Taste of Red Hook 2015

RED HOOK INITIATIVE’S 9TH ANNUAL TASTE OF RED HOOK EXPANDS TO LARGER VENUE WITH VIEWS OF BROOKLYN WATERFRONT

Red Hook Initiative’s ninth annual fundraising event, Taste of Red Hook, will take place on Tuesday, September 29, 2015, from 6-9pm at Liberty Warehouse (260 Conover St, Brooklyn, NY 11231), overlooking the Brooklyn waterfront. Over 50 restaurants, distilleries and wineries based in Red Hook and immediate neighborhoods will offer a broad selection of their signature dishes and drinks. Last year, guests sampled Van Brunt Stillhouse’s Moonlit Mule moonshine whiskey cocktail, Red Hook Lobster Pound’s lobster bisque, and Hometown’s barbecue spare ribs. This year’s featured dishes and drinks are sure to delight a hungry crowd.

Taste of Red Hook is the annual fundraiser for the Red Hook Initiative (RHI), a community-based nonprofit that confronts poverty in Red Hook, Brooklyn, through a model focused on youth development, community building, and local hiring.

This year’s expansion of Taste of Red Hook to Liberty Warehouse will accommodate the growing popularity of the event, enabling more restaurants, foodies, and RHI supporters to celebrate food and drink, local businesses, and the Red Hook neighborhood.

The event’s growth mirrors that of RHI, which recently expanded its community center and now serves over 2000 community members each year. RHI’s youth empowerment pipeline serves more than 350 participants each year with academic support, professional development, and leadership opportunities that inspire youth to envision and determine their own futures. 90% of RHI’s growing staff are from Red Hook, and over $1M annually is paid in salaries to Red Hook residents each year.

“Taste of Red Hook is a unique event in our neighborhood,” says Jill Eisenhard, RHI’s founding Executive Director. “It is one of the few occasions where small business owners, home owners, public housing residents, elected officials, and local supporters are all gathered under one roof. Not only is it a fun event, the proceeds also contribute to true systemic change and pathways out of poverty for Red Hook youth.”

In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy devastated Red Hook, leaving residents without electricity or heat for nearly a month. In the immediate wake of the storm, RHI operated as the neighborhood recovery hub, distributing food and supplies, delivering meals to homebound residents, and organizing volunteers to clear water and debris from local businesses.

One such business is Red Hook Winery, located on the waterfront since 2008. Over the last few months, Red Hook Winery crafted three wines specifically for RHI, which will make their debut at Taste of Red Hook. RHI’s Digital Stewards, young adults who are trained in technology and media, designed the labels, researching the history of the neighborhood and consulting with industry experts in the process. Red Hook Winery will generously donate all proceeds from these wines to RHI. When asked why he continues to partner with RHI, Mark Snyder, owner of Red Hook Winery, says, “We wouldn’t be here without Red Hook Initiative, especially after the storm.”

Many local businesses have hired young community members referred by RHI. Kevin’s, a Red Hook favorite that features seafood and other local fare, has actively partnered with RHI’s employment program. The restaurant has employed youth from the community over the last three years. “We are proud to participate in Taste of Red Hook yet again this year,” says Kevin Moore, owner of Kevin’s. “Taste is an opportunity for the neighborhood to unite not only around food and drink, but also around Red Hook Initiative’s mission of youth empowerment.”

This year’s event includes an inaugural Culinary Committee, featuring Carla Hall, co-host of The Chew and owner of Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen; Evyn Block, an established food industry and media veteran; and Sohui Kim, co-owner of nationally acclaimed Red Hook establishment The Good Fork. Taste of Red Hook is sponsored by a diverse range of supporters both large and small, including Liberty Warehouse, The O’Connell Organization, Koya Leadership Partners, TerraCRG, Two Trees, aptsandlofts.com, Forest City Ratner Companies, Kamco Supply Corp, Lindsay Barrett of Compass, New York Water Taxi, Industry City, Seamless, Signature Bank, Eileen Fisher, International School of Brooklyn, and MVS Studios.

The following establishments are some of those that will participate in the 2015 Taste of Red Hook: Alma, Baked, Blue Marble, Brooklyn Crab, Brooklyn Dark, Brooklyn Farmacy, Brooklyn Ice House, Bruce Cost Ginger Ale, Buttermilk Channel, Cantine Catering, Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen, Court Street Grocers, Culture - An American Yogurt Company, Defonte’s, Dry Dock Wine + Spirits, Fleisher’s Pasture-Raised Meats, Fort Defiance, Grindhaus, Hometown, Hunter’s, IKEA, Jack From Brooklyn, Joe Coffee, Kao Soy, Kevin’s, Kings Coffee, Kombrewcha, La Slowteria, Margaret Palca Bakes, Mazzat, Nightingale 9, Pie Corps, Pizza Moto, Raaka Chocolate, Red Hook Bait & Tackle, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Red Hook Winery, Salty Road, Saxelby Cheese, Shelsky’s Smoked Fish, Sixpoint Craft Ale, Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pie, The Chocolate Room, The Good Fork, The Hop Shop, Treats Truck, True Wine Connoisseurs, Uncouth Vermouth, Van Brunt Stillhouse, Whipped Pastry Boutique, White Moustache, and Widow Jane.

All proceeds from the event will go toward supporting RHI’s youth empowerment programs. Tickets can be purchased on RHI’s website: http://www.rhicenter.org

For more information: Samhita Reddy, samhita@rhicenter.org, 718.858.6782.