumes and props.

The photographer that evening was Ro, whose website you can find here: Les Loups. Her photography is beautiful.

We followed Krug on their four day tour of New York through some of New York’s finest restaurants where they celebrated with sommeliers, gave talks to distributors, and dined with champagne enthusiasts. President and CEO of Krug, Maggie Henriquez, also discussed Krug’s new labels that allow every bottle to be scanned with a smart phone to display details on the champagne.

Event: Escape to New York, a new music festival from the team behind the famed music festival, The Secret Garden Party.

Location: The Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton

Production Elements:The festival featured a wide range of musical acts like Patti Smith, Edwarde Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and Au Revoir Simone as well as a group of diverse food vendors, curated by Silkstone, including Pulqueria, Luke’s Lobster, Asia Dog, Pizza Moto, and Rickshaw Dumplings. The luxury camping site featured a pop-up Fat Radish where breakfast and a late night menu were offered to festival campers.

Event: The U.S. launch of Dom Perignon’s new Luminous label

Location: 76 Wooster Street

Production Elements: An entirely glow-in-the-dark party where Dom Perignon’s new neon label (powered by a button on the bottom of the bottle) shined brightly in an industrial space complete with dancers, spinning bottles and Swizz Beatz DJing atop some very large scaffolding. Guests entered through a wooden tunnel in which old TVs sat, playing static and reflecting images of guests entering up the stairs.

Event: The launch of Another Magazine‘s 21st issue and as a celebration of New York Fashion Week, September 2011 with Editor-in-Chief, Jefferson Hack and Krug Champagne‘s US Director, Carl Heline.

Location: The Fat Radish

Production/Catering Elements: We built a back garden with a picket fence and plant arrangements by our florist, Brenton Wolf. An unique pairing menu with a range of Krug Champagne vintages and a three course meal created by The Fat Radish’s head chef, Nick Wilber, including a main dish of Roasted Heritage Chicken with Mushrooms & Brioche Stuffing paired with Krug’s Grand Cuvee.

The New York Times included some additional photographs in their Fashion Week Party slideshow. Credit: Emily Berl for The New York Times

Event: A pairing dinner with wine company, Cloudy Bay, September 2011

Location: Elizabeth Street Gallery, a unique outside garden with a variety of statues.

Production & Catering Elements: A selection of Cloudy Bay wines were offered, each one accompanying a dish created specifically for the wine. The dinner took place on a custom table built by Silkstone with planter boxes built into the middle, decorated with fresh herbs.

Knowing the source of our food is one of our biggest priorities. To better understand and get a feel for the seas we took a private charter out from Montauk for the day. The boat, rightly named The Montauk, is a father and son operation that has been around close to 30 years. After pulling in about a dozen fish, we finished the day we a beach side barbecue, cooking the fish on an open grill in the sand.

Event: A fundraiser and live auction for Ballroom Marfa, a non-profit cultural art space in Marfa, Texas whose mission is “to serve international, national, regional, and local arts communities and support the work of both emerging and recognized artists working in all media.”

Where: The Dia Center

Catering Elements: A seated family style dinner for 350 guests with dishes like Classic Chicken Mole with Tostones & Cilantro. The dinner was accompanied by a live auction and all bars featured tequila-based cocktails all evening long.

Event: 1920′s Speak Easy, 2009

Location: 72 Walker Street

Production Elements: A well stocked bar built out of barrels of moonshine, a piano player playing only the standards of the time and an orchestrated Prohibition Era raid.

In May of this year, Silkstone partnered with boutique hotel group, King & Grove to open new hotel, restaurant and bar, Ruschmeyer’s, in Montauk. With dishes like Montauk White Clam Pizza with Chili & Parsley and Chilled Lobster Salad with Shaved Fennel & Local Lettuces, the menu at Ruschmeyer’s embraces the seasonal summer produce and the best seafood of the area. In addition to the dinner menu, every morning breakfast is available at the hotel’s breakfast nook (run by the legendary, Floyd), with fresh made avocado on toast, banana bread, yoghurt with seasonal fruit and granola, and coffee by Jack’s Coffee. With an outside bar, nineteen rooms, a dance floor (located in The Electric Eel), bikes for loan, and in close proximity to the beaches, Ruschmeyer’s is the perfect summer spot.

Event: Jos White’s Birthday Dinner, 2009

Location: 72 Walker Street

Production Elements: Creation of the Sands sign, after the 1950s Las Vegas’ hotel & casino, full line-up of live performers from dancers, to singers and piano players, modeled after the legendary acts that graced the Copa Room stage. A seated dinner in the Copa Room dining hall plus cool event collateral including a record with customized packaging.

The Loft, located around the corner from The Fat Radish, is a collaborative space for daytime cooking classes, wine tastings, brunches, seated dinners, and cocktail parties. It’s ideal for 20-50 guests with a full kitchen and floor-to-ceiling windows boasting great views of New York, Silkstone can create a custom experience in our new unique downtown setting.