Tastes of Brooklyn will take place in Gowanus, and Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill this spring.
Foodies, rejoice — Tastes of Brooklyn is back.
The food-fest, where the city’s finest chefs partner with “farmers, youth and healthy movers and shakers” for extraordinary restaurant crawls in the borough, will return next month with two events — one in Gowanus and another in Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill.
The crawls provide a way to reinforce the diversity of the neighborhood, said Nancie Katz, executive director of Seeds in the Middle, which hosts the crawls.
“The whole event began with the fact that we were losing the international nature of the neighborhood,” explained Katz, an area resident. “We want to save the small businesses and keep the charm of these neighborhoods. The character of our neighborhood is built on these small businesses.” The day also focuses on raising money for Seeds in the Middle, which, said Katz, “empowers children [affected by] the obesity epidemic to create healthier places to live and learn.
“We may take for granted that there are these great farmers markets in neighborhoods like Carroll Gardens or at Brooklyn Borough Hall, but they don’t exist in most of the poorest parts of city,” she added.
The events thrive on donations from participating restaurants.
“They don’t really do it because they think they’re going to get business out of it, but we try to make sure they do by bringing more faces to them and having people come in and say, ‘Wow, this place is so great, now I’m going to come back,’” Katz said.
One of the benefits of the crawls is that they showcase eateries that both locals and Brooklynites living outside the neighborhoods may not know about.
“You’re trying to draw people from outside the neighborhood to spend a few hours in Gowanus or eat and drink in Carroll Gardens or Cobble Hill, but you also want to get those living in the neighborhood who walked by the place and noticed it before to stop in and try something,” Katz said. “We pass by places all the time but sometimes don’t bother to check them out.”
What makes Tastes of Brooklyn stand out, Katz said, is its large selection, and its layout.
“You walk around,” she explained. “You don’t stay in one place. You get a map and a menu, and say, ‘I want to try the Gowanus Cocktail at Bar Tano, so you plot out on your map where you want to go.’”
The Taste of Gowanus will take place on April 13 from 2 to 6 p.m. between Fourth Avenue and Bond Street. The Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill Crawl will take place on May 3 from 2 to 6 p.m. and encompass Court Street, Smith Street and Clinton Street, south of Atlantic Avenue. Tastings start at four tastes for $20. Special guided food tours with “Airbnb Social Impact Experiences” are also up for grabs.
GOWANUS – The first Tastes of Gowanus Food & Drink Crawl will debut next month, inviting locals to sample the array of culinary options the “industrial, artistic and historic” neighborhood has to offer.
Presented by Tastes of Brooklyn, who host the annual Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill Crawl, the Gowanus Crawl will also celebrate Earth Day (April 22) with special green activities.
Ticket-holders will be invited to stop by all the participating businesses to sample their fare. The diverse dining offerings in Gowanus include Mexican, Italian, Cuban, and Chinese as well as barbecue, bakeries, breweries, and more. Ticket prices are $20 for four tastes and $50 for 11 tastes.
The list of participating Gowanus businesses includes:
Proceeds from the Gowanus Food & Drink Crawl will support Seeds in the Middle, a non-profit organization working to empower youth in central Brooklyn with the Hip2B Healthy program. A youth-run Hip2B Healthy Market will offer juices, smoothies, and Earth Day activities for kids during the Gowanus event.
The first annual Gowanus Food & Drink Crawl is happening Saturday, April 13 from 2pm to 6pm. Get tickets here. The 6th annual Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill Crawl is scheduled for Saturday, May 4.
CARROLL
GARDENS, BROOKLYN — "Tastes Of Brooklyn" — a food crawl that lets people
sample the fare at around two dozen restaurants in Carroll Gardens and
Cobble Hill — is back for another year.
This Thursday, April 27, from 3 to 8 p.m., foodies can stroll through
the two neighborhoods and taste food from local, artisan restaurants in
the neighborhood. Tickets start at $20 for four tastings and go up from there. The proceeds benefit Seeds in the Middle, a healthy eating charity geared toward kids.
"Our
city's finest chefs partner with farmers, youth and healthy movers and
shakers for an extraordinary restaurant crawl in the historic
neighborhoods of Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill," Tastes Of Brooklyn's
website says.
Also - Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau talked. And their staffs released wildly different versions of their call.
