This week I celebrated the launch of my cookbook at my local grocery store, the Key Foods on Fulton street in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. The event was hosted by Chopt Creative Salad Company, and was a supermarket sweep style food drive to benefit Wellness in The Schools (WITS). WITS  is a national nonprofit that inspires healthy eating, environmental awareness, and fitness as a way of life for kids in public schools.  In partnership with local departments of education, WITS reaches 50,000 children in over 100 U.S. schools, providing healthy, scratch-cooked meals and nutrition and fitness education.

The Fulton Street Key Foods is a 3rd generation family business, run by the Widdi family. Biggie Smalls was still Christopher Wallace, he bagged groceries at these registers (Lil’ Kim tried to sell weed in the aisles, but Mr. Wakeen caught her every time). Mrs. Wallace, Biggie’s mom, has long since moved to N.J., but her limo returns once a week to collect her long-standing order (this place is that good). Less importantly, I visit this market 2-3 times a day, and my book could not have been made without their excellent produce and A+ Middle Eastern selection. A huge thank you for their generosity, their pride and their eagerness to contribute to a good cause. This is the best that Brooklyn has to offer.

Thank you to Chopt for their generous support of Salad For President, and their longstanding partnership with WITS. Thank you to Arley Marks for serving up delicious cocktails from my book, and to our beverage partners, Greenhook Ginsmiths, Material Vodka and Grimm Ales for getting us drunk. Thank you to Natoora for creating wild edible goodie bags filled with Japanese knotweed and Gotham Greens basil, to Seed + Mill for their premium tahini and to Bambu for the highest quality, ecologically responsible serving ware.

And thank you to Phhhoto and Maché Pinatas for creating the best photobooth ever. Photos by Laura June Kirsch.