MORE THAN VEGGIES Chef Matthew Kenney is preparing to open FreeFoods, an organic retail prepared-foods shop his partners hope will be ready for business in early August at 18 W. 45th St. (between Fifth and Sixth avenues). Specialty sandwiches, soups, and salads featuring grass-fed organic beef, wild Alaskan fish, and organic free range chicken will be on offer along with an array of the vegetarian, vegan, and raw-foodist options for which Mr. Kenney is known.

Organic catering and special events services will be available starting July 16 out of the company’s Upper East Side offices (326 E. 81st St., between First and Second avenues, 212-249-4529).

Summer items on the catering menu include Maine lobster with white corn succotash and marjoram, barbecued rib eye with truffled new potatoes and summer savory gremolata, and slow roasted duck with nectarine salad and hazelnuts.

Fitting in line with Mr. Kenney’s own dietary proclivities, vegan (golden squash latkes with pomegranate cream, barley risotto with porcini and pistachio oil) and raw (young coconut noodles with savoy cabbage and Thai-spiced peanut dressing, summer vegetable tamales with cacao mole and mango guacamole) options are available, too.

NEW GEM Gemma (335 Bowery, between Second and Third avenues, 212-505-9100), the Bowery Hotel’s much anticipated Italian restaurant, opened on Friday.

NEW IN BROOKLYN Sidecar (560 Fifth Ave., between 15th and 16th streets, Brooklyn, 718-369-0077) opened last night in Park Slope, serving contemporary American fare. The liquor license is “coming soon,” according to restaurant staff, but for now this restaurant and bar is B.Y.O.

GOING WEST The pastry chef at Anthos (36 W. 52nd St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-582-6900), Bill Corbett, will leave his post at the end of the month to move to San Francisco, where he will work for chef Michael Mina at his eponymous restaurant. His replacement has not been named yet.

SUMMER SNACKING Lincoln Center’s annual summer benefit is tomorrow, starting at 6:30 p.m. with swing dancing lessons at Josie Robertson Plaza (63rd Street and Columbus Avenue) and followed by dancing until 9 p.m., when the party moves to Damrosch Park (62nd Street and Amsterdam Avenue), for a tasting of goodies from an array of restaurants and food and beverage suppliers, including Aix Brasserie, Anthos, Barbetta, Bar Boulud, Brasserie 8 1/2, Chanterelle, Colors, Cookshop, Ditch Plains, Fireside, Fleur de Sel, Hudson River Club, Klee Brasserie, Landmarc, Parea, Peacock Alley, Quality Meats, Rosa Mexicano, San Domenico NY, the French Culinary Institute, Two Little Red Hens, Whole Foods, and Yolato. Tickets are $250. For more information, contact 212-875-5460.

COFFEE UPGRADE Holiday Inn has started serving Rainforest Alliance Certified sustainable coffee made from 100% Arabica beans, which tend to be smoother, more complex, and less woody than cheaper Robusta beans.

The hotel chain has made the switch to the new brew nationwide, including its five New York City locations.

DINNER TIME Falai (68 Clinton St., between Stanton and Rivington streets, 212-253-1960) is now open for dinner, serving dishes such as tagliolini with green peas and black truffle, potato-wrapped sea bass with leek, white asparagus, and huckleberry sauce, and rabbit with wild asparagus and carrots.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY The Tasting Room (364 Elizabeth St., between Houston and Prince streets, 212-358-7831) moved at this time last year, and its owners are celebrating the anniversary with $25 gift certificates, good through Labor Day, for customers who eat there and fill out a comment card during July.

Mr. Thorn is food editor of Nation’s Restaurant News. He maintains nrnfoodwriter.blogspot.com.