Age: 34
Chef Greg Baxtrom’s Brooklyn eatery Olmsted gained instant recognition when it opened four years ago, including being named a James Beard Award finalist for best new restaurant.
The 50-seat venue, named after the architect who designed nearby Prospect Park, has won acclaim for its seasonal, locally sourced, and vegetable-centric menu, including some ingredients grown right in the restaurant’s backyard. Before opening Olmsted, Baxtrom worked in some of the world’s most acclaimed restaurants, including Alinea, Per Se, Atera, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and Lysverkey in Norway.
After the pandemic forced him to close the restaurant on March 25, Baxtrom quickly pivoted to turn Olmsted into a food bank supporting local healthcare workers with 200-400 meals per week, according to Eater. He secured sponsorship for the venture from the Lee Initiative, which supports diversity and equality in the restaurant industry, and bourbon distiller Maker’s Mark. “We started out trying to produce food for unemployed restaurant workers, and within hours of that being open it became just anyone who needs it,” Baxtrom says in the Eater article.
With the food bank, Baxtrom reportedly strives to imbue the dishes with the creativity and thoughtfulness that guide the restaurant’s traditional menu. “We’re being creative because we want to make random stuff taste good,” Baxtrom tells Eater.
In addition to the food bank, Baxtrom created Olmstead Trading Post, which offers retail products such as blood orange marmalade, duck breast pastrami, and Togarashi popcorn, seasoned with a Japanese spice blend.
Mark Hamstra is a regular contributor to Specialty Food and SFA News Daily.
Photo credit: Evan Sung
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