This multi-ethnic neighborhood centers on Ninth Avenue from 38th to 50th Streets--a food-lover’s paradise.  Hell’s Kitchen began as a warehouse and commercial district but waves of immigrants brought their foods and customs to the enrich the area.  Encouraged by it's proximity to the theater district, an unusually large choice  of ethnic restaurants has sprung up.  The more recent gentrification has brought a varied selection of specialty food stores to the neighborhood.   
  

Our tour begins with coffee at a fragrant coffee importer, near the lower-end of Hell’s Kitchen where the neighborhood’s grittier side is still in evidence. From here we will walk south and visit various bakeries, butchers and food suppliers most of whom have occupied the same space for years.  These stores run the gamut from the tiny Cupcake Café, the Ninth Avenue International Market and the (refrigerated) Big Apple Meat Market where chilly customers walk past racks holding huge cuts of meat.  We will see an Italian specialty foods store established in 1893, an African grocery store, a Middle Eastern spice market, fish and produce stores and more.

As we cross 42^nd Street, signs of gentrification begin; the neighborhood changes, stores are more upscale and the theater district's influence is more evident, even as we pass subsidized housing for performing artists

At the northern end of Hell's Kitchen, we will stroll through the beautifully designed and maintained Community Garden, a uniquely New York phenomenon,  accessible to community residents by key.  This lovely garden offers a haven amidst the hustle and bustle of the neighborhood.

The tour concludes with lunch at one of the many local ethnic restaurants where we might sample Ethiopian, Argentine, Thai or Italian cuisine.