Hester Street Fair » Markets of New York

Photo of the Day November 8, 2011: Movie Theater Cookie by FattyCakesNY

I woke up this morning thinking about a cookie I met at the Grub Street Food Festival at the Hester Street Fair, from FattyCakesNY. FattyCakesNY makes a great variety of cookies. Rich, delicious, imaginative cookies.

The one that woke me up today was the “Movie Theater” cookie. The concept is around making a cookie with the things you’d find on a movie theater floor. Mind you, FattyCakesNY does not source their ingredients from movie theater dumpsters. The idea is that movie snacks are such a guilty pleasure, and we stuff them into our cookieholes all at once anyway, usually before the actual movie even starts. This particular cookie starts out as a classic chocolate chip, to which the bakers add popcorn and bits of Swedish Fish. The popcorn adds a crunchy texture and a touch of savory, while the fish contribute gooeyness and even more sweetness.

FattyCakesNY’s repertoire of cookies really is ridiculous, as they say themselves. Highlights include:

Old Faithful: A butter cookie filled with bourbon pecan pie filling
The Jules: A butter cookie filled with cherry jam
Sticky Fingers: A peanut butter cookie packed with homemade peanut brittle, caramel, and buttered popcorn
The Big Daddy: Homemade bacon brittle with chocolate chips in a peanut butter cookie

Are you still here? Or have you passed out from the most delightful case of sugar shock just from reading the descriptions?

FattyCakesNY takes orders in person, rather than impersonally online, via email to: fattycakesny@gmail.com. They can customize your order too (i.e. adding your favorite movie theater snack to our Movie Theater cookies). Most varieties are available gluten-free.

You can find FattyCakesNY next at the Handmade Cavalcade on December 3, 2011!

Weekend Market Picks October 29-30, 2011 + Lovely Day Designs

Louise Lasson is the artisan behind Lovely Day Designs. I saw first her work at the Brooklyn Flea Gifted Market in 2009, and she keeps on adding more creative designs and products to her line.

She is known for her extremely wide array of switch plate covers! Everything from Buddhas and Mermaids, to Flowers, Cats, Pinup Girls and beyond to dress up your walls in a fun, unexpected way! She also sells delightful magnet sets. Her lovely soy wax candles are hand-poured into Depression Glass pieces and vintage teacups, and they are beautifully scented. What I love about Louise’s work is that it is creative, lovely, and practical, the essence of fine craft.

Louise is a member of the {NewNew} Etsy Artisans Street Team. Check LovelyDayDesigns.com for all her Holiday Market events. Her pieces are perfect for hostesses and for anyone who has light switches in their home.

Here are this week’s Market Picks! Meh to snow in October!!!

Saturday and Sunday

Artists and Fleas: Artists & Fleas is an excellent choice for this ridiculously snowy weekend! It features amazing vintage clothing and craft vendors, and it is indoors! Plus it’s a great place to get a groovy Halloween costume that you might actually wear again in real life!

Antiques Garage: This large indoor flea market has not one but TWO floors of antique and vintage treasures, including clothing, jewelry, home decor, artifacts, rare antique books and prints, and many more things that cannot even be categorized!

Saturday

Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket: Halloween comes to the Greenmarket! Bring the kids for Pumpkin Painting, the Pumpkin Carving Contest (bring your already carved pumpkins, winner gets a prize!), and an Apple Cider Donut Eating Contest!

Hester Street Fair: CANCELED due to impending weather! Double booooo!!! Thanks for another great season!

Smorgasburg: For true food lovers, it doesn’t matter if it’s snowing outside. They will still flock to Smorgasburg for some of the tastiest, most innovative food in the city. Serious delciousness going on here, with around 75 food vendors, plus the Williamsburg Waterfront Greenmarket!

