"My staff and I love working with the vendors and growers on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis to bring in what's fresh. It is transforming for our guests to come into this lovely park setting and then to dine on a changing seasonal menu. It is appreciated the most by the people who are visting us two and three times a week." Chef Campbell, once off-duty, recommends an uncomplicated approach. "Americans tend to work too hard and we need to make the most of our downtime. A good bottle of wine is a good move in that direction.”

For picnics and backyard grilling he favored the characteristics of nice crisp whites such as French, Australian or New Zealand Sauvignons and Semillons,  particularly those with grapefruit tones. Campbell warned that Riesling in the summer can be too cloying and to choose the dry Rieslings. Serving Champagne, or Prosecco or dry Roses are ways to negotiate the unplanned mix of flavors at a communal picnic. Making Kir Royals, a cocktail made from Champagne, Creme de Cassis and a twist of lemon, allows one to further tailor the beverage choices to people's palates.

Needing a ceramic wine cooler is a misnomer, thinks Chef Campbell. "The French have been chilling and presenting wine on ice with a little water for hundreds of years.” His last bit of advice for summer wines is to not be afraid to gently chill red wines, "A slight chill on red wine takes the sting out of the air and makes many reds drinkable year round.”

A rare kind of park therapy can be had by visiting the New Leaf Café. Set in Fort Tryon Park with arresting views of the Hudson River, the restaurant is a stone cottage surrounded by a wild flower garden tended to by staff horticulturalists of the New York Restoration Project. Net profits from the café benefit the NYRP which was founded by Bette Midler charged with the conservancy of improving the forgotten open spaces of New York, particularly those in underserved communities. A restaurant garden is in development as designed by the NYRP with assistance from Chef Campbell. The New Leaf Café, a New American Restaurant, One Margaret Corbin Drive, Fort Tryon Manhattan (212) 568-5323