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{{Short description|American restaurant in Ithaca, New York}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox restaurant
| name           = Moosewood Restaurant
| logo           = Moosewood Restaurant logo.png
| image          = Moosewood Restaurant at DeWitt Mall, Ithaca.jpg
| current_owner  = Danica Wilcox
| previous_owner =
| food_type      = [[Natural foods]] ([[vegetarian]], [[vegan]])
| street_address = 215 N. Cayuga Street
| city           = [[Ithaca, New York|Ithaca]]
| state          = [[New York (state)|New York]]
| postcode       = 14850
| country        = [[United States]]
| coordinates    = {{coord|42|26|29|N|76|29|56|W|type:landmark_region:US-NY|display=inline,title|format=dms}}
| website        = {{official URL}}
| established    = {{Start date and age|1973|01|03}} 
}}

'''Moosewood Restaurant''' (January 3, 1973–present) is an American [[natural foods]] restaurant in [[Ithaca, New York]].  In 1978, the original founders (Therese Tischler, Judy Barringer, Chris Miller, Patrick McGuire and three others){{Citation needed|date=July 2025}} sold the restaurant to the staff, who became "The Moosewood Collective." In addition to producing a number of [[James Beard Foundation Award|James Beard Award winning and nominated]] cookbooks (by the Moosewood Collective), The Moosewood Restaurant also won the ''[[List of James Beard America's Classics|James Beard America's Classics]]'' award from the [[James Beard Foundation Award|James Beard Foundation]] in 2000.

==Overview==
Moosewood Restaurant was originally founded as a [[Worker cooperative#Worker collectives|worker collective]]<ref name="staple" /> on January 3, 1973<ref name="originalsintrohis"/> during the [[natural food]]s and [[Farm-to-table]] movements within the [[Counterculture of the 1960s|American counterculture]].<ref name=generation>{{cite web
|url=https://www.syracuse.com/restaurants/2022/05/a-new-generation-takes-over-at-ithacas-legendary-moosewood-restaurant.html
|title=A new generation takes over at Ithaca's legendary Moosewood restaurant
|access-date=August 30, 2022
|last=Cazentre
|first=Don
|date=May 10, 2022 
|work=[[The Post-Standard]]
}}</ref><ref name=chapter/><ref>{{Cite book|title=Hippie Food: How Back-To-The-Landers, Longhair, and Revolutionaries Changed the Way We Eat|last=Kauffman|first=Jonathan|publisher=Harper Collins |year=2018|isbn=9780062437303|pages=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Appetite for Change: How the Counterculture Took on The Food Industry|last=Belasco|first=Warren|publisher=Cornell University Press|year=2007|isbn=978-0801473296|pages=}}</ref> According to the self-published 1974 ''Moosewood Cookbook'' (created by staff members), "a group of seven people started building [Moosewood Restaurant] in the fall of 1972," and the name was inspired by Patrick, one of the original founders, "who once read a book and in it was a character-a dog in fact' named Moosewood; it is also the name of a lovely striped maple tree."<ref name="originalsintrohis">{{cite book |author1=Moosewood Restaurant|title=The Moosewood Cookbook, Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant in the Dewitt Mall, Ithaca, New York: Introduction and History, pp. 5-6 |publisher=Moosewood Restaurant |year=1974 |isbn=}}</ref> Its original goal was to provide dishes made of "local, sustainable" food.<ref name="staple">{{cite web |last=Johnson |first=Caroline |date=March 21, 2022 |title=Ithaca staple, Moosewood Restaurant, returns with new leadership and menu |url=https://www.ithacajournal.com/story/life/2022/03/21/moosewood-restaurant-returns-ithaca-dining-scene-new-seasonal-menu/7078043001/ |access-date=April 22, 2022 |work=Ithaca Journal}}</ref><ref name="new">{{cite news |last=Harding |first=Tanner |date=March 30, 2022 |title=Moosewood restaurant now open under new ownership |url=https://www.ithaca.com/news/ithaca/moosewood-restaurant-now-open-under-new-ownership/article_38876732-afe0-11ec-a482-978adf9278c6.html |access-date=April 22, 2022 |work=[[Ithaca Times]]}}</ref><ref name="nearing">{{cite web |last=Carney |first=Brennan |date=April 20, 2022 |title=Nearing Its 50th Anniversary, Moosewood Reopens Under New Ownership |url=https://www.ithacaweek-ic.com/nearing-its-50th-anniversary-moosewood-reopens-under-new-ownership/ |access-date=April 22, 2022 |work=Ithaca Week}}</ref> Although meat was served when the restaurant first opened, it was dropped from the menu.<ref name=iconic>{{cite web
|url=https://www.newyorkupstate.com/ithaca/2017/03/ithacas_iconic_moosewood_restuarant_has_come_a_long_way_from_the_chalkboard_menu.html
|title=Ithaca's iconic Moosewood restaurant has come a long way from the chalkboard menu
|access-date=September 2, 2022
|last=Eisenstadt
|first=Marnie
|date=March 16, 2017
|work=[[The Post-Standard]]
}}</ref> The focus turned to natural foods that primarily featured [[vegetarian]] (and later [[vegan]]) dishes, but has also included [[pescetarianism|pescetarian]] options on its menu and in its cookbooks.<ref name=iconic/><ref name=evolution>{{cite web
|url=https://blog.opentable.com/moosewood-restaurant-on-the-evolution-of-vegetarian-dining/
|title=Moosewood Restaurant on the Evolution of Vegetarian Dining
|access-date=August 28, 2022
|last=Terenzio
|first=Olivia
|date=October 9, 2015
|work=OpenTable
}}</ref><ref name=good>{{cite web
|url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/4975517
|title= More Good Eats from the Moosewood Collective
|access-date=August 28, 2022
|last=Brand
|first=Madeline
|date=October 26, 2005
|work=[[National Public Radio]]
}}</ref>

