Gabriel Kreuther – Downtown Magazine

Zone Manhattan's Steve Lindner in action — Steve Lindner in action

Too busy to cook gourmet meals? Too overwhelmed to stick with a diet? Concerned that a diet will mean missing out on great food? For all of these nutritional concerns and more, there is an easy solution in Zone Manhattan, New York City’s longest-running healthy meal delivery service.

In a few words, Zone Manhattan is essentially a diet-to-your-doorstep. The company offers ready-made chef prepared meals, as delivered fresh daily to each customer’s door. Ingredients are purchased daily at the Hunts Point Terminal Market and the New Fulton Fish Market, and every meal is crafted specifically for each individual customer. Dietary needs can be accommodated, whether the customer is gluten-free, paleo, sugar-free, vegan or vegetarian.

Zone Manhattan founder Steve Lindner is a chef by trade and has been in the food and beverage business for more than 30 years. He was schooled at the famed Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York before working at notable hotspots like Aureole, Aquavit, Sign Of The Dove and An American Place. He was also the proprietor of the Greenwich spot Café Alyss, which he had opened in 2000. Zone Manhattan was launched in 2005, and now delivers to all five boroughs of Manhattan, Westchester, Northern New Jersey, Long Island and Southern Connecticut. Expansion plans are underway to create Zone Los Angeles, Zone San Diego, Zone Miami, as well as Zone Vancouver.

Downtown had the pleasure of speaking with Steve not only about Zone, but life as a chef in both New York and Europe. For more info on all things Zone Manhattan, you can visit www.zonemanhattan.com.

Rumor has it that you are at the Hunts Point Food Market every day picking out food. Is that true?

Steve Lindner: Yes, we pick the freshest ingredients daily to use in our meals for customers.

What do you think the Hunts Point Food Market offers that others do not?

Steve Lindner: Variety, quality, consistency and value. When you say “others,” as far as I know you would have to go to Philly or Boston to find something that compares to Hunts Point. In the Hunts Point area, not only do you have access to some of the freshest fruits and vegetables, you have the whole world of fresh fish and seafood. Yes there are chic micro markets bi-weekly around town. And yes we do frequent those as well to source local produce, but Hunts Point gives us the ability to operate at large volumes and at the highest level of quality on a daily basis.

Where did the idea for Zone Manhattan come from? Had you offer ordered food from restaurants online?

Steve Lindner: Necessity. I needed a job in 2004. So I took my knowledge of the restaurant business and applied it to food delivery. At the time, food delivery was just in its infancy. We didn’t offer online delivery at Café Alyss. We just weren’t tech-savvy enough at that time. We didn’t even have a website.

You studied at the Culinary Institute Of America. How did you wind up working at the Bayerischer hof Munchen in Munich?

Steve Lindner: Yes, I attended the Culinary Institute Of America and shortly after graduating, I traveled to Europe. I was hitchhiking around Europe when I ran out of money and knew of some other culinary graduates that were working in Munich. I was fortunate enough to get a job with them.

Is there anything you miss about living and working in Germany?

Steve Lindner: I enjoyed my time there and loved the culture of Europe, but no, I don’t miss it.

Your credits as a chef also include Aureole, Aquavit, Sign Of The Dove, and An American Place. Is being a chef in New York especially different than elsewhere?

Steve Lindner: Yes, the level of competition is on steroids here. There is an energy that exists in New York City that doesn’t exist elsewhere. Now, I believe the culinary competition and quality is at a very high level from coast to coast. However, in this industry, that is constantly evolving with new technology and innovations, New York City still stands out as the culinary mecca of the world.

You also owned Café Alyss some years back. Is there anything you miss about owning and operating a restaurant?

Steve Lindner: Sure, direct contact with the customers, and the energy and excitement of the restaurant business. And then I realize I have to pay bills and don’t miss it as all.

Beyond picking out the food every day, what’s a typical day like for you in running Zone Manhattan? How much time are you actually in a kitchen?

Steve Lindner: After 12 years in business and continual growth, I oversee all aspects of the business. Yes, I am directly involved with the selection and quality control of the food and meals, but I also have loyal and reliable chefs and staff to oversee the production.

Of the Zone menu, do you have a favorite entree?

Steve Lindner: I love our rack of lamb and lobster dishes and what we do with salmon is amazing. It all relies on the quality and freshness of the produce we select every day. I thinks what we do is the simplest form of cooking. We are selecting the highest quality product and extracting the most flavor from the fish, meat, vegetables and fruit without using salt, sugar and fat.

Do you have a way of describing the food offerings of Zone?

Steve Lindner: Clean, fresh and delicious.

Is it true that Zone plans on expanding beyond New York City?

Steve Lindner: Yes, growth to other markets is always the goal.

When not busy with Zone Manhattan, how do you like to spend your free time?

Steve Lindner: I love to ski, sail and I am a “car guy.”

Aside from Zone, do you have a favorite restaurant in New York?

Steve Lindner: The restaurant scene in New York City is in constant flux. To pick one to be my favorite would be a crime. My tastes change like the weather. One day I am feeling a pork taco from Taco Primo from Chelsea Market or Crispy Chicken Sandwich from FUKU and the next it may be high end from Gabriel Kreuther. One thing is for sure is next year it will be different. The only thing that doesn’t change is the level of quality.

Do you have tickets to any upcoming concerts or events?

Steve Lindner: My wife Alyssa loves the shows and I love the restaurants in the area. A Bronx Tale is the next show on our list and we will be eating at Aureole.

Finally, Steve, any last words for the kids?

Steve Lindner: Eat healthy and exercise.

Although a premier location from a premier hotel brand, the Grand Hyatt New York is more than just a hotel. It is a popular meeting spot in Manhattan as it features more than 60,000 square feet of meeting space. Its food and beverage offerings recently expanded as its fine dining spot, New York Central, has changed up its menu. Chef Daron Lee recently joined the team, following time at Villard Michel Richard at The New York Palace Hotel, and a fun new “Boozy Brunch” has been added for late Saturday and Sunday risers.

Chef Daron — a Florida transplant — spoke with Downtown about New York Central, some of its changes and how he wound becoming Chef de Cuisine at the Hyatt. The hotel itself can be visited online at http://newyork.grand.hyatt.com and followed on Twitter via @GrandHyattNYC.

How did the opportunity to join the Grand Hyatt New York team come about? Were you recruited? Had you worked with someone on the team before?

Daron Lee: New York is a very small world, and the chef I was succeeding was actually a classmate of mine from culinary school over 10 years ago with whom I never kept in touch.

Prior to becoming Chef de Cuisine, had you stayed at Grand Hyatt New York before?

DL: Although I was somewhat familiar with the Hyatt brand, I had never stayed at any of its hotels. Ironically, I always walked past the Grand Hyatt but never set foot in the property.

What was the first restaurant you had worked in?

DL: My first restaurant experience was at The Modern under chef Gabriel Kreuther. I spent three years there where I developed most of my fundamental cooking knowledge.

You are originally from Orlando. What led you to moving to New York?

DL: I graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in art, so naturally I came up to New York City. However, things changed and soon I found myself enrolling at the French Culinary Institute looking forward to a career in the kitchen.

Is there anything you miss about living in Orlando? Is there a great culinary scene down there?

DL: Not much to miss about Orlando except for the weather, in contrast to cold winters up north. 10 years ago, there was not much of a culinary scene and most of my gastronomic inspiration came from Iron Chef — the Japanese original — Great Chefs Of The World on the Discovery Channel, and the early days of the Food Network.

Most of the restaurants you have worked at seem to be located uptown. Did you ever come close to working at a downtown restaurant?

DL: The closest I have gotten to working downtown is Scarpetta in the Meatpacking District. Part of our culinary program at FCI, which is located in SoHo, included working in the school’s onsite full service restaurant L’Ecole, which is now closed. My favorite knife store, Korin, is actually located downtown in Tribeca on Warren Street, if that helps?

For someone who hasn’t yet dined at the Grand Hyatt New York, how do you describe the menu at your main restaurant?

DL: Our menu offers an eclectic variety of comfort foods inspired by the surrounding neighborhoods and cultures that make up the heart and soul of New York City using ingredients sourced locally and seasonally. We serve breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week including brunch on the weekends.

Do you have a favorite item on the menu?

DL: The grilled octopus is a great starter, and our burger is a good go-to. I’m very happy with a new addition to the menu, a jumbo lump crab cake, which we serve as an appetizer as well as a sandwich. I love any breakfast item with eggs, and for brunch it is a tie between the baked eggplant skillet and the Nutella French toast.

Where did the name of the Boozy Brunch come from?

DL: It was a quick collaboration within the Food and Beverage team, but most of the brunch cocktails were contributed by Jerome Wadell, one of our assistant outlet managers.

When not busy with your career, how do you like to spend your free time? Do you have any creative passions beyond the kitchen?

DL: Most of my free time now is devoted to my family, mostly my two-year old son, but I do — or did — enjoy visits to the Met, dining out, and traveling.

Hyatt aside, do you have a favorite restaurant in Manhattan?

DL: One of my most memorable meals was when I took my wife to La Grenouille for a birthday dinner; the classic French fare and service was just impeccable and transports you to another time. The Bar Room at The Modern — which is currently under renovation — is always good, and I can never turn down a Double Shack Burger.

Finally, Daron, any last words for the kids?

DL: Always show gratitude, appreciate the value of hard work, and don’t take life too seriously.