New York Kitchen offers gateway to New York state agriculture and beverages

Canandaigua nonprofit connects the public to the people in the state's bountiful craft beverage industries through classes and its tasting room

Note: This story is sponsored content, made possible through a partnership between the New York Kitchen and Cleveland Prost.

New York Kitchen, located on the northern shore of Canandaigua Lake, is a gateway to the bounty of wines, beers, spirits, cheeses, and other products produced in the Finger Lakes.

The nonprofit seeks to connect folks to all the Empire State has to offer by showcasing producers and artisans and by hosting classes where attendees can learn from industry luminaries.

Originally a partnership between Wegmans, Constellation Brands, Rochester Institute of Technology, and the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, New York Kitchen is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the same mission — education, inclusion, and empowerment.

Photo: New York Kitchen beverage education manager Maiah Johnson Dunn during a recent class.

To better understand the organization’s mission, one only needs to consider the people behind it. The team includes people with decades of experience in marketing and the hospitality industries. Putting it simply, New York Kitchen is under the stewardship of a beverage and culinary super-team.

And through the organization’s full slate of classes and its tasting room, New York Kitchen stands uniquely capable of spreading the state’s agricultural and beverage gospels. New York Kitchen can also connect folks to the people behind the products.

“That’s what really drew me to New York Kitchen initially, the thought of being able to educate the public in so many wonderful things we’re doing here in New York state,” NYK tasting room manager Tam Tones said. “Agriculturally, industrial, food and beverage, cheese, everything, tying it all together in one location for everyone.”

According to beverage education manager Maiah Johnson Dunn, the goal is to “excite, educate, and engage consumers in the bounty of craft everything in New York state. You can experience all of the Finger Lakes in one spot here.”

NYK is right in the heart of everything.

Photo: New York Kitchen, illuminated, during a recent snowy evening.

Discovering a new calling

Dunn never expected to be here. After a decade spent in corporate marketing and events for big clients in big cities, Dunn finds herself in the heart of the Finger Lakes.

“I had a blast, but I needed to calm it down a bit,” she said. And when the pandemic hit, she said she was planning and then hosting events via Zoom, something she said was “horrendous.” After her department was dissolved, she turned to writing about wine. And that eventually led to NYK.

In her role as NYK beverage education manager, she’s “focused on educational programming around all things beverage and lifestyle in upstate New York.”

She just celebrated a year in this role. Her journey really highlights how everyone has a unique path toward discovering new passions, including craft beverages and education.

“I guess you could say that in my writing about wine, I was educating people, and now I’ve landed in this educator role,” she said. “The beverage industry overall, a lot of this is learning on the go and then refining the process to make sure it feels awesome for our customers.”

Learning can be a lot more fun and impactful when it’s collaborative, when it’s hands-on, and when it’s a conversation.

Photo: Attendees enjoy a recent class at the New York Kitchen.

Growing up in the Finger Lakes

Tones became New York Kitchen’s tasting room manager in September after spending more than 20 years in the wine industry, primarily in and around Keuka Lake. That included stops at Bully Hill Vineyards and Heron Hill Winery as a server, Great Western/Pleasant Valley Wine Co., and McGregor Vineyard as tasting room manager.

“I am a very proud New Yorker. I grew up on Keuka Lake. My family owns vineyards and grows for various wineries. It just feels like home,” Tones said. “It feels like something I’ve been a part of my entire life. I love to share that with customers.” 

And that perfectly aligns with the mission and vision of New York Kitchen, which Tones describes as a showcase for “100 percent New York state products – our wines, spirits, beers, and all of the other products we offer.” She said Keuka Lake wineries like Weis Vineyards and McGregor Vineyard remain two of her all-time favorites. Because in her estimation, the Finger Lakes are a special place and are worthy of the spotlight.

“I think the Finger Lakes is a special place because of our unique geography, our location,” she said. “It’s a prime location to grow grapes and we’re steeped in tradition since the 1960s. Our microclimate is what aids us. And what I primarily enjoy about the Finger Lakes wine industry is that most of the wineries that people are familiar with started out as vineyards and working farms and evolved into tasting rooms and wineries.”

Since coming aboard, Tones has focused on increasing the availability of New York-produced products and increasing the awareness and accessibility of the tasting room. Tones wants the public to know that New York Kitchen is open for everyone and is a space that is welcoming of all, regardless of the level of background wine knowledge or nerdiness. 

“I’ve really been trying to connect with the different facets of New York Kitchen such as all the beverage education classes and the cooking classes, to have a synergy where we can work together and offer New York state wines in the classes and have them for sale here. My focus has been trying to connect all the dots.” 

Tones is working to expand the offerings in the tasting and increase the educational opportunities for those interested. She hopes to reach more and more people, to truly broaden the scope and reach of NYK.

“I just want to build upon what we’ve already established and make it even better,” she said. “We want to have more collaboration with our local breweries and wineries, host classes, and have them come in to talk about their products.”

Bringing it all together

NYK is designed to be a community hub. Through culinary and beverage education courses, the offerings are meant to both introduce the public to new things but also deepen the community’s understanding of what it means to come from the Finger Lakes.

“I remember when I was managing the tasting room and people would ask, ‘What is this building and am I allowed to be here?’” Dunn said. “That’s just so disheartening. We want people to come here and even spend the whole day here, which you could very well do if you planned it out. What we’re really seeking is for people to know this resource is here.”

Tones and Dunn are intent on removing many of the barriers people might encounter when entering the world of craft beverages. They want as many people as possible to experience it. So for NYK that involves expanding its diversity efforts, connecting with new audiences, and hosting classes to welcome more people in.

“The product is supposed to bring people together, it’s meant to be enjoyed with company,” Dunn said. “I want it to feel that way, especially when you walk in here. Everybody should be welcome and have a seat.”

To make gains here, NYK has diversified its roster of teachers and class offerings. But Dunn said that is only the start.

The organization’s garden party, typically held in August, serves as the biggest blowout of the year and also its biggest fundraiser. It involves inviting local vendors and producers to set up tables to offer samples, which is another way to showcase the bounty and variety of the Finger Lakes.

NYK is also bringing back its holiday markets after a rousing success in 2021. It is now hosting quarterly vendor markets — the hallways are lined with vendors, as well as the event space and the outdoor tent in the summer.

Dunn said the programming is a bit wine heavy right now, but she added the focus will be expanded to beer and other beverages in 2023.

“We’re focused on classes that highlight the Finger Lakes, classes that highlight New York products and also highlight our neighbors,” Dunn said. “We’ve had (Geneva-based) Brewery Ardennes in here to do a class about beer, because they brought all these different ingredients to highlight different tasting notes and that was really cool for people to experience.”

NYK also wants to open this even more to the public and better utilize the first-floor terrace with views of Canandaigua Lake. Dunn said a recent chocolate class with Laughing Gull Chocolates showed how NYK is “trying to liven up culinary education and make it real and enjoyable. We can talk about the reality of the product, but also make sure people can enjoy it as long as they are mindful of the history.

“We are so spoiled and lucky to have this in our backyard.”

A note on sponsorship

The story was produced through a generous sponsorship agreement between New York Kitchen and the Cleveland Prost. For more information on the educational opportunities and products available there, visit NYK at 800 S. Main St. in Canandaigua or check out the website at nykitchen.com.