Taste of Tribeca: Exclusive Interview

Earlier,  I had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Jimmy Carbone, one of the co-chairs of the committee that has brought  the Taste of Tribeca charitable event each year for the past 17 years. The event combines the efforts of over 75 of Tribeca’s best restaurants for a good cause. The event raises funds for much needed arts and enrichment programs at Tribeca’s 2 elementary school’s P.S. 150 and P.S. 234.   The main festival takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Duane Street (between Greenwich and Hudson).

FreeSpiritEater: Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me about this weekend’s much anticipated annual event Taste of Tribeca. How did the idea of bringing a community together to help fund school art programs come about?

Carbone: It began 17 years ago. The community was much smaller back then. The programs needed funding, so they were thinking of ideas that were much better than that of a bake sale. It was the restaurant owners who said let’s do a food event. It started small, it was more of a block party for a while. But it was after September 11^th 2001 that the community part really kicked in because that neighborhood was decimated. The World Trade Center is in Tribeca. So we began to get more sponsorship from the companies that were based there. It was a rallying point and it just grew from there. There were children who were in their schools when the towers collapsed. And especially since this year is the tenth anniversary it’s kind of special in that we are joining with the 9/11 foundation and recognizing how important it is.  We are also recognizing restaurants that have been there since the beginning.

What goes into planning such an event of this magnitude? When does planning and organizing for the event begin?

In some ways year round, but definitely in October. There is a lot of continuity. Year to year they are always working on it, so it’s never a brand new event. In October we have a meeting with some of the parents who work on getting the sponsorship. And other parents such as myself are co-chairs, so we start planning out meetings for the year with the board as well as the principal. The first real thing that they do is rally the restaurants in January to do an open house and even do cooking demonstrations with some of the kids from our schools.

How do you feel Taste of Tribeca has changed or grown since it began?

We have a lot more restaurants involved, different sponsorships including a real estate company. It has also become a little more high profile working with great restaurants in Tribeca and even an Iron Chef.

For newcomers of the event such as myself, what should we expect to see or experience on May 21^st?

It’s a fun and affordable event, tickets are only 45 dollars. It’s like an elegant picnic with rides and food. All the booths are tented. It’s busy, but not too crowded. With enough variety of food to eat an interesting meal. You can grab some dessert take your ticket and walk around some of Tribeca’s wine shops and get free wine tastings. You can really make a whole day of it. There will be entertainment such as Loonie Lenny the clown and Story Pirates which is an improv story telling group.

As a parent of a student attending one of the schools, how do you feel the school art programs have benefited PS 150 and PS 234?

Well basically at P.S. 234 all the music lessons and programs are funded by this event. At P.S. 150 the music teacher and art teacher are also funded by the event, so without it, the arts would seriously be impacted.

What sort of impact has the event had on the community and families of children who attended the schools?

There are not too many school’s where students get to hang out with all the best restaurants in the neighborhood. We have a couple of parents who have older children and they’ve been doing it every year for 17 years. So that’s a great tradition there. Two years ago we were up to 65 now this year we’re up to 75. It’s a school event but to me it’s also a well kept food event that brings the community together.

What can we expect to see from ToT in the coming years?

I would say more events leading up to the event. This isn’t official yet but a couple of more special events leading up to it at some of the Tribeca restaurants and bars, I don’t know if we’re going to have our Tribeca restaurant week but we will definitely have other opportunities to buy tickets for cocktail parties and dinners for those who cannot attend Taste of Tribeca.

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Those who cannot attend the event can visit the website to donate, and find out more ways you can help. But stay tuned for the article covering the actual event which takes place this Saturday, May 21^st.  The fun for kids runs from  11:30 AM until 4:00 PM, but the adults party lasts much longer since the wine tastings are from 12- 8 PM.  Hope to see you there!