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The Saddle River Inn, an acclaimed restaurant owned by Table to Table’s newest Board of Directors trustee, Jamie Knott, was named to OpenTable’s annual list of the top 100 eateries in the United States.

The honor is the latest in a series of accolades Knott has received this year.

He was named the Chef Honoree at Table to Table’s 25th Anniversary Chefs Gala Sept. 25.

“There’s enough food on this planet for everyone who is food insecure. But it’s not always making its way to the right mouths,” Knott said at the gala. “That’s why Table to table is so crucial, and frankly, they’re saving lives out here. I vow to carry on the incredible work that’s been done over the last two and a half decades, and look for ways to expand our reach and impact even further.”

Knott also recently participated in a celebratory third anniversary celebration of Chef Antonio De Ieso’s Fiorentini restaurant, an event that helped raise enough to support the rescue and delivery of at nearly 300,000 pounds of healthy food!

Knott was also named one of the top restauranteurs in the Garden State by New Jersey Monthly magazine.

Knott is also the chef-owner of Madame and Kinjo. He warmly welcomes guests for flavorful, unforgettable dining experiences focused on locally sourced, fresh ingredients, reflecting his commitment to quality. These restaurants “have quickly become some of the most celebrated restaurants in New Jersey this year,” New Jersey Monthly stated.

Knott’s portfolio of restaurants is consistently praised and acknowledged by media and influencers alike. Educated at the New York Restaurant School, Knott’s career is marked by innovation and a deep understanding of the culinary world.

Congratulations, Chef Jamie Knott!

Since we launched, more than 350 volunteers have completed more than 9,600 rescues and delivered more than 2 million pounds of donated food that would have been thrown away.

As New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue, our mission is to reduce food waste and provide nourishment to our food-insecure neighbors throughout North Jersey. We rescue millions of pounds of fresh food annually that would otherwise be wasted and end up in landfills, contributing to climate change. We deliver it to partner organizations who support the nearly 1 million people in our area who need it most.

https://www.opentable.com/c/top-restaurants/top-100/#new-jersey

Credit: OpenTable

Starting with a van and a dream, Claire Insalata Poulos has spent a quarter-century fighting food insecurity and food waste with the nonprofit Table to Table.

In just one recent year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says, roughly 66 million tons of food were wasted in America. If even a fraction of that could be “rescued,” millions of people could be fed every day. That is the idea behind the Saddle Brook-based nonprofit Table to Table—and the animating passion of its founder, Claire Insalata Poulos.

A California native, 68-year-old Poulos moved to Bergen County in 1974 while working for IBM’s marketing team and lived in Englewood for 35 years with her husband, Peter Poulos, whose family owned and operated the iconic NYC restaurant Papaya King before he sold it in 2002. She now splits her time between California and Bergen County. Taking a year off from working in 1984, she enrolled in a patisserie program at the Culinary Institute of America, and then in professional chef training at Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School (now the Institute of Culinary Education). Then she worked briefly as a volunteer for Share Our Strength, a national nonprofit, raising money for local hunger relief. At the time, food pantries were the only agencies serving the hungry of northern New Jersey. City Harvest, a New York City food rescue nonprofit, declined her suggestion of expansion into New Jersey, but pledged to share help and advice if she wanted to start a similar project herself. She did.

So, starting with a single van on Labor Day weekend 1999, Poulos and a few others picked up food from two supermarkets and the Alpine Country Club and delivered it to three agencies in Elizabeth and Paterson. Table to Table was born, and became Poulos’s full-time job once she retired from IBM. Twenty-five years later, the nonprofit has rescued more than 100,000 tons of nutritious food and given it those who needed it most.

How did your love of food start?

I come from a family of Italian food brats. Everyone cooks. We talk about food, we cook together, and we’re always trying to “out-dazzle” each other with some delicious new dish. My mother was a traditional ’50s homemaker with six children. We ate together at 5:30 every night. That table was our gathering place. It was inclusive, welcoming to out-siders, the stage for debates and a safe place for ideas and plans. The food connected us.

What inspired you to start Table to Table?

A lot of things. Growing up in California and seeing all the food left in the fields. Cooking school, where we’d prepare elaborate dishes every day, which we’d then taste, critique and ultimately discard. I remember asking if I could take the “leftovers” someplace to be eaten. But in those days there weren’t many places willing to accept a Cherry Clafoutis or Galette Des Rois.

