Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/986636
T he New York City food scene is constantly evolving. But while some years are marked by brand-new ideas and the emergence of game- changing retailers that disrupt the marketplace, this past year was one where food makers and sellers refined established trends and store ideas and took them to the next level. That means food halls with a more fine-tuned concept, and traditional supermarkets upgraded to feature the products cus- tomers want to see on the selling floor now. The last 12 months saw more hybrid stores, like a Soho boutique that's a mashup of a clothing outlet, high-end bookstore, and tea parlor. