The team at Grand Central made this wonderful time-lapse video of the making of the Grand Central Holiday Fair! This year, the market is different and new in many ways. The beautiful Nordic Food Hall opened earlier this year in half of Vanderbilt Hall, leaving the other half for the holiday market. It is much smaller than ever before. But the good news is that it doesn’t feel that way! You will see a brand new booth design that includes full walls to make each space feel even

Susan Ng of Naturally Susan’s Skincare Featured on NY1 News. [CLICK TO VIEW] In case you missed it, I am thrilled to share this story about Susan Ng and her amazing skincare line, Naturally Susan’s., which has been featured on NY1 / Time Warner Cable News! Susan makes natural and organic skincare products that work wonders. I adore her avocado rose salve, which I slather on my face every day. I also love the fact that most of her products have multiple uses. Her roll-on moist

Chickpea & Olive Vegan Pop Up Featured on NY1 News I’m very excited to share the latest story on NY1 News out of the Markets of New York City! Kirsten Shaughnessy features Chickpea and Olive, a fantastic vegan pop up restaurant, in this segment. Co-founders Danielle Ricciardi and Daniel Strong tell us about their delicious menu, which you can try every weekend at Smorgasburg. You can also find Chickpea & Olive on Wednesdays and Fridays for Lunchtime Under the Archway in DUMBO

I was wandering through the Union Square Greenmarket at lunchtime today, and I saw a sign for gelato! I love buying wonderful ingredients from our farmers, but sometimes it’s nice to find something you don’t need to prepare. You can spoon cold creamy gelato directly into your mouth. So I stopped and asked Rose Hubbert of Back to the Future Farm to tell us about her new Ole’ Mother Hubbert Creamline Gelato, and she was happy to do so! Go get a tub or two – or three – of gelato

Bodhitree Farm is one of my very favorites, and I have known owner Nevia No for years from the Abingdon Square Greenmarket in the West Village. I’ve never seen her farm though. Liza De Guia’s story about Nevia and her vegetables on Food.Curated, in partnership with Food & Wine Magazine, is not only visually stunning, but wonderfully inspiring too. Through Liza’s lens, Nevia talks about her vegetables the way she talks about people. If you sit around with everything you need i

Several very exciting things have been going on! First, I am thrilled to have my very first Guest Chef contribute a wonderful story about shopping in a food and produce market in Fethiye, Turkey. You probably know Chef Ross Hutchison from his Bacon Marmalade days. Read about what he and his equally awesome wife have been up to in this story about connecting and communicating through food. And watch the video above of market women making delicious flatbread for Ross’s lunchtim

Meet Liza de Guia, the amazing person behind the camera at Food. Curated (photo from FoodCurated.com) Last week, at a panel at the Food Tech Conference, my colleague Ben Schmerler mentioned a wonderful food video maker. When he said her name, many faces around the table lit up, including mine. There was a general consensus that, yes, Liza de Guia of Food. Curated is an incredibly talented story teller and an inspiring member of the food community. As it happens, I had the gre

Many many thanks to all the wonderful people who participated in this Holiday video! Mr. Cory’s Cookies Lolafalk – Clever Little Wallets, Handbags and Accessories ShayaNYC  – Fine Handcrafted Jewelry Southern Hospitality – Natural Foot Care Products Urban Man Made – Designs for Men La Muse Kalliope  – Toys and Personal Muses Ice & Vice – Artisanal Ice Cream Bugged Out – Organic Handprinted Clothing Fav’s Treatery Karen Curtis – Swarovski Crystal Jewelry and Lighting Juli Raja

Eggplant Cornucopia from Eckerton Hill Farm Today, I was shopping for tonight’s Dîner En Blanc when I saw theses colorful eggplants overflowing from their baskets under the Eckerton Hill Farm tent at at the Union Square Greenmarket. If you read their “about” page, you will find that Eckerton Hill Farm has its origins in a few tomato seedlings on a Brooklyn rooftop 15+ years ago. Now, “the farm sits on 58 hillside acres overlooking the fertile Oley Valley of Berks County, Penn