"Take a walk to try exquisite delicacies using locally grown
seasonal ingredients along Smith, Court, Clinton and Henry Streets, and
maybe even Columbia Street, south of Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. Top
chefs and artisans will offer sumptuous fare - all to empower our
neediest children to access all they need to get healthy and save
elephants."
You can see a map of participating restaurants here. Or if you prefer list form, the restaurants are:
This Thursday, April 27 from 3 to 8pm , Tastes of Brooklyn
will be popular restaurant crawl throughout Carroll Gardens and Cobble
Hill. Sample food and drinks at some of this neighborhood's best
eateries and food purveyors, including Avlee, La Cigogne, Stinky,
Sahadi's and Fawkner.
Tickets are $20 for 4 tastes, $50 for 11 tastes.
All proceeds from the event will benefit Seeds in the Middle.
From Tastes Of Brooklyn: "Our city's finest chefs partner
with farmers, youth and healthy movers and shakers for an extraordinary
restaurant crawl in the historic neighborhoods of Carroll Gardens and
Cobble Hill. Take a walk to try exquisite delicacies using locally grown
seasonal ingredients along Smith, Court, Clinton and Henry Streets, and
maybe even Columbia Street, south of Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. Top
chefs and artisans will offer sumptuous fare - all to empower our
neediest children to access all they need to get healthy and save
elephants. Our talented youth will share fresh beverages. Smoothies,
lime/lemonade with fresh mint, fresh orange juice? Stay tuned for news
on fitness fun at the local parks. Our local eateries date to the early
1900s to recently opened unique venues. Sample top cuisine and support
local businesses without stressing over a reservation. Enjoy our
deliciously fun fiesta - while supporting worthy causes!"
CARROLL GARDENS — A common family name in Italy has found local fame in Carroll Gardens, where two Court Street businesses share the name as well as a love of bread and cheese.
Customers often assume Caputo's Bake Shop and Caputo's Fine Foods, the last of a few surviving Italian shops in the neighborhood, are owned by the same family, but the two businesses and households are not related, the owners said.
Caputo's Bake Shop manager James Caputo, 42, said people often call his shop and ask for the other Caputo’s, which is famous for its fresh-made mozzarella.
Caputo’s great-grandfather opened the bakery in 1904 after moving to Brooklyn from Sicily. The shop was moved to 329 Court St. years later, where it makes dozens of varieties of bread, as well as cookies and pastries.
Just six blocks away is Caputo’s Fine Foods at 460 Court St., which offers tubs of olives, fresh and dried pastas, oils, sauces and an array of meats and cheeses, including the famous mozzarella made daily.
Giuseppe Caputo opened the shop in 1973, just one year after he moved to the country from Mola di Bari, Italy, according to his son, Frank Caputo, 51, who has managed the shop for the past 15 years.
The younger Caputo makes Fine Foods’ 700-to-800-pound supply of mozzarella each week using a recipe he learned from his father, who died last month, he said.
The two businesses have another connection — Frank Caputo’s father worked in the bakery for a few months before he opened the fine foods shop, both Caputos said.
Both James and Frank Caputo came into their respective family businesses after they ventured into the world of finance and banking, but eventually realized their passion lay with food.
“My heart was always here. Always, always here,” said bakery owner Caputo, who worked as an equity trader for more than a decade.
Frank Caputo joined the business after turning down a job at Chase Bank.
“It is stressful,” he said of running the Italian fine foods shop.
Carroll Gardens was once a predominantly Italian neighborhood but that population has shrunk in the decades the Caputos have been in business.
“The bakeries that didn’t change to the neighborhood just didn’t survive,” said James Caputo. “As the neighborhood changed, we had to adapt."
Caputo’s Bake Shop made about 12 varieties of bread when it opened but now bakes more than 100 kinds, including organic and non-genetically modified varieties.
Between the two Caputo families, there are five sons ranging from toddlers to college students. But neither Frank nor James is sure any of their children will carry on the family legacy.
“Running a business like this is a huge responsibility,” said James Caputo, who was grateful his parents allowed him to pursue his own path before taking over the family business.
“At the end of the day, I take such pride in it,” he said.
August Laura - a Carroll Gardens daughter comes back with awesome drinks!
Thanks, August Laura, for joining us at Tastes of Brooklyn - here's a review in the Villlage Voice
Get a Taste of Italian Spirits at New Carroll Gardens Cocktail Bar August Laura
Alyssa Sartor is convinced her brand-new Carroll Gardens bar, August Laura (387 Court Street, Brooklyn; 718-858-5483), found her.
