Markets of New York City » Markets of New York

Saving A Home One Delicious Cake At A Time

I was in Park Slope, Brooklyn on Saturday last weekend and visited the farmers market sponsored by Community Markets on 5th Avenue and 4th Street. The Community Markets organization provides access to locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables and locally produced food products to communities within the city and also in Rockland and Westchester Counties. They manage 18 markets, and the one in Park Slope runs year-round.

I was delighted to see Mortgage Apple Cakes at the market. I’ll be honest and say that I haven’t actually tried the original apple cake because I keep getting seduced by the glazed wonder known as Apple Rum Upside Down Cake. Back to that in a minute.

Mortgage Apple Cakes is a baked goods company with an inspiring story. Several years ago, founder and owner Angela Logan had been unable to find work, and her house went into foreclosure. Rather than sit idly by and let her home and investment disappear, she took back control of the situation and did a few calculations. If she could sell 100 of her luscious apple cakes in 10 days, she could earn enough money to save her house.

And that’s what she did. Almost.

What actually happened is that her story made the national news. Friends and supporters from all over the country bought cakes, and she saved her house. And she had a brand over night. That was several years ago. Now she has a commercial venture, selling her apple cakes and cupcakes, apple pound cake, caramel apple cake, and apple rum upside down cake online and in the markets. She has plans to establish a storefront with a community focus. She plans to host a good old fashioned bake sale each month to help someone else in need.

Now back to that apple rum upside down cake. It is everything you want in a cake. It is sweet, beautiful, rich, and has a wonderful texture. And then there is the marriage of yellow cake and apple, and ample sugary glaze. I can confidently say that it is truly one of the best cakes I’ve ever had. And I’ve had a lot of cakes.

So last weekend, I was so glad to see Angela and her cakes doing so well at the Park Slope market. I meant to try the apple cake. But I ended up with two big pieces of the apple rum upside down cake again. While I look forward to actually trying the original, I do not regret my purchase. When I got home, I made a pot of tea for my husband and myself, and we ate the cake in big bites, savoring every one.

I also want to share this great interview of Angela so that you can see for yourself the dynamic spirit behind the wonderful Mortgage Apple Cakes.

Reflections on the Chocolate Show in Time for Valentine’s Day

Yes, I’m a bit late with this posting of the Chocolate Show that took place in New York last November. But since it’s almost Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d post about it now and give you some wonderful chocolate inspiration.

Honestly, I had the impression that the Chocolate Shows were for tourists. Even the one in Paris, with its gigantic subway ads and enticing images. But then I looked into it a bit more, and I thought maybe I should give it a chance. So this year, I went. And I’m here, as a massive chocoholic, to tell you that it was an incredible experience.

I arrived at a peak hour on Saturday, and the crowd was pretty big. But that just made me focus and scout out the chocolate companies I really wanted to see. I was pleased and thrilled to see some of the finest chocolatiers in the world all under one roof.

Through my friend and chocolate maker Matt, I met the incredibly talented French chocolate maker from Roanne, François Pralus. I’ve tried is wonderful Pyramide des Tropiques collection of dark chocolates from around the world at Murray’s Cheese. The packaging is so lovely that you hardly want to break into the chocolate, but definitely do! I took home two hefty bars of dark and milk chocolate filled with hazelnuts and praline that were out completely of this world.

Lyonnais chocolatier Bernachon was there too with their perfectly shiny and wonderful bars, as well as their signature gold-flecked bonbons. Lucy Vanel, an American living in Lyon and author behind the wonderful blog, Lucy’s Kitchen Notebook, graciously introduced us to Bernachon while we were visiting Lyon a few years ago. Again, the chocolates are almost too beautiful to eat. Almost.

It was also wonderful to see New York market based companies at the chocolate show, including Roni-Sue’s Chocolates. Chocolatier Rhonda Kave of the Essex Street Market was happily providing samples of her famous BeerCrunch and even more famous Pig Candy. Spices & Tease, from their new home in the Grand Central Market, featured a chocolate-related tea collection and other spices that go with sweet and savory chocolate dishes.

