Amuse News

""It was November 2016 and I was freaking the fuck out. A lifetime of undiagnosed mental illness, and a few traumatic events culminated on election night, and I was broken."" This is the origin story of the Restaurant Workers' Community Foundation. As co-founder, John deBary writes, he was left stunned and with the ""recognition that those with privilege have a moral imperative to support marginalized people.""

He decided to start with what he knew. He reached out to Alex Pemoulié, a former colleague at Momofuku, and they began brainstorming ways for the restaurant community to brace for the next four years. They hatched a plan to start a nonprofit to act as a hedge fund that would raise money, invest it, and use the returns fund progressive social change. deBary ran the idea by his husband Michael (who has spent his entire career in the philanthropic sector), who confirmed that their goals had much in common with the mission of many population-focused community foundations like Stonewall Community Foundation and New York Women’s Foundation.

In late 2018, the Restaurant Workers' Community Foundation held an event to announce its launch as an advocacy and action nonprofit created by and for restaurant workers. By addressing quality-of-life issues that disproportionately affect restaurant workers – 40% of whom live on poverty-level wages – RSCF aims to strengthen the workforce and increase opportunities for advancement in the industry to more people.

We're so honored to have John deBary (Co-Founder) and his husband Michael Remaley (Board Treasurer) on this episode of HRN Happy Hour.

We also have a short call-in with Chef Paul Verica of The Stanley in Charlotte to talk about the upcoming Charleston Wine + Food Festival!

HRN Happy Hour is powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Anna Mulé, the Interim Executive Director of Slow Food USA joins us to talk about Plant a Seed and Slow Food Nations! We also have a special call in from Chef Greg Collier of Charlotte's Uptown Yolk for a preview of Springer Mountain Farm's Campfire Confessionals at Charleston Wine + Food!

HRN Happy Hour is powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our Valentine this year is Larissa Zimberoff, a food writer with bylines in The New York Times, Wired, Bloomberg Businessweek, NPR, and other outlets. Some of her recent work explores some of the science behind grocery store tech. Larissa got her MFA in creative nonfiction from The New School in 2013.

HRN Happy Hour is powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Art Pollard is Amano’s Founder and Head Chocolate Maker. Located high in Utah’s Wasatch Mountain range in the heart of the Rockies, Amano is dedicated to creating some of the world’s most exquisite chocolate through traditional techniques. Amano means “by hand” and “they love” in Italian, and that describes the care and perfection that Amano brings to chocolate and in turn to the people who savor it.

HRN Happy Hour is powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Happy Hour, host Caity Moseman Wadler and guest host Hannah Fordin are joined by Lew Fidler. Lew is a practicing attorney and a veteran of the Brooklyn political landscape including representing Brooklyn's 46th district from 2002-2013 in City Council. On the show, we discuss the five year process that brought New York a city-wide ban on single-use styrofoam, Lew's history of environmental advocacy, and of course we play a special New York City themed round of trivia.

HRN Happy Hour is powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's our first show of 2019! We welcome Emma Conroy (General Manager) and Nick Tamburo (Chef de Cuisine) of Momofuku Nishi to Happy Hour to talk about the third anniversary of the restuarant. A unique addition to the Momofuku family, Nishi focuses on Italian-inspired dishes, with a wine list to match!

Photo by Momofuku Nishi.

HRN Happy Hour is powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's guests are Cat Neville and Eric Schulz.

Cat is an Emmy award winning food journalist and producer. Lately she’s been working Tastemakers, an upcoming TV show about the people who are shaping the way we eat at the most fundamental level. They’re the makers of food that focuses on quality, sustainability, and authenticity. Tastemakers will premiere on WNYE on Wednesday January 9th.

Eric Schulz is a co-founder of Sunday Beer Co. here in Brooklyn. Their specialty is an aptly named lager called “Sunday Beer,” which the company website describes as an approachable, high quality beer meant to be shared with friends and make people happy.

HRN Happy Hour is powered by Simplecast

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

NASA Scientist and Pitmaster, Howard Conyers has had an epic year. He starred in the PBS Digital Series, NOURISH, in which he explored the people, culture, and science of food. Then, he accomplished one of his biggest goals: cooking a whole cow at the inagural Gumbo Jubilee. Recently, he was named one of Southern Living's Southerners of the Year alongside his fellow South Carolina pitmaster Rodney Scott. When he's not testing rocket engines at Stennis Space Center, Howard's passions are documenting the oral histories of Southern food experts.

HRN Happy Hour is powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week Hannah and Kat talk to Battman himself. They talk about his upcoming book release and Monday's HRN Gala, where he'll be taking photos!

Alan Battman has been a photographer for 30 years and his clients include USVI Tourism, NYC & Company, Macy's, The New York Times and more. After years of photographing the streets of NYC he turned his lens to food. He has self-published 8 cookbooks with 197 of the best chefs in New York. He's also the man behind the sexy Firefighters Calendar!

HRN Happy Hour is powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Aaron Bludorn and Tim Hollingsworth, two of the chef stars of Netflix's The Final Table, join us in studio to talk about the new global culinary competition show.

The series features 12 teams of two chefs from around the world cooking the national dishes of Mexico, Spain, England, Brazil, France, Japan, the U.S., India and Italy. Each episode focuses on a different country and its cuisine, with celebrity ambassadors, food critics and the country’s greatest chef eliminating teams until the finale.

HRN Happy Hour is powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.