In collaboration with the Sustainable Style Foundation, the Verhulst + Fredericks pop-up restaurant will combine the worlds of interior design, fashion, and food creation into a unique dining experience that will generate curiosity, inspire stylish sustainable living, and spark creative conversation – all while connecting people to the rich history of New York. The three-week, farmhouse-inspired restaurant will serve healthy, fresh, and inventive food inspired by lower Manhattan’s Dutch roots. Appropriately located on the Bowery, which was once populated by Dutch farmhouses called bouwerij during the 17th century, the restaurant will continue the pioneering spirit of its namesake explorers of lower Manhattan in an ever-changing and trendsetting neighborhood of present day New York.

The interior of the restaurant will be reflective of a modern dinner party with unique details inspired by Dutch art, and will follow LEED CI (Commercial Interiors) certification guidelines. Fashion-forward staff uniforms, developed by a fashion stylist, and music will also be integral to the total concept. The menu will feature oysters on the half shell served with mignonette, seared herring with asparagus, fingerling potatoes and sorrel topped with hollandaise sauce, and a nettle and potato soup with croutons and herbs. In keeping with the sustainable spirit, V+F will seek partnerships with sustainable purveyors, a local forager, Greenmarket NYC vendors and local Community Supported Agriculture groups. Scheduled to open within sometime in 2011/2012,  the restaurant will seat 25-30 people, with three reserved seatings a night for dinner along with bar / counter service.

Who are Verhulst and Fredericks?

In 1625, Willem Verhulst (Veerholst), second director of the Dutch West India Company, and Cryn Fredericks, Military Engineer and Surveyor, chose a site for the company’s main fortress and town at the tip of Manhattan Island. Fredricks was also the designer and builder of Fort Amsterdam. The settlement surrounding the fort, called New Amsterdam, was the first permanent European settlement in what was to later become New York City.

Why a pop-up restaurant?
Even though the trend has been around for several years, pop-ups still signify something new and fresh – whether it’s new products, services, concepts, or food. They also represent the ideas of renewal, transience, and the immediate, breathing life back into vacant storefronts or lots for a short period of time, saying to the public “Get it/Experience it now, while it lasts.” This ties in perfectly with V+F’s idea of fresh-off-the-farm food and the simplicity of living off the land. The entire concept for V+F is centered on these very ideas. SSF is also undergoing a renewal of its own. The organization is moving forward with initiatives and programs that effectively communicate its vision and mission, highlighting the breadth of sustainable lifestyle choices available to all. Any organization can plan a gala or an auction. At SSF, we have a history of “thinking outside the box,” and we are continuing our legacy of approaching things with a fresh perspective by creating a pop-up restaurant.

Sustainability and Pop-ups?
In addition to creating a unique and engaging dining experience for New Yorkers, SSF is using Verhulst + Fredericks as an education platform on how to make pop-ups and restaurants in New York City more sustainable. Everything from the interior design and styling to food creation will be conceived and executed with the triple bottom line in mind – making sure it’s good for the environment, the community, and business.

A Global SSF Pop-up Project
Verhulst + Fredericks is the pilot project for a larger initiative planned by SSF.  We are looking at taking the concept of a sustainable pop-up restaurant and using it as a fun and creative way to bring awareness to sustainable living in different cities around the world. SSF sees the pop-up restaurant “event” as an ideal platform that matches the key strategies that formed the basis of the organization:

• Surprise consumers by highlighting the amount and breadth of sustainability across the many and diverse style/design industries.
• Keep sustainability in the media
• Promote cross-industry awareness and inspiration
• Use popular culture to influence consumer choices

Building upon the experiences and lessons learned in New York, we plan on adapting the concept to make it locally relevant and engaging to future target cities, with the greater hope of reaching a broader and more international audience with SSF’s mission.

Proceeds from Verhulst + Fredericks will benefit the Sustainable Style Foundation.

If you would like more information or would like to donate to help fund this innovative education platform, please contact us at info@sustainablestyle.org or click on the donate button below.

To make a reservation and find out more specifics about the project go to Verhulst + Fredericks site.

Logo & Graphic Design for V + F  by HNY Creative.