Edible Events: October 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…

Grub Street Festival (10/1): Grub Street is taking over the Hester Street Fair for the seventh straight year, for their annual eating and drinking extravaganza. Presented by Citi, admission to the event is entirely free; you just need to pay for what you eat.  But considering there are 50 different vendors signed up, deliciously representing NYC’s tremendous diversity — think OddFellows, Babu Ji, Harry & Ida’s and Red Hook Lobster Pound — you’ll want to stuff your wallet in order to stuff your face!

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation Benefit (10/4): Hosted by celebrity chef Alex Guarnaschelli, this exclusive culinary event benefits Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation and the fight against childhood cancer.  And for $250, guests will get to sample signature dishes from 20 of NYC’s best-known gastronomic luminaries, including Jimmy Bradley, Missy Robbins, Marcus Samuelsson, Seamus Mullen, Jonathan Waxman and Michael White.

City Harvest’s Bid Against Hunger (10/6): Ranging from $400 for a Gourmand Ticket (which helps feed 57 people for a month), to a $100,000 for a Chef’s Table (which goes towards feeding 1,200 needy New Yorkers for a full year), admission to this charitable gala features over 70 of the city’s hottest chefs and restaurants, from Eric Ripert, Didier Elena and Jose Garces, to Mission Chinese Food, Maialino and Rao’s.

NYC Wine and Food Festival (10/13-16): One of the biggest food blow-outs of the whole year (literally and figuratively), this four day-long festival boasts over 100 events, including sit-down dinners with Floyd Cardoz, Marc Murphy and Alex Stupak, workshops led by Claus Meyer (Nordic Breakfast) and Cake Decorating (Sylvia Weinstock), and walk-around tastings such as Tacos & Tequila hosted by Aaron Sanchez and the Blue Moon Burger Bash spearheaded by Rachael Ray,

Dessert Goals, NYC Dessert Fest (10/23): Get a jumpstart on Halloween during New York’s first ever all-dessert fest — where $15 tickets grant access to tastes of over 20 sweet creations, from spots like Melt, Wowfulls and Macaron Parlour, as well as admission to various workshops with experts in the dessert and social space, and a dessert photo styling booth, where you can eat all the props!

11th Annual StarChefs International Chefs Congress (10/23-25): A must-attend event for industry insiders, StarChefs International Chefs Congress gathers together the food world’s most formidable professionals, to discuss the future of food and drink.  For three days, participants will explore the most cutting edge techniques, trends, and products, as well as take part in cooking and bartending demonstrations, business panels and seminars, all adhering to the theme, “What Is Progress.”