One-Stop-Shopping for Made-In-NYCFoodstuffs

December 14, 2018 8:36 AM

I thought that the famed Smorgasburg would have what I was looking for. I was wrong. So instead - where can I find a food market for Brooklyn- or New-York-City made packaged foodstuffs?

I have a bunch of family members who always like "something we can eat or drink, something consumable" for Christmas Gifts, so i wanted to make up little gift baskets of locally-made stuff (there's a ton of local food makers in New York City, both hipster and long-established). However, what I would LIKE to do is go to maybe one or two places that feature a whole lot of different things and browse the aisles, all "Okay, a couple jars of Ricks' Picks, or Brooklyn Brine....a couple bottles of Greenpoint Trading co. spices....a couple boxes from Baked....and a couple packs of Brooklyn Roasting Co., okay done," rather than running all over town. Is there such a one-stop shopping place? Or maybe two?

I know about Brooklyn Larder, but it's hard to tell how much packaged stuff they have or if it's mostly their own cheese or whatever. I'd also like to have a variety of things.

(I also thought of Smorgasburg first, but that was where I discovered my problem - Smorgasburg only sells stuff that you eat right away, like street cart food, so it's not really a gift-giving kind of market.)

posted by EmpressCallipygos to Food & Drink (15 answers total)

I recommend the Greene Grape in Fort Greene. They try to stock local stuff only, I believe. They definitely have a lot of fresh things like cheese, but also plenty of locally-made, packaged stuff. I think they even offer gift-basket services. And they have a wine/spirits store a couple doors down with a local/NY State focus. Super close to the C at Lafayette and the G at Fulton St.

I think you could probably even do this shopping at one of the Union Markets--they certainly have non-local stuff but they stock a lot of Brooklyn-made. They tend to be bigger than Greene Grape so they may have more selection, but it will be less focused.

You might also try Fairway!

Fun! I want this gift, and I live here.
posted by CiaoMela at 8:43 AM on December 14, 2018

The Taste NY store in Grand Central is all New York State products, and many are from the city.
posted by enn at 8:46 AM on December 14, 2018 [1 favorite]

how about Zabar's ?
posted by elgee at 9:04 AM on December 14, 2018

Response by poster: Apologies, I am seeing I should have mentioned - I live in Fort Greene and did scout out Greene Grape provisions for this. The scope of the selection wasn't as big as I'd hoped, and included a lot of non-local things.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:28 AM on December 14, 2018

I've had luck doing this by heading to Union Square for the Holiday Market. It does get crowded, but you can check out the vendors in advance and map out a plan of attack. Try to time your visit for a Greenmarket day and it's a one-stop shop for preserves and jams, chocolates and sweets, baked goods, soaps and lotions and candles, coffee, etc. Even locally-distilled spirits, if that's a thing of interest! (The Whole Foods across the street also has a decent selection of hot sauces and some other local stuff if you don't find what you need.)

If you want to round out your basket with a cute local-inspired mug or plate or glass or coaster or apron, or if you want to put your gift in a cute reusable themed tote bag, Fishs Eddy is right up the street on 19th. I have successfully assembled more than one well-fought-over White Elephant / Yankee Swap gift basket using this technique.
posted by halation at 9:59 AM on December 14, 2018 [1 favorite]

Brooklyn Larder is a good choice for this although their selection isnt exclusively locally focused and it will cost you an arm and a leg.

Stinky Brooklyn might be a good bet for this.

If you go to the Union Square holiday market you could stop at breads for some babka, something we like bringing with us when we visit folks.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 10:17 AM on December 14, 2018

Ok, so it's a not an actual location, but at Mouth.com you can select by state and they have a lot of stuff that I've seen at the various markets around town. I just used this to send a snack basket for Christmas. Maybe worth a look.
posted by greta simone at 10:26 AM on December 14, 2018

Also some stuff here at With Love From Brooklyn
posted by greta simone at 10:33 AM on December 14, 2018

Response by poster: Last comment: I'm hoping to go to a brick-and-mortar location, so that has preference; but I've bookmarked the mail-order sites just in case.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:02 AM on December 14, 2018

It's also relatively easy to combine a Union Square holiday market jaunt (you do have to be careful, as there's no requirement that goods sold there be local that I know of) with a trip down to Murray's. Murray's doesn't specialize in local goods, but it carries a lot of the types of items that are very often made locally, if that makes sense. Also the regular Union Square greenmarket (which runs alongside the holiday market on Saturdays for sure) has Tremblay Apiaries--local honey and beeswax candles!
posted by praemunire at 11:11 AM on December 14, 2018

Seconding Murray's. Also, Stinky Bklyn on Smith St. is pretty good for this kind of thing.
posted by neroli at 11:30 AM on December 14, 2018

If you still want to try Williamsburg, Campbell Cheese and Grocery, the Bedford Cheese Shop and possibly Mekleburg’s Domino might be good options. Unfortunately a lot of places in Williamsburg have either shut down or traded shelving for seating so they’re trying to bring in more people as eateries than with dry goods. I was also just at Foster Sundry in Bushwick and they had the exact same vibe as the old Brooklyn Kitchen/Meat Hook on Meeker which I sorely miss. I was only in there briefly and it’s not nearly as big so I can’t say for certain whether it’s definitely worth a trip but if you’re over there it’s worth a gander.
posted by rdnnyc at 1:19 PM on December 14, 2018

Best answer: The Bryant Park holiday market also has a made-in-NYC food kiosk.
posted by snaw at 2:14 PM on December 14, 2018

Stinky Brooklyn (on Smith St) has a ton of tasty packaged stuff.
posted by cushie at 10:02 PM on December 14, 2018

If you're okay with a small amount of walking around once you get there, Industry City might do you well. It's a series of buildings all in a row, very pedestrian friendly. There's a chocolate factory that does nice gift boxes, a french-style bakery which does fancy packaged iced cookies for holidays, a place that makes pickles and sauces, a sake brewery, a butcher that makes its own cured sausages, etc. Plus there's a store in the food hall building which sells packaged goods from the various businesses in the complex which don't have their own storefronts, including consumables like honey tasting flights and candles and fragrances. It's also just an interesting place to explore!
posted by Narrative Priorities at 12:16 AM on December 15, 2018 [1 favorite]