Sunday

Fulton Stall Market: Another great place to bring the kids, the closest thing I’ve seen to matching Boston’s SOWA Market of the Living Dead for Halloween fun is at the Fulton Stall Market! In addition to their great lineup of food, craft, and farmer vendors, the market will have pumpkin painting, appearances by Berenstain Bears, Curious George and Maisy with readings of their favorite spooky stories, trick or treating, and a dance party with DJ Jonathan “Scary” Toubin (2pm). Kids kids kids!

Grab your tote bag, pull on your boots, and head to the Markets!

The Mesmerizing Reliquary Ring by Stern Design Works

Rebecca and Cameron Stern of Stern Design Works create wonderful jewelry designs, often inspired by nature. Their snow necklaces are made from casting molten silver in actual snow and coming up with unexpected, complex features on the cooled silver. Their “Flora” collection features oak and gingko leaf pendants.

I recently saw them at the Hester Street Fair, and they have a new collection of teensy, eensy, weensy farm animals set in tiny resin landscapes. The red rooster necklace was long gone, but the pink pig, the black and white cow, and the orange hen were utterly adorable.

And then there is the Reliquary Collection, a mesmerizing set of glass pendants and rings with moving particles of metal, sand, or 1 mm glass balls floating freely inside them. They are wonderful designs with almost a Jules Verne-like Steampunk feeling. The ring in the video has meditative qualities, as watching the tiny glass balls roll around inside the glass dome can induce a trance-like state, even in the middle of the bustling market.

Stern Design Works will be selling their jewelry at Artists and Fleas market in Williamsburg through the holiday season and also at the Columbus Circle Holiday Market in December.

Weekend Market Picks October 22-23, 2011: Samurai Sharpening Service

Margery Cohen, Master Knife Sharpener, Samurai Sharpening Services

My best advice to you: Get your Thanksgiving carving knives sharpened this weekend! I always plan to do it early, and yet there I am, every year, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, racing with my butter-knife dull blades to see Margery Cohen of Samurai Sharpening Service at Chelsea Market.

Margery sets up shop every Wednesday and Saturday at a table outside Bowery Kitchen Supply in the Chelsea Market. Her technique is impeccable. She sharpens the knives of some of the finest and best-known chefs in the city. I love to watch her work each blade studiously, and the best part is when she tests it by artfully slicing cleanly through a piece of paper. She carefully wraps up the dangerously sharp knives in your kitchen towel, or in a thick, safe newspaper bundle with rubber bands.

You may be tempted to pull out your knives as you squeeze your way through the Saturday market crowds, but I advise against it. Strongly.

It is going to be a glorious weekend, especially on Sunday! So grab your tote and go to the markets!

Saturday and Sunday

NewNew Artisan Assembly at Dekalb Market: The NewNew is an Etsy Street Team and a handmade powerhouse of craft and design. They are one talented bunch, and now you can see their work in one place all week long at their new shop at the Dekalb Market! There’s a party Friday night too! Definitely a must-stop shopping spot for amazing gifts.

Saturday

Essex Street Market: There have been a lot of new developments at the Essex Street Market in the last year. Pain d’Avignon and the Heritage Meat Shop moved in, and now Brooklyn Taco and has a space, in addition to the other wonderful and important shops there, like Saxelby Cheesemongers, Roni Sue’s Chocolates, and LES Girls Club’s La Tiendita. We miss Jeffrey’s Meats, but I’m sure we have not heard the last from him!

Sunday

Grub Street Food Festival and Beer Garden at Hester Street Fair: All I can say is GET HERE EARLY! Last year’s event was a fun, delicious mob scene. Plan out what you want to eat, and go there first. The rest will be an adventure in eating and mob maneuvering. The great news is that it is expanded to four times the space and added a beer garden! It’s going to be another amazing event, and it’s Hester Street Fair’s last big event of the season!

Steampunk 2011: The founder of the former and beloved Brooklyn Indie Market is sponsoring the Steampunk 2011 at the DUMBO Loft in Brooklyn, “a puzzlement of perception, a grand sally-ho! into realms of obscurity and possibility! We invite you to come with us to experience MAGIA ET MYSTERIUM!”

