Some girls have a passion for singing, whether show tunes or modern pop. Some girls have a passion for the arts, in a creative manner, or in a theatrical form. But, these girls, Natalie Landsberg (Hewitt ’14), Gillian Presto (Hewitt ’14), and Emily Morse have a strong passion for food. It goes beyond the normal attraction anyone has for a good meal; these ladies have searched New York City, or rather New Fork City,  high and low for the finest hot spots. Whether it’s in the dessert realm or the fast food field, they just about know every quality place in New York City.

Fusili with tomato sauce, parmesan cheese, and basil from Sfoglia  Credit: @new_fork_city
Fusili with tomato sauce, parmesan cheese, and basil from Sfoglia
Credit: @new_fork_city

In November of 2013, the three girls came together to create an Instagram account, creatively named New Fork City, to simply share their pictures of food to interest friends and family. In just a short amount of time, the account spread beyond their close friends to thousands across the nation.

Salad from Clinton Street Baking Company  Credit: @new_fork_city
Salad from Clinton Street Baking Company.
Credit: @new_fork_city

Currently, the account has 82,000 followers, all gained in just one year. This account serves many purposes: it can give you great recommendations for food in certain areas, tourists in New York City may take a quick look to find the finest places  to dine, or New Fork City can just be an account to admire, scrolling through the hundreds of pictures before going to sleep at night.

New Fork City truly captures the diversity of food here in New York. In just one day from looking at pictures from the account, I can gain insight into the best Indian food in NYC, or learn about “healthy eateries” that Natalie, Gillian, and Emily poke fun of because they don’t prefer the healthy lifestyle. Also, these girls keep in mind their widespread fan base. As an eager food enthusiast myself, I look into many of the places they tag, and most are priced fairly. Sure, there are some restaurants where you have to spend more, but that’s part of their job, to eat and share various types of food, no matter what the price.

An interesting feature of the account is the “Getaways”; the creators go beyond the food of New York and explore cuisines from other areas. In addition, a lot of homemade submissions are accepted, engaging followers and spreading their personal passions for the culinary arts as well. With the account’s increase in popularity, it is essential to post photos constantly to retain followers and attract new ones.

Pasta with mushrooms from Cucina Edinburgh in Scotland as part of the "Getaways" feature  Credit: @new_fork_city
Pasta with mushrooms from Cucina Edinburgh in Scotland as part of the “Getaways” feature
Credit: @new_fork_city

While each contributor to the account is in college, I wondered about how they managed to keep up so well. I caught up with Natalie Landsberg, Hewitt Class of 2014, to ask her some questions about New Fork City.

Hewitt Times: Now that you are at college, how have you been able to contribute to New Fork City, while balancing a social life and studies?

Natalie Landsberg: It’s definitely harder because we aren’t all together in NYC anymore. We have to text a lot about who is posting what and when they are going to post. It hasn’t come in the way of schoolwork or our social lives at all whatsoever.


HT: When you started the Instagram account, did you ever expect for such widespread success?

NL: No, not at all! We thought we were just making a food Instagram that a few of our friends would follow to see what we are eating. The success that we have had with the account is insane. We just followed all our friends and it kept growing and growing.


HT: Has going off to college made you appreciate the food in New York City anymore? If yes, how so?

NL: Yes 100%. College dining hall food gets boring pretty fast and the food on campus is all pretty bad for you: pizza, sandwiches, etc. NYC has some of the best food in the world and there is always so much variety. The privilege of having Mexican food one night and then Chinese another, all just a few blocks away from you is one that we miss greatly.


If you haven’t already, you should follow their Instagram account @new_fork_city. They also have expanded to a Tumblr account, and their own website with more descriptions about certain places, personal favorites, and recipes. Take a look at all of their progress, it truly has been amazing!

Collage of icecream from four New Fork City followers  Credit: @new_fork_city
Collage of ice cream from four New Fork City followers.
Credit: @new_fork_city

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