Amy’s Bread » Markets of New York

Weekend Market Picks November 5-6 + Sohung Designs at ID Pop Shop

Markets of New York City is proud to support the Independent Designer Pop Shop, or ID Pop Shop, in Chelsea Market! One of my favorite designers, Tom Sohung of Sohung Designs, whose dress I wore to my book launch party last year, is participating in this treasure-filled market. The photo is yours truly falling in love with his spectacular wool overdress. It is asymmetrical, with a long cut-out sleeve on one side and a cape sleeve on the other. It buttons up in the most flattering, unusual way, the epitome of style and design. And it made me feel like a super rich 1 Percenter, only better because my finest wares are local and handmade.

The ID Pop Shop runs every day through November 27 and features 18 of New York’s fine emerging designers in fashion, jewelry, accessories, and bath and body products. They’re giving away American Express Gift Cards every weekend, so follow ID Pop Shop on Facebook and win!

And now for this weekend’s Market Picks!

Saturday and Sunday, November 5 & 6:

ID Pop Shop: As I mentioned above, this market is just lovely. It’s like walking into an amazing boutique full of amazing objects, from sumptuous creams and room sprays, to cool leather wallets, and some of the most riveting fashion designers on the scene. Runs through November 27, 2011 inside Chelsea Market, towards the 10th Avenue entrance.

Chelsea Market: While you’re heading to the Pop Shop, you must spend time strolling and noshing your way through Chelsea Market. The crowds get a little wild on the weekends, but you can stop for warm breads fresh out of the ovens at Amy’s Bread, or hot cocoa at Ronnybrook Farm Dairy’s Milk Bar, or a delicious fresh crepe from Bar Suzette.

The Holiday Shops at Bryant Park: They’re open! I haven’t been there yet this year, but trust me – it is not too early to get into the holiday spirit once you’ve entered the holiday wonderland in beautiful Bryant Park. The crystal vendor shops, the fun ice rink, and the seasonal Celsius Wine Bar will jump start your season!

Saturday Only

Super!market: This market features a core selection of outstanding emerging designers. They’re hosting over 25 designers in the gym of the Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Nolita. It’s warm and indoors, so you can browse at every single booth and try on the handmade designerclothing for men and women. Super!market is an exciting new addition to the market scene!

Good luck and fair weather to everyone running in the Marathon! That means you, Rachael Grygorcewicz! ♥ I’ll actually be cheering you on from the sidelines this year, rather than from my cozy warm bed like most years! So you’d better run fast!

Love is in the Air: Three Great Valentine’s Dates at the Markets

Special Blog Event: I enjoy reading a good number of blogs. Some inspire me, some crack me up consistently, and some actually make me tear up with every posting. Oh – and some make me hungry. So I invited them to join me in a Valentine’s Day Blogger Round Robin. We’ve all got all the links to each other’s postings at the top of our own. So please click through and read all the blogs. And share them with your friends! (Thank you to Manhattan Users Guide for the original idea!)

Andrea Davis: Pure Food Nutrition: Valentine’s Day Chocolate: Good & Good for You?
Ann Mehl: A Man and His Word on Valentine’s Day
Artists & Fleas: Gift Guide: From Brooklyn-Tough Love, Show Your Love, and Lovely Little Licks, Bites & Nibbles
The Bitchy Waiter: Fuck Cupid
Brooklyn Flea: You Gotta Have Heart
The Experimental Gourmand: Valentine’s Day Special Dinner
Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market: A Blog Affair to Remember
Kumquat Cupcakery: My Messy Pink Kitchen
Metalicious Jewelry: Well Hello February
The NewNew: What Makes Valentine’s Day Sweet to Me

Love is in the Air

This year Valentine’s Day falls on a Monday, which means we have the whole entire weekend to hang out with the ones we love the most! So I thought to myself, “What would I like to do this weekend?” Of course, it is all about the markets. Here are three excursions to take with your one Valentine or all the Valentine’s in your family:

Artists & Fleas and the Meeker Avenue Flea: Artists & Fleas (70 North 7th St. in Williamsburg) offers hours of entertainment together, slowly wandering through the eclectic collection of talented artists and artisans, vintage collections, and mini-cupcakes. You never know what you’ll find in this market, and when you take your time, I guarantee there will be something there to knock your socks off. I’ve gotten Valentine’s Day gifts there, from decoupage heart magnets to a fantastic Beatle’s Yellow Submarine hat made from a recycled sweater. You may find a box of LPs, a handmade book, or a pair of awesome vintage shades. It’s a treasure hunt every weekend. A few blocks away at 391 Leonard Street is the Meeker Avenue Flea. This market specializes in vintage and antique furniture primarily. If you’re having romantic thoughts of moving in, or *gasp* something more serious, try broaching the subject as you are fondling a set of Art Deco bar ware or an Elvis lamp. Wouldn’t that look great in your new apartment…together?

Chelsea Market and the High Line: There is something incredibly romantic about the High Line elevated park, no matter what the weather. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s a slow park, designed for strolling hand-in-hand, or mitten-in-mitten in this weather. Take your sweetheart for a wander along the High Line to enjoy the icy vistas and brisk breezes. Then step off at the 15th Street staircase and explore the tasty treasures inside Chelsea Market. Chelsea Market Baskets is Valentine’s Day Central, with chocolates, candies and gift baskets for your beloved. Pick up fresh, luscious ingredients for a delicious home cooked Italian dinner at and Buon Italia. And for dessert, how about a moist, tender red velvet cake from Amy’s Bread? And, whatever you do, do not forget a handpicked box of delicate and delicious bonbons from Jacques Torres Chocolates. There is so much more to see, smell and taste in the market – savor every shop!

New Amsterdam Valentine’s Market & Apothecary: The first New Amsterdam Market of the year takes place this weekend. And it’s not just on Sunday! The market runs both Saturday and Sunday, and also Monday, Valentine’s Day itself. It’s a weekend for chocolate, and Liddabit Sweets and Mast Brothers will be supplying their delicious, handcrafted chocolates and candies. I have it on good authority that P&H Soda Co. will have a very limited edition Valentine’s Day strawberry soda syrup just for this market. In addition to all the great food vendors, Lore Tools.Ornaments.Provisions will be there, and you can pick up hand crafted love tokens by paper artist Robert Warner. There will be some fun events to do together too, including Valentine’s Day caligraphy (Saturday), Kombucha making (Sunday), and a wine and chocolate pairing at Pasanella & Sons (Monday). Location: Indoors at the New Amsterdam Market School, 224 Front St. (between Beekman St. and Peck Slip). Saturday & Sunday 11AM – 6PM, Monday 11AM-7PM.

The card pictured is a hand-printed design from Pumpkin & Honey Bunny!

Chili for Charity: NYChili Fest at Chelsea Market

With all the weather we’ve been having lately, who wouldn’t want to dive into a bowl of hot chili?! My mom was proud of her chili, and rightly so, but my daring stops at browning meat for Sloppy Joes from a box. I leave it to the pros. So I am super excited about NYChili Fest on Sunday at Chelsea Market! Proceeds from this event go to Food Systems Network NYC.

Twenty-four (!) chili masters will be dishing up their best beans and beef with fantastic cornbread from Amy’s Bread. NYChiliFest Sponsor Dickson’s Farmstand Meats will be supplying 100% locally raised, dry-aged beef from Wrighteous Organics to “provide a level playing field for the competition.” And, yeah, it gets even better, folks: Brooklyn Brewery is bringing four chili pairings because apparently the right beer can make chili even tastier.

Who will win the 2011 Golden Chili Mug? Come to NYCHili Fest and find out for yourself! Warning: NSFV – Not Safe for Vegetarians!

