This year’s Food Book Fair is right around the corner. It’s one of our favorite annual local food gatherings and this year it’s going down May 11-14 at the Ace Hotel. It’s the first time the event’s being held in Manhattan and the line-up of salons and workshops is as appetizing as in previous years. You should check out the full calendar for yourself (tickets range anywhere from $5.00-$150.00), but to help you decide where to start, we’ve highlighted a few of the events on our radars.
We’ll also be at the signature zine fest Foodieodicles ($5.00 ticket) on Saturday, May 13 so stop by and say hi!
Dinner & Some Movies
Thursday, May 11
7:00-10:00 p.m.
$85.00
The kickoff party for Food Book Fair is a global celebration of food and films with a screening of short documentaries about diasporas including Haiti, Mexico, Lebanon and Korea. Chef Chinchakriya Un of the Kreung pop-up is partnering with Brooklyn Brewery chef Andrew Gerson on an eat-with-your-hands Cambodian dinner. Feast on dishes like grilled catfish wrapped in banana leaf and Khmer-style beef carpaccio with beer from Brooklyn Brewery.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Eating
Friday, May 12
6:00-9:30 p.m.
$150.00
Friday night’s keynote dinner and discussion unites some food writing heavyweights. The evening begins with a panel discussion moderated by the New York Times’ Frank Bruni about what it means to be working in food today. Among the panelists are chefs April Bloomfield and Mario Batali. Attendees will sit down afterwards for a meal with the speakers (who also are doing the cooking) and continue the conversation over porchetta, agnolotti and kuku sabzi (a Persian egg dish).
Have You Eaten Today? On James Baldwin, Food, and Self-Care
Saturday, May 13
1:00-3:00 p.m.
$35.00
Literaryswag founder Yahdon Israel notes the importance of self-care in highly-charged times of political unrest. Eating is one of the ways we nourish ourselves and can also be an act of political resistance. With this in mind, Israel joins historian and author Jessica B. Harris for a discussion on the importance of food in the life of James Baldwin who centered many of his most poignant essays on conversations that happened at the dinner table.
Beyond Fundraisers: Community Organizing Through Food
Sunday, May 14
10:00-11:30 a.m
$35.00
Looking for ways to make meaningful change in your community? This is the workshop for you. Food activist Evelyn Kim and members of Food Issues Group will share their experiences of using food as a tool for achieving social justice. You’ll also take part in a strategy-focused discussion about running a food business in an ethical and sustainable way.
