The Giving Table partners with Long Island restaurants to raise money
Wagyu skirt steak with charred broccolini and chimichurri sauce at IMC Restaurant & Bar in Huntington. Credit: Christopher Graziose
For his day job, Chris Graziose, helps restaurants market themselves through his Digital Resource Group. His side hustle is running the 40,000-member Facebook group, Best Restaurants of Long Island. But his passion is The Giving Table, a new initiative that makes it easy for restaurants and their patrons to contribute to a worthy cause.
The recipient of all this largess is Hauppauge-based Angela’s House, which provides support, resources and home care for medically fragile children; it also runs three residential facilities in East Moriches, Smithtown and Stony Brook.
Participating restaurants designate specific dishes (a mix of appetizers, mains, desserts and drinks) that, when ordered, will generate a donation. Some restaurants donate a fixed percentage of the dish’s price; others use a dollar amount, anywhere from $2 to $5 for starters, desserts and drinks; $3 to $8 for mains. Graziose said that the average contribution was about $2.50 per item sold.
The Giving Table debuted in the spring at Patrizia’s huge new location in Westbury, where the "benefit" dishes include tuna tartare (with tortilla chips and spicy mayo, $23), Angela’s Angel Hair (cappellini with vegetables, grilled chicken and shrimp and Cajun Alfredo sauce, $29) and Chicken Balsamico ($29).
A crostino with Italian sausage and broccoli rabe at Cena 081 in Westbury. Credit: Christopher Graziose
Over the last few months, Graziose built a website where you see which restaurants are participating and which menu items are part of the promotion. In September, Patrizia’s was joined by Cena 081 in Westbury (whose offerings include crostino with Italian sausage and broccoli rabe, $27, clams-casino-topped pizza, $29, and steak alla pizzaiola, $49), Verona Ristorante in Farmingdale (burrata-filled ravioli, $42, and seafood-stuffed fillet of sole, $44) and IMC Restaurant & Bar in Huntington (branzino crudo with shaved fennel and Castelvetrano olives, $19, Wagyu skirt steak with charred broccolini and chimichurri, $39).
Coming soon to the Giving Table are Arlo in Northport, The James in Babylon and Garden City, Crabtree's New York & Main in Huntington and Spaghettini Pizza Trattoria in Mineola.
Graziose said that, since the program started, it has raised about $2,000. As more restaurants come aboard and word starts to spread, he is hoping to raise anywhere from $1,200 to $1,800 per month per restaurant. For more information, go to thegivingtableli.com.