It was popular with [[Counterculture of the 1960s|countercultural icons]]: "[[Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young|Crosby and Nash]] once shared drinks at the bar, and [[Allen Ginsberg]] ended his dinner with a Moosewood brownie and black coffee. Even the [[Grateful Dead]] stopped by during [[Cornell 5/8/77|their trip for Cornell's Barton Hall show]], only to go unrecognized by the members of the collective."<ref name="nearing" />

==History==
[[File:Moosewoodimg780.jpg|thumb|September 1992, exterior, Moosewood Restaurant, Ithaca, NY]]

===1970s===
Moosewood was established in "the ground level of the Dewitt Building at 215 N. Cayuga St,"<ref name=generation/> and sits "[in the] southeast corner of the building [...] its décor included barn board wainscoting, fifteen wooden tables, mix-matched chairs, and tie-dyed curtains."<ref name=legacy>{{cite web
|url=https://www.ithaca.com/opinion/the-moosewood-legacy-in-ithaca/article_26aed6ca-e104-11e3-8c27-001a4bcf887a.html
|title=The Moosewood Legacy in Ithaca
|access-date=August 30, 2022
|last=Olds
|first=Marjorie
|date=May 21, 2014
|work=[[Ithaca Times]]
}}</ref> The founders originally developed the restaurant as “a place to feed their community. The vision was to put forward ideas about sustainable farming and environmentally friendly food systems but to do so in a delicious way."<ref name=chapter/> It was also set up to:

{{blockquote| "run [[Worker cooperative#Worker collectives|collectively]], with the aim of supporting a lot of people and sharing the responsibilities of presenting good food to the community. Everyone gets paid the same hourly wage, the 15% service charge is divided among all who work during each day, and while a certain amount of specialization seems inevitable, everyone is encouraged to become skilled at all the different jobs...People often ask us about our philosophy on food - we have no set response, nor do we collectively subscribe to a particular school of thought. From the onset, we decided not to mount a crusade against so-called 'bad' or 'plastic food.'...very simply, we try to offer a lot possibilities without any dogma, reckoning that someone who comes in for the brownies will eventually try a fresh vegetable salad and a meat and potatoes person might try a vegetarian casserole...the basic supposition is that if healthy foods are prepared in delicious ways, people will be inclined to want to eat them."(p.5)<ref name="originalsp"/>}}

