<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=20fWaG_1GzeWCCb00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=20fWaG_1GzeWCCb00" width="1200" height="800" ><figcaption>Photos courtesy of Tarrytown Local</figcaption></figure><p>Opened in October, Tarrytown Local is a hybrid grocery store, restaurant, and bakery owned and operated by people who are obsessed with food, including food systems, sourcing, and flavor. The team behind the new culinary concept is owner and operator Steve Wazny and chef/culinary director Fox Schanzer. On the bakery side, baker and miller Katrina Poulin mills the locally sourced grains every morning and bakes the bread. With a background in the arts, sous chef Rick Krebs is passionate about the essence of local cooking.</p><h2>The Three-in-One Culinary Concept</h2><p>Culinary director and chef Fox Schanzer brings his experience in farm-to-table restaurants and fine dining kitchens to Tarrytown Local, where he focuses on crafting menus that celebrate seasonal ingredients in the Hudson Valley. Schanzer describes himself as a “food system nerd” who originally had the idea of opening a locally sourced deli. Owner Steve Wazny left corporate litigation to line cook in New York City before opening the neighborhood spot. Building on Schanzer’s deli concept, Schanzer and Wazny soon realized the original space they found for a deli and grocery outpost was too large. Rather than scale back, they decided to think even bigger.</p><p>“From there, we realized how synergistic a grocery/restaurant/bakery could be and really loved the ability to showcase all of the ingredients we sell in the grocery on our menu, and vice versa,” says Schanzer. </p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3i5CgL_1GzeWCCb00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3i5CgL_1GzeWCCb00" width="1200" height="1600" ><figcaption>Seasonal produce and goods at Tarrytown Local</figcaption></figure><h2>Pivoting to the Culinary World </h2><p>The pivot from law to food was a natural progression for Wazny. After practicing law for many years, he reconnected with his childhood passions: cooking and food. </p><p><i>Kitchen Confidential</i> by Anthony Bourdain probably a few years before I should have. We lost Bourdain in the summer of 2018 right before my last year of law school, and it hit me really hard. I remember reading his first <i>New Yorker</i> article in my summer associate office the day he did; he talks about line cooking (“done well”) being like a dance. About how the industry was a haven for outcasts. It stuck with me,” Wazny shares candidly. </p><h2>The First Restaurant Gig</h2><p>Wazny began to think about his options after quitting law, and restaurants and food instantly came to mind. “My now wife, girlfriend at the time, encouraged me when I tried to write these ideas off as crazy and unrealistic,” he says. He then began to bring his ideas to fruition. He searched alumni databases at his alma matter, Fordham Law, and sparked conversations with people who advised him that he should work in restaurants first before trying to open one. After putting in his notice at his law firm, he found a chef who gave him the chance at a line cook job. He originally thought it would be hard to land such a gig, but the chef laughed at him, saying, “Show up on time, do what you’re told, and I’ll get you a job tomorrow.”</p><p>Wazny’s first restaurant gig was as a line cook at a small Mediterranean spot in Midtown East in New York City. From there, he worked as a brunch grill cook before moving to an upscale pizza spot in Manhattan’s Little Italy. He worked his way up to sous chef at the pizza spot and met Schanzer around that time. The idea of opening up his own restaurant came to mind again.</p><p>“I loved working in restaurants. I loved the hustle, the attention to detail, and the rigor amidst the humor…the intensity of the superficial. (It’s just dinner after all.) I knew I had to stay once I was in,” shares Wazny. </p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1HQdTB_1GzeWCCb00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1HQdTB_1GzeWCCb00" width="1200" height="1600" ><figcaption>Steve Wazny preparing a dish</figcaption></figure><h2>The Rewarding Road to Opening Tarrytown Local</h2><p>From both a geographic and strategic standpoint, Tarrytown was a natural fit for the dining concept. The town offers easy access to the Hudson Valley’s agricultural region through its proximity to local farms, while remaining within driving distance of New York City. </p><p>“We are right down the street from one of the best farmers’ markets in the state (The TaSH), and folks around here know good, local food,” says Schanzer.</p><p>According to Schanzer, one of the biggest (ongoing) challenges since officially opening on October 10 has been sourcing internally outside of the industrial food system. “Nearly all of our products and ingredients are sourced directly from the producers, down to the salt and oil,” notes Schanzer.