"My grandfather actually grew up four blocks away," the New Jersey–born bartender tells the Voice. She didn’t know that until showing her mom the space, which she and fiancé/business partner, Frankie Rodriguez, then decided to christen August Laura — her grandfather’s name.
Appealing to the quiet neighborhood where they’re located (just a couple of blocks from Frankies 457), they’ve created a very short menu of classic Italian cocktails and fresh takes by Sartor.
You can order a perfectly poured Amaretto Sour or try the Villa Amalfi (modeled after a dessert she loves served at a cousin’s New Jersey restaurant). The You Always Remember Your First combines limoncello, prosecco, and Lambrusco (based on the first drink Sartor ever had: red wine and Sprite).
Sartor grew up "on a bar stool," she says, which explains her ability to execute lowbrow concepts in a highbrow, worth-the-$12 way. Her father has owned dive bar R Jays Pub in Cliffside Park (where the couple raided the basement for some of August Laura’s glassware) for 35 years. Sartor started tending bar eight years ago by pretending she’d worked there, and the little lie paid off, as she’s since worked at Golden Cadillac and the Bar Room.
Rodriguez — "an original New Yorker," he notes — has been working in the industry since 1989, a veteran of high-volume '90s clubs like the Palladium, Underground, and Club USA. He most recently served as manager of Death & Co., and it was that Ravi DeRossi connection that brought them to the August Laura location, which had previously been an outpost of the Bourgeois Pig.
August Laura's space is a light, warm combination of gray, natural wood, and deep blue. They’ve already established a friendship with a nearby antiques dealer who now sometimes drops by with new décor. Although the doors only opened last week, the neighborhood has already happily welcomed the couple. They’re currently still living in the West Village, but might make a move soon just so that their dog and cat — Achilles and Whiskey — aren’t left alone as much.
By taking their downtown experiences to a quiet neighborhood, Sartor and Rodriguez have created an unpretentious place perfect for summer drinking. Touches like a tattoo-style portrait of a woman flipping the bird and skull-topped copper cocktail spoons bring some edge, but ultimately it’s a place for locals. "We’re gonna be that neighborhood bar," Rodriguez says. "And that’s what we want."
D'Amico Coffee Roasters - Leading the Crawl - in the New York Times!
Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill Crawl leaders - Joannie and Frank - in NYTimes!
At D’Amico Coffee Roasters, Old and New Brooklyn Meet
Slide Show
SLIDE SHOW|10 Photos
Coffee With Neighborhood Joes
Coffee With Neighborhood Joes
CreditNicole Bengiveno/The New York Times
Late on a Saturday morning, a small flock of retired longshoremen settled around the low tables of D’Amico’s. A young woman with earbuds sat focused on her laptop as the old-timers took their seats around her, boxing her into a corner next to an enormous, gleaming coffee roaster. The old-timers bickered and dissected the day’s tabloids, cheerfully criticizing one another in vanishing Brooklyn vernacular. Occasionally, Frank or Tony would nudge the young woman for an opinion: “Is this guy nuts or what?” She would momentarily remove an earbud and nod, then go back online. Augie, a neighborhood electrician, punctuated the din with the stamping of coffee bags.
“Augie is a customer,” said Joan D’Amico, a co-owner of the Carroll Gardens coffee shop with her husband, Frank Jr., “but he’s not allowed to just sit here. We have to put him to work.”
D’Amico’s offers a rare equilibrium of old and new Brooklyn. The old-timers, who include Frank Sr. — the store’s owner until he passed it on to his son, in 1998 — are happy to chat with the younger customers bearing computers or strollers.
Like any number of small cafes along Court Street, D’Amico Coffee Roasters (at 309) brews six varieties of coffee each day and serves small meals and espresso beverages. But coffee roasting is the centerpiece of the business, which also has a wholesale outfit in Red Hook. Until recently, D’Amico’s was also a grocery store and deli, one of several mom-and-pop businesses in Carroll Gardens. “We’ve been roasting since Day 1,” Ms. D’Amico said. That wasn’t a problem for 64 years until, all of a sudden, it was.
