Liz Neumark is the CEO of Great Performances.

In almost three decades of being at the top of the food chain in New York City, Liz Neumark has learned that it is all about satisfying needs. Liz believes there is no more critical time in the relationship between people and the foods they eat or have access to than today. Liz is a visionary in putting future culinary ideas on the plates of New Yorkers and a trendsetter in bringing food politics to the table, all with great taste and memorable flavors.

Liz conceived of Great Performances in 1979 as a waitress service for women in the arts, offering an alternative way to supplement meager artist incomes with work in the catering industry. The company is headquartered in Hudson Square, NYC and is today the largest off premises catering company in the city.

Collaborative relationships with some of the leading cultural institutions in the city have been the major growth vehicle for the company. Exclusive contracts include Jazz at Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Sotheby’s, Caramoor and Wave Hill.

Liz recently joint ventured with Delaware North Companies to manage and operate one of New York City’s most sought after banquet and event spaces- The Plaza Hotel.

Katchkie Farm, the company’s 60 acre organic farm in Columbia County, provides Great Performances’ cafés and special events with a unique selection of menu items with unmatched freshness. Crops are grown for specific customer use and a line of artisanal products has been introduced. There is no other catering company nationwide, operating its own farm, no less organic.

On a weekly basis, Liz and Great Performances serve thousands of meals to a wide range of corporate, social and non-profit clients. The 100-Mile Menu has been incorporated into the culinary offerings, and organic produce from the farm is integrated into food production across the board. In 2007 Liz was appointed to the Governors Food Policy Council; a group charged with advising the Governor on food policy for New York State.

Liz and her family established The Sylvia Center at the farm, a non-profit organization whose mission is to bring the farm experience into the lives of at risk children in neighboring towns and from NYC. The Sylvia Center reconnects children and their families to real foods and real flavors and imparts a lesson of nutrition and healthful eating. The Sylvia Center works in collaboration with other non-profits, school systems and community organizations to enhance their health and nutrition programs. Recent farm visits include the entire first and second grades from PS 180, a Harlem based school.

Liz is a third generation New Yorker, a Barnard graduate who majored in Urban Studies and Political Science. She, her husband and children live in Manhattan.

Blog Entries by Liz Neumark

A Time of Expectant Men

Posted January 4, 2010 | 10:53 AM (EST)


Naturally, with the start of a new year - a new decade, no less - we are all filled with expectations.


It has been a quiet stretch at work and we closed the year with one of my favorite events, the annual Interfaith Breakfast hosted...

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Shadow and Reflection

Posted December 28, 2009 | 10:14 AM (EST)


Of course I am vain, and perhaps no more so than when dressed for a run in the park on a warm day. I catch a quick but thorough look at my reflection in a full-length mirror in the lobby just before hitting the pavement. Not bad, but I'll have...

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Fear of Not Flying

Posted December 21, 2009 | 11:39 AM (EST)


Growing up in the era of George Reeves (aka Superman) I confess that my secret fantasy was to fly. For years, I would dream about lifting off and soaring up into the sky. It was so real and logical - of course one day I would find a way. Back...

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Breaking the Barriers

Posted December 14, 2009 | 09:21 AM (EST)


A watershed event for the local food shed -- the second annual NYC Food and Climate Summit -- was convened on Saturday. Sponsored by the Manhattan Borough President, NYU and Just Food, the day was dedicated to 'creating a platform for change'.

I participated on a panel whose...

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A Tale Of Turkey, Giving And Thanks

Posted November 30, 2009 | 12:30 PM (EST)


Last week's freshly roasted turkeys are officially past the leftover stage but the feeling of having been a part of a unique Thanksgiving Day experience lingers on.

We did it - served 10,000 turkey dinners on Thursday with a volunteer staff of about 300; backed up by a culinary...

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Still intimate at 10,000?

2 Comments | Posted November 25, 2009 | 03:21 PM (EST)


24 hours from now, I will be "elbow deep" in turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, green beans and more. Only it will not be at a traditional family gathering; it will be on Washington Avenue in the South Bronx. This Bronx venue is just one of 10 where Great...

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It was not an ordinary Thursday.

1 Comments | Posted November 23, 2009 | 09:58 AM (EST)


It was not an ordinary Thursday. I left home at the usual time but with three wardrobe changes in tow. Not so usual.

