The New York Women's Culinary Alliance, founded in 1981, fosters networking, education, and cooperation for women in the culinary and beverage fields in the New York metro area. The Alliance provides members with continuing education opportunities by sponsoring ongoing food and wine tastings, hands-on workshops, field trips, and business-related seminars. They also support the preservation and sharing of culinary information through member-generated programs. The Alliance assumes a dynamic role in community affairs, particularly through outreach programs and fund-raising for women's health and nutrition issues, and work with adults and children in need to teach them the basics of nutrition, food buying, and healthful meal preparation.

The Alliance came into being as the food world was turning toward more sophisticated flavors, seasonal cooking, and artisanal foods. The Alliance quickly became a forum for dozens of women whose careers centered upon food and beverages, encouraging them to meet, share expertise, and drive new directions in the food world. Early founders inlcude Sara Moulton and Maria Reuge, and right from the start its members included well known authors, caterers, chefs, cooking school teachers, editors, food writers, marketers, photographers, and stylists. Members of the Alliance have produced dozens of best-selling cookbooks, hosted nationally televised cooking shows, and produced or edited content for the country's leading magazines and newspapers.

Sources:
Excerpt from press release of NYU's acquisition of the archive
New York Women's Culinary Alliance wesbite (www.nywca.org)