Inside The New York Botanical Garden

This Weekend: Batali Family Dinner Takes Over the Garden

Posted in Around the Garden, Mario Batali's Edible Garden, Programs and Events on August 7 2015, by Vilina Phan

IVO_4640Treat you and your family to a delicious meal at the Garden this weekend, prepared by renowned chefs from the Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group. Dinner features a three-course, family-styled meal using only fresh and seasonal ingredients. Kids will also have the opportunity to get their hands dirty with gardening and craft activities alongside cooking demonstration. It’s fun for the whole family, get your tickets now!

Arrive early and experience the blockbuster FRIDA KAHLO: Art, Garden, Life exhibition with all the exciting programs running throughout the day (and weekend!), including live dance performances and a special screening of famed Mexican film, Café, Cantos de Humo or Coffee, Chants of Smoke.

Take advantage of the beautiful weekend and come to the Garden—with so many activities, we’re sure it’ll be one for the books!

Saturday, August 8

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Native Plant Garden Tour–12:30 & 2:30 p.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Join a tour guide for an insider’s view of the newly designed Native Plant Garden. Enjoy a mosaic of nearly 100,000 native trees, wildflowers, ferns and grasses designed to flourish in every season.

Live Music and Dance–1 p.m.
In Ross Hall
Performances by New York City’s premier traditional Mexican dance company, Calpulli Danza Mexicana, are always colorful, passionate, and inviting, featuring glorious costumes, contagious rhythms, and talented performers. Calpulli expands its audience’s knowledge and appreciation of Mexican dance and culture.

¡Cámara, Acción! Mexican Film Series–3 p.m.
In Ross Hall 
Experience Frida Kahlo on the big screen with the Academy Award-winning film Frida, directed by Julie Taymor and starring Salma Hayek. On Sundays, a revolving series of compelling documentaries, shorts, and features takes you inside the vibrant culture of Mexico today, presented in partnership with Cinema Tropical.

Today’s Feature: FRIDA (Julie Taymor, USA, 2002, 123 min. Rated R) (English) Frida chronicles the life Frida Kahlo shared unflinchingly and openly with Diego Rivera as the young couple took the art world by storm. Frida Kahlo lived a bold and uncompromising life as a political, artistic, and sexual revolutionary.

Sunday, August 9

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Native Plant Garden Tour–12:30 & 2:30 p.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Join a tour guide for an insider’s view of the newly designed Native Plant Garden. Enjoy a mosaic of nearly 00,000 native trees, wildflowers, ferns and grasses designed to flourish in every season.

Live Music and Dance–1 p.m.
In Ross Hall
Performances by New York City’s premier traditional Mexican dance company, Calpulli Danza Mexicana, are always colorful, passionate, and inviting, featuring glorious costumes, contagious rhythms, and talented performers. Calpulli expands its audience’s knowledge and appreciation of Mexican dance and culture.

¡Cámara, Acción! Mexican Film Series- 3 p.m.
In Ross Hall
Experience Frida Kahlo on the big screen with the Academy Award-winning film Frida, directed by Julie Taymor and starring Salma Hayek. On Sundays, a revolving series of compelling documentaries, shorts, and features takes you inside the vibrant culture of Mexico today, presented in partnership with Cinema Tropical.

Today’s Feature: Café, Cantos de Humo/ Coffee, Chants of Smoke (Hatuey Viveros, Mexico, 2014, 80 minutes.) Following the death of his father, Jorge, a promising student struggles against difficult odds to become the first lawyer to represent the Náhuatl people from the mountains of Puebla. A Fifth Annual Cinema Tropical Award nominee, Best Documentary and Best Documentary Director.-The Museum of Modern Art.

Family Dinners with Mario Batali’s Chefs–5–7:30 p.m.
In the Family Garden
Enjoy a garden-to-table meal prepared by chefs from the Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group’s acclaimed restaurants. Each dinner features a three-course, family-style menu designed by a featured chef using fresh, seasonal ingredients. Also enjoy hands-on gardening and craft activities alongside live cooking demonstrations by top chefs in the outdoor Whole Foods Market® Family Garden Kitchen. Programming geared for kids ages 4 to 12. Special tickets required Adults $85 / Children $35

Ongoing Children’s Programs

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Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens—1:30 p.m.–6 p.m.
In the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden
Garden beds are filled with plants featured in the favorite recipes of the chefs from Mario Batali’s restaurants. Kids can explore the gardens to solve Mario’s Menu Mystery game.

Dig! Plant! Grow! Salad Days–1:30–6 p.m.
In the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden
Plants and imaginations grow at the Howell Family Garden, where kids are allowed!—no, encouraged!—to play in the dirt. Display gardens, such as the Global Gardens and the Bean Tunnel or Salad Bowl, and daily interactive gardening activities delight and inspire. Drop-in activities end at 5:30 p.m.

Cooking with Frida–2 & 4 p.m.
A part of FRIDA KAHLO: Art, Garden, Life
In the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden
Hands-on activities in the Edible Academy’s Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden bring together children and their families to experience the colors, textures, smells, and tastes of Frida Kahlo’s Mexican kitchen. Cooking demonstrations feature recipes inspired by those Frida served to family and friends, using nutritious, garden-based ingredients. Visitors can explore and tend to the plant staples of Mexican cuisine growing throughout the Family Garden: beans, tomatoes, peppers, chiles, herbs, and more!

Frida’s Flora and Fauna–10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
A part of FRIDA KAHLO: Art, Garden, Life
Everett Children’s Adventure Garden
Visit the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden to experience the inspiration Frida Kahlo found in the natural world that can be seen and appreciated in her artwork. Throughout the Adventure Garden investigate plants and animals growing and living in New York City, using your senses as well as scientific tools to discover your own creative muse.