Foragers Table Re-Opens With Worldly New Executive Chef Olivier Palazzo

Annabella Pardo

A quiet corridor in the heart of Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood once again pulses with culinary vitality with the reopening of Foragers Market and their restaurant, Foragers Table. The decade-old farm-to-table favorite – which closed during the Pandemic – is now helmed by new Executive Chef Olivier Palazzo, and features his boldly reimagined “modern-Mediterranean” menu along with a far-sighted wine and cocktails program.

Worldly and well-traveled, Palazzo’s influence will also extend to the Market’s beloved “grab-and-go” grocery. And the restaurant – tucked gently just beyond the Market – will debut an after-hours live music program with a relaxed and jazzy vibe.

“Olivier embodies a younger, more international, more inclusive generation that is increasingly calling New York City home,” says Anna Castellani, who owns Foragers’ Chelsea location with partner Michael D’Amato. “His mix of cuisines and focus on vegetables not only reflects the future of food – but the future of New York itself.”

Born in West Africa and raised in the South of France, Palazzo’s contemporary, plant-focused cuisine is global, sustainable and nourishing for body and soul. Working with local purveyors across the Hudson Valley, Palazzo and Castellani have devised a season-driven dining experience that marries the best in regional bounty with French, Italian and Israeli flavors and techniques. A veteran of Parisian restaurants such as the Michelin-starred Le Quinzième – as well as Cyril Lignac’s Aux Prés and Le Chardenoux – Palazzo formally joined the Foragers family in February.

“My grandfather was actually from Sicily, so our Mediterranean-with-a-twist menu feels completely authentic to me,” says Palazzo, who began cooking for his own family during his early childhood in the Ivory Coast. “Plus, I’m a long-time Chelsea resident who’s been eating at Foragers for years – they just didn’t know that I was a chef!”

The reopening of Foragers Table marks the latest milestone for co-owner Castellani, the creative mind behind Dekalb Market Hall – the largest food hall in all of Brooklyn – along with The Hugh Food Hall in Midtown. In April, Castellani will open ANA Bar & Eatery, an all-day restaurant, marketplace and eatery at The Hudson Yards.

Foragers Table is open Tuesday through Sunday for dinner service only starting at 5pm to 10pm. For reservations or more information, go to OpenTable or visit www.foragersmarket.com/restaurant. Foragers Table is located at 233 8th Avenue in Chelsea.

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