Connecting Culture and Cuisine in Paterson

Aug 25, 2016

Food has always been one of the most important ways that we experience and understand difference cultures. It has always been a major part of Paterson's cultural landscape, from Alexander Hamilton's 1778 picnic at the Great Falls to the Latin American, European, and Middle Eastern restaurants that line the city's streets today.

Since Hamilton's time Paterson has been a city of immigrants, opening its doors to people from around the world looking for new opportunities. Hamilton championed the "diversity of talents" that immigrants would bring to the new nation. Each successive wave of newcomers has infused Paterson with a new culture and character, making it the diverse, multicultural city it is today.

People nationwide are discovering what Paterson has to offer. The Washington Post called the city's markets, bakeries, and restaurants "a dream come true." And the Los Angeles Times describes Paterson as a must-see destination—even giving directions on how to get here from California.

In 2017 we partnered with the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park and local restaurants and businesses to connect the history of the Great Falls to contemporary life in Paterson through food. The Great Falls, Great Food, Great Stories community engagement program and the Savor Paterson cultural festival invited residents and visitors to explore the city's rich culture and heritage through its many cuisines.

Paterson restaurants and businesses that participated in Great Falls, Great Food, Great Stories and Savor Paterson include:

Abu Rass, 1057 Main Street Middle Eastern cuisine	Al Basha, 1076 Main Street Middle Eastern cuising
Al Basha Sweets, 1090 Main Street Arabic bakery	The Brownstone, 351 W. Broadway Fine dining and events
City Green Mobile Market Traveling farm stand and market	Costa Marina, 182 Market Street Peruvian cuisine
Delizioso, 21 Mill Street Peruvian and Italian cuisine, ice cream parlor	Dulcemente Peruano, 73 Market Street Peruvian desserts
JonJax, 356 10th Avenue Soul food	Nablus Sweets, 1050 Main Street Middle Eastern bakery
Nouri Brothers, 999 Main Street Middle Eastern market	Nouri's Family Restaurant, 1003 Main Street Middle Eastern cuisine
Panchito's, 46 Market Street Peruvian chicken (pollo a la brasa)	El Regional, 51 Cianci Street Argentinian and Uruguayan market
El Rompe y Raja, 57 Cianci Street Peruvian cuisine	El Señorio, 30 Market Street Peruvian cuisine
Somos Tu Peru II, 1194 Market Street Peruvian deli and market	Syraan, 1090 Main Street Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine
Toros, 1083 Main Street Turkish cuisine

Did You Know?

"The river finding this chasm pours all its water into it headlong from a height, according to guess, of about 80 feet; and all this pouring water must break upon the undermost piece of stone lying in the crevice, which causes a great roaring and foaming, so that persons standing there side by side have to call out loud before they can understand each other. By reason of the breaking of the water, and the wind which the falling water carries with it, there is constantly spray ascending like smoke, which scatters itself like rain."

- Nelson and Shriner, History of Paterson. (The first written account of a journey to the Great Falls dates back to 1680 and describes what the adventurous explorers called "the power and wonder of God":)

Connecting Culture and Cuisine in Paterson

Did You Know?

Our mission is to maximize the public benefits of the new Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park for the City, the State, and the Nation.