When Alyssa Belasco stepped into the role of executive director at New York Kitchen in 2020, it was a time of uncertainty. The COVID-19 pandemic was ongoing, making tourism almost non-existent, and New York Kitchen had recently undergone a rebrand and reorganization.
Belasco doesn’t have traditional hospitality training or experience, she spent most of her career working in marketing and communications for nonprofits — and her personal life has been spent championing food and beverage in Rochester and the Finger Lakes.
“Before I worked here, my husband and I would come for the experiences. That was a lot of what we gifted each other, and it became a favorite place for special occasions,” said Belasco. “So it was kind of a full circle moment when I got the job opportunity.”
Now, the North Winton resident commutes to Canandaigua almost daily, as does most of her Rochester-based staff. Originally opened in 2006 as the New York Wine and Culinary Center, New York Kitchen is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with an almost completely female staff led by Belasco — the board includes the executive director of the Sands Family Foundation, top staffers at Constellation Brands and Rochester Institute of Technology and the president of Finger Lakes Community College.
Positioned next to The Lake House on the shores of Canandaigua Lake, the building has the feel of a weekend getaway-meets-upscale school with its hands-on teaching kitchen and tiered-seating wine spectator theater. The bright tasting room features all New York State products, and each of the 11 Finger Lakes is represented, from wine and cheese to beer and gifts. The onsite restaurant and tasting room are open Wednesday through Sundays for visitors, and there’s a robust events calendar filled with wine and cooking classes, pairing dinners and professional certification courses.
The proximity to both Rochester — roughly a 30-minute drive — and the other Finger Lakes is ideal, in Belasco’s opinion, given the nearby Lake House and other hotels, lakefront recreation options like Canandaigua Sailboard and the Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center (CMAC).
“You can make a weekend of it — Canandaigua is a perfect launchpad for your Finger Lakes journey,” she said. “We hope to be the place people start if they want to dip a toe into exploring Finger Lakes wines, learning more about how to taste wine or, on the culinary side, be introduced to new farms and producers in the area.”
Stefan Fleming, director of craft beverage industry development for NYS Empire State Development, said New York Kitchen is an amazing partner.
“(They are) introducing countless residents and visitors to local cuisine and craft beverage pairings that support New York businesses,” he said. “Their classes are equally engaging; nothing reinforces the prominence and quality of our world-class beverages like a side-by-side, blind comparison against other renowned regions. It’s a fun, engaging and sometimes very surprising experience for novices and experts alike.”
Since Belasco took the helm in 2020, educational programming has become an even greater focus for New York Kitchen. One of Belasco’s earliest hires was award-winning wine writer (and occasional CITY contributor) Maiah Johnson Dunn, who is the first-ever beverage education manager at New York Kitchen. In addition to curating a roster of 11 part-time teachers, Johnson Dunn is also building and teaching classes like “Wine for Normies” (her current favorite) and “Exploring Black Wines.”
“Wine was my pandemic pivot,” said Johnson Dunn, who relocated here from Boston, where she worked in corporate events. “So I’m thankful (Alyssa) took a chance on me. She has given me a lot of free reign to experiment with classes. We need to make it accessible for people, that’s what wine, in particular, really needs.”
Johnson Dunn also credited Belasco for building a healthy culture at New York Kitchen.
“(Alyssa) has done a lot to make sure that our team is having fun — if we’re not happy, that comes through in the customer experience,” said Johnson Dunn. “She has done a great job making sure we really love what we do and who we do it with, and for that I’m super thankful because you don’t find that at all companies.”
Director of food & beverage education programs Lora Downie spent almost a decade at Foodlink before coming to New York Kitchen, to which Belasco credits Downie’s deep understanding of community culinary education. Tasting room manager Chris Schmitt was previously tasting room manager at Heron Hill Winery on Keuka Lake, and would come into New York Kitchen to taste on his days off.
“When you think about who you want around the table, you want diversity,” said Belasco. “You don’t want people who look and think and sound like you, and the team here truly brings that.”
One of New York Kitchen’s most impactful programs is the Junior Chef Initiative, which connects students ages 12-18 from Monroe, Ontario, Yates and Wayne Counties to food and their communities through hands-on experiences.
“These are historically underserved youth, some of whom have never left the city or town where they grew up,” Belasco said. “We bring them here and they work in our garden and in the kitchen — they do things we take for granted, like visit a lake, and they say, ‘when can we come back and do it again?’”
Last year, the Junior Chef Initiative enrolled 540 students, and recent fundraising efforts made it possible to fund the program year-round, due to student demand.
“With all of these programs, we’re really just trying to communicate that the food and beverage industry needs us,” said Belasco, “and we need it, more than ever.”
New York Kitchen’s annual Garden Party fundraiser will take place on Tuesday, August 12. For a full list of experiences, visit their website. nykitchen.com
Leah Stacy is the editor of CITY. She can be reached at leah@rochester-citynews.com.
This article appears in Dec 1-31, 2024.