NYChili Fest, Sunday, January 30 from 4 – 8PM at Chelsea Market, 75 9th Ave at 15th St. Live music too! Advanced tickets are sold out, but you can get them at the door starting at 3:30PM on Sunday.

Thanks for Celebrating the Launch of Markets of New York City!

Last week we launched Markets of New York City at Posman Books in Chelsea Market. It was exactly what I hoped my Big Fat New York Book Launch Party would be, which is to say, lovely, intimate, delicious, and full of my nearests and dearests. Starting with my mom, Haydee Seiger, who sported a vintage silk dress for the occasion. My gorgeous and fabulous sister Andrea Seiger was adorned with her favorite finds from markets all over the world, from New York to Veracruz and Accra. My perfect and charming in-laws Judy Nicotra-Parker and Marcy and Thom Green showed the love too, as well as my tiny nieces Tessa and Maddie, the adorable little girl in the section on Chelsea Market (p. 169). And my bestest friend from first grade, Matt Israel, who traveled from Las Vegas despite being in the middle of launching a top-secret new product line.

The markets in the guidebook were well-represented by the wonderful vendors and visionary managers, the very people that make the markets of New York City so amazing and exciting!

I would like to thank the brilliant and kind people from The Little Bookroom. And the wonderful artisans who set up our mini-market: Miss Wit, Off the Mat, Rocks & Salt, ShayaNYC, and Take Me Homeware (Check their websites to see where they’ll be each weekend!) The delicious platters of food were contributed by Amy’s Bread, Buon Italia, and Manhattan Fruit Exchange in the Chelsea Market. And thank you to Sohung Tom of Sohung Designs for my killer dress! Thanks also to Time Out New York for helping promote this event out of all the amazing things going on in the city every single day. And, of course, my darling husband James Wesolowski was the one cutting up the bread, taking photos, and being the wonderful man he is.

Thank you everyone who showed up in person and in spirit (that would be my sister Leslie, who was in the middle of giving final exams)! I will remember and cherish that evening forever.

Photo of the Day – May 15, 2010: Amy’s Bread!

Semolina Bread with Black Sesame Seeds from Amy's Bread at Chelsea Market

The deliciously talented Amy Scherber and Toy Kim Dupree have just released their revised and updated Amy’s Bread: Artisan-style Breads, Sandwiches, Pizzas, and More from New York’s Favorite Bakery (John Wiley & Sons 2010). My birthday cake comes from Amy’s Bakery every year – yellow cake with pink frosting and confetti, thank you very much! We get our fresh baguettes there, still warm from the ovens at Chelsea Market.

Come taste a variety of delicious breads from Amy’s at next Thursday’s Markets of New York City launch party at Posman Books in Chelsea Market, and pick up a copy of this exciting cookbook while you’re with us!

Book Launch Events – Posman Books and Brooklyn Indie Market

Tuesday, May 11 – Official Publication Day!

Markets of New York City goes on sale online and in bookstores today!

Thursday, May 20 – Publication Party! You’re Invited!

Book signing and reception from 6 pm – 8 pm (Bonus – Meet my mom, Haydee, to whom the book is dedicated.)
Posman Books at Chelsea Market
9th Avenue at 15th Street, Manhattan (A, C, E, 2, & 3 Trains to 14th Street)

Refreshments will be provided by Chelsea Market shops, including Manhattan Fruit Exchange, Chelsea Wine Vault, Buon Italia, and Amy’s Bread.
Five artisans representing several of the markets featured in the guidebook will be selling their handmade items as well:

Shaya NYC: Fine Handcrafted Jewelry
Miss Wit Industrial Light and Tragic: Tee Shirt Designs
Off the Mat: Soaps, Scents, and Accessories Inspired by Yoga
Rocks and Salt: Handmade Hats an Accessories
Take Me Homeware: Unique Handmade Ceramics

Saturday, May 22 – Markets of New York City Celebrates Handmade Brooklyn!

Meet many of the vendors featured in the guidebook at this full-day event especially for Brooklyn! Book signing from 11 am – 5 pm
Brooklyn Indie Market, Details on Yelp.com
Smith Street & Union Street, Brooklyn (F & G Trains to Carrol Street)

I wanted to do something to honor a colleague who died in the earthquake in Haiti, Gerardo Le Chevalier. So, with permission of his family, we will be collecting donations for Doctors Without Borders at “Celebrate Handmade Brooklyn” in Gerardo’s memory for their ongoing work in helping Haiti recover from the disastrous effects of the earthquake earlier this year.

Announcing The Book Launch Events!!!

Markets of New York City (Little Bookroom, 2010)

I am so excited for the launch of Markets of New York City: A Guide to the Best Artisan, Farmer, Food and Flea Markets (Little Bookroom, 2010), I can barely stand it! It has been such an incredibly rewarding experience to explore, shop, eat, and get to know the wonderful, dedicated, and talented entrepreneurs at the amazing markets throughout the boroughs. Please come out, have some fun, and show your support for these fantastic institutions that give so much character to our fair city!

Weekend of May 1 & 2 – Pre-Publication Launch at Brooklyn Lyceum’s Spring Food & Craft Market

Get an advance copy of the guidebook! Many of the vendors featured in the book are offering generous deals and discounts with your book purchase! Book signing from 11 am – 4 pm on Saturday & Sunday
Brooklyn Lyceum, 227 4th Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn (R Train to Union Street)

Many of the wonderful vendors featured in the guidebook and blog are also going to be at the Lyceum, and they are offering awesome special discounts with your book purchase:

•Alison Tauber: $5 off one shirt

•Bacon Marmalade: Discount on Jars or Baked Goods

•Fine and Raw Chocolates: Chunky Bonbon 2 for $10 (regular price $7 each)

•Lovely Day Designs: 20% on total purchase

•McFlashpants : 10% discount on total purchase

•Meow Meow Tweet: $1.00 off total purchase

•Miss Wit Tees for Good Times: 15% on total purchase

•Nordea Soaperie: Free 1.5 oz Body Polish with $45 total purchase

•Off the Mat: 20% discount on total purchase

•Pumpkin and Honey Bunny/P&H Soda and Syrup Inc.: $.50 off purchase of sodas and greeting cards

•Rocks and Salt Design: 10% discount on hats

•Sour Puss Pickles: $1.50 off a jar of Green Tomato Relish

•Take Me Homeware: 20% discount on total purchase

•Virginia Kraljevic Illustrations and Cards: 20% discount on total purchase

•Yona’s Gourmet Delights: $1.00 off your purchase of any two combos

Thursday, May 20 – Publication Party! You’re Invited!

Book signing and reception from 6 pm – 8 pm (Bonus – Meet my mom, Haydee, to whom the book is dedicated.)
Refreshments will be provided by Chelsea Market shops, including Manhattan Fruit Exchange, Chelsea Wine Vault, Buon Italia, Amy’s Bread, and more!
Posmans Books at Chelsea Market
75 9th Avenue at 15th Street, Manhattan (A, C, E, 2, & 3 Trains to 14th Street)

Saturday, May 22 – Markets of New York City Celebrates Handmade Brooklyn!

Meet many of the vendors featured in the guidebook at this full-day event especially for Brooklyn! Book signing from 11 am – 5 pm
Brooklyn Indie Market, Details on Yelp.com
Smith Street & Union Street, Brooklyn (F & G Trains to Carrol Street)

[On a sober note, I wanted to do something to honor a colleague who died in the earthquake in Haiti, Gerardo Le Chevalier. So, with permission of his family, we will be collecting donations for Doctors Without Borders at "Celebrate Handmade Brooklyn" in Gerardo's memory for their ongoing work in helping Haiti recover from the disastrous effects of the earthquake earlier this year.]

I’m only going to have one first book launch in my life, so please come out and help me make the most of it!