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Ulster Publishing’s Explore Hudson Valley Magazine Summer 2019 Summer arts preview | Rattlers & snappers | CIA-style picnic 2 • Summer 2019 Explore Hudson Valley Injured or sick due to your work? We can help. We are leaders in the prevention and treatment of workplace injuries and illnesses in the Mid-Hudson Valley. Services: • Diagnosis and treatment of work-related medical conditions • Lead, silica, and asbestos screenings • Assistance with workers’ compensation • Ergonomics and industrial hygiene • WTC Health Program services for 9/11 workers and volunteers Yonkers 1020 Warburton Avenue, Suite 1 Yonkers, NY 10701 Connect with us @workerhealth 914.964.4737 888.702.0630 @SinaiOccMed www.mountsinai.org/selikoff Explore Hudson Valley Summer 2019 • 3 Oscar of the Waldorf New Paltz farmer, Manhattan maître d’ to millionaires Frances Marion Platt and run its restaurant. The famous hotel opened its doors on March orthbound out of 13, 1893, achieving nearly instant New Paltz on Route success, and the young maître d’ 32, if you can tear was soon nearly as much of a ce- N your gaze away from lebrity as his clients, known simply the shining Shawangunk cliffs, as Oscar of the Waldorf. you might notice, just before Tschirky worked at the hotel reaching the Esopus town line, for half a century, migrating with a little lane on the left named it circa 1930 when the Waldorf- Old Tschirky Road. There’s also Astoria was relocated further up- a sign at the intersection point- town to make room for the Empire ing the way to the Culinarians’ State Building on its original site. Home. Yes, this actually was for Millionaires such as J. Pierpont many years a retirement home Morgan would insist that Oscar for chefs, acquired in 1942 by attend to their needs personally a hospitality trade association whenever they visited. Oscar waited called the Société Culinaire on every US president from Grover Philanthropique. It’s still an Cleveland to FDR and was awarded assisted living facility, but you medals by three foreign govern- no longer need to have made a ments. He organized posh charity career in the restaurant indus- balls for thousands of attendees, try in order to move in there. planned nine-course dinner menus, The home and hundreds of ensured that every VIP guest im- surrounding acres previously mediately had whatever hard-to- belonged to a colorful character find amenities they fancied, subtly better-known for his connection Oscar Tschirky (1866-1950) was a Swiss filed the rough edges off nouveau to Gilded Age Manhattan than to immigrant who moved to New York with his riche Americans who hadn’t yet rural Ulster County. Oscar Tsch- mother in 1883, at the age of 16. His attentive and mastered elegant European man- irky (1866-1950) was a Swiss im- helpful attitude, along with his fl uency in French ners and cuisine. He was also the migrant who moved to New York and German, soon propelled him to positions at restaurant’s social gatekeeper, and is Delmonico’s and the Waldorf-Astoria. When the with his mother in 1883, at the credited with inventing the system hotel opened its doors in 1893, the young maître age of 16. His older brother had of velvet ropes still used today for d’ was soon nearly as much of a celebrity as his arrived earlier and established crowd control at elegant venues. clients, known simply as Oscar of the Waldorf. himself as a hotel cook. Young At no time was Oscar Tschirky Oscar quickly found work as a busboy at got to know all the wealthiest people in employed as a chef, but his most lasting the Hoffman House, and the restaurant’s town and their aristocratic foreign guests. claim to fame is a simple recipe that he owner, oil baron Ned Stokes, soon set Within a decade of Tschirky’s arrival, co-created with the hotel’s first executive him to work cleaning up after gambling the tycoon William Waldorf Astor had chef, Edouard Beauchamp. They devised parties on his yacht, for extravagant tips. razed his Fifth Avenue home and built a the dish for the hotel’s debut event on The young man’s attentive and helpful 450-room hotel on the spot, set to become March 14, 1893, a charity ball in honor attitude, along with his fluency in French the epicenter of the turn-of-the-century of St. Mary’s Hospital for Children. And and German, propelled him a few years upper-class social scene: the legendary it went on to become the establishment’s later to a position running the private Waldorf-Astoria. Oscar Tschirky played signature menu item: the Waldorf salad. dining rooms at Delmonico’s, at that time his connections well, and was hired by This perennial picnic staple, as de- the best restaurant in New York City. He hotelier George