Saturday, November 8, 2025
Crossroads Farm at Grossmann’s in Malverne held its annual benefit dinner on Saturday, with more than 100 attendees expressing their support for the farm and its initiatives.
Billed as a “Taste of Long Island,” the event offered farm to table treats throughout the evening.
“It’s well known that Crossroads Farm is not only the jewel of our Village of Malverne, but certainly of Nassau County,” Malverne Mayor Tim Sullivan said. “Tonight’s not only a night to support the farm financially but to bring people together that really care for not only open spaces, but organic farming and community events.”
While the benefit dinner is an annual event, “this year is special because the contributions are going to the barn restoration,” farm operations manager Michael D’Angelo said. The funds raised would allow staff to install insulation at the farm, replace some of the rotting windows and doors, and hook up running water in the barn.
D’Angelo said the farm has not undergone any major renovations since the 1970s, and these upgrades would improve the farm’s infrastructure and allow it to continue providing meaningful services for the local communities.
“As a not-for-profit organization, these are the moments where we can really create an event for people that has a focus,” D’Angelo said. “Raising money to restore the barn is hard under normal circumstances, so bringing everyone together for an event like this is helpful.”
Established by George Grossmann in 1896, Grossmann Farm was one of many in the area, and in 1923 it opened a farm stand to sell produce directly to local communities. Nassau County purchased the property from the Grossmann family for $6.5 million in 2010 using taxpayer funds from the 2006 Environmental Bond Act. The Nassau Land Trust leases the land from the county, operating the organic farm, supporting nearby communities, and continuing to sell locally grown produce.
“The Nassau Land Trust is a conservation organization protecting open space and farmland in Nassau County,” said John Halsey, president and founder of the Peconic Land Trust, a Southampton-based organization working to protect natural lands in the Peconic Bay region since 1983.
Members of the Peconic Land Trust helped form the Nassau Land Trust and support its work in Nassau County.
“We’re the caretakers of the land,” Harry Nicolaides, chairman of the Nassau Land Trust board, said. “This continues as an operating organic farm, but one of our mission statements is to have an educational farm. We have a very robust educational program, a great educational team. It’s really one of the highlights of Crossroads Farm.”
“Places like Crossroads Farm are special,” Halsey said. “To protect it in concert with the county and then to turn it into a community asset, where people can learn about and participate in growing, and children can learn about where food comes from and the importance of local food — it’s just an opportunity that is so unique.”
“This farm is a shining example of initiatives gone right,” Sullivan said. “It’s only getting better and better as the notoriety of this place continues to grow.”
The dinner began with a cocktail hour at the farm, as attendees enjoyed live music and conversation while farm volunteers served wine, beer and organic sodas. River Mill of Lynbrook, the Coalhouse Grill of Baldwin, and Wild Fork of West Hempstead, which donated meals and services to the event, provided the hors d’oeuvres.
Wrapping up the cocktail hour, D’Angelo spoke about the history of the farm and ways attendees can continue supporting future developments. A hayride then delivered 60 attendees to Harvest House Tavern, where they enjoyed a farm to table dinner prepared with ingredients from the farm.
“We’re a great example of farm to table,” Ross Gollub, a managing partner at Harvest House Tavern, said.
The tavern uses vegetables sourced from Crossroads Farm, a short distance away on Hempstead Avenue, to craft seasonal menus and dishes for patrons. “I’m excited to see people’s appreciation of what the farm’s actually grown and then see it in its final form on the plate in front of them,” Gollub said.
The menu for the night included a mezze platter appetizer, pasta primavera, a picanha steak, poached halibut, a half-roasted chicken, and then zucchini cake and peach and thyme tarte tatin for dessert.
The evening raised approximately $60 thousand, which will help ensure the barn can continue serving the Malverne community for years to come.
