The New York City Wine & Food Festival is making a major change this year by moving its events to the Brooklyn waterfront. For the first time in its 17-year history, the festival will set up a giant tent at Sunset Park’s Brooklyn Army Terminal’s Invesco QQQ Campus. This move aims to further establish Brooklyn as a top culinary destination.
The decision to move the festival from Manhattan to Brooklyn was not meant as a slight to Manhattan, according to festival founder and director Lee Brian Schrager. The main reason for the move was to provide a safer experience in case of rain and to have all the events in one area for easier access. In previous years, the festival took place on Manhattan’s piers, which couldn’t be tented. This meant that attendees had to travel between various venues and risk getting soaked in the process.
Restaurateur Matthew Glazier, owner of Tiny’s Cantina near Barclays Center, is excited about the festival taking place in Brooklyn. He believes that Brooklyn’s food scene is as diverse as its residents, making it a top culinary destination. Glazier also notes that Brooklyn’s resilience after the COVID-19 pandemic has surpassed that of Manhattan.
Interestingly, the festival is returning to its roots by moving to Brooklyn. When it first launched 17 years ago, its signature Burger Bash event was held in Brooklyn’s Dumbo neighborhood. Despite skepticism from others, the event was well-received, and Brooklyn has since become one of the hottest restaurant spaces in the country.
While the festival is primarily moving to Brooklyn, it will still have some events in Manhattan. Intimate brunches, dinners, and “midsized” events for 600 to 1,000 people will take place at One World Trade and the nearby Hall des Lumieres New York.
The festival will kick off on October 17 with “Brooklyn Eats & Beats,” featuring top Brooklyn chefs and iconic restaurants. Celebrity chef Bobby Flay will be returning to the festival for the first time in seven years. Other notable chefs include Gabriele Bertaccini, Alex Guarnaschelli, Vikas Khanna, Duff Goldman, and Geoffrey Zakarian. The festival also includes various events like an Italian tasting, a drag disco, a Mediterranean mezze brunch, a caviar and cocktail affair, and a Sunday lunch.
In addition to the culinary events, the festival will feature 30 one-night-only intimate dinners as part of the Bank of America Dinner Series. These dinners will be curated by renowned culinary stars such as Daniel Boulud, Marcus Samuelsson, Amanda Freitag, Ayesha Nurdjaja, and Martha Stewart. Moreover, this year’s festival will see more celebrities than ever before, including rappers Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and 50 Cent, as well as actress Blake Lively, who will be hosting a harvest happy hour for her brand, Betty Booze.
According to Schrager, the involvement of celebrities in the liquor industry is a natural progression, similar to how chefs have ventured into pots and pans. This trend reflects the growing intersection between the culinary and entertainment worlds.
Overall, the move of the New York City Wine & Food Festival to the Brooklyn waterfront signifies the borough’s rise as a culinary hotspot. With top chefs, diverse cuisine, and a vibrant food scene, Brooklyn is solidifying its reputation as a must-visit destination for food lovers.