C. Boldt to help set up scribed in Tschirky’s 1896 publication 4 • Summer 2019 Explore Hudson Valley He was a rich man by 1910, with a house on Lexington Avenue in addition to his thousand-acre spread in New Paltz. He farmed the land and enjoyed throwing fancy picnics for friends that featured produce grown on his own property. Yes, Oscar of the Waldorf was HENNEM08 At no time was Oscar Tschirky doing farm-to-table cuisine long before it got trendy. employed as a chef, but his most lasting claim to fame is a simple recipe that he co-created with the Waldorf salad often incorporate such frills Waldorf-Astoria’s fi rst executive as halved grapes, raisins, bleu cheese, chef, Edouard Beauchamp. They mandarin orange sections or even tiny devised the dish for the hotel’s marshmallows. Although an emulsi- debut event on March 14, 1893, a fied mixture of Dijon mustard, olive oil, charity ball in honor of St. Mary’s champagne vinegar, egg yolk and white Hospital for Children. And it went truffle oil has supplanted the pedestrian on to become the establishment’s mayonnaise, Waldorf salad is still served signature menu item: the Waldorf at the Waldorf Astoria today (or will be salad. again, once ongoing renovations are com- The Cook Book, by ‘Oscar’ of the Waldorf, pleted in 2020), along with three other After Tschirky retired, his New originally consisted only of julienned dishes traditionally associated with Oscar: Paltz estate became a home for apples, chopped celery, mayonnaise, salt Thousand Island dressing, veal Oscar and retired chefs. Today, you don’t and pepper, served over a bed of lettuce. eggs Benedict. have to be a chef to live there. Soon chopped walnuts became a popular Oscar Tschirky, who had grown up on addition, and contemporary spins on the a farm in the La Chaux-de-Fonds district cuisine long before it got trendy. of Switzerland, in the Jura Mountains, After 50 years as maître d’hôtel to the had already done well enough working rich and famous, Tschirky retired in 1943, for the Hoffman House and Delmonico’s having arranged for his upstate estate to to purchase, in 1889, a large tract of be transferred to the Culinarians’ Home rolling farmland bordering the Wallkill Foundation the previous year. He died in River, with a fine view of the Gunks. He 1950, leaving a collection of more than was a rich man by 1910, with a house 10,000 restaurant menus that he had Upcoming Events on Lexington Avenue in addition to his amassed over his lifetime to be archived July thousand-acre spread in New Paltz. He at Cornell University. So next time you farmed the land actively, commuting find yourself making a salad incorporating 13 Athens Street Festival to Manhattan by rail or Hudson River some tasty Hudson Valley apples, make 14-20 Catskills Irish Arts Week, steamer, and enjoyed throwing fancy sure to toast the memory of a life well- East Durham picnics for friends that featured produce lived. grown on his own property. Yes, Oscar Culinarians’ Home, 71 Old Tschirky Road, 18-21 Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, of the Waldorf was doing farm-to-table Oak Hill New Paltz; (845) 255-7010. 20-21 Mountain Brauhaus Festival, FAMILY OWNED FOR 30+ YEARS 27-28 Round Top GROUP DISCOUNT RATES August 100+ TV channels, free wireless internet, 3 12th Annual “Tour of the fitness area and guest laundry. Catskills” Pro-Am Bicycle Road Race Free Continental Breakfast. 16-18 LETRats NestUS BE Run-In YOUR Handicap accessible rooms available. 22-25 #Vietnamescapegoat Traveling Memorial 1/4 mile to NYS Thruway. Wall, Historic Catskill Point All local police, firefighters, and EMTs 15% off with valid ID. To experience you Greatest-Of-All-Time event please visit greatcatskillsevents.com 7 Terwilliger Lane, New Paltz • 845-255-8865 • www.abviofnewpaltz.com #greatcatskillsevents.comescapegoat | 1-800-355-2287 Explore Hudson Valley Summer 2019 • 5 CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA Corn Salad with Summer Fruits and Vegetables Alfresco dining Picnic tips and recipes from the CIA Ann Hutton The dish is thawed, and still bacteria-free. the kitchen should be logical and make The next advice he proffers has to do with sense, whether it’s food safety, efficiency n a teaching kitchen at the Culi- which food items hold best. “For example, in time or in getting the most out of the nary Institute of America, a group with salads – we have greens, herbs and food products.” of students is cleaning up after the dressings. But if I dress it early, what Translating this into picnic prep, DePaola I morning session. Chef Joseph De- happens? It wilts; it starts to decompose. talks efficiency. “What do I suggest for a Paola’s voice rises above the clang of It’s not at its best.