Brooklyn Flea and Smorgasburg

If you like street fairs like the Ninth Avenue International Food Festival, then you will love Brooklyn Flea and Smorgasburg. Founded in 2008, Brooklyn Flea takes place every weekend and features vendors of antique and repurposed furniture, vintage clothing, and collectibles, as well as  jewelry, art, and crafts by local artisans and designers. For food lovers, it also offers an array of interesting cuisines from refreshing beverages to hearty burgers, with many delicious options to sate your sweet tooth.

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From April through Thanksgiving, Brooklyn Flea takes place outdoors: on Saturdays in Fort Greene and on Sundays in Williamsburg. From Thanksgiving through March, the market moves indoors to Skylight One Hanson, an event space in the landmark former Williamsburgh Savings Bank.

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If you want a 100% food experience then visit Brooklyn Smorgasburg which takes place in two locations every weekend: Saturdays at East River State Park—Kent Ave. and N. 7 St.—on the Williamsburg waterfront; and Sundays on the DUMBO waterfront at the Tobacco Warehouse in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Smorgasburg has stands selling packaged and prepared foods as well as beverages from about  75-100 vendors ; many are local producers or from nearby areas. Smorgasburg is open through November.

Sweets For Shorty Awards Tweets

On April 8th, the fifth Annual Shorty Awards will honor the best in social media. This quintessentially New York event takes place at the Times Center and gives awards, among others, to: moms and dads who use social media to “Keep Good Going,” (presented by New York Life) and individuals who help others make healthy choices via social media (presented by Health.Join In).  Though tickets are available, the event is live streamed, watched around the world and tweeted about by the thousands.  I thought it would be a good idea to have a selection of sweets to munch on during the awards event. So I visited two candy stores that offer a selection of candies that will take you down memory lane.

Economy Candy

Economy Candy, on Rivington Street, is known as “The Nosher’s Paradise of the Lower east Side.” It’s been around since 1937 and sells hundreds of kinds of chocolates, candies, nuts, dried fruits; including halvah and candy I remember from childhood.

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For a similar, but more intimate walk down memory lane, you can also visit Handsome Dan’s Snocone and Candy Stand. It’s located on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, inside the Mini-Mall.

Inside Handsome Dan’s

As the name suggest, Handome Dan’s sells snocones and candy. The snocones aren’t the plain flvaored ones you find on the street during the summer but come in exotic flavors like  thyme dream, earl grey cream, orange blossom ginger, rose pomegranate, and chili passion fruit. Like Economy Candy, Dan’s carries candies that will evoke your childhood,  no matter what your age.

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NYWCA: A Professional Culinary Find

Pasta boiling on the stovetop of the JCC kitchen with salad makers in the back

To commemorate Martin Luther King Day, I and 14 members of the New York Women’s Culinary Alliance (NYWCA) joined together to cook for 200 women and children of a Women in Need (WIN) shelter on the upper east side. I’ve been a member of NYWCA for two years,  For a culinary professional living in NYC, this organization is a culinary find. The alliance celebrated it’s 30th anniversary last year.

Celebrating NYWCA’s 30th anniversary with a potluck dinner

NYWCA fosters networking, education and cooperation for women in the culinary and beverage fields in the NYC area. The Alliance provides members both educational and social experiences through ongoing food and wine tastings, hands-on workshops, field trips and business-related seminars. NYWCA is also very committed to giving back through outreach programs and fund-raising for women’s health and nutrition issues. Additionally, NYWCA members work with adults and children in need to teach them the basics of nutrition, food buying and healthful meal preparation.

Cookies we baked for the WIN families

The MLK Day cooking was just one of the many community projects that NYWCA members take part in. This project was organized and hosted by Irene Yager, NYWCA member and Assistant Director,Culinary Arts at the JCC Manhattan.

“Let’s Brisket” At the Center for Jewish History

Brisket is the meat covering the cow’s breastbone, situated below the foreleg and below the short ribs. According to Gil Marks, author of the Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, brisket, a cheaper cut of meat, was a frequent choice of the Jews of Eastern Europe who were often impoverished.

Brisket is also the topic of the December 18th event at the Center for Jewish History, organized by culinary curator Naama Shefi.

Mitchell Davis of the James Beard Foundation will moderate a panel discussion with Julia Moskin of The New York Times, Stephanie Pierson – author of Brisket Book, Daniel Delaney of Brisket Town, Noah Bernamoff of Mile End and butcher Jake Dickson. These brisket experts will discuss the dish’s history and origins, trends and cooking methods. They will also try to explain why and how it became one of NYC’s most beloved dishes, making it a NY cult food. Recipes and a reception will follow the program. “Gefilte Talks,” a previous event in this series, was informative and entertaining, so I’m looking forward to this one. Tickets are $15 general; $10 CJH members, seniors, students.