Edible Events: June 2016

There are all manner of fun food events taking place in New York on a daily basis — from lavish, charity-driven galas to crowded, walk-around tastings and an endless array of pop-ups.  But unless you have the time and money to party seven days a week, you’ll have to be somewhat discerning about what goes onto your calendar.  So here are just a few worthy food celebrations we recommend getting tickets (or making reservations) for now.

Lucky Rice Feast (6/2): Hosted by chef Dale Talde, this annual exploration of Asian food experiences has migrated to Industry City in Brooklyn this year.  Modeled after a traditional Night Market, attendees are treated to tastings from over 30 assembled chefs; so expect a wealth of dynamic, Far East-inspired eats such as Snow Crab Noodles from Tuome, Tuna Poke from Pokeworks, Shrimp Paste Chicken Wings from Chomp Chomp, Pork Belly Bao from East Wind Snack Shop, Spring Chicken with black peanuts from La Chine, and Green Papaya Salad from Lucky Bee, for $88 General Admission, or $150 VIP.

New Taste of the Upper West Side(6/3-4): Founded by the Columbus Avenue BID, this 9-year strong weekend of culinary events donates all proceeds to the local community, for neighborhood improvement and beautification projects.  And in addition to the always anticipated “Best of the West” (celebrating the crème de la crème of Upper West Side cuisine, with tastings from Crave Fishbar, Olma Caviar, RedFarm, Boulud Sud, Dovetail, Jacques Torres and more), 45 restaurants will reimagine warm-weather standards at the debut of “Summer in the City: Surf and Turf” — enjoy dishes from Han Dynasty, Playa Betty’s, Shake Shack and Momofuku Milk Bar, and be the first to learn of an unnamed but upcoming debut, from April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman!

Big Apple Barbecue Block Party(6/11-12): 14,000 pounds of ribs, 7,500 pounds of pork and 3,500 gallons of beer and wine.  These are the stats from the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party; undoubtedly the grandest cookout to take place in NYC.  Benefiting the Madison Square Park Conservatory, this free admission event gathers together 14 of the nations top pitmasters, who’ll dish out their low and slow-smoked specialties for $10 a plate; so get ready for a weekend’s worth of saucy, meaty deliciousness from luminaries like Ed Mitchell, Mike Mills, Chris Lilly, and Brooklyn’s own Billy Durney.

City Harvest’s Summer in the City(6/15): Kick-off the season at City Harvest’s “Summer in the City” tasting event, taking place at the Frank Gehry-designed IAC HQ building.  Hosted by Questlove and Angie Mar, tickets range from $150 General Admission to 25,000 for 20 Platinum Tickets (which will help feed 355 families for the whole summer), and include all-you-can eat drinks and bites from top establishments like High Street on Hudson, Oceana, Piora, Porchlight, Root & Bone, Kat & Theo, Bar Goto and The Beatrice Inn.

Brooklyn Eats(6/24): Free to the industry and open to the public for $10, Brooklyn Eats is the borough’s largest food and beverage trade show, aimed at increasing the visibility of all of the quality products made and sold in Brooklyn.  Which means you can gorge yourself silly for a mere Alexander Hamilton, on goodies from Amy’s Cookies, Damascus Bakery, Ends Meat, Dub Pies, Hella Bitters, KelSo Beer and Dona Chai.

Summer Fancy Food Show (6/26-28): While you’ve gotta love Brooklyn Eats’ commitment to all things local, it could pretty much fit into the pocket of the Summer Fancy Food Show.  The largest specialty food trade event in North America and the leading showcase of industry innovation, the event gathers more than 180,000 products, 25,000 buyers, and 2,500 exhibitors inside of the Javit’s Center — although you can narrow things down just a tad by focusing solely on new additions; such as Brezal Spanish Honey, Stonewall Kitchen’s Bacon Dressings, Gluten Free Moravian Cookies and BelGioioso’s Fontina Snacking Cheese.