Five Things to Know About Farm to People Kitchen & Bar in Bushwick
These days, restaurants that also feature small markets or retail shops aren’t uncommon. A few examples: Roscioli made waves when it landed in New York for their Roman-style tasting menu, but their upstairs salumeria of pastas and canned sauces has been equally well received. The now-closed Fort Defiance made an even bigger name for itself when it pivoted to become a general store during the pandemic and beyond. Park Slope’s Pasta Louise found such success in their prepared foods market that they opened another space to house it, expanding the restaurant in a bigger location.
Less commonly found, however, are markets that feature small restaurants. And that’s the case with Farm to People Kitchen & Bar in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
In this edition of the Resy Rundown, we sit down with co-founder and co-owner Michael Robinov and chef Stefan Kefgen to talk about sustainability, community, and what’s on the menu (hint: chicken schnitzel) at this innovative space.
More From Resy
1. It started as — and still is — a farmers market delivery service.
Farm to People, founded in 2012 by Michael Robinov, his father David Robinov, and Anina von Haeften, is at its core a grocery delivery service, providing a variety of fresh goods direct to at-home diners. It’s not a meal-prep box and it’s not a CSA; those who buy the boxes have more control over what they get than a more traditional farm box, Robinov says.
The idea came to him when he was a college student at NYU, coming to fruition in 2012.
“I was starting to explore food on my own. I really felt like eating the way I wanted to and aspired to was inconvenient and difficult for a young student, but also expensive to do on a student budget,” Robinov says.
The concept is a familiar one: You choose which ingredients you want in your box, from things like fresh fruits and veggies to meats and grains.
Ten years after opening the business, in 2022, they decided to open the Farm to People Restaurant and Bar, a hyperseasonal spot that uses many of the same ingredients you would be able to get in one of their boxes, should you order one.
The restaurant itself, located in Bushwick, is open to the public (not just box subscribers) and was designed as a way to further the company’s presence in the local community, spreading their message of sustainability and the importance of farm-to-table ingredients.
2. Sustainability is king.
Both the boxes and the kitchen have a hyper focus on sustainability. The team works with small farms that use regenerative techniques like biodynamic farming and crop rotation, Robinov says, and the grocery side of the business boasts a 1% food-waste percentage, much of which is repurposed in the restaurant itself.
“We’re taking some of those lesser loved crops that don’t sell as well online and reengineering them in a delicious, approachable way [that causes people to say] ‘Wow, I should eat that more,’” Robinov says.
He cites things like their apple compote being made with bruised apples, or making preserved lemons from those that don’t get purchased.
“We’ve been really trying to push people toward enjoying and relishing the true biodiversity of what’s grown around them, and to support farmers by buying more of their crops than just carrots and tomatoes — eating the unique things as well,” Robinov says.
All of the ingredients used in the kitchen are things that can also be purchased in Farm to People’s boxes, Robinov says, and they hope to expand people’s imaginations and creativity when it comes to selecting their products with the food they serve in the restaurant.
3. Want a tour? Just ask.
The restaurant is housed directly in what, by day, is the warehouse for Farm to People delivery boxes, often piled high with fruits and vegetables, with people coming in and out frequently. At night, there are string lights and music, and the warehouse is transformed completely into a much cozier space.
In addition to the restaurant, which is open Thursday through Sunday for now, they’ve also hosted events ranging from raves to book signings. It’s also played host to a long line of pop-ups from chefs like Mehreen Karim (formerly at Bon Appétit and now on the show “Next Level Chef”), Samah Dada (the blogger behind @dadaeats and host of “How to Eat Plants”), and even acclaimed restaurant Eleven Madison Park for a summer barbecue. For now, they’re focusing on their new chef, but more pop-ups and collaborations could come in the future.
“We were founded in New York, by New Yorkers. Our warehouse was not a consumer-facing part of our business, and we wanted to change that. I felt like the work that we’re doing in our warehouse was really cool. I love giving a warehouse tour,” Robinov says.
4. The menu is vegetable forward.
Kefgen joined the restaurant late last year as chef. He says that he changes the menu four times a year, often also creating specials when there is too much of a certain ingredient for the boxes.
The menu runs the gamut from more comfort-style dishes, like their popular chicken “Schnitty” with horseradish and mustard potatoes, to more seasonal specialties like the honeynut squash with pepita salsa. There are also fried mortadella-stuffed olives, spaghetti carbonara, and plums and cream.
Dessert comes in the form of bread pudding made with day-old She Wolf Bakery loaves, left over from boxes, topped with whipped cream and that aforementioned apple compote.
The restaurant also serves thoughtfully sourced wines and beers, with a majority being local, biodynamic, and organic. Most recently, they started serving cocktails, too.
5. The chef has always loved a good farmers market.
Kefgen and Robinov have known each other since they were kids — “basket weaving and stone carving,” Kefgen says — at the Rudolf Steiner Waldorf School on East 79th Street in Manhattan. After high school, Kefgen went to Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., and the now-closed French Culinary Institute, hoping to foster the love of food and cooking that he’s had his whole life.
“I started cooking for friends of mine in high school. That really solidified what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Kefgen says. “I wanted to stay in kitchens, making people happy and bringing food to the table.”
Before coming to Farm to People, Kefgen worked at Nobu and as the head chef at Andrew Carmellini’s The Dutch, where he especially grew fond of the Union Square Greenmarket.
“When I was going to Union Square as a young sous chef and cook, I was getting inspiration, passing through the farm stands, and touching the food and being there physically,” Kefgen says. “It’s the exact same thing that’s happening here [at Farm to People].”
When food comes into the loading dock, Kefgen gets up close and personal to come up with new menu ideas.
“[Before] I had to travel to the market. I don’t have to do that now. The luxury of working here is that I have so much inspiration just 10 feet away from me,” Kefgen says.
Farm to People Kitchen & Bar is open Thursdays through Sundays from 5 to 10 p.m. For up-to-date information about their pop-ups and other events, follow them on Instagram.
Ellie Plass is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn. Follow her on Instagram and X. Follow Resy, too.