The tiny golden-bellied chocolate Buddha pictured came to us from Indiana, handmade by Chocolate for the Spirit in Shelbyville. Des Lis Chocolat creates gorgeous and unique bonbons flavored with poppy flower petals. Their poppy flower petal jelly also caught my eye at the Chocolate Show. Rounding out my experience were the rich and exotic almond paste-filled Babouche au Chocolat from La Gazelle D’Or in Paris and Casablanca. And finally, I washed it all down with my old friends, the huge, decadent, scrumptious chocolate chip cookies from Jacques Torres.

These are just a few of the 65+ exhibitors at the Chocolate Show in New York. Is it for tourists? Sure! Is it for New Yorkers with a passion for rich, sweet, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate and lots of it? Definitely! I was impressed, I was happy, and I spent a lot of extra time at the gym afterwards.

Will I go back next time? Absolutely!

Recycle Your Closet Party With Grace Napoleon

I’ll never forget the first time I met Grace Napoleon at the Brooklyn Flea in the summer of 2009 under the Brooklyn Bridge. Her tent was swarmed with hip, cool women of all ages trying on her dresses, skirts and tops. Each garment was unique and made by hand from other pieces of clothing. They were flying off the racks then, just as they do today!

Grace is the founder of Folk Couture, the art of making clothes out of vintage and previously owned clothes. Since Grace first, well, graced the Brooklyn Flea, her Folk Couture has garnered a cult-like following. Her clothes themselves are perfectly wonderful, whimsical and often wild. Her use of existing clothing as virgin fabrics makes her work eco-friendly. She has an eye for color and pattern combinations; pieces I would never think of putting together become a vibrant new dress that turns heads on New York City streets.

The term “Folk Couture” is perfect for Grace’s creations, which are handcrafted designs, one-of-a-kind, and stylish. (Check out these images of her collection.) Purchase a piece of Folk Couture and rest assured that nobody else in the world will ever have the same one.

And now Grace will teach you her secrets! She has started giving Recycle Your Closet Parties. We all have beloved sweaters or dresses we can’t bear to part with, even though we know we’ll never wear them again. Now you can invite five or more of your best friends to bring their favorite no-longer-used clothing. Grace will help everyone turn their pieces into something brand new that they will wear and love. She brings the buttons, threads, ribbons, trimmings, scissors, pins, and more, and she will help each person create and stitch a new garment. She has an amazing talent for determining what will look good on someone, and she’ll sit on the floor, cut up the pieces with you, and help you sew them together – every step of the way.

The fee is $50 per person — barely the cost of a random sweater at Macy’s or The Gap. Your friends will go home with new, exciting pieces of clothing they made with their own hands — and a little more space in their closets!

If you’d like to host a Recycle Your Closet Party, simply send Grace an email for details!

Grace sets up shop most weekends at the Brooklyn Flea, and sometimes at the SOWA Open Market in Boston too. Follow Folk Couture on Facebook for inspiration and for updates on where she’ll be showing her creations next!

(Photos provided by Grace Napoleon)

Four Beautiful Words: Crispy Purple Potato Chips

I’ve had a bad cold for the last three weeks, drifting in and out of mild misery. But I’m feeling better every day now, thanks for asking.

Saturday I was feeling particularly low energy as I was walking through Union Square. The Greenmarkets always make me feel better, and so I was strolling along amongst the tents, despite the brisk cold, on my way to the 6 train. And then something bright purple caught my eye. (It has happened before – purple food makes me happy.)

The bright purple this time turned out to be a sample bowl of beautiful and delicious potato chips from Mountain Sweet Berry Farm. The Andean Mix includes the true purple chips made from purple Peruvian potato, mixed with rich yellow chips made from ruby crescent potatoes. This farm has three other flavors of chips made from other potatoes. The Crunchy Indian chips are made from Ozette Indian potatoes. The other two varieties are Brown Butter and Pure Pleasure.

UPDATE: The chips are fried in rice bran oil, which has a mild taste and is good for high heat frying. According to Dr. Andrew Weil, MD., it has additional health benefits as well.

Potato chips are one of my very favorite foods in the whole world. But I’m a purist. No ranch, no BBQ, no salt and vinegar. I like simple potatoes and salt. Each chip from Mountain Sweet Berry Farm has a pure potato taste and yet a wonderfully distinct flavor. The purple ones were my favorite because a) they’re purple, b) they taste rich and wonderful, and c) my mom is from the Andes mountains, and so I feel a personal connection to them. That said, they are all mouthwateringly delicious.