Wynnie Stein, an original Moosewood member, states she became involved due to the emphasis on local ingredients: "it's important for people to know where their food was produced. I saw Moosewood's Collective involvement in this locally sourced foods movement and I am so glad to be a part of it. It's refreshing to be part of a group of individuals who support the use of locally produced fruits, vegetables, and grains."<ref name="meet">{{cite web
|url=https://www.downtownithaca.com/wynniesteinatmoosewood/
|title= Meet Wynnie Stein at Moosewood
|access-date=August 28, 2022
|last=
|first=
|date=15 December 2018
|work=Downtown Ithaca
}}</ref> Stein also notes that the "first people who were involved were very idealistic, none of them had any restaurant experience. They were just great cooks and they loved to cook... we were really interested in food being not just helpful or good for you, but super creative and delicious, and I think that's what set us apart from the rest of the natural foods movement."<ref name="chapter" />

In 1978, the original founders sold Moosewood to the restaurant staff, now called "The Moosewood Collective."<ref name=legacy/> David Hirsch (who joined Moosewood in 1976) recalls that there "were seven original owners, and by the time I started there were only two left who were still working there. Within a couple of years we bought out the original seven owners and formed it as more of a philosophical collective, because it wasn't a true cooperative economically. We would have meetings and try for consensus on different decisions that were important. We didn't have a hierarchical leadership; it was more horizontal."<ref name=evolution/>

===New ownership (2022-present)===
During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the members of the collective began to explore selling Moosewood.<ref name=staple/> Danica Wilcox (the daughter of Kip Wilcox, an original member of Moosewood who specialized in desserts) eventually bought it, and  original Moosewood member Wynnie Stein worked with her to make the transition.<ref name=chapter>{{cite web
|url=https://www.vegetariantimes.com/restaurants/moosewood-vegetarian-restaurant/
|title=A New Chapter for Legendary Vegetarian Restaurant Moosewood
|access-date=August 28, 2022
|last=Wilson
|first=Emily
|date=June 15, 2022
|work=[[Vegetarian Times]]}}</ref>

Wilcox took over as of January 1, 2022,<ref name="staple" /><ref name="nearing" /><ref name="new" /> and has launched a new menu that will be "more vegan, more local and sustainable."<ref name="staple" /> She also notes that while Moosewood's "menu has often included fish throughout the years – which we may reintroduce – ...our focus right now is to highlight the beautiful produce, grains, dairy and wine available in our region...the first new menu celebrates authentically vegetarian cuisine.”<ref name="generation" />

==Cookbooks==
===Moosewood Restaurant===
In 1974, members of the original Moosewood staff self- published a spiral bound paper-covered vegetarian cookbook (79 pages), with "''The Moosewood Cookbook Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant in the Dewitt Mall, Ithaca, New York'', Copyright 1974 Moosewood," on the title page.<ref name=mw>{{cite web
|url=https://shop.moosewoodrestaurant.com/products/original-moosewood-cookbook
|title=Original Moosewood Cookbook - 40th Anniversary Edition 
|access-date=August 22, 2025
|last=
|first=
|date=
|work=Moosewood Restaurant
}}</ref> Page three contains a list of its creators: "Design, Editing, Hand-writing, Pen-and-ink illustrations [[Mollie Katzen]] Feedback digestion, Critical Analysis, Introduction & History Nancy McCauley Cover Drawing Judith M. Barringer Onion Photogram Kathy Morris Frontispiece: charcoal drawing Meredith (Mimi) Barchat Photographs Phyllis Boudreau Photographic Montage Phyllis Boudreau Susan B. Lent."<ref name="originalsp">{{cite book |author1=Moosewood Restaurant|title=The Moosewood Cookbook, Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant in the Dewitt Mall, Ithaca, New York |publisher=Moosewood Restaurant |year=1974 |isbn=}}</ref> In addition, page 79 contains a list of cookbooks titled "Postward." The list includes titles such as ''[[Diet for a Small Planet]]'', ''[[Diet for a Small Planet#Legacy|Great Meatless Meals]]'', ''[[Diet for a Small Planet#Protein combining|Recipes for a Small Planet]]'', ''The Yogi Cookbook'' (Yogi Vithaldas and Susan Roberts), ''[[Ten Talents (cookbook)|Ten Talents]]'', ''[[The Vegetarian Epicure]]'', ''[[Sunset Books|Sunset Mexican Cookbook]],'' and ''[[The Joy of Cooking]]''.<ref name="originalsp"/> It is preceded by the following statement:"Because we have only presented our original recipes in this book, you may not have found a recipe for something you ate at Moosewood '''and liked'''. For this reason, and because we want to share our sources of inspiration with you, it is our pleasure to acknowledge our favorite cookbooks."<ref name="originalsp"/> 
*{{cite book |author1=Moosewood Restaurant|title=The Moosewood Cookbook Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant In the Dewitt Mall Ithaca, New York |publisher=Moosewood Restaurant |year=1974 |isbn=}}

===Moosewood Cookbook===
In 1977, [[Ten Speed Press]] in [[California]] published a revised version of the 1974 self-published original, with "''The [[Moosewood Cookbook]] Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant Ithaca, New York'' Compiled, Edited, Illustrated and Hand-Lettered by [[Mollie Katzen]]" on the title page.<ref name="tspversion">{{cite book |author1=Katzen, Mollie|title=Moosewood Cookbook |publisher=Ten Speed Press |year=1977 |isbn=0913668680}}</ref> Page five lists additional contributors: "Frontispiece: Charcoal Drawing by Meridith Barchat Photographs by J.M. Barringer Cover Design by Meridith Barchat and Mollie Katzen."<ref name="tspversion"/> This page also contains a list of 37 names (including Katzen) introduced as: "The Moosewood People who have created the Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, New York from which this book has sprung."<ref name="tspversion"/>

The ''Moosewood Cookbook'' became a highly influential vegetarian cookbook,<ref>[https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/good-food/vegetarian-recipes-onions-veggie-burgers-fruit-seeds/hippie-food-book-jonathan-kauffman How 'hippie food' went mainstream]</ref> with four editions (1977, 1992, 2000, 2014).<ref>[https://www.abebooks.com/search/tn/moosewood+cookbook Editions of the Moosewood Cookbook]</ref>
*{{cite book |author1=Katzen, Mollie|title=[[Moosewood Cookbook]] |publisher=[[Ten Speed Press]] |year=1977 |isbn=0-913668-68-0}}
*{{cite book |author1=Katzen, Mollie|title=Moosewood Cookbook: New Revised Edition|publisher=[[Ten Speed Press]] |year=1992|isbn=0-89815-490-1}}
*{{cite book |author1=Katzen, Mollie|title=The New Moosewood Cookbook |publisher=[[Ten Speed Press]] |year=2000 |isbn=1-58008-130-4}}
*{{cite book |author1=Katzen, Mollie|title=Moosewood Cookbook:40th Anniversary Edition|publisher=[[Ten Speed Press]] |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-60774-739-0}}

