Brooklyn Bounty Photobooth - Click for Slideshow!

Brooklyn Historical Society would like to extend a special thanks to the 350 guests who attended Brooklyn Bounty 2011 (a record-breaking number!). With your help, we were able to achieve two goals: first, to raise funds for our innovative education programs, and second, to create a meaningful event deeply rooted in Brooklyn’s rich agricultural history and the current sustainability movement. We are happy to announce that we achieved our financial goal, and, more importantly, forged new relationships with our collaborators, Brooklyn Food Recognition Award recipients, and presenters that we hope to cultivate for years to come.

The Othmer Library on the second floor hosted BHS’s first Brooklyn Food Recognition Awards and historic cocktails by Brooklyn mixologist David Wondrich. Awards were presented to:

• Bob Lewis, Co-Founder of NYC Greenmarkets, presented by Daniel Bowman Simon of SNAP Gardens
• Dr. Annie Hauck-Lawson, President of The Association for the Study of Food and Society & co-editor of Gastropolis: Food and New York City, and Robert N. Hauck, former member of the crew of The Glory fishing boat, Sheepshead Bay (1965-74), presented by Alec Baxt, Founding Farmer of Farming Up
• Anas Moustapha, owners of Oriental Pastry & Grocery, presented by Ben Baxt, Architect
• Joe Holtz, Co-Founder of Park Slope Food Cooperative, presented by Nancy Romer, Founder of Brooklyn Food Coalition
• Reverends Robert & DeVanie Jackson, Founders of the Brooklyn Rescue Mission and Bed-Stuy Farm, presented by Aley Kent, Food Systems Organization and Program Development Consultant
• Shineka Williams, young farmer with bk farmyards, presented by Beth Bainbridge, nutritionist of bk farmyards

The Main Floor of BHS offered Brooklyn Bounty guests tastings of delicious food and drink by 21 Brooklyn-based chefs and vendors, including:

• Brewklyn Grind
• Brooklyn Brewery
• Brooklyn Food Experiments
• Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory
• Brooklyn Nuts
• Brooklyn Winery
• City ‘Lasses
• Egg
• iCi
• Kombucha Brooklyn
• Kumquat Cupcakery
• La Table Exquise
• Madiba
• Mazie’s International Soul
• McClure’s Pickles
• Naturally Delicious
• Noodle Pudding
• Purple Yam
• Red Hook Winery
• Saxelby Cheese Mongers
• Tommaso’s Restaurant

Thanks to all the chefs and vendors above who created delicious food showcasing Brooklyn’s bounty!

The Main Floor also showcased lovely 1920′s jazz by The Blue Vipers and Brooklyn, historic cocktail making demonstrations by Sarah Lohman, a fun farm-themed photobooth by Keiko Niwa, composting by Vokashi, and a creative silent auction of unique Brooklyn prizes and experiences.

Please stay tuned for more photos and descriptions of the stories told by the recipients of the Brooklyn Food Recognition Awards!

Brooklyn Historical Society would like to extend a special thanks to New Amsterdam Market, specifically Robert LaValva, Lisa Fischoff, and Orion Blake for supporting Brooklyn Bounty this year! The Market is generously donating their tables for our event, and we excited to be able to utilize real farmer’s market tables for our farmer-focused evening!

On a balmy Sunday, we traveled down to the Seaport in Lower Manhattan to check out the historic market place on our neighbor’s shore.

South Street Seaport

If you haven’t made it over to the New Amsterdam Market yet, you are definitely missing it. After all, it combines two of our favorite things: history and food!

Delectable Raspberries at New Amsterdam Market

The New Amsterdam Market is a non-profit organization seeking to revitalize the historic Fulton Fish Market, which is located within the 19th-century “South Street Seaport” historic district of Lower Manhattan. The location is home to New York City’s first port and oldest commercial district, and contains “the only two remaining river-edge market sheds, built in a local tradition that originated in Lower Manhattan in 1675.”(1)

Earlier this month, New Amsterdam Market announced some exciting news: that the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) has selected New Amsterdam Market as a recipient for a $250,000 grant to develop programming and infrastructure to make New Amsterdam Market the anchor of a revitalized East River Market District! Congratulations, guys!

While we were at the market, we had a chance to run into two of the featured vendors for Brooklyn Bounty:

Kings County Jerky Co.

Kings County Jerky Co…

Kings County Jerky Co.

and Kombucha BK!

Kombucha BK

We look forward to welcoming them at Brooklyn Bounty on Wednesday evening! Stay tuned this weekend for a detailed post on Kombucha BK and Chef Sebastien from La Table Exquise!

