Celebrating Welsh life in New York City

The Welsh imprint on New York’s story begins early. Among New York’s founding figures was Francis Lewis, born in Llandaff, who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 as a representative for New York.

And in 1801, Welsh expatriates established the St David’s Society of the State of New York, one of America’s oldest societies, to support fellow Welsh people in the city and celebrate their heritage.

Fast forward to the 20th century, and the Welsh presence in New York takes on a creative and dramatic flair. Poet Dylan Thomas, whose tumultuous time in the city produced some of his finest work - and ended tragically at the Chelsea Hotel after a period of heavy drinking at the White Horse Tavern - cemented his place in the cultural ferment of both nations.

Richard Burton, another towering Welsh talent, dazzled Broadway audiences in Camelot and Hamlet, bringing a lyrical intensity to the American stage. Burton was also instrumental in shaping the next generation of performers, following his appointment as the first director of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York City.

And beyond the arts, Welsh corporate talent helped shape New York’s modern identity. Cardiff-born Howard Stringer, who rose to helm CBS and later became the first non-Japanese chairman and CEO of Sony, ranking him among the most powerful figures in global media.

Today, a new generation of Welsh talent is redefining what it means to be Welsh in New York. Across food, fashion, and music, this new-gen Welsh talent is blending heritage and innovation.

Luke Thomas, the North Walian chef, author and entrepreneur, is one of them. After being named the youngest head chef in the UK at the start of his career, Luke is now based full-time in New York, and is building celebrity-owned brands through his company R3, partnering with names like YouTube star David Dobrik and Harlem-born rapper A$AP Ferg.

He was also the former co-owner of Café Habana, an institution in New York City’s NoLita neighbourhood serving up Cuban-Mexican favourites. Yet despite the New York and Mexican influences, Thomas’s culinary roots remain firmly planted in home soil.

“I love going back to Wales to enjoy all of the comforts of home - amazing produce, our local in Hawarden - The Glynne Arms, and cooking hearty dishes inspired by what my grandmother taught me”, he says.

“Everything was simple but from scratch - slow-cooked stews, shepherd’s pie, sponge pudding and homemade custard.”

“In my teens I spent a lot of time with Steve Vaughan Butcher’s in Penyfordd and cooked a lot of lamb in all its forms - from the most simple grilled lamb chops to Middle-Eastern marinades and Indian style slow roasted shoulder. So Welsh lamb as an ingredient is a true favourite.”

Another chef bringing a taste of Wales to New York is Tomos Parry, the Anglesey-born talent behind London’s acclaimed restaurants, BRAT and Mountain. Known for his open-fire cooking and deep respect for produce (his menus are loaded with Welsh ingredients), Parry has built a global following for his ingredient-led dishes that champion simplicity and smoke.

In summer 2025, he brought his Michelin-starred BRAT concept to Manhattan in a series of pop-ups - introducing New Yorkers to his dishes that reflect both the coastal flavours of Wales and the Basque-inspired techniques that made him a star in London. His presence in the city marks another milestone in the growing Welsh culinary presence in New York.

In another corner of the city, music and identity intertwine for Rod Thomas, better known as Bright Light Bright Light, who counts Elton John and the Scissor Sisters among his fans and collaborators. Born in the Neath Valley “between farms and a coal mine”, Thomas now lights up New York’s nightlife with his emotive electropop, and he sees clear echoes of Wales in his work.

“I don’t remember a time when there wasn’t music around,” he says. “In school we sang in the mornings, lots of kids learned instruments, choirs were a big thing. The Welsh landscapes are dramatic, and my music is dramatic - there’s definitely a through-line.”

Thomas’s Welsh inspirations - Shirley Bassey, Bonnie Tyler, Catatonia, Gruff Rhys, Super Furry Animals, Tom Jones - still shape his sound.

“I especially admire Super Furry Animals for the wild creativity in their production and visuals. In fact the first song I released as Bright Light Bright Light was produced by Boom Bip, who worked with Gruff Rhys on their Neon Neon project.

“And I think Wales’ choral tradition continues to influence my work as multiple songs of mine have a "choir" feel on the background vocals, including 'Enjoy Youth' which I recorded as an English/Welsh hybrid with Donna Lewis - an iconic Welsh popstar!”