9 to 5 was almost routine (with the exception of reviewing plans for the upcoming Thanksgiving meal for 10,000 we are planning with the Salvation Army). But...

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Speaking of Trends

Posted November 16, 2009 | 10:53 AM (EST)


Year Two of The Great Recession is already 2 months old. As a high profile off-premises caterer and leaseholder of the Plaza Hotel's Grand Ballroom, I am constantly asked about the current trends in entertaining for non-profit clients.

The trend is simple - pay less and maximize...

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Teamwork

Posted November 9, 2009 | 10:22 AM (EST)


Last week ended with a grand and glorious finale - a ticker tape parade tribute to the NY Yankees and their dedicated fans, and for this caterer, a day to be swept up in the enthusiasm of being a victorious New Yorker.


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Basic Necessities

Posted November 2, 2009 | 01:25 PM (EST)


I have just traveled half way around the world for a 3½-day visit with my sister and her family. And though I long to travel to all the places between the Galilee and New York City, there was no time for a stop over.

What to pack? Aside from a...

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For Love of Life

Posted October 26, 2009 | 10:56 AM (EST)


Step back from all the details -- the menu, guest counts and RSVP's, room layout, operational minutia, music, florist, photographer -- and just focus on the ingredients.

We start with the food, the foundation of the meal that is the focus of our attention and the hands that lovingly...

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A Museum, A Community, A Festival

1 Comments | Posted October 19, 2009 | 01:38 PM (EST)


A year and a half after closing for renovation, El Museo del Barrio is back. And what a reopening it has been. Culinary fare does not vary much museum to museum (do you see a difference between the sandwiches at the Guggenheim and the Whitney or the Met?) but we...

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Digesting the Week

Posted October 12, 2009 | 10:18 AM (EST)


I met His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Monday at the Garrison Institute in Putnam County. I am neither Buddhist nor particularly spiritual lately, but the invitation had been so unexpected and generous that I accepted.

Late Sunday night I Googled "what to wear when meeting the Dalai Lama."

...
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Kaleidoscope in Maine

Posted October 5, 2009 | 05:35 PM (EST)


A rite of passage - attending our first parents weekend at college in Lewiston Maine during the peak fall foliage season. Touchdown in Portland, which has been receiving lots of press for culinary innovation and creative new restaurants and cafes though sushi was the choice for our late lunch on...

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Always Hungry

Posted September 29, 2009 | 10:28 AM (EST)


Jeff Zalaznick, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of www.alwayshungryny.com, had agreed to let me guest blog on his website. It is enough to post weekly for Huffington, so I have been waiting for the inspiration to strike.

And at last, it had. (At least I thought so.)

It is Yom Kippur,...

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The New Year Begins

Posted September 21, 2009 | 10:28 AM (EST)


48 hours after welcoming the Jewish New Year, a two day holiday, the festivities wind down. Marked by specific prayers, it also is the beginning of a ten day period of introspection and penitence.

As it is a 'major' Jewish holiday, families, extended families and close friends gather around...

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Food Miles, of a Different Nature

Posted September 15, 2009 | 10:34 AM (EST)


In the past two weeks, I have covered a lot of miles. New York to Maine and back with stops in between.

First time experiences: Super Walmart, dinner at the Culinary Institute of America, IKEA, first child to college, Columbia County fair.

Memorable moments: the New Amsterdam Market, trying...

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From New York City Shelters to New York State Farm

2 Comments | Posted August 31, 2009 | 11:16 AM (EST)


This week, at Katchkie Farm, we welcomed our last two summer groups to the Sylvia Center.
45 children, ranging in ages from 5 to 17 piled off the bus late Tuesday morning. They were residents of 3 NYC shelters; from Bushwick in Brooklyn and Springfield Gardens and Briarwood shelters...

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An Addiction to Catering and Collecting

Posted August 24, 2009 | 11:20 AM (EST)


It struck me out of the blue, while looking at our website. So much content in there! And then it hit -- it is just like my office or my home. Filled with stuff.

There are girls I know who love shoes and have racks bursting with never ending...

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Seeds of Change

Posted August 18, 2009 | 09:55 AM (EST)


The Northeast finally welcomes summer. It is midway through August, and there are a few weeks left to enjoy long days and the laid back atmosphere of the season. Except of course on a farm, where it is high season (akin to what was once a retailers Christmas) and days...

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