Oh, and buy your tickets for Brooklyn Bounty!

New Amsterdam Market is held from 11am to 4pm on Sundays, at the old Fulton Fish Market in Lower Manhattan which is located on South Street between Beekman Street and Peck Slip. Please visit http://www.newamsterdammarket.com for more information.

On Friday, BHS took a trip out to Hands and Heart Garden on New Lots Avenue in East New York to learn all about composting! For the first time, BHS will be working directly with Vandra Thorburn, founder and president of Vokashi Composting, to make our Brooklyn Bounty cocktail party fully compostable. We are so excited to be able to give back to Brooklyn community gardens by donating the food waste and compostable banana leaf plates from our event.

Hands and Heart Garden

Vandra, a former legal secretary and actress, developed her interest in composting about four years ago while working at Green Acres Community Garden in Fort Greene. She attended community group meetings and discovered that there was a real need for a composting system that was more integrated into the daily lives of New Yorkers. “There was and still is a crisis in the composting world,” said Vandra, at the Hands and Heart Garden on Friday. Hands and Heart Garden, the current hub of Vokashi composting, has been “a haven in a heartless world” for Vandra while starting up her new business.

Sunflowers growing at Hands & Heart Garden

The name of Vokashi derives from the Japanese word for fermented food waste, “bokashi.” Vokashi is a pick-up service for your fermented food waste including fruits and veggies, meat, dairy, eggs, coffee grinds, flowers, and compostable paper. Vokashi provides the buckets and bran (see below) and picks up your bucket once a month!

Vandra Thorburn of Vokashi Opening a Bucket of Fermented Food Waste

What separates the Vokashi method of composting from other home composting systems is its use of EM•1^®technology (Effective Microorganisms), developed by Japanese horticulturist Dr. Teruo Higa. EM is a “good bacteria” that works to break down solid waste and balance out the “bad bacteria” in organic matter. For Vokashi, EM is mixed with molasses, water, and bran and provided for the home composter to begin the process of fermenting their food waste. The EM-bran mixture works to ferment the food waste, causing it to break down or “cook” at a faster rate. The fermentation process actually makes the waste unattractive to pests and rodents, making it a practical solution for urban living!

An Example of Vokashi Fermented Food Waste Prior to Composting (note the bran mixture on top)

After a couple of weeks, the food waste is mixed with wood chips and other garden waste and continues to decompose. During the final stage (pictured below) the pile of fermented food waste and garden waste is sifted, leaving behind a fine, dark brown compost ready to be added to the garden.

Winston Prep Students Learning How to Compost

The Finished Product -- Vokashi Compost

What Vandra is bringing to EM technology is a more aggressive application of the solution in ordinary kitchens so that environmentally conscious New Yorkers can get more involved in the process of composting. She hopes to bridge the gap between consumers and gardeners so that we all can work together to create a more sustainable food system. BHS is impressed with Vandra’s innovation and dedication to the sustainable food movement in Brooklyn, and we very much look forward to welcoming her for Brooklyn Bounty on September 21st. Buy your tickets for the event so you can witness the Vokashi method and talk to Vandra in person!

Please visit http://www.vokashi.com for more information.

Brooklyn Historical Society is happy to announce that Chef Brian Pierce of Brooklyn Winery in Williamsburg will be a featured chef at this year’s Brooklyn Bounty, which will take place on Wednesday, September 21st, 6:30-9:30pm. (Buy Tickets Here!)

Chef Brian Pierce of Brooklyn Winery

Brooklyn Winery was opened by co-founders Brian Leventhal and John Stires who, after 3 years of trekking to New Jersey to make wine, decided to open a winery of their own in Brooklyn. They recruited California winemaker Conor McCormack to head up production of Brooklyn Winery’s house wine brand, as well as their customer winemaking program. The venue is a wine bar, restaurant, event space, and winery combined, and promotes wine education through customer winemaking, weekly $25 Wine Classes, and tasting events. In addition to California grapes, Brooklyn Winery sources New York State grapes from Nutt Road Vineyard in the Finger Lakes and Sherwood House Vineyard in Long Island. Now all we need is an adventurous Brooklynite to start a vineyard in our borough!

Brooklyn Winery, Williamsburg

In December 2010 Brooklyn Winery brought on up-and-coming chef Brian Pierce to create a full menu which Pierce describes as “fresh, New American bar fare conducive to wine drinking.” Every dish was created in consideration of the intricate notes of Brooklyn Winery wines and is adapted by season.