Though a full-time New Yorker for over a decade, Thomas remains proud of his roots:

“If I could show New Yorkers one thing about Wales, it’d be Gower Peninsula. The coastline is mind-blowing - people don’t believe it when they see photos of the beaches. But also… Welsh cakes!”

Switching sectors to aesthetics, meet Sofie Pavitt, a Newport-born aesthetician, hailed by Goop as a ‘skincare savant’ and well-known in skincare circles as ‘the acne whisperer’. Now one of New York’s most sought after facialists, Sofie possesses a client list that includes every New York based beauty editor, influencer and model of note, with celebrity clients rumoured to include Zendaya and Lorde.

Just last year her eponymous skincare brand, Sofie Pavitt Face, launched at Sephora – a major coup for any beauty brand – but especially so for one that launched just two years prior.

And last but not least, we can’t forget Emmy-winning actor Matthew Rhys, a native Cardiff-ian now living in Brooklyn, who continues to fly the flag for Wales on screen and off - from his acclaimed performances in The Americans and Perry Mason, to starring in the Netflix series The Beast in Me, which received rave reviews, and producing projects that spotlight Welsh storytelling on the global stage.

Most recently, he made a highly anticipated return to the stage with the one-man play Playing Burton, portraying the legendary Welsh actor Richard Burton during the month of what would have been his one hundredth birthday. The performance traced Burton’s remarkable journey from a humble upbringing in the South Wales Valleys, to stardom on Broadway and in Hollywood.

After rehearsing in the Lincoln Center with legendary director Bartlett Sher, Rhys became Burton for a New York audience before taking to London’s Old Vic, before the production toured across Wales, culminating in a poignant performance in Burton’s birthplace of Pontrhydyfen

Beyond individual stories, New York’s Welsh community continues to flourish. New York Welsh brings together expats and Welsh enthusiasts for meetups, collaborations with arts institutions, and St David’s Day celebrations that light up the city each March.

For Gwilym Roberts-Harry, one of the society’s founding members, along with Ty Francis MBE and Marc Walby, it all started as a labour of love: “It was very DIY - no funding, just a handful of us pulling together to find a home for the community,” he recalls. “We wanted to create a place where Welsh people in this city of strangers could feel welcome - a space to speak Welsh, share stories from home, and feel that warmth again.”

What began as a grassroots idea has grown into a network of more than a thousand members, reflecting the rich tapestry of modern Wales itself. “It’s a really eclectic mix” says Roberts-Harry.

“You’ve got Welsh speakers and learners, people raising families in the city, Welsh-Americans reconnecting with their heritage - even Turkish-Welsh and Sri Lankan-Welsh New Yorkers. It felt like Wales in miniature.”

That sense of belonging found a home at The Liberty NYC, affectionately known as “the Welsh bar”, or “Y Dafarn”, where the community gathers for everything from Six Nations rugby matches, to live music, Gruff Rhys listening parties, poetry readings and Tribeca Film Festival Welsh short film screenings. “I spent so much time there they put my photo up on the wall,” Gwilym says.

Today, even as some, like Roberts-Harry, have returned home to Wales, drawn back by family and language, the legacy of those gatherings endures.

Along with the work of Roberts-Harry, much of that legacy is thanks to his New York Welsh co-founders Ty and Marc, whose long-standing commitment has shaped New York’s Welsh community into the vibrant, welcoming hub it is today. They have spent years transforming The Liberty into a true Welsh home-from-home - a place where visitors now wander in simply because they spot the Welsh flag in the window. Their dedication keeps the organisation entirely self-funded and accessible, ensuring the diaspora has a space that feels open, familiar and proudly Welsh.

Francis and Walby’s wider work has also helped raise Wales’ profile far beyond the bar’s walls, from launching Wales Week New York, to ringing the Nasdaq opening bell with Matthew Rhys as the Welsh flag lit up Times Square. Their commitment to supporting women’s and girls’ rugby and football through JerseyForAll.org adds another thread to the story.

In a city built on reinvention, the Welsh community continues to offer something enduring: a reminder that wherever you go in the world, a little piece of Wales is never far away.