One winter day a few years ago, a neighbor called 311 to complain about the smell of coffee roasting. (It should be noted that although freshly ground coffee smells like heaven, freshly roasting beans do not.) Agents from the city’s Department of Environmental Protection paid a visit. “We thought we were grandfathered in,” said Mr. D’Amico, who was told by an inspector that there was no such thing. A sign went up in the window: “O.K. you can stop calling D.E.P. and the Fire Department — we got your message.” The D’Amicos bought an afterburner to mitigate the smell, but it sat in storage while they tried to figure out how to fit it into the store. Then, the old roaster caught fire. It was clear that the time had come to acknowledge a changing neighborhood, and adjust the model. They closed for two months to renovate.
The old-timers, undeterred, installed themselves outside. “They’d get coffee across the street, and just sit out front,” Ms. D’Amico said. When loyal customers expressed horror that the business had been sold, the old-timers would set them straight. While Carroll Gardens, like much of brownstone Brooklyn, has been boutiquefied and bistroized, D’Amico’s has endured in part by keeping its old-school bona fides, which appeal to the hipster crowds, who revere all things vintage and connoisseurial, and the older generation, who like things the way they should be. And so the renovations carried some risk.
“There’s no way we can recreate this,” Mr. D’Amico said, speaking in front of a wall of photographs that show the store through the years. There’s a prominent portrait of Emanuele D’Amico, Frank Jr.’s grandfather, who established the business in 1948. Through all of the updates, a cozy atmosphere prevails. “That’s what we wanted to keep.”
Thank you, Chef Saul, for leading TASTES of Brooklyn!
Thank you, Saul, for joining TASTES of Brooklyn for a second year in a row! Take a glimpse of Saul's exquisite table for our debut field to fork fest. In case you don't know where they are (can that be?) Here it is... Saul is a
Le Bernardin and Bouley veteran Saul Bolton opened this Smith Street pioneer back in 1999. The intimate space with pressed-tin ceilings gets crowded—and noisy—but Bolton's staff runs a smooth show. The menu changes seasonally, so if the delectably tender duck confit (brined and resting atop buttery, cheesy grits) or succulent pan-roasted skate (served on a bed of braised endive, fennel, and apple) aren't available, don't fret—most dishes are great successes. An oversalted combination of bay scallops with tomato vinaigrette and prosciutto was a surprise miss. Bolton's signature Baked Alaska, meringue gorgeously tufted, makes for a whimsical end to the meal. Or, for a good night's sleep, opt for easy-drinking Marolo chamomile grappa.
Abby Hitchcock is literally a renaissance woman! She has a degree in botany, a culinary certificate, started her own culinary school, catered, recipe developed, is a certified sommelier, all in addition to running her very own AMAZING restaurant in Brooklyn's Prospect Heights!
Abigail is located on 807 Classon Avenue and features amazing salads and pasta dishes, an oxtail dish Tastes can't wait to try, as well as quite the wine, cheese, and charcuterie list! There is also fabulous and informative wine tasting classes to be taken, as well as dark dining events to attend, where guests are blind-folded while they eat Abby's super secret menu. Which is why we are SO THRILLED to welcome Abigail to our line-up at Tastes of Brooklyn!
TASTE'S OF BROOKLYN is thrilled to have the uber-hip, ever knowledgeable, top of the line butcher shop, the Meat Hook, join us next Saturday.
The Meat Hook is devoted to bringing Brooklyn the best locally sourced meat. They only receive whole animals from local farms and break them down in-house. They also know their stuff! They take their craft very seriously and are always looking to learn or educate people about the food they are eating. Which is why we are SO EXCITED to have them at Borough Hall October 15th! This philosophy is so integral to the mission of Tastes of Brooklyn and Seeds in the Middle.
Some of the amazing delicious products they sell include a compound marrow butter with chives that is to die for on crostini ;) and the best dry aged rib-eye this side of TEXAS!
Can't wait to see you guys there on October 15th! Make sure to buy your tickets now before they sell out!!!!
Tastes of Brooklyn is now a certified market! So what?
This little fact is SUPER exciting because it means that TASTES OF BROOKLYN will now be able to provide lovely and local wines to pair deliciously with all of the amazing food at the festival. Wine Tasting tickets will be available at the door for 10 dollars. After all, what is great food without great wine?
"If food is the body of good living, wine is its soul." --- Clifton Fadiman
"Wine can of their wits the wise beguile, make the sage frolic, and the serious smile."--- Homer
Seeds in the Middle brought the first ever farmer's market to Crown Heights
Check out the hard work of Seeds in the Middle coming to fruition at the Crown Heights farmer's market.
