ESSENTIAL EVENT // City Harvest hosts The Brooklyn Local

Courtesy: Vinegar Hill HouseFoodie heads are bound to explode on September 17th when the Brooklyn Flea and Smorgasburg converge on DUMBO’s Tobacco Warehouse with Four and Twenty Blackbirds, Vinegar Hill House, Al di La, Roberta’s and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, to name just a few. A total of 75 vendors and 15 restaurants (hosted by Franks Falcinelli and Casonovo of Frankie’s Spuntino) will come out for a good cause: to support City Harvest--and Brooklynites get to reap the delicious rewards.

City Harvest calls itself "the first food rescue organization." It collects food from restaurants, wholesalers and retailers to distribute to food shelters and pantries. It also has nutrition training and does grassroots advocacy work to stop hunger from happening.

The Brooklyn Local is the first event of its kind, chaired by such food luminaries as Dana Cowin of Food & Wine, Ted Allen from Chopped and Sue Chan of Momofoku. It goes from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on 9/17, with tickets costing $5 to the vendor area, $60 for the Tasting Tent if purchased in advance, and $75 at the door. We’re thinking of it as our own personal eating challenge. For a good cause, of course.

-- Layla Schlack