Neal Harden

Coming Up

Neal Harden describes the work from two fixed points: “The muse is really the Union Square Greenmarket.” and “I always think of things in terms of color.” Read together, they point to a kitchen practice built from market reading and visual composition. The produce drives the menu logic; color drives the plate logic. Before Harden’s name was tied to plant-based cooking at a higher polish, ABC Restaurants provided the first formal ground, and that training carried him into the kitchens that followed. From there, chef at Pure Food and Wine (2005–2010) became a defining stage in the arc of Neal Harden’s career, setting the terms of a style he would keep working. A later move to chef at Maimonide of Brooklyn extended that same precision into a different room. In 2015, abcV became the clearest public expression of the work, where Harden is now Head Chef and Executive Chef. Since 2022, he has also served as chief of plant based development at Jean-Georges, a title that places him on both the restaurant floor and the development side of the category. The Union Square Greenmarket signals source-first thinking; color signals composition. Those are practical disciplines, not mood words: what arrives from the market, how it is arranged, how it reads at the pass. That is the thread running through Neal Harden’s work.

Where They Are Now

At abcV, where Neal Harden has been since 2015, the work sits under the remit of Head Chef and Executive Chef. That means the day-to-day discipline of service, plus the longer view of keeping the restaurant’s plant-based line consistent as it evolves. His parallel role as chief of plant based development at Jean-Georges (from 2022) keeps him in the same field from another angle: development, refinement, and the ongoing testing of what plant-based cooking can hold. The present tense of Harden’s career still points back to the same base habits. Market, season, color, structure. Those are the terms that shape the plate and the kitchen around it.

Signature

Neal’s signature dishes include Sweet Corn Wontons. The dish matches the logic in his own language: direct, compact, and built to carry both flavor and visual clarity. Within a plant-forward frame, it leaves room for texture and contrast without overworking the idea.

In Their Words “The muse is really the Union Square Greenmarket.” “I always think of things in terms of color.”