The team behind the popular health-focused, West Village restaurant Café Clover, announced Garrison Price—formerly of Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria—as its new Executive Chef. Chef Price introduces an entirely re-concepted dinner menu that marries his experience working with a range of international cuisine with the seasonal, local, and healthful approach for which Café Clover is known. In his new role, Price will also oversee changes to the lunch and brunch menus and serve as Culinary Director for the neighboring Clover Grocery and Restaurant at THE WELL—a NYC membership-based wellness club opening in 2019.
Since opening in January 2015, Cafe Clover has helped usher in a new wave of healthful dining in New York, with an emphasis on wholesome and thoughtfully sourced ingredients. Chef Price will introduce an ever-evolving, market-driven dinner menu that continues to build upon the restaurant’s commitment to wellness and healthy living.
Pulling inspiration from different cultures for distinctive global influences, notable highlights of the new menu include Mushroom Dumplings with golden chanterelles, puffed rice and smoked porcini tea; Branzino with confit fennel, castelvetrano olives and sour orange dressing; and Coconut Curry matcha crepe paired with sweet potato and fermented pineapple sambal.
Chef Price’s experience working with Italian cuisine at Il Buco is evidenced in Clover’s new, vegetarian, gluten-free pasta section, featuring Hemp Rigatoni with watercress pesto, pistachio and pecorino romano and a Chickpea Pappardelle in a foraged mushroom Bolognese. Chef Price was last year’s winner of the James Beard Foundation’s Primo di New York Award for Best Pasta Dish.
The dinner menu also offers a large selection of innovative plant-based dishes including Kohlrabi Carpaccio with hearts of palm, watercress, avocado, aleppo chili and lime and a selection of vegetables prepared in different styles such as Sweet Potato maitake with brussels sprouts and green chili; and Broccoli Rabe with calabrian chili, garlic and preserved lemon.
Chef Price is set to further expand the house-made offerings at Clover Grocery, the specialty health and wellness market, ideal for those seeking healthy options to bring home. Pickled vegetables, preserves, sandwiches, and bowls made from the kitchen at Cafe Clover will be on offer alongside a curated selection from purveyors locally and globally, including Westwind Orchard, Blackberry Farm, SQIRL, Casa Bosques, and more.
“We’re so excited to welcome Chef Garrison to Café Clover – after four years we felt it was time to bring a fresh perspective to our unique, healthful approach to dining out in New York City,” says Partner Kyle Hotchkiss Carone, “His range of experience and familiarity with healthful ingredients from around the world gave us the opportunity to infuse new flavors and influences to our offerings as we continue to evolve the Clover brand.”
Chef Price has over 18 years of culinary experience – formerly the Executive Chef of Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria, he had worked closely to develop the restaurant’s beloved market-driven approach to Italian cuisine. Prior to this, Chef Price helmed the kitchens at Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurants and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group restaurant Asiate where he honed his skills in Asian cuisine. After, he joined Jose Andres’ ThinkFoodGroup as the Head Chef of China Poblana, traveling through Mexico to research the authentic flavors and food culture of the country.
“I’m thrilled to contribute to the evolution of the Clover brands and express the range of my culinary experiences,” says Chef Garrison Price, “These platforms allow me to expand my vision beyond the limits of a specific cuisine and tap into rich traditions of healthful cooking from around the world – the idea here is not to just make good food, but make food that makes you feel good, too.”
