Foodies enjoyed their last tastes of summer Saturday night at United Way and Vanity Fair's "What's on the Table?" Party to Combat Hunger, held at a sprawling Sagaponack estate.
Guests nibbled on treats from host Tom Colicchio's restaurants, including duck prosciutto, scallops on the half-shell, stuffed zucchini blossoms and a variety of tomatoes. Mr. Colicchio, the mastermind behind Manhattan staples Craft and 'wichcraft and a judge on Bravo's "Top Chef," said he's pleased to see the locally sourced food "trend" taking off in New York City, though he's been pioneering it for decades.
"I've been on the locally-sourced bandwagon for 20-something years," he said. "It's super-trendy now, but that's OK. When it wasn't a trend, a lot of farmers were struggling. Now I pass farm stands that have to be 20 cars deep."
Mr. Colicchio isn't done popularizing the effort. "At Riverpark, my new restaurant, we just built a garden adjacent to the restaurant, in New York City. We're growing crops there. We literally brought the farm to the table. It's a modular farm so we can pick it up and move it. I think you'll be seeing more and more farms on rooftops in New York."
Julianne Moore, a friend of Mr. Colicchio's, said she tries to eat locally sourced food, but she can't always live up to that expectation.
"I eat whatever's in my purse," she said. Ms. Moore's purse was tiny. So, gum? "Yeah," she said, laughing. "Exactly."