Is it hot out? I hadn’t noticed. I’ve been busy dreaming about my next shaved ice from Ice Riders. This group of transplanted Texans are bringing eco-friendly, heat-busting, cowboy-hat-wearing frozen relief all summer long at the LIC Flea & Food Market. Jet, David and Chelsea are building their icy empire around a very cool, bike-powered shaved ice machine. Plus everything that isn’t edible is recyclable – cups, spoons and napkins. AND their flavors are certified kosher. As i

Happy Fourth of July! Nothing says summmer like hot dogs and fireworks! Congratulations to Sonya “Black Widow” Thomas and my boy Joey Chestnut for winning the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest! Another proud day in America! I took this video of the spectacular finale of the Macy’s July 4th Fireworks from my old rooftop in 2011. I love hearing all the cheers at the very end of the show! Enjoy your long weekend ~Karen Seiger, Markets of New York City #KarenSeiger #SonyaThomas #20

Li-Lac Chocolates is one of of New York’s oldest chocolate companies. Founded in 1923, the company has passed carefully through several hands over the years, and it now rests happily and safely with Anthony Cirone and Chris Taylor. Anthony and Chris have been careful to preserve the traditions of Li-Lac Chocolates, and their expert staff of chocolatiers will continue to make their beloved confections as they have for decades. Chris told me that most of the molds they use are

Throughout my entire life, Haydee Seiger, my mother, has dressed impeccably. She adores textiles and yarns — their textures, colors, movement. Her biggest soft spot is for silk. She could wear a new silk shirt every day for the next decade, and she loves each and every one of them. Mom has a collection of fabrics and yarns from her travels around the world. One of her favorite spots is the Mocenigo Palace Textile Museum in Venice, which she came across one day while lost in t

In case you missed it, here’s my Feature for the Holiday Markets on NY1 this weekend! (Note: You need to log into Time Warner Cable to see the full video.) Many thanks to Kristen Shaughnessy and NY1 for supporting the Markets – and for shopping in them too! And thank you to all the participating designers and market sellers: Wallets: Vernakular Photo Design, Columbus Circle Holiday Market Flasks: CityBitz, Union Square Holiday Market Street Light Necklace: SoleArts, Greenflea

Not only is purple produce beautiful and delicious, it is also provides powerful phytonutrients, including anthocyanin, which is thought to fight diseases ranging from heart disease to some cancers. It was years ago, but I still remember discovering those purple potatoes from the Andes Mountains in a market in Washington, DC. When I cut them open, I was astounded by the sheer purpleness of them. They turned into amazing purple mashed potatoes that actually tasted like potato

But to make it up to you, I’m revealing a wonderful new addition to the markets of New York City: Mini Moon Pies from Big Girl Baking Co. at the Chelsea Triangle French Market. Their mini moon pies are dreamy. Comprised of two moist yet crumbly chocolate cookie cakes with a smooth, whitewhite frosting inside, these moon pies make you close your eyes and go “mmmmmmmmmmmmm,” not only because they are fantastic to taste but also because your tongue has been sweetly glued to the

Chika Michieli of Mercato Handmade Head Scarves is a very talented accessories designer, best known for her groovy hair accessories. Her head scarves are pleated to conform to the shape of your head so they fit comfortably and stay on even on gusty days. Chika has a wonderful eye for patterns and colors and a knack for clever design techniques. She also makes stylish headbands, scarves and appliqued t-shirts, as well as the sweetest baby clothes. Shop for Mercato designs on S

Two weekends ago, I hopped on the N train straight to Coney Island for the Olde Time Strongman Spectacular! My great friend Steve Weiner was performing with an amazing group of authentic strongmen. How could I miss that? First of all, I love Coney Island. My grandfather owned what we believe was the first movie theater there in the 1920’s, right on Surf Avenue and 12th Street, as well as the Boston Hotel. The Boardwalk is fantastically American, and the carnival rides are a b

This entry is a departure from my usual market enthusiasm, but it’s a very important subject to me and probably to many others who experienced the events of September 11, 2001 in one way or another. I know that at least one important market, the Pompeii Artisan and Flea Market on Bleecker Street, began as a direct response to the attacks, as a way to give back to the city.  So maybe it isn’t so much of a departure after all. (Cross Posted to SireneMediaWorks.com I am pleased

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 ho