On a cold January evening in Tribeca, 85 people gathered at TIWA Select, an art gallery five stories above Walker Street, for "Stories to Savor," a fundraiser for 826NYC. The event blended readings, a dinner party, and a fundraiser, featuring a lineup of New York food luminaries including Martha Stewart, Alison Roman, Missy Robbins, Andrew Tarlow, and Annie Shi. Participants read food-themed essays and poems written by former 826NYC students, while chef Woldy Reyes prepared a Filipino-inspired feast. The evening was emceed by New Yorker writer Naomi Fry and co-host Kristen Naiman of The RealReal, with guests including fashion designer Ulla Johnson and artist Simone Bodmer-Turner.
The event matters because it highlights the intersection of food, art, and community engagement, using a gallery space as a platform for nonprofit work. 826NYC provides writing workshops for 3,600 New York City public school students, and the fundraiser leveraged the cultural cachet of prominent chefs and writers to support literacy and creative expression. The gathering also underscores how contemporary art spaces like TIWA Select are increasingly serving as multifunctional venues for social and philanthropic events, blurring the lines between gallery, home, and community hub.