Vegan Shop Up: There’s a market for everyone, and everything in this bi-monthly market at Pine Box Rock Shop is for the vegans! Lots of great sounding foods and baked goods, plus soaps, candles, tinctures, and more! Definitely check it out!

Support local and handmade! Occupy The Markets!

Photo of the Day – September 22, 2011: Rockin’ Legwear from Box 185

I spotted a striking woman with extremely groovy boots at the Hester Street Fair last weekend. The woman is Sara Keiser of fashion design company Box 185. And sure enough, they were not boots at all, but rock-n-roll leg warmers!

We’re not talking 80’s Flash Dance leg warmers either. We’re talking 2011 spandex, feathers, fur, ribbons, and sparkles. The unique styles can be worn up to the knee or thigh. You can twist them around the leg so the adornments swirl like a barber shop pole. They also have an opening for the heel of your pump to slip through so the leg warmer can fit snugly around your arch.

It you are in a rock band, or aspire to be one day, you absolutely must stop by and see Sara’s creations. She also has a remarkable, full fashion line of dresses, skirts, pants, vests, and accessories, although these words feel completely inadequate to describe the collection. Sara also creates equally fantastic feather jewelry. You really have to see everything to understand just how chic and wild these designs are.

You can find Sara this weekend only at the Young Designers Market at 328 West 14th Street in the Meatpacking District. She is usually at the Young Designers’ Nolita location at 268 Mulberry Street (Note: that location is closed this weekend). She may be back at Hester Street soon as well.

Check her website to see amazing photography; read her fun, beautiful, and inspirational blog; and make an appointment to meet Sara in person at her studio on the Lower East Side.

Rock on!

Weekend Market Picks – September 17 & 18, 2011 + Comfort Food Kitchen!

Anzac Biscuits from Comfort Food Kitchen

… And then Fall arrived on Thursday night at 7.25PM! Wasn’t that crazy?! Fall makes me super nostalgic for school days, cozy sweatshirts, holding hands, and cookies. So it is perfect timing to go see chef and baker Suzanne Michaud of Comfort Food Kitchen this Sunday at the Hester Street Fair!

The Comfort Food Kitchen features cookies made from historic and heirloom recipes. In fact, Suzanne told me her first memory is of eating chocolate chip cookies that her neighbor made especially for her. Her Florentine Biscotti recipe was brought to the US from the Old World over 100 years ago by a friend’s grandmother. The delicious, chewy Anzac Biscuits are made from a recipe given to Suzanne by the lovely father of a dear friend. Anzac Biscuits are the national cookie of Australia They were made by women to send to their men in the armed services during WWI (Anzac stands for Australia New Zealand Army Corps). The biscuits are made with old fashioned golden cane sugar syrup, which helped them stay chewy and moist as they reached loved ones.

Suzanne promised me she’d be bringing the biscotti and Anzac biscuits to the Hester Street Fair this Sunday, as well as some other tasty treats to make the shopping even sweeter!

And now for the Market Picks!

Saturday & Sunday, September 17 & 18

Artists & Fleas: Drop by Williamsburg and visit this run, vibrant indoor market! It is loaded with talented fashion and accessories designers, as well as vintage collections. Delicious food too, with short lines! And congratulations to founder Amy Abraham and her business partner Adelaide Lancaster on their awesome new book, The Big Enough Company!

Hester Street Fair: Do not miss the second annual Stylist Tent Event on Sunday! Sponsored by Uniqlo, this event features clothing and accessories contributed by fashion industry insiders. They tag their items and bring them to Hester Street. And you and I get to pick through these gems and take home something fabulous for next year’s Fashion’s Night Out! The market is also open on Saturday!

Saturday Only, September 17

East 67th Street Market: This Saturday Flea Market has vendors in the schoolyard of PS 183 on East 66th and East 67th Streets between 1st and York Avenues. There are also some phenomenal, must-see vintage vendors inside the halls and cafeteria. Stop by for vintage decorative items, jewelry, and more, including cashmere sweaters!

Morningside Park Farmers’ Market: This market is run by Community Markets and sponsored by the Friends of Morningside Park at 110th Street and Manhattan Avenue. Come find farmers and food purveyors, and join in the yoga class with Lara from Land Yoga at 4PM!

Sunday, September 18

79th Street Greenmarket: Open on Sundays on the Upper West Side, this market is one of the larger Greenmarkets in the city. Right now it stretches from 77th – 80th Street alongside the Natural History Museum. So it is a scenic, beautiful market filled with 32 vendors during growing season. It is also right across Columbus Avenue from the weekly Greenflea on Sundays.

Grab your coziest sweatshirt and meet me at the markets! It’s going to be chilly and beautiful – perfect for shopping!

Photo of the Day – September 14, 2011: Caramel Chai Sauce from Herbin’ Spoonful

I am always thrilled to find new and wonderful things to eat in the markets. Walking through the Hester Street Fair recently, I came across Herbin’ Spoonful Caramel Sauce. And boy am I glad I stopped for a taste (as if not stopping was even an option).

This Brooklyn-based company currently sells three kinds of caramel sauce: Lavender, Chai, and Habanero. I love how they span the spectrum from gentle lavender, to the stronger spices in chai, and onto the pow of hot pepper. Each one is distinct, gooey, and delicious.

Last weekend at our Sunday Family Dinner, we made David Lebovitz’ vanilla ice cream with a vanilla pod we got at the beautiful Sullivan Street Tea and Spice Company. We drizzled the chai caramel sauce over the top of the each scoop. Our guests actually purred. And there were no leftovers.

These caramel sauces are made with high quality organic ingredients. You can even pair them with savory dishes as glazes. But really all you need is a spoon.

Come try Herbin’ Spoonful’s caramel sauces weekends at the Hester Street Fair. Check the website for exact dates

Hester Street Fair + Henri Bendel = A Rockin’ Fashion’s Night Out

Last Thursday was Fashion’s Night Out in New York City. This is the first year I have participated because a) I had the makeover, b) I had the perfect Little Black Dress and jewelry, and c) Hester Street Fair was shaking up 5th Avenue!

I started out my day with my friend Angelo Guglielmo at Lincoln Center for the BCBG Max Azria runway show at 10:30 in the morning. We enjoyed the entire venue. And I know I posted that Black is the New Black, but I have a feeling that this crowd knows that black has always been the only color worth bothering with.

That night, I went to Fashion’s Night Out with the Hester Street Fair at Henri Bendel on 5th Avenue. What a crowd! It was a market with in an iconic space featuring amazing handmade, artisanal goods. It had the loud music, the fun crowds, and atmosphere of a club. And most of all, it was a really great meeting of Uptown and Downtown, where the commonalities were design, quality, craftsmanship, and a really great time with some amazing people! Check out all the photos, including:

I wrapped up the evening at opening of the solo show of fine artist Amarillis Kroon at the Red Market Salon in the Meatpacking District. Ami is an extremely talented artist, whose paintings of Nouveau Art Deco Women are extraordinary. Her artwork is up until the end of this month, so definitely go check it out.

And now, about my outfit. My dress is an amazing work of design, craftsmanship, and eco-fabric by the talented Nina Valenti of Nature vs. Future of the Independent Designers Pop Shop at Chelsea Market. My jewelry was a chic, gold, hand-hammered ensemble by Shaya Mehubad of ShayaNYC of the Nolita Market. And my perfume, as ever, was a hand blended potion by Megan Brame of Metropolis Soap Company of various markets around town. I am thrilled to report that I got stopped by no fewer than a dozen strangers throughout the day asking me where I got my dress and my baubles. It was a really great Fashion’s Night Out for this blogger.

