Bite of the Moment: Women Owned + Operated Businesses

With March being International Women’s Month, we’d be remiss not to call out the badass women in the restaurant biz who are the ones behind the delicious and diverse cuisine we get to enjoy in the neighborhood. While our taste buds appreciate them every day of the year, see what these chef’s favorite bites are for the month and go support women by indulging in any one of these delectable dishes. 

High Street on Hudson is helmed by two powerful female forces in the industry — Ellen Yin, a celebrated restaurateur and founder/co-owner of High Street Hospitality Group, and Melissa Weller beloved baker and operating partner. Together, the two boast a whopping 40 years of trailblazing industry experience.

Pink Peppercorn Raspberry Kouign Amann – Head Baker Melissa Weller has been churning out delicious, seasonal Kouign Amanns and this one is sure not to disappoint. 

Squid Ink Spaccatelli – High Street may be known for their breakfast and brunch, but don’t sleep on dinner! This month’s special pasta dish is made with charred squid, calabrian chile, and fine herbs. 

Santina made headlines in 2018 when Ashley Eddie became the first female Executive Chef hired for Major Food Group in over eight years. She is currently the only female Executive Chef in Major Food Group’s 18 restaurants. Ashely Eddie is a Crown Heights, New York native. Inspired as a young girl by watching her grandmother in the kitchen, she later realized that cooking was the only activity that captured her imagination and attention. She attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, which enabled her to pursue her culinary dreams in New York City. 

Cecina: Avocado Trapanese – One of the most popular dishes at Santina is the cecina. Pronounced cheh-chee-na. A type of thin, unleavened pancake or crêpe of chickpea flour originating in Genoa, Italy. At Santina, the cecina is served with a filling of the guest’s choice. It’s served on a cast iron crepe pan and made by stirring chickpea flour into a mixture of water and olive oil to form a loose batter. Served with Salsa Verde + Tomato Soffrito.

Lobster Arrabiata – Spicy Calabrian chili tomato sauce with garlic and cognac finished with cream and basil. Tossed with fettucine, lobster and finished with basil, cognac and heavy cream.

Seed + Mill is a women owned artisanal food brand, established in Chelsea Market in 2016. They make delicious and highly giftable food products from seeds, including tahini and halva. Good Housekeeping Magazine, NY Mag and Goop all included Seed + Mill products in their 2019 holiday gift guides for foodies and Oprah Magazine featured their tahini in their March edition. 

Organic Tahini – Take one look at Seed + Mill’s Instagram page and you’ll quickly find a reason to stock up on their Tahini. Fun fact: Did you know tahini makes a great source for calcium? This nutritious and delicious sesame paste is super versatile and can be used in either sweet or savory dishes – drizzle it over grilled veggies, add it to smoothies, or use it as a butter alternative when baking. 

Halva- Halva comes from the Arabic word ‘halwa’, meaning sweet – this sesame treat is not only vegan and gluten free, but most importantly, simply delicious. Enjoy it by itself or as a topping over the tahini soft serve (vegan options available). With over twenty different flavors like Black Sesame, Rose Oil and Sea Salt Dark Chocolate, it’s hard to choose just one. 

Three Owls Market opened in the neighborhood early last year and quickly became a neighborhood staple. Suzanne Dumaine is the Chef and Owner at Three Owls and comes from a background of food media and tech, but felt her true love was feeding people. “Three Owls is truly the business I’ve always wanted to create: a brick and mortar cross-section between a local neighborhood cafe, gourmet specialty market, deli, and wine bar. The name comes from a bedtime story my father made up for me about three owls who travel the world every night having all sorts of adventures. Given this is my grand adventure, and my father is my role model for entrepreneurship, it felt fitting to name the place after them.” You can read more about Suzanne here. 

Sweet + Spicy Chicken Sandwich – The sweet and spicy chicken sandwich is made from Three Owl’s pulled Cascun Farms rotisserie chicken and tossed with a sweet and spicy basil aioli. They’ve added housemade pickled cabbage and cilantro, and serve it on a favorite Orwashers brioche bun. 

Breakfast Burrito – This is the breakfast burrito of your dreams (available all day, everyday) with scrambled eggs, avocado mash, charred salsa, brown rice, and Cheddar on a griddled wrap.