Happy Birthday Eataly! The amazing Italian Emporium Eataly is celebrating their 10th anniversary! On January 27, 2007, Oscar Farinetti opened the first Eataly in a once-abandoned vermouth factory in Torino, Italy. Abounding with restaurants and a cooking school, the unique market offered a place to eat, shop and learn about high-quality products. A decade later, this philosophy has spread to more than 35 locations (!) across the world, including Italy, the United States, and beyond!
In celebration of this incredible achievement – we are posting our favorite foodie experience at the opening of the Eataly Dowtown Location. Read on to see why Eataly Downtown is a cultural destination – and an incredible addition to Lower Manhattan!
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Benvenuto al nuovo Eataly! Part of downtown Manhattan’s incredible transformation, the second NYC location of Eataly recently opened their Lower Manhattan location. Located on the beautiful, light-filled third floor of the new Tower 4 at the World Trade Center, Eataly Downtown is a 40,000-square-foot space to eat, drink, shop and revel in an expansive world of Italian food and culture. An incredible addition to lower Manhattan, the local community, and its visitors.
Each Eataly store is dedicated to a theme; an influential person, a piece of history, or an idea. The Eataly NYC Downtown location is dedicated to bread. Why Bread? Eataly believes that bread is truly “a symbol of community and connectivity” noting that bread is the only food created by man that unites virtually every country and community around the world. By choosing this as their theme – it allows them to have a platform to ‘break bread’ and connect and interact with New York City’s diverse population with discussions about culture and cuisines from around the world.
Bread Table at Eataly Downtown
Eataly Downtown NYC
Upon entering Eataly Downtown, guests are greeted with a gorgeous table display of featured bread that’s waiting to be discovered. Behind the display is a map entitled: “Global Bread, a Common Thread” highlighting 196 countries around the world and their respective bread. Each month, Eataly NYC Downtown invites bakers from around the world to the store to highlight, share, and celebrate their breads through demonstrations and tastings. Eataly will also produce and showcase their own bread made in-house on a rotating calendar. From the specialty bread options, daily creations, and an entire counter of sweet and savory focaccia sensations, Eataly has officially risen as the bread destination of Manhattan.
Of course there is more than just bread at this amazing Italian emporium!
Exploring the Fresh Produce
Education Philosophy
Education is a key element of Eataly’s philosophy, and they believe “The more you know, the more you enjoy.” This philosophy continues throughout the store, as Eataly NYC Downtown invites you to learn more about their food, chefs, and producers of their food. From signs and educational material on the walls, pasta making “shows” and chefs creating products through open kitchens and large glass windows – there’s something for everyone to enjoy, especially any inspiring foodies, big or small.
For an even more in-depth exploration – Eataly NYC Downtown has a free food university or “Foodiversità” on site that has daily classes open to all ages. The Foodiversità encourages guests to play with their food through live demos around a large communal cooking table. No registration is necessary; seating is first come, first served.
With endless options to explore, our foodies were ecstatic for their tour.
Eataly’s Fresh Produce Market
Fresh Produce
Our tour started in the market of Eataly, exploring the fresh vegetables and fruits. The produce department at Eataly Downtown is one of the first areas of the market to greet guests. The majority of their fruits and vegetables are seasonal and local.
A quick stop at the Juice Bar to start the tour
The on-site “vegetable butcher” who will chop, clean, prep, and help with recipe suggestions along with the vegetable purchase. Love how they offer to prep all fruits and vegetables for guests. Couldn’t be easier to be healthy!
Fresh Ingredients
Pasta, Please!
First – a quick stop for some proper chef attire (love these Eataly chef hats!) Then – on to the fresh pasta counter that included a visit with Mark Healey, Eataly’s Pasta Guru!
While guests are always invited to watch the talented pastai or fresh pasta makers from the open kitchen while they create pasta by hand – our foodies went inside the kitchen to watch them transform ingredients to create pasta right before their eyes. Mark showed the foodies how to add fresh ingredients into the machine to help create the noodles.
Tagliatelle noodles were being made when we arrived
All pasta is made by the in-house pastai who knead, roll, and shape the dough by hand. Today – we had the opportunity to see how they use machines to assist in making certain shaped noodles such as tagliatelle.
The incredible fresh pasta!
After – the foodies were able to discover the fresh noodles in their hands. Such an experience to see how the pasta is created!
Entering the brilliantly designed La Piadina counter
La Piadina
Next – we visited Chef Mirko Maioli at the La Piadina counter.
One of the many breads highlighted at Eataly NYC Downtown – piadina, which is a popular Italian street food, consisting of local vegetables, meats, cheese, or sweets layered onto a simple grilled flatbread of freshly cooked dough. This Italian street food staple is typically served from carts in the towns of Italy originating from the region of Emilia-Romagna.
Rolling the Dough
Chef Mirko showed our foodies how the flatbread starts as a hand-rolled ball of fresh dough. He gave the children some dough to help roll. “Feels like playdoh!” Love how the children attribute the joys of cooking to play. Cooking and discovering food should be fun!
After, Chef Mirko placed the dough balls into a machine where it is flattened into a circular, even shape. This is then placed onto the grill for cooking.
Adding the sweet ingredients
After the piadina has been cooked – it’s time to add the ingredients. Today, a sweet treat – the foodies will be able to create a Gabicce Mare Piadina with Venchi Gianjuda Cream!
Delicious
But tasting is the best part!
Right this way!
More Italian adventure this way through Via Italia or the Sensory Shortcut!
Tossing the dough
Perfect Pizza
The foodies pulled up a chair and watch the talented pizzaioli (pizza chefs) at La Pizza & La Pasta Restaurant. Eataly NYC Downtown has teamed up with Rossopomodoro, a Neapolitan based pizza company to create Neapolitan pizza using generations-old techniques and practices. The talented pizzaiolis were slinging dough to the delight of customers…
Little chefs in the making
…and even gave our foodies a chance to try their skills as well!
Fast, Fresh and Delicious
After, the pizza is cooked Neapolitan style in a 900-degree wood burning oven. Being that the oven is at such a high temperature, along with the fact that the dough rises for a minimum of 24 hours, the pizzas cook in only 90 seconds! How incredible (and delicious!).
Into the bakery
Baking Buddies
After the pizza tasting, the foodies were invited into the heart of the bread bakery. All breads are hand-made in house in their large industrial kitchen.
Look at the size of the mixer
We were amazed at the scale of this large mixer inside the Eataly Downtown’s bakery. The chefs explained that this is where they mix the large bulk dough lots for the breads they create in store.
Creating their own pizza
What a treat – the foodies were allowed to create their own pizza alla pala or Roman style street pizza with the help of the talented team. First, kneading and rolling the dough. The chefs explained that you need to continually add flour to keep it from sticking.
Sauce on top
Adding sauce and ingredients!
Time to bake
Into the oven it goes! Our lil guy had the opportunity to place his pizza alla pala directly into the oven himself!
The finished Pizza alla Pala
The final product! The Pizza alla Pala was delicious!
Free Food University
For their last foodie adventure – a stop at the “Foodiversità,” Eataly Downtown’s food university with free daily classes open to all ages. The Foodiversità encourages guests to interact and learn about cooking through live demos around a large communal cooking table. No registration is necessary; seating is first come, first served. The foodies got to take a fresh pasta class with Mark!
Ready for class
Today’s cooking class adventure – fresh pasta noodles from scratch! Earlier with Mark Healey, Head chef of Fresh Pasta and Bakery, the foodies watched a machine make pasta. Now, the foodies get to try making pasta by hand!
Mixing the ingredients!
Mixing all the ingredients together to create the dough was fun (and messy!) The foodies helped crack an egg and combine with the flour mixture. After – we kneaded the ingredients together to create a ball of fresh dough.
Perfect noodles
Next, we placed the dough into a small pasta machine to create the noodles. The machine helped to perfectly flatten and cut the dough into strips.
Such an incredible day. Grazie ed a presto Eataly Downtown! We thank you, and can’t wait to visit again soon!
Celebrate the 10th Anniversary at Eataly with iconic dishes, incredible sales (50% off more than 1,000 products!), and dedicated tastings and events. Learn more HERE
Learn more about the Eataly Downtown location (and their latest Foodiversità Calendar) HERE
The above article was originally published as part of the FreshKids Foodie Blog. See more of our FreshKids Foodie Adventures HERE
