10 Taste Sensations at the ‘Brooklyn Eats’ Food Show
Nearly 100 of the borough's adventurous foods and beverages will be on exhibit this week. We offer an appetizer portion
Brooklyn Bangers, which will be sharing its wares at Brooklyn Eats, offers a variety of flavors including spicy asian and Polish kielbasa (All images courtesy of the food-and-beverage makers)
PB&J pretzels. Whiskey Sour pickles. Chocolate-covered matzoh. Jerk-chicken sausage. Pomegranate ginger ale. Sound like Brooklyn to you? How sweet (and savory) it is! Nearly 100 Brooklyn-based makers of such delicacies will be sharing their wares this Friday, June 23, at Brooklyn Eats, the borough’s largest food-and-beverage trade show. The makers are there to pitch their products to local and international buyers and distributors, but consumers are welcome too. (The show is free of charge for merchants and $10 for members of the public.)
The annual show, orchestrated by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, 333 Adams St., drew 2,000 visitors last year. What qualifies as a quintessential Brooklyn comestible? “To say a food or beverage is made in Brooklyn conjures images of a high quality, interesting and tasty product,” states Andrew Hoan, president and CEO of the chamber. OK, sounds tempting. The Bridge picked out a sneak preview of ten we’d like to try.
1. Auria’s Malaysian Kitchen
A fan of the Malaysian food she grew up with, Auria Abraham set out to make traditional Malaysian food accessible in America. Auria’s Malaysian Kitchen hand-crafts Sambal (hot sauce) and Kaya (coconut jam). Both condiments can be paired with a variety of noodles and meats.
2. Fatty Sundays
Fatty Sundays has put a twist on the classic chocolate-covered pretzel. Inspired by their mother’s pretzels with rainbow sprinkles, sisters Ali and Lauren Borowick have come up with all sorts of other varieties including Peanut Butter and Jelly, Birthday Cake, and Sea Salt Almond.
3. Bruce Cost Ginger Ale
Restaurant owner Bruce Cost got his start concocting his homemade ginger ale at his restaurants before eventually deciding to bottle his product. Fresh ginger and pure cane sugar are two of the key ingredients in Bruce Cost Ginger Ale that you might expect–but the flavors! Among them: Jasmine Tea, Pomegranate, and Passion Fruit. Interesting enough on their own, but good mixers too.
4. The Matzo Project
Childhood friends Ashley Albert and Kevin Rodriguez set out to modernize traditional matzo flatbread. Among their flavors are salted, cinnamon sugared, and “everything, plus two other things.” The motto on the package: “Would it kill you to try something new?” Currently in the works are a matzo-ball soup kit and chocolate-covered matzo chips.
5. Maroon Sausage Company
Maroon Sausage Company was born out of the kitchen of a Brooklyn couple. With one hailing from Chicago (a sausage town) and the other with ties to Jamaica (where jerk spice is a widely used seasoning), the natural collaboration was the Jerk Chicken sausage. They’re flavored with faithful Jamaican spices in three varieties (spicy, savory, and sweet).
6. Brooklyn Winery
Situated in Williamsburg, the Brooklyn Winery obtains its grapes from small vineyards across the U.S. and does its winemaking in-house. With over 10 wines on its menu, the winery offers multiple reds, whites, and a rose. Award-winning wines include the 2012 Cabernet Franc (Double Gold at the 2015 Riverside International Wine Competition) and the 2013 Old Vin Zinfandel (Gold Medal at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition). The winery offers tours, a wine bar, and private events.
7. Brooklyn Delhi
Crown Heights couple Chitra Agrawal and Ben Garthus hand make Brooklyn Delhi’s achaar, a relish made out of fruits, vegetables, spices and oils. The couple recently published a cookbook: Vibrant India: Fresh Vegetarian Recipes From Bangalore to Brooklyn.
8. Island Pops
When Trinidad and Tobago natives Shelly and and Khalid Hamid moved to New York City, they realized that something was missing: Caribbean ice cream. They were inspired to create Island Pops. They offer ice cream that comes in such flavors Cherry Brandy Vanilla and Masala Chai; ice pops that include Honey Roasted Pineapple and Lemon Lime Basil; and snow cones, whose flavors are seasonal and can be customized depending on your preference.
9. Moto Spirits
Rice-based whiskey and a liquor called Jabuka are hand-crafted by Brooklyn’s Moto Spirits. The company drew the ideas for its content (and for its name) from motorcycle adventures around the world. The rice-based whiskey was inspired by a trip to North Vietnam and the Jabuka spurred from a trip around Croatia and Eastern Europe.
10. Brooklyn Brine Co.
Maybe artisanal pickles are associated with Brooklyn for a darned good reason. Thousands of pickles are hand cut each week in Brooklyn Brine’s Sunset Park factory. Flavors include Whiskey Sour, Maple Bourbon Bread & Butter, and Barrel-Cured Garlic Dill.