Brooklyn Winery, Williamsburg

Pierce, like many chefs, worked his way up the ranks and has no formal culinary training. The Denver native began his cooking career as a line cook while pursuing a B.A. in philosophy and political science. Just over a year ago, Pierce moved to Brooklyn to try his hand at the NYC food scene. He held positions at Benchmark in Park Slope and Radish in Williamsburg before being brought on as the executive chef for Brooklyn Winery.

Harvesting Room at Brooklyn Winery

From line cook to NYC executive chef in less than a year? We’re impressed, and can’t wait to see what wine-inspired dish Chef Pierce will create at Brooklyn Bounty.

How does Riesling-poached salmon sound to you? Get your tickets now!

Chef Nate Courtland, iCi

Brooklyn Bounty is proud to announce that Chef Nate Courtland of iCi in Fort Greene will be participating in this year’s event.  iCi opened in 2004 as one of the pioneers of farm-to-table dining in Brooklyn, and the Brooklyn Historical Society looks forward to honoring their history of support for local farmers on September 21st.

iCi, Fort Greene

iCi prides themselves on their network of local farmers, and updates their menu weekly based on what is offered at the nearby Fort Greene Farmers Market and what has recently been harvested by their partner farm, Added Value of Red Hook.  The restaurant’s unwavering mission to work with seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients is what originally drew Courtland to his current position, as well as the “close-to-home” feel of iCi, a neighborhood favorite.

Inside iCi (we love the historic details!)

Courtland, who hails from the Mexican border of Arizona, developed his passion for cooking at a young age. He recalls family vacations to the beach, which always involved cooking family meals with local produce. “I love the way that cooking brings people together,” said Courtland, as we chatted in iCi’s outdoor patio yesterday.

Courtland started his culinary career at Union Square Café, where he first got a sense of seasonality and creating dishes inspired by market fare. He describes his cuisine as “simple and clean,” so as to allow the ingredients to speak for themselves. “He has a real talent for letting the produce shine in each dish. You can really taste and appreciate the flavor of the vegetables in their purest form,” says Lauren Berg, General Manager of iCi.

iCi Herbs

In addition to sourcing their produce and meats from local farmers, iCi strives to give back to their community by participating in fundraisers for local farms, food organizations, and non-profits like BHS! Get a sample of Chef Nate’s cooking on September 10th at Pig Island, and don’t forget to buy your tickets for Brooklyn Bounty to see what delicious, local fare he will create for us on September 21st!

For more information about iCi, please visit http://www.icirestaurant.com.

With the hurricane imminently approaching Brooklyn, we thought we would write about something all of us should have in our weekend survival pack: Brooklyn Gin!

Brooklyn Bounty is pleased to announce that Brooklyn Gin will be served at the event and used to create historic Brooklyn cocktails!  We are thrilled to have two historic cocktail mixologists, David Wondrich and Sarah Lohman, who will be recreating prohibition era spirits using Brooklyn Gin in BHS’s Othmer Library.

The creation of Brooklyn Gin is a labor of love by Brooklynites Joe Santos and Emil Jattne, who find inspiration in the persistent entrepreneurship and energy of our borough. Each batch of gin is hand crafted using local fruits, corn from local farms, and the finest botanicals available.

Citruses Ready for Peeling

The juniper berries are crushed by hand by the distillers themselves.

Brooklyn Gin Founder & Distiller Joe Santos Hand-Crushing Juniper Berries

The gin is crafted in a small Christian Carl, 5 plate, copper pot still.

Copper Pot Still at Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery in Warwick, NY, where Brooklyn Gin is created.

We don’t know about you guys, but we think this looks more like a time machine! Let’s fast forward to September 21st so we can drink memorable cocktails while listening to stories told by some of the most interesting Brooklynites in the food world.

Check back next week for blog posts announcing some exciting new chefs for Brooklyn Bounty! But in the meantime, stay dry Brooklyn (and not in the prohibition sense of the word).

This weekend the Brooklyn Bounty crew headed out the Bushwick Farmers Market at Maria Hernandez Park for some cold brew Brewklyn Grind coffee–the official coffee roasters of Brooklyn Bounty 2011! On Saturday we had the opportunity to chat with two of the Brewklyn Brothers, Craig and James.

Brewklyn Grind was founded by three Bay Ridge born-and-raised brothers Craig, Alain, and James.  The three started home-roasting in 2005 and fell in love with the process of working directly with coffee growers (specificallyYamagishi Coffee Farm in Kona, Hawaii) and providing much-needed java to their Brooklyn neighbors. In 2009, they took their hobby to the next level by launching Brewklyn Grind to begin supplying their beans and tea to Brooklyn businesses.