===Moosewood Collective===
Beginning in the late 1980s, The Moosewood Collective began a cookbook series. The first, published in 1987, is titled ''New Recipes From Moosewood Restaurant.'' Mollie Katzen states in a quote on the back cover: "It's been nearly ten years since I cooked at Moosewood Restaurant, and I had no hand making this book, yet these recipes evoke memories so fresh, it feels like I worked there yesterday."<ref name="Newrecipes">{{cite book |author1=Moosewood Collective|title=New Recipes From Moosewood Restaurant |publisher=10 Speed Press |year=1987 |isbn=0-89815-209-7}}</ref>  ''New Recipes From Moosewood Restaurant'' has been followed by thirteen more books of vegetarian, vegan, and Pescetarian recipes to date.<ref name=nearing/><ref>[https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/moosewood-collective/198129/ Books by The Moosewood Collective]</ref> A share of cookbook royalties have gone to various charities: "Ithaca Community Harvest, Planned Parenthood, AIDS Work of Tompkins County, Eritrean Relief Fund, Tibetan Resettlement Project, Greater Ithaca Activities Center, Loaves & Fishes, and Healthy Food for All."<ref name=legacy/> In 2014, the Collective donated "a copy of ''Moosewood Cooks for a Crowd'' cookbook to youth and adult secure facility/prisons, plus local schools, community centers and organizations, and spiritual centers throughout New York State."<ref name=legacy/>

In 2010, the Moosewood Collective donated its archive of original cookbook manuscripts and memorabilia to [[Cornell University]]. The papers are housed in the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections in the Carl A. Kroch Library.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cornellsun.com/section/news/content/2010/10/15/moosewood-donates-manuscripts-university |title=Moosewood Donates Manuscripts to University |publisher=The Cornell Daily Sun |author=Erika Hooker |access-date=October 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322005518/http://cornellsun.com/section/news/content/2010/10/15/moosewood-donates-manuscripts-university |archive-date=March 22, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://rmc.library.cornell.edu/ead/htmldocs/RMM06882.html |title=Guide to the Moosewood Collective Records, 1973–2010 |publisher=Cornell University Library: Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections |access-date=November 15, 2011}}</ref>
*{{cite book |author1=Moosewood Collective|title=New Recipes From Moosewood Restaurant |publisher=10 Speed Press |year=1987 |isbn=9780898152081}}
*{{cite book |author1=Moosewood Collective|title=Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant  |publisher=Touchstone|year=1990 |isbn=9780671679903}}
*{{cite book |author1=Moosewood Collective|title=Moosewood Restaurant Garden Kitchen  |publisher=Simon and Schuster |year=1992 |isbn= 0671692399}}
*{{cite book |author1=Moosewood Collective|title=Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers  |publisher= Ten Speed |year=2005 |isbn=  9780609609125}}
*{{cite book |author1=Moosewood Collective|title=Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health |publisher= Simon and Schuster |year=2009|isbn= 978-1416548874}}
*{{cite book |author1=Moosewood Collective|title=Moosewood Restaurant Favorites |publisher=St. Martin's Press |year=2013|isbn=  9781250006257}}
*{{cite book |author1=Moosewood Collective|title=Moosewood Restaurant Table |publisher=St. Martin's Press |year=2017|isbn=  9781250074331}}

'''Includes lists of vegan dishes'''
*{{cite book |author1=Moosewood Collective|title=Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home  |publisher=Atria |year=1994 |isbn= 0671679929}}
*{{cite book |author1=Moosewood Collective|title=Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites  |publisher= Crown |year=1996 |isbn= 9780517884942}}
*{{cite book |author1=Moosewood Collective|title=Moosewood Restaurant Cooks for a Crowd  |publisher= Wiley and Sons |year=1997 |isbn= 9780471238775}}
*{{cite book |author1=Moosewood Collective|title=Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts  |publisher= Clarkson Potter |year=1997 |isbn= 0517884933}}
*{{cite book |author1=Moosewood Collective|title=Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special  |publisher= Clarkson Potter |year=1999 |isbn= 9780965031424}}
*{{cite book |author1=Moosewood Collective|title=Moosewood Restaurant New Classics  |publisher= Crown Publishing |year=2001 |isbn=  9780609802410}}
*{{cite book |author1=Moosewood Collective|title=Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates  |publisher= Crown Publishing |year=2003 |isbn=  9780609808115}}

