Brooklyn's Progress
April/May 2008

BY JILL D’AMICO
and ZAINAB ASLAM

From dumplings to homemade pesto, Brooklyn’s culinary landscape is varied, entertaining and surprising.

With new foods and beverages being dreamt up, cooked up and bought up each day by the borough’s more than 100 food and beverage manufacturers and over 1,000 restaurants, Brooklyn is a delicious destination.

The food and beverage manufacturing sector is booming, and new products are preserving the borough’s historic foothold.

David Freedenberg, originator of Famous Fat Dave's Five Borough Eating Tour, admits Brooklyn has a special place in his heart.

“I call it Famous Fat Dave's Five Borough Eating Tour, but I, admittedly, favor one of those boroughs: Brooklyn,” he said. “When I take customers on the tour who come in from out of town, I usually tell them that if they don't have enough time to hit more than one borough, Brooklyn is the best place to start.”

His unfettered love for the borough’s edible offerings stems from the convergence of old and new.

“Brooklyn is great because there is that newer-wave food scene on strips like Smith Street and Fifth Avenue along with those century-old institutions like Ferdinando's and Nathan's,” he said. “They seem to coexist peacefully because there's enough room and enough serious food lovers to keep them all in business.”

Traversing the city in his yellow cab (he is a professional cab driver as well), Mr. Freedenberg takes foodies to his favorite haunts. He has seen a rise in people looking to taste the best Brooklyn has to offer.

“Food tourists are coming to New York in droves these days, and they want to get a taste of the real New York. In Brooklyn, you get the best of the old world and the new.”

He cites Bensonhurst’s L&B Spumoni Gardens, Tom’s Restaurant in Prospect Heights and Ba Xuyen in Sunset Park as personal favorites.

Sweet Tooth
Brooklyn’s sweet tooth is well documented, with U-Bet chocolate syrup (a must-have in any egg cream), and Junior’s Cheesecake reveling in icon status.

The Joyva Corporation, internationally known for their Halvah and sesame treats, is still a family run business, located in Brooklyn and celebrating 100 years.

Cumberland Packaging Corporation – better known as Sweet N’ Low, the no-calorie sweetener, which was the first to individually package spoonfuls of sugar – now supplies sugar globally but maintains its home on Brooklyn’s Cumberland Street.

“We are committed to Brooklyn,” said Steven Eisenstadt, whose grandfather first started the company. “We’ve been here for 60 years and we look forward to being here for another 60 years.”

That same commitment is enabling new endeavors to thrive, as well.

Two of Brooklyn’s newest entrepreneurs, Betsy Devine and Rachel Mark went to Italy and brought home the age-old tradition of ricotta making. The two went into the cheese making business and produce their supremely rich product in the kitchen of Lunetta, a Cobble Hill Italian restaurant. Salvatore BKLYN is garnering raves across the city and beyond.

One of the latest in a long line of food producers in Brooklyn is Lauren Stewart, originator of Pestos with Panache, a line of basil-based sauces that redefine its traditional applications. With Bangin’ Blueberry, Pumpkin Chipotle and Succulent Strawberry flavors, Ms. Stewart has certainly made a name for herself in Brooklyn’s culinary landscape.

“I love the community here,” said the Brooklyn resident.

Brooklyn has been a source of guidance for her three-year old company.

“I’ve met a lot of wonderful mentors in the same entrepreneurial field of food,” she points out. “These are the people who have helped fuel me forward.”

The idea for her pesto came from a memorable rhubarb pie with basil ice cream that she had out one night.

“I thought if basil tasted that good with ice cream, what else would?” she said. “And it just exploded. I developed the other flavors and now we’re in Whole Foods and the Garden of Eden.”

Branching Out
Brooklyn is a popular choice for when Manhattan chefs look to branch out or start their own venture. Just ask Andrew Feinberg, chef and co-owner of Franny’s, a popular restaurant in Prospect Heights. He honed his local food philosophy while working as a chef at Savoy, in Manhattan. When he sought to open his own venture with his wife, a sustainable food activist, Brooklyn was the place to do it.

Manufacturers also find the space and support they need in Brooklyn. Noodle and wonton wrapper manufacturers TMI Food Group, Inc. outgrew their Chinatown storefront and currently occupy two factories in East Williamsburg.

Washing it All Down
With a long history of brewing on its side – present day Bushwick and Williamsburg were home to a twelve-block stretch named Brewer’s Row, home to 58 breweries in the 1800s – Brooklyn became the natural location for innovators who revolutionized the business. The Piels brothers introduced the first dark colored bottles, and Dr. Joseph Owades developed the first light beer. Naturally, when the nation’s first full-electric brewery was built, it was in Brooklyn.

Today, there are far fewer breweries, but those that are here have elevated brewing to an art form. Brooklyn Brewery offers a wide variety of distinct flavors ranging from its signature Brooklyn Lager to seasonal flavors such as Post Road Pumpkin Ale.

Sixpoints Craft Ales, according to founder Shane Welch, has benefited from being in a “community of emerging artists and people who appreciate businesses that create something from scratch.”

But it’s not only potent potables that are created right here in Brooklyn.

Karenga Arifu has been manufacturing Jakada Juice after tiring of having no choice but to give his children highly processed, sugary fruit juices and experimenting in his own kitchen. His line of naturally flavored and sweetened drinks is available at local coffeehouses and cafes.

“I came up with my own nutritious alternative, making delicious flavored lemonades and fruit smoothies with natural ingredients. I like to call fruit nature’s dessert," Mr. Arifu told Brooklyn’s Progress last year.

All these innovators, along with Brooklyn Borough Hall’s annual Dine-In Brooklyn week called a resounding success, all points lead to a bright future for the industry.

“I don't want to disparage the rest of the city; I love every inch of it,” said Mr. Freedenberg, “but the majority of my outer borough fares as a cabbie are to Brooklyn so I get the most tips on Brooklyn food. Maybe it has made me biased. Just like the Brooklyn Bridge is the most beautiful man-made structure in the world, I think the borough of Brooklyn has the biggest concentration of great food in the world.”