Brewklyn Grind Brothers Craig & James at the Bushwick Farmers Market

These artisanal roasters have it down to a science, and pride themselves on their small, environmentally conscious batches. With their market currently based solely in Brooklyn, the BG brothers are able to focus on the details and monitor the roasting process more closely.

“This is what sets us apart from other roasters,” claims Craig, an engineering grad who brings a scientific approach to the roasting process.

Alain, with his background in economics, focuses his energy on business development by supplying Brewklyn beans to local coffee shops and businesses and sourcing fair trade certified coffee farms.

James, taste-tester extraordinaire, appreciates the subtle complexities of each batch, and is fascinated by how geology affects the flavor of each bean.

Together, the brothers of Brewklyn Grind have the combined strength to achieve their goal of making high quality coffee and tea that is as complex as the borough they serve and represent.

Head out to the Bushwick Farmers Market this weekend to meet the bros, and help us welcome Brewklyn Grind at Brooklyn Bounty on September 21st! Buy your tickets now!

For more information about Brewklyn Grind, please visit http://www.brewklyngrind.com.

It is high time that we, the collective voice of Brooklyn Bounty, whet your appetite for our upcoming event! On Wednesday, September 21st, from 6:30 to 9:30pm, chefs, farmers, brewers, roasters, storytellers (and more!) will travel from Brooklyn neighborhoods far and wide to BHS to provide you with amazing food and introduce you to the unique food culture of our borough. This event truly cannot be missed, especially if you love……..

FRESH MOZZARELLA.

How fresh, you might ask? How about 30 seconds old?

Brooklyn Bounty is thrilled to be hosting Chef Michael Ayoub of Fornino Pizza fame for a live mozzarella making demonstration! On Wednesday, Chef Ayoub met with us at his restaurant to give us a sneak peek:

Fornino Pizza, Williamsburg

The Chef started with pasteurized milk (curds & whey):

Curds & Whey

And added hot water to coagulate the curds:

Next, he kneaded and pulled the curds like bread dough to fully combine the curds into a solid mass:

Chef Ayoub with a loaf of mozzarella

And then came the fun part… Pulling off the mozzarella balls!

Chef Ayoub making mozzarella balls

While Chef Ayoub was pulling and twisting, we had the chance to ask him for some details about his food history. The Bay Ridge native opened his first restaurant at the age of 20, before he could legally purchase a liquor license.

“Thirty years later and I still love what I do. That’s the most important thing,” says Ayoub.

That, and making extremely delicious mozzarella. Join us at Brooklyn Bounty on September 21st for a taste of the freshest mozzarella in the borough.

The Brooklyn Historical Society is proud to announce the date of our fall benefit gala, Brooklyn Bounty, which will take place on Wednesday, September 21, 6:30-9:30pm at BHS (128 Pierrepont Street, Brooklyn, NY).  This year we are affectionately calling the event “Brooklyn Bounty–Reimagined” as we are departing from the traditional cocktail party concept in the hope for something more meaningful and deeply rooted in Brooklyn’s rich agrarian heritage.

This year, the event will include:

• Tastings of food and drink from Brooklyn growers, chefs, and purveyors who have been given the challenge of utilizing a Brooklyn-grown or produced ingredient
• Historical cocktails by Brooklyn mixologists in our beautful Othmer Library
• Food stories told by Brooklynites from neighborhoods far and wide
• A viewing of historical and new maps and materials related to local food and agriculture
• A creative silent auction of unique Brooklyn prizes and experiences
• Music by The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn
• And… the FIRST Brooklyn Food Awards, which will pay tribute to those Brooklynites who have made great strides in our borough’s sustainability movement.

All of the funds raised at Brooklyn Bounty will be used to support our nationally-recognized education programs. With these funds, thousands of New York City students are able to engage with the real-life stories of Brooklyn and learn how immigration, industry, politics, and cultures shaped our borough and our country. BHS’s education programming and commitment to more than 45,000 teachers and students helps students become inquisitive, analytical and empowered young citizens.

Please consider showing your dedication to this important work by making a donation or purchasing tickets to Brooklyn Bounty, and spreading the word about this fantastic event.  We are hoping to make this year’s Brooklyn Bounty bigger and better than ever in an effort to inspire interest in Brooklyn history and culture among new groups of people and to help ensure the preservation of Brooklyn history for generations to come.

See you September 21st!