==James Beard awards and nominations==
===Moosewood Restaurant===
'''Winner:'''
*2000 ([[List of James Beard America's Classics|America's Classics]]: Chef and Restaurant Awards): Moosewood Restaurant.<ref name=jbmr>[https://www.jamesbeard.org/awards/search?year=&keyword=Moosewood+ James Beard Awards: Moosewood]</ref> This award recognized Moosewood Restaurant as "one of the most popular regional destinations."<ref name=jbclassics>{{cite web
|url=https://www.ithaca.com/visit_ithaca/moosewood-celebrates-30-years-of-success/article_91acf9b0-fb57-59a7-8554-5e9ef437ccae.html
|title=Moosewood celebrates 30 years of success
|access-date=April 22, 2022
|last=Stark
|first=Henry
|date=January 16, 2003
|work=[[Ithaca Times]]
}}</ref>

===The Moosewood Collective===
Six of The Moosewood Collective cookbooks were nominated for [[James Beard Foundation Award]]s, and two of the six won awards.<ref>[https://www.jamesbeard.org/awards/search?year=&keyword=Moosewood+Collective James Beard Foundation Awards: Moosewood Collective]</ref>

'''Winners: '''
*1995: ''Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home'' - ([[James Beard Foundation Award: 1990s#1995 awards|Vegetarian Book Awards]])
*1997: ''Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites'' ([[James Beard Foundation Award: 1990s#1997 awards|Healthy Focus Book Awards]])

'''Nominations'''
*1991: ''Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant'' (Fruits, Vegetables, & Grains)
*1997: ''Moosewood Cooks for a Crowd'' (Special Occasions)
*2002: ''Moosewood Restaurant New Classics'' (Healthy Focus)
*2004: ''Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates'' (Vegetarian/Healthy Focus)

===Moosewood Cookbook===
'''Winner:'''
*2007 ([[James Beard Foundation Award: 2000s#2007 awards|Cookbook Hall of Fame: Book Awards]]): ''[[Moosewood Cookbook]]''<ref>[https://www.jamesbeard.org/awards/search?year=&keyword=Mollie+Katzen James Beard Foundation Awards: Moosewood Cookbook (Mollie Katzen)]</ref>

==Further reading==
*{{cite book
 |last=Kauffman
 |first=Jonathan
 |author-link=Jonathan Kauffman
 |date=2018
 |title=Hippie Food: How Back-To-The-Landers, Longhair, and Revolutionaries Changed the Way We Eat
 |url=
 |location=
 |publisher=[[William Morrow and Company|William Morrow]]
 |page= <!-- or pages= -->
 |isbn=978-0062437303
}}
* {{Cite book|title=Appetite for Change: How the Counterculture Took on The Food Industry|last=Belasco|first=Warren|publisher=Cornell University Press|year=2007|isbn=978-0801473296|pages=}}

==See also==
*[[Chez Panisse]]
*[[Greens Restaurant]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Portal bar|Food|Books}}
*{{official website}}
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNpTYzrRfYw&t=99s Ithaca Week: Moosewood Reopens Under New Ownership (video)], April 19, 2022

{{Vegetarianism}}
{{James Beard Awards: Vegetarian, Vegan, Plant-Based Authors & Cookbooks}}
{{Ithaca, New York}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Buildings and structures in Ithaca, New York]]
[[Category:Chefs of vegan cuisine]]
[[Category:Counterculture of the 1960s]]
[[Category:America's Classics winners]]
[[Category:Restaurants established in 1973]]
[[Category:James Beard Foundation Award winners]]
[[Category:Series of non-fiction books]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Ithaca, New York]]
[[Category:Vegan cookbooks]]
[[Category:Vegan cookbook writers]]
[[Category:Vegan restaurants in the United States]]
[[Category:Vegetarian cookbooks]]
[[Category:Vegetarian cookbook writers]]
[[Category:Vegetarian restaurants in the United States]]
[[Category:Worker cooperatives of the United States]]