Toast of Brooklyn Fest to Celebrate Its 10th Anniversary

The benefit event in Bedford-Stuyvesant on Sept. 16 has blossomed into a dynamic display of cultural diversity

Toast of Brooklyn offers an eclectic mix of international cuisine paired with old favorites and emerging new wine selections (Photo courtesy of Toast of Brooklyn)

Toast of Brooklyn Wine & Food Festival is an annual fall event that combines the distinctive, eclectic taste of Brooklyn’s culinary experience with wines and spirits from around the world. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, this will be an exciting journey, as guests go on a taste-tour in the elegantly redesigned courtyard and grand tenting of Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Plaza, 1360 Fulton St., on Sat., Sept. 16. There will be two tasting sessions at 12:30 pm to 4 pm and 4:30 pm to 8 pm.

Designed to capture the feel of an outdoor wine-country tour, festival guests and celebrities will mingle among the enticing displays of libations and food, unique presentations by artisans, and a mixture of neighborhood wine and food enthusiasts. Live cooking demonstrations by renowned chefs and specialty restaurants will educate and tempt the palate of festival-goers while they are serenaded by some of New York’s premiere jazz musicians and live entertainers, leaving guests to groove to “wine and song” all day long and enjoy food samplings in high style. 

Created by Edmon Braithwaite a decade ago, this event benefits Brooklyn neighborhood charities. It began as a celebration of the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood’s socioeconomic revitalization and has transformed into a truly spectacular event for the culturally diverse residents and visitors of Brooklyn. Toast of Brooklyn was created with a touch of class, elegance and flair!

The festival will have some of the finest wines  and spirits from all parts of the world. The food line up is just as impressive.  Toast of Brooklyn is bringing together Caribbean cuisines from Guyana, Jamaica and other countries and African cuisines with international wines. Toast of Brooklyn is happy to feature Chef Indeed, who was featured on the Food Network this past season.  Chef Indeed will delight the attendees with some of his signature dishes such as Coconut curry crab cake with a scotch bonnet aioli and a frisee salad w/ mango, avocado, bell peppers and honey-lime vinaigrette.  We also have some of the local restaurants and caterers Bedford Hall, House of Hills, Fusion Caribbean and American Restaurant, Bakers Enterprise Guyanese Cuisine, Brooklyn Chow, House of Hills Guyanese Restaurant, Madiba African Restaurant and more.

To top it off, Toast Of Brooklyn will have a great lineup of entertainers such as up-and-coming musical artists Jezel Laren and a fashion show by Internationally known Sonia Noel Guyana Designer with makeup done by the Vera Moore of Vera Moore Cosmetics.

Festival founder Edmon Braithwaite spoke about the festivities: “We’ve done art before, but not to this level where we’re going to have the art interspersed with the wine and the fashion. We’re going to make sure that we’re creating something for the attendees that they’ve never had before.”

The fashion show this year will feature the work of Guyana designer Sonia Noel. Noel is celebrating 20 years in the fashion industry this year and is excited to showcase her art. “I’m promoting a brand that not only beautifies the exterior,” she said, “but also enhances the inner you. It’s not just a clothing line.”

When it comes to the festival venue, Deborah Jones, the banquet manager at Restoration Plaza, says that they’re well-prepared for the event, “We’ve had thousands of people here. This is one of the biggest events that we do here. There are 40 vendors and there should should be 1,000 people.”

There will be music, games and shows to enhance the experience of our uniquely cultured audience. We hereby invite you to attend, sponsor, donate to or volunteer for the most sophisticated event in Central Brooklyn. Come support a worthy cause while you swirl, sniff, sip and taste the diversity of Brooklyn!