Crown Heights Farmer's Market is open every Thursday from 1 o'clock pm till sundown.
Seeds in the Middle Events: Cooking Class at the Yale Club!
See what our Seeds in the Middle kids are up to!
Earlier in the year, the children learned to make healthy and delicious salads at the prestigious Yale Club. The lesson included not only tips on how to make healthy and delicious snacks but also reminded the kids that academic success is also very important. Many of the children now want to apply to Yale for the amazing academics, but also so they can eat the delicious food prepared by Chef Kehrli when they graduate!
Did you know the tongue has over 10,000 taste buds?!
Using those tastebuds to cultivate what looks like a very discerning palate!!!!
YUM!
Chef Kehrli speaks to the kids about the importance of both health and academics!
Hard at work preparing the salads!
Wondering where all Tastes of Brooklyn's paper and food waste will end up?
NOT A LANDFILL!
Tastes of Brooklyn is SO excited to have VOKASHI come show us composting done right. The Vokashi process is a new way to compost founded by a Japanese horticulturist Prof Teuro Higa. The process is simple easy and odorless and takes YOUR food waste and turns it into nutrient rich compost. A great way to get green without getting gross!
TASTES of Brooklyn is delighted to welcome Egg to our all-star roster of restaurants, chefs, artisans and vineyards, about to line the stone pathways of Borough Hall on Oct. 15th. What better choice on a Saturday morning than cuisine crafted by a Virginia native inspired by Southern country breakfasts?
Free-roaming chickens hatch the eggs from Egg, located at 135 North 5th St between Bedford and Berry (718-302-5151). The spectacular menu reflects George's commitment to sustainable and local sources. Egg has even developed a farm in Oak Hill, New York to help them further understand the true meaning of “farm to table”.
Thanks, George! Can't wait to see what you're hatching, Egg! Take a look at Egg’s menu and read about their farm, Goatfell, here:
http://goatfellfarm.com/
And don't forget to buy tickets now to the first-ever TASTES of Brooklyn in just 12 days! Tickets are $35 for 6 tastes (in advance) and $45 at the festival.
Tastes AND Sips!
Thank you Red Jacket Orchards for Joining us!
Quench your thirst after all your Tastes with delicious and natural juices from Red Jacket Orchards!
http://redjacket.accountsupport.com/index.html
This family farm in the Finger Lakes region of New York State is managed by the second and third generation of the Nicholson family. They press the freshest juice possible, and with flavors such as Rhubarb Apple Juice, Joe's Summer Blend, and Dark Cherry Stomp, they preserve the tastes of Spring and Summer!
Preview: Tastes of Brooklyn
We're very excited to announce Saul Restaurant has joined the roster of participants for Tastes of Brooklyn!
http://www.saulrestaurant.com/
This Michelin rated restaurant focuses on seasonal and artisanal ingredients to produce some of the finest food in Brooklyn.
Fresh produce at the Farmers Market, photo courtesy of COLLive.com
Thanks to everyone who came out to supper the first Farmers Market in Crown Heights of the season! They will take place every Thursday through November, from 3:00 - 7:00 pm at Hamilton Metz Park (Albany/Lefferts Avenues). We hope to see you there next week!
Preview 2 Participating Restaurants for Tastes of Brooklyn!
Announcing the first of many participating restaurants and food vendors for the Tastes of Brooklyn event on October 15th: iCi Restaurant & Palo Santo!
iCi focuses on fresh, seasonal, and local food, deriving inspiration from the farms and markets they source from. Their seasonal menus focus on foods that are harvested in an ecologically sound manner by socially responsible people. Check them out here - http://www.icirestaurant.com/
Palo Santo is a nieghborhood Latin market and wine bar dishing out daily menus built from local, sustainable farm products as well as carefully sourced fair-trade imports. Visit their website for more info - http://www.palosanto.us/
Palo Santo Wild Boar, photo courtesy of Chef Jacques
We're very pleased to feature these restaurants and are excited to try what they'll be cooking for Tastes!
All Tastes of Brooklyn events support Seeds in the Middle, a charity empowering students, schools and their communities in food deserts to create affordable, nearby access to fresh fruits and vegetables
and healthy choices. Seeds in the Middle on Facebook here and Instagram. Can't come? You can still give.
Critics' Pick.... at New York Magazine