Any memories from Table to Table’s early days?

I worked with a local chef—Jamie Milkman from Jamie’s Restaurant on 9W. One day, during Thanks-giving weekend, he called me about several trays of leftover turkey sandwiches he had prepared for the holiday. “Hey, what can we do with all these leftover sandwiches?” he said. I loaded them into my trunk and took them to a safe house in Bergen County. They were devoured that night.

Signs of success?

It was satisfying when mothers came up to us and said, “I haven’t had fresh fruit like this to give my kids since last summer.” And a woman said: “I’m 87 years old, and I’ve never had a steak until now.”

A challenge from those early days?

Raising enough money to keep the trucks on the road. We were never without people willing to donate food or, certainly, places to bring it—funds were always the biggest challenge. We tried our best to distinguish ourselves and engage the community. Miraculously, it worked.

How has Table to Table grown?

We always knew we wanted to go deep rather than wide. Our focus was exclusively Bergen, Hudson, Passaic and Essex counties. But in 2021, when we started using the Table to Table I-Rescue app, there was such a huge response from the community that we decided to include Morris County as well. I took a picture once of people waiting for our food at one of our local mobile markets. I love that image, because it shows the diversity of everyone we serve—like a cross-section of New Jersey.

What does your family think of your charity work?

My siblings are all involved in volunteer work supporting their own communities, and my husband constantly complains that I never have time to make him dinner.

What’s your favorite place in Bergen?

Bergen County Camera. I always wanted to hone my photography skills, and I love the Westwood location.

Favorite Bergen restaurant?

Saddle River Inn. Jamie Knott is an incredibly talented guy—and he just joined the Table to Table board. (Lucky us!) I hope someday we’ll have the chance to cook together.

—Kirsten Meehan

Credit: Bergen Magazine

Table to Table has served millions of meals using food that would otherwise have been wasted. Its easy-to-use app allows for super-flexible volunteer opportunities.

About 40 percent of food in the United States gets thrown in the garbage. In New Jersey alone, that amounts to more than 3 billion pounds a year—while nearly a million people in the state don’t have enough to eat.

Twenty-five years ago, Table to Table, the first nonprofit food-rescue organization in the state, was formed to help close this gap. Since 1999, it has supplied more than 311 million meals to the hungry.

Keeping food out of landfills, where it emits methane gas as it decays, is a win for the environment, too. Table to Table has protected the planet from more than 73,000 tons of global-warming gasses.

“When good food gets thrown in a dumpster instead of feeding the people who need it, that’s an injustice; it’s unacceptable,” says Heather Thompson, executive director of the Saddle Brook-based nonprofit.

Unlike most food pantries that accept only nonperishable goods, Table to Table collects produce, meat and dairy products. “These tend to get thrown away much more frequently,” Thompson says. “They’re also the most difficult and expensive to access, but the most critical for health and well-being.”

A fleet of six refrigerated trucks picks up food from 350-plus donors each week. Most comes from Hello Fresh’s Newark distribution center, large and small grocery stores and restaurants, and even schools with leftover lunch items. The donations are typically delivered the same day to hunger-relief organizations in Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Passaic counties.

Individuals help out by transporting smaller donations. The organization’s I-Rescue app posts rescue opportunities, and volunteers pick up and deliver the food on a one-time or regular basis. “We’ve been able to expand how we support the community by adding the app,” Thompson says.

In 2023, Table to Table provided more than 23 million meals to neighbors in need. To celebrate their 25th anniversary, the goal is to provide 25 million meals this year.

Learn more about how you can help by visiting the Table to Table website.

Credit: New Jersey Monthly

Table to Table has served millions of meals using food that would otherwise have been wasted. Its easy-to-use app allows for super-flexible volunteer opportunities.

About 40 percent of food in the United States gets thrown in the garbage. In New Jersey alone, that amounts to more than 3 billion pounds a year—while nearly a million people in the state don’t have enough to eat.

Twenty-five years ago, Table to Table, the first nonprofit food-rescue organization in the state, was formed to help close this gap. Since 1999, it has supplied more than 311 million meals to the hungry.

Keeping food out of landfills, where it emits methane gas as it decays, is a win for the environment, too. Table to Table has protected the planet from more than 73,000 tons of global-warming gasses.

“When good food gets thrown in a dumpster instead of feeding the people who need it, that’s an injustice; it’s unacceptable,” says Heather Thompson, executive director of the Saddle Brook-based nonprofit.