</p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3mUPVs_1GzeWCCb00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3mUPVs_1GzeWCCb00" width="1200" height="1600" ><figcaption>Fresh bread</figcaption></figure><p>On the flip side, the road to opening has been “surreal,” shares Wazny. He recalls his brother-in-law surprising him the other day, showing him the diner menus he wrote up on a family trip back when he was still in litigation. “It was really emotional seeing him in the store, feeding him breakfast, a real bright spot in my life,” expresses Wazny. </p><h2>A Space for Seasonal Ingredients at Tarrytown Local</h2><p>Schanzer gathers his culinary inspiration from beautiful, fresh produce, so the food, as well as the menu development process, is ingredient-focused. He mentions that his goal for breakfast and lunch at Tarrytown Local is to serve “familiar and accessible food.”</p><blockquote><p>“I love creating dishes that speak to specific agricultural relationships or techniques,” shares Schanzer.</p></blockquote><p>Schanzer adds that when dinner is introduced to the menu in the next month or two, he will have the chance to showcase even more ingredients from the Hudson Valley, with many dishes focusing on a particular piece of produce or artisanal product. In addition to being passionate about animals being raised in their natural habitats (such as cows on pasture or pigs in silvopasture), Schanzer shares that Tarrytown Local is committed to best sourcing practices, allowing customers to see that philosophy as they walk through the store and taste the dishes.</p><p>“For example, Seneca Grain &amp; Bean grows lentils in upstate New York, and they are intercropped with wheat berries, so I get a kick out of serving their wheat berries and lentils together. It gives me an excuse to talk about intercropping, companion plants, cover crops, etc.,” notes Schanzer. </p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0UchrS_1GzeWCCb00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0UchrS_1GzeWCCb00" width="1200" height="1600" ><figcaption>Meadowlands Farm tomatoes and fall strawberries, handpicked by Chef Fox Schanzer. The dish is paired with Ardith Mae Chevre, pickled okra flowers, Deep Roots Farm escamillo peppers, and Laurel and Ash apple cider vinegar.</figcaption></figure><h2>Guiding Hospitality Principles at Tarrytown Local</h2><p>In addition to focusing on seasonal ingredients, Tarrytown Local is centered on hospitality principles. Wazny notes that his attitude toward hospitality is what helped him launch his first LLC, which led to the opening of Tarrytown Local. </p><p>“I think that good hospitality is like the toad and the owl. I think both offer examples of what it takes to offer great hospitality. They are fast and focused, but not frantic. They are quiet and watchful, but not without communication,” he observes. “You must remain calm amidst the relentless focus and execution. It is a brutal, challenging contradiction.”</p><h2>A Place in Westchester’s Community</h2><p>Since opening last month, Schanzer shares that Tarrytown Local already has a group of regular diners and shoppers. </p><p>“[They’re] nice people, my neighbors really (I live downtown), and they seem to really understand and resonate with the food I’m trying to serve,” says Schanzer. </p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1AUwbj_1GzeWCCb00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1AUwbj_1GzeWCCb00" width="960" height="1280" ></figure><p>Tarrytown Local offers pantry staples and seasonal produce from trusted farmers at its store. All of the bread is baked fresh every day using flour that’s milled onsite. Currently, Tarrytown Local is open for breakfast and lunch and offers grab-and-go options. The neighborhood spot will be open for dinner soon. </p></div></body>

Block Source: westchestermagazine.com

Misinformation

Clickbait

Old or repetitive news

Explicit content

Location not relevant

Opened in October, Tarrytown Local is a hybrid grocery store, restaurant, and bakery owned and operated by people who are obsessed with food, including food systems, sourcing, and flavor. The team behind the new culinary concept is owner and operator Steve Wazny and chef/culinary director Fox Schanzer. On the bakery side, baker and miller Katrina Poulin mills the locally sourced grains every morning and bakes the bread. With a background in the arts, sous chef Rick Krebs is passionate about the essence of local cooking.

Tarrytown Local Introduces a Fresh Store and Dining Concept

NewsBreak

Opened in October, Tarrytown Local is a hybrid grocery store, restaurant, and bakery owned and operated by people who are obsessed with food, including foo

Tarrytown Local Introduces a Fresh Store and Dining Concept

Comments