Phil Meldrum

How did you get involved with City Harvest?
As a NYC resident in the food business I was aware of City Harvest. During our search for a new office we saw a promising space. When I found out City Harvest was in the same building it was a sign. So we signed the lease and immediately contacted City Harvest to see how we could do more.

Why is hunger an important issue for you?
Food and good nutrition are the fundamental starting points for a happy and fulfilling life. 

How has your involvement with City Harvest affected your outlook on food and/or hunger in New York City?
What impressed me is that City Harvest is much more than a distributor of rescued food. City Harvest educates people in economically and fresh food challenged neighborhoods that you can't live solely on snack foods and soda from the local corner store. The only way to truly break the cycle of poverty is through better nutrition starting with children. These educational efforts are what can make a real difference in the future.

What inspired you to start FoodMatch?
My wife and I were walking (in fact somewhat lost) in an ancient olive grove on a Greek Island in the Ionian Sea. The splendor of those two thousand year old trees was at once breathtaking and indescribable. Massive and magnificently gnarled, the trees looked every bit their age, yet they were carefully pruned and bountiful beyond belief. Clearly, the trees were deeply rooted not just in the rocky soil but also in the history and fabric of life on the island. In that moment, I realized that olives are cultural and gastronomical gems. Like wine, they reflect their origin; their character comes from the climate, soil and traditions of the places where they are grown. I started FoodMatch to bring this world of authentic Mediterranean olives to the US.

What inspires you about working in the food industry?
The passion at all levels, the tangible nature of what we do, and the connection to agriculture. Living in a time when technology has profoundly changed the way we live and communicate, it's comforting that the way we source olives has not changed. We go village to village, grower to grower with lots of posturing along the way. It's a scene that has played out the same way for a thousand years and I feel connected to a long continuum of human experience.

What is your favorite hidden gem of a restaurant in New York City?
Mercato, around the corner from our office. I feel like I'm in Puglia.

What is your favorite type of food to eat?
So many! The stand outs are perfectly fresh and simple grilled fish, all things Italian and French, Greek meze, Spanish tapas, Peruvian ceviche, a perfect mango, and of course cheese. I could survive on French cheese, bread, and wine.

Do you cook? What is your favorite type of food to make?
Yes, simple and easy, Mediterranean style salads and small dishes from what is in season, all things grilled (meats and veggies). Mushrooms deserve a special mention. . . fresh chanterelles and cèpes when I can find them and sauces with dried morels.

What can you not live without in your kitchen? What are your favorite food items?
Olive oil, olives, tomatoes, great bread, cheese, prosciutto or pancetta, garlic, sea salt.

What is your favorite junk food?
Tortilla chips. I can't stop. Does it count as junk food when you eat them with salsa?

What is in your refrigerator?
Organic milk, Greek yogurt, blueberries, jams from our farm, apples, some kind of organic meat, broccoli or cauliflower, haricots verts organic lettuces, some kind of great jarred pasta sauce, French butter, cured meat, cheese.

What was the last best meal that you had?
Last week, at my favorite little seafood tavern in Chalki, Greece. Perfect local shellfish and fish prepared as the fishermen were dropping off their catch.

• At the Chef's Table
• The Food Council