Unlike most food pantries that accept only nonperishable goods, Table to Table collects produce, meat and dairy products. “These tend to get thrown away much more frequently,” Thompson says. “They’re also the most difficult and expensive to access, but the most critical for health and well-being.”

A fleet of six refrigerated trucks picks up food from 350-plus donors each week. Most comes from Hello Fresh’s Newark distribution center, large and small grocery stores and restaurants, and even schools with leftover lunch items. The donations are typically delivered the same day to hunger-relief organizations in Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Passaic counties.

Individuals help out by transporting smaller donations. The organization’s I-Rescue app posts rescue opportunities, and volunteers pick up and deliver the food on a one-time or regular basis. “We’ve been able to expand how we support the community by adding the app,” Thompson says.

In 2023, Table to Table provided more than 23 million meals to neighbors in need. To celebrate their 25th anniversary, the goal is to provide 25 million meals this year.

Learn more about how you can help by visiting the Table to Table website.

Credit: New Jersey Monthly

About 40 percent of food in the United States gets thrown in the garbage. In New Jersey alone, that amounts to more than 3 billion pounds a year while nearly a million people in the state don’t have enough to eat.

Twenty-five years ago, Table to Table, the first nonprofit food-rescue organization in the state, was formed to help close this gap. Since 1999, it has supplied more than 311 million meals to the hungry.

Keeping food out of landfills, where it emits methane gas as it decays, is a win for the environment, too. Table to Table has protected the planet from more than 73,000 tons of global-warming gasses.

“When good food gets thrown in a dumpster instead of feeding the people who need it, that’s an injustice; it’s unacceptable,” says Heather Thomp­son, executive director of the Saddle Brook-based nonprofit.

Unlike most food pantries that ac­cept only nonperishable goods, Table to Table collects produce, meat, and dairy products. “These tend to get thrown away much more frequently,” Thomp­son says. “They’re also the most difficult and expensive to access, but the most critical for health and well-being.”

A fleet of six refrigerated trucks picks up food from 350-plus donors each week. Most comes from Hello Fresh’s Newark distribution center, large and small grocery stores and restaurants, and even schools with leftover lunch items. The donations are typically delivered the same day to hunger-relief organizations in Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Passaic counties.

Individuals help out by transport­ing smaller donations. The I-Rescue app posts rescue opportunities, and volunteers pick up and deliver the food on a one-time or regular basis. “We’ve been able to expand how we support the community by adding the app,”
Thompson says.

In 2023, Table to Table provided more than 23 million meals to neigh­bors in need. To celebrate their 25th anniversary, the goal is to provide 25 million meals this year.

Find out how you can help by visiting tabletotable.org.

Credit: NJ Monthly Magazine

New Jersey Monthly magazine named Table to Table’s Chefs Gala honoree Chef Jamie Knott one of the top restauranteurs in the Garden State in their most recent issue. Jamie is deeply committed to serving those in need in New Jersey, and is a long-time supporter of Table to Table. Congratulations Jamie!

We’re so proud to have Chef Jamie Knott as the Chef Honoree at Table to Table’s 25th Anniversary Chefs Gala on September 25th.

“My passion is for all things delicious. I want to redefine the culinary landscape in this state through my cooking and my restaurants,” Knott told the magazine. Knott’s diverse experience across various culinary styles has established him as a leading figure in the industry.

As the chef-owner of such notable restaurants as Saddle River InnMadame, and Kinjo—his latest masterpiece—Knott warmly welcomes guests for flavorful, unforgettable dining experiences focused on locally sourced, fresh ingredients, reflecting his commitment to quality. These restaurants “have quickly become some of the most celebrated restaurants in New Jersey this year,” New Jersey Monthly stated.

Knott’s portfolio of restaurants is consistently praised and acknowledged by media and influencers alike. Educated at the New York Restaurant School, Knott’s career is marked by innovation and a deep understanding of the culinary world.

Table to Table’s 25th Anniversary Chefs Gala offers attendees a unique dining experience in the setting of an elegant Gala with unforgettable cuisine, expertly selected wine pairings, an exciting live auction, and the honoring of Chef Jamie Knott—all in support of Table to Table’s Silver Anniversary and our mission to rescue food, reduce waste, and relieve hunger in our communities.

Related: Table to Table’s 25th Anniversary Chefs Gala