Mountain Sweet Berry Farm comes to the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Go try them for yourself and let me know which one you like best! And check out this wonderful video featuring Rick Bishop of Mountain Sweet Berry Farm on Serious Eats.

Photo of the Day, December 21, 2011: Suicidal Writer Bookmarks from J. Topolski

Suicidal Writer Bookmark with Hunter S. Thompson by J Topolski Handmade Goods

I’ve admired the easily identifiable style of J Topolski Handmade Goods for its fine detail, exceptional quality and ever so slightly macabre themes. Designer Jenny Topolski’s Colony Collapse Collection was my introduction to her work. She takes bees that died from natural causes (from two beekeeper sources), encases them in resin for all eternity, and makes jewelry from the cabochons. Her Etched Copper Jewelry Collection includes large, vivid sea creatures, like the flowing Giant Squid and billowing Jellyfish necklaces – all fantastic statement pieces.

I caught up with Jenny at the Artists & Fleas Holiday Pop Up in Chelsea Market, with her new and brilliant Suicidal Writer Bookmarks. We all know the stories: Ernest Hemingway with rifle, Hunter S. Thompson with a handgun, and Virginia Woolf with rocks in her pockets. Jenny has created a series of bookmarks featuring portraits of the deceased writers and tiny charms symbolizing their suicide implements of choice. The Virginia Woolf bookmark, for example has a fabulous overcoat charm and several tiny turqoise stones. The Hunter S. Thompson bookmark, as you can see, features a teensy handgun charm. Jenny would like to add a Sylvia Plath bookmark to the collection, but she has yet to find the the right oven charm.

So wrong and yet so very very right.

J. Topolski is at the Artists & Fleas Pop Up through December 31st (closed Sunday, December 25). Normally a Williamsburg denizen, Artists & Fleas has an amazing Manhattan pop up market inside Chelsea Market at the 15th Street/10th Avenue entrance entrance. Pick up superlative gifts for the holidays through Saturday, and then go shopping for yourself next week to celebrate New Year’s Eve!

The Art of Creating a Holiday Market Booth with Saskia de Vries

As you stroll through the holiday markets you’ll find that some booths immediately catch your eye. More than ever, the market sellers are putting a great amount of thought and effort into creating unique finishings and furnishings in their booths. One of my very favorites is Saskia De Vries Designs at the Columbus Circle Holiday Market because it reminds me of the amazing experience I had in the Ecuadoran Amazon. I wanted to know more about Saskia’s warm and inviting booth. Here is her story:

As you may know, my husband Scott and I traveled for 11 months across Asia and the South Pacific several years ago during a year off before getting married and moving to NY from DC. In that time we visited 13 countries we’d never seen and had interactions with dozens of fascinating people. One of the strongest impressions I was left with was the awe-inspiring beauty of the natural world and the wonderful ways that humans interact with it. I was also deeply touched by the people we met and the cultures we were introduced to. I think I draw much of my jewelry esthetic from this interplay of human and nature, rustic and refined.

My booth at the Columbus Circle Holiday Market was a co-design between me and Scott’s brother Michael Kerns, who is a set builder and designer. I talked with him about the style I was going for and the feel I wanted to evoke for my pieces. I drew a few rough sketches and gave him pictures of store displays I was drawn to. Together we came up with something that I think pulls the viewer into a different world: one just a little more laid back and exotic. The tree trunks as hooks for necklaces especially creates a cozy atmosphere with an unexpected touch. The wooden busts come from Indonesia and their dark wood furthers the romantic and rustic feel I’d hoped for. This year, our second at Columbus Circle, we added a few final touches, like a backlit sign, a hinged door and hooks for our coats, that really make it feel like home.

My husband Scott was the production manager and added some of his own suggestions, and together we built SdV Designs‘ first store front. To me the final result is a booth that is both out of the ordinary and homey. It’s a place I look forward to visiting every day in December.

You can go see Saskia and the SdV Designs booth for yourself through December 24th at the Columbus Circle Holiday Market!