Fashion Week with Angelo Guglielmo and Mercedes Benz (photo from Angelo Guglielmo)

The Markets Take Fashion’s Night Out

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: the markets of New York city are the heart of innovation in design, food, decor, and many other trends that we’ll see a couple of years from now in mainstream catalogs. And this Thursday, September 8th, 2011, the markets are taking part in Fashion’s Night Out in a fun, fabulous, winning way :

Manhattan

Hester Street Fair Takes Over Henri Bendel on 5th Avenue: 50 of Hester Street’s fine designers, artists, chefs, and craftspeople will set up their boutiques on the entire 3rd floor of this venerable, striped establishment. Time: 3 – 11PM, Location: Henri Bendel, 712 5th Ave. at 56th Street

Fashion’s Night Out at the Corrente Flagship Store: Celebrate the new season with handbag designer Corrente and two talented jewelry designers Rebecka Froberg and Teresa Kahres at the new Corrente Flagship. Stop by for a sip of wine, a bit of a nosh, and some fabulous of shopping with these independent New York designers. Time: 6 – 9PM, Location: 179 Orchard between Houston and Stanton

Brooklyn

Fashion’s Night Out with Artists & Fleas: More than 30 independent fashion designers, accessory-makers, vintage enthusiasts and artists showcase new collaborations, new collections and Fall/Winter looks for a night of pop-up shopping and Fall fashion fun. Time: 6 – 11PM, Location: Artists & Fleas, 70 North 7th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Moved to Sunday due to the weather! Dekalb Market’s Red Carpet Event with Food, Drinks & Tunes: Open Bar, food tasting and art, with a fashion show featuring local designers 66 Blackbirds, Hank & JoJo, Rubyzaar, Little Poco, Honeysuckle + Hearts, Harriets by Hekima. Time: 3PM, Location: 138 Willoughby Street, Brooklyn

Meanwhile, Back in the Meatpacking District:

My dear, talented, wonderful friend, fine artist Amarillis Kroon is having a FNO solo show at the late night Meatpacking salon, Red Market. Originally from Hungary, Ami is a long-time resident of the West Village. I have dubbed her work Nouveau Art Deco, and you will see exactly what I mean when you see the divinely fashionable ladies she is featuring in this show. She also has a magical talent for pet portraits, capturing the very soul of her subjects. Time: 6 – 11PM, Location: 32 Gansevoort Street, Meatpacking District, Manhattan. (Image by Amarillis Kroon: Homage to Sonia Rykiel)

So grab your finest threads and meet me for a fabulous Fashion’s Night Out in the heart of it all, the independent markets of New York City!

Amarillis Kroon at Red Market Salon - 2011 Fashion's Night Out NYC

Markets 2.0 Event Recap by The Experimental Gourmand

Markets of New York City Guide (photo by Kathy Blake www.TheExperimentalGourmand.com

I want to thank everybody who came to the New York Public Library’s Mid-Manhattan Branch for the event last Thursday, Markets 2.0: The Resurgence of Traditional Markets in New York City. We were hoping for a crowd of 50, and we ended up with 89 wonderful, engaged people in the audience!

The talented and dedicated food blogger Kathy Blake, aka The Experimental Gourmand, wrote an excellent, detailed summary of the event! If you couldn’t make it, Kathy’s posting will tell you everything you missed and more!

My heartfelt thank you to Robert LaValva of the New Amsterdam Market and Ron Castellano of the Hester Street Fair for their fascinating and valuable insights into their markets. Thanks as well to SuChin Pak, who could not be with us because she was called away on some exciting business that we’ll hopefully all be hearing about very soon! And a sincere thank you to Ms. Deborah Hirsch, Principal Librarian of the Mid-Manhattan Branch of the NYPL, for her kindness, thoroughness, and enthusiasm for this event!