By Kathleen Joyce, April 14 2023
Few things are as integral to any cultural heritage as cuisine. Cuisine tells a story of history and tradition going back through countless generations. It follows, then, that a place dedicated to celebrating a particular cultural heritage would highlight that culture’s food as well!
NYC-based foodie @brooklynbagelblog typically visits restaurants, delis, and other eateries for his food vlogs. In this installment, though, his food journey brought him to an unlikely spot: the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Manhattan’s Battery Park.
It’s not every day you find a gourmet restaurant headed by a famous chef nestled away inside a museum! Lox NYC, Chef David Teyf’s culinary creation, is something of a hidden gem, as its presence is somewhat overshadowed by the museum it lives inside. The Museum of Jewish Heritage primarily serves as a living Holocaust memorial, and thus largely invokes a more somber, reflective mood. However, in defiance of the oppression Jewish people have historically faced, the museum also celebrates the strength and beauty of Jewish heritage to this day- and what’s more central to celebration than food?
David Teyf, who also owns the prominent NYC event planning company Madison and Park and is himself descended from Holocaust survivors, puts love, care, and craftsmanship into Lox NYC’s sublime food. While including innovative flavors and modern twists, the menu offers a delectable range of traditional Jewish and Russian fare, from the eponymous lox and artisanal bagels to delicious babkas and blintzes. Watching David demonstrate the quality of his bagels and discuss how he makes them, you know the food here is lovingly crafted with heart and history.
Serving as both a delectable gourmet eatery and a living monument to a rich cultural heritage, Lox NYC is something everyone can celebrate. The cafe is open the same hours as the Museum of Jewish Heritage, so if you’re ever hungry in Battery Park during the museum’s operating hours, stop in and grab a bite!