In Gary Hirschberg, it gets someone who knows how to dish it out hot and cold.
In late April, the founder of the Stonyfield Farm yogurt company opened a new organic and natural caf̩ at Chelsea PiersӪ flagship facility in New York City, compete with walk-up window service.
Stonyfield founder Hirschberg is opening his Chelsea TableӪs second caf̩ at Chelsea Piers Connecticut, when the Stamford facility opens in July, as well as the new Overlook Restaurant offering casual fare.
In addition to providing café and lunch fare, the new operations will serve as the in-house caterer for special events at the facility, which will offer a wide range of organized sports leagues and booking corporate events.
Chelsea Piers has rapidly been building out its sports roster to include a tennis center led by Gigi Fernandez, who piled up 17 Grand Slam doubles titles between 1988 and 1997 and two Olympic gold medals.
Chelsea Piers also recently announced it will host a soccer camp run by Kristine Lilly, the Wilton native who is the most decorated player in U.S. history.
With Samuel Kaymen, Hirschberg co-founded Stonyfield in Wilton, N.H., as a school to teach sustainable farming practices. Stonyfield subsequently sold a majority stake to Group Danone, whose Dannon Co. division is based in White Plains, N.Y.
Stonyfield, now based in Londonderry, N.H., this year it hired as CEO former Ben & Jerry”™s CEO Walt Freese, freeing up Hirschberg to work on other projects like a White House trade panel, the AGree food and agriculture policy initiative, and now Chelsea”™s Table.
True to Hirschberg”™s roots, Chelsea”™s Table plans to emphasize sourcing from local farms in Connecticut and New York. Its initial fare will include eggs from a fourth-generation family farm, all-natural deli provisions from Applegate, hormone-free cheeses from Vermont Creamery, chicken from Pella Farms in Bethel, N.Y. and young lettuces and herbs from North Fork, L.I. farms.
“Like Stonyfield, Chelsea”™s Table is about more than food and commerce,” Hirshberg said in a statement.” It is a movement that aims to change how we think about food, support family farms, feed our families and accommodate today”™s time-challenged lifestyles.”
