WFRoundup Spring-ish 2025
Welcome to the Spring-ish roundup where we will recap the highlights of the last quarter-ish!
Contents: Westchester Foodies in the news, Westchester Foodies Raised 20k for Second Chance Foods, Memorable Members, Partnering with Zwilling Cooking Studio! The Explosion of the International Food Scene + Coffee Houses Galore (link) - Call it a round up, call it a cheat sheet, just don't call it late for dinner!
Westchester Foodies in the news!
There is no better way to start this WFRoundup than by thanking Jeanne Muchnik at Lohud for putting our beautiful community of foodies on the map. She wrote a wonderful article that truly nails the who, what, where and why of Westchester Foodies. For many years, I have been trying to sum up the group into a few words, but it simply cannot be done. In a time when our country is in a state of upheaval and promises to continue being so, it is comforting to know there is one place on social media where people from all walks of life and belief systems can hang out lovingly and respectfully over and around what connects us all, food. This would not be possible without the help of three amazing women, Monica Hens, Bliss Fager and Chandreyee Manna.
We raised over 20k for Second Chance Foods!
A little confession here. Several months back, when we were in the thick of what felt like a never-ending winter, I was considering ending Westchester Foodies. I love this group and have been nurturing it since 2016, but over the past six years especially, I’ve put a lot on hold—personally and professionally. On top of that, both of my kids were diagnosed with Celiac disease within six months of each other, which added an entirely new layer of "lifeing" to navigate.
Sometimes giving can change everything.
We have raised money for causes before, and our last big fundraiser brought in over 11k for restaurant victims of Hurricane Ida. I knew that I wanted to have another big fundraiser, but as I mentioned above, I was running very low on motivation even though I was very clear that not matter what I did, I would find a way to support Second Chance Foods. I know myself well enough to know that I could not tackle another big fundraiser alone, so I reached out to my extremely busy powerhouse of a friend Cori Worchel who was instrumental to the success of the last one, to see if she could carve out some time to help me with this one. I had decided that if Cori said she couldn't, not only would I not proceed with the fundraiser, but that I would also close this chapter of my life entirely.
She said yes.
This fundraiser was extra extra successful because I also had Maggie Keet from Second Chance Foods in my corner. Some might say "Duh, she works for the non-profit," but she has become way more to me than just someone who helped with the fundraiser. Ever since the moment I chatted with her for the first time at General Bakeshop in Brewster after volunteering at Second Chance Foods over an overflowing spinach and artichoke sandwich and a perfect cortado and told her about the WFRoundup, she has been 100% team Westchester Foodies. The fundraiser wasn't even an idea, and she was like a rocket fuel powered unicorn fairy about everything regarding this community.
If you are a founding member of the WFRoundup, then you have seen countless posts mentioning the incredible members who contributed their talents to this fundraiser... Mark Kramer who kicked this thing off with the most incredible offering of a Chinoiserie party for six at his house, followed by Zac Greybeard, Chandreyee Manna and Hardik Parmar, Mark Mathias, Steve Winkel, Bliss Fager, Tracy Edwards, Rina Yeshoua, Darryl Moy, Amanda Jordan and Frederique Frenkel. And then there are the businesses, too many to mention here, but you can click on the fundraiser link to see the complete line-up of prizes that were offered.
A little over 270 wonderful foodies raised over $20,000 in five days to help Second Chance Foods continue to rescue hundreds of thousands of pounds of perfectly good food from ending up in landfill and creating beautiful meals to feed hungry humans.
MEMORABLE MEMBERS
One of the hardest pieces of our very first WFRoundup, was compiling a list and writing a loving blurb about the foodies who make the group so special. We narrowed it down to 30 and that didn’t begin to scratch the surface. Click here to view that list and the write ups about those amazing members. Our group is great because of the incredible humans who participate in it and believe in nurturing and supporting a 100% positive experience.
This time, we want YOU to nominate the next batch of foodies to honor! Please email westchesterfoodiesfb@gmail.com with your suggestions! Deadline July 10th!
Erika and Richard Cozza
Westchester recently lost a beautiful human being. Richard Cozza was one of the owners of the Twisted Branch, the love of Erika Cozza’s life and a loving father. The Twisted Branch is one of Westchester’s most beloved olive oil and gourmet product stores. What they are also known for is supporting cottage food businesses by allowing entrepreneurs to have pop-ups in their store. They have now passed the torch to Dawn Perruccio Galletti who is continuing to make The Twisted Branch a launching pad for cottage food businesses. Anyone who has come in contact with the Cozza family walks away saying how wonderful, kind and generous they are. Our hearts go out to the Cozza family.
ZWILLING COOKING STUDIO
We are so excited to be partnering with Zwilling Cooking Studio! Some foodies still aren't aware that Zwilling doesn't simply sell some amazing knives, but they are actually a family of iconic brands like Staub, Ballarini, Miyabi and Demeyere. They have the most exciting company store, a.k.a. Zwilling Neighborhood Shop, that is hidden in plain sight at their headquarters in Pleasantville. The cooking studio is a bit more well known amongst our Westchester Foodies crew, but this place is so cool and beautiful that we can't wait to pop into a few classes and share all the foodie fun that happens there. We may even organize a group shopping tour of the company store! Let us know if you are interested... WestchesterFoodiesfb@gmail.com
Thank you for reading!
Claudia Ossa - Founder of Westchester Foodies and the WFRoundup!
If you enjoy being part of the Westchester Foodies community and want to see it continue to grow and support hunger-related causes while curating fun foodie events, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. 🧡
Upcoming:
A cheese class for Westchester Foodies! — Monday - June 23rd - 7pm - at HudCo in Dobb's Ferry! (Sold out. Get on the waiting list for the next one.)
Jessica Galen, of Bloomy Cheese and Provisions in Dobbs Ferry, did her absolute best to make this an event that would fill the soul without breaking the bank. $75 pp... We know many of our members probably feel ready for Cheese 201, but when it comes to the world of ripened milk, there’s still so much to discover.
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What makes this evening extra special is that Jessica will be hosting it at HudCo—an inspiring co-working space that's home to a vibrant community of creative minds. It will surely be an evening to inspire the intellect and the senses, but never so serious that "someone" can't sneak in a sophomoric joke about cutting the cheese.
HudCo - Co-working and event space in Dobbs Ferry. Kinda makes you want to become an entrepreneur or simply dance through the space.