There are several other standout booths for me this year. One is Elements/Jill Schwartz in the Jingle Market, which feels like a rustic wonderland full of jewelry, artifacts, and other treasures. Lauren Wimmer Jewelry has a lovely booth at the Grand Central Holiday Market that that feels like a modern Victorian sitting room, with glass pyramids, animal skulls, wooden statues, and other bits of nature enhancing her fine jewelry displays.

Do you have a favorite market booth this year? I’d love to know which ones caught your eye!

Two Great Holiday Pop-Ups At Chelsea Market

Two great hopliday pop up markets opened this week in Chelsea Market in Manhattan.

Jingle at the Chelsea Market: A Holiday Pop Up Store is the creation of designer Jill Schwartz. Back for its 5th year at the market and featuring over 20 companies, Jingle boasts a wonderful boutique esthetic that reminds a bit of the first floor at ABC Carpet and Home.

Jingle at the Chelsea Market has a wide variety of companies – from jewelry and bath products to clothing and home decor – and each company has been encouraged to do more than simply display their wares. Instead, each vendor has created their own unique boutique display, and this helps to differentiate them from their neighbors and highlight their products.

Jingle at the Chelsea Market is open through December 23rd in the big pop up shop space mid-market.

Venturing into Manhattan from their customary home in Williamsburg, the Artists and Fleas Holiday Pop-Up also opened this week. Offering 30 “amazing curators of cool”, Artists and Fleas is using a newly-opened space at the 1oth and 15th end of Chelsea Market. Artists are offering mens and women’s fashions, home accessories, jewelry, prints and eclectica, and include some of our market favorites.

The Artists and Fleas Holiday Pop-Up is open 10:30 Am - 7:30 PM through December 31st.

Photo of the Day for December 15, 2011 – Clothe My Soul at NYCreates Holiday Craft Fair

I came across the beautiful embroidery of Clothe My Soul this past weekend at the Stuff You Should Buy: PS 321 Holiday Shop (which, by the way, was a phenomenal market). Designer Jean Lugrin Ferlesch’s passion for embroidery is translated into intricately designed pillows, wall hangings and throws, and even denim jackets.

Jean’s “Heart and Soul” line expresses her journey as a mother, while “Watch Art” is based on the patent designs of her great grandfather. This Cool Cowgirl pillow was just great too. Definitely something you want to have on your sofa. Jean also creates stitched portraits based on photographs upon request.

Clothe My Soul is a featured artist this weekend, Friday, December 19 through Sunday, December 18, at the NYCreates Holiday Craft Fair, West Park Church, 86th and Amsterdam in Manhattan.

Photo of the Day for December 14, 2011 – Twig Terrariums

The Gentle Reminder from Twig Terrariums

BROOKLYN CRAFT CENTRAL HOLIDAY MARKET FEATURED VENDOR!

Twig Terrariums is a Brooklyn-based company run by two friends, Michelle Inciarrano and Katy Maslow. They create moss terrariums in a variety of glass containers complete with whimsical scenes featuring small figurines. The picture above is an image from their website of their Gentle Reminder terrarium. Custom orders are also available.

Come see Twig Terrariums at the Brooklyn Craft Central Holiday Market on Sunday. The Brooklyn Craft Central Market runs Saturday and Sunday, December 17-18, with a completely new group of vendors each day!

Twig Terrariums will also be selling at the Jingle Market at Chelsea Market.

Photo of the Day for December 11, 2011 – Fluorite Bead Necklace by Falcon Feather

Fluorite Necklace by Bilyana Tosic of Falcon Feather Jewelry

When I first saw the jewelry designs of Bilyana Tosic of Falcon Feather at the Bleecker Street Festival the summer before last, her design style struck me as a unique take on the classic Bohemian style, flowing, detailed, and dark, but with a distinctly lovely lightness.

I met up with Bilyana again yesterday at the NYCreates Holiday Craft Fair at the Brooklyn Historical Society yesterday in Brooklyn Heights, and her work is as lovely as ever. This fluorite bead necklace is a great example of her style. Do you see what I mean about the lightness?

You can see the entire Falcon Feather collection today at the Brooklyn Historical Society, and next week at the NYCreates Holiday Craft Fair at the West-Park Center on the Upper West Side . Shop for gifts, and pick yourself up a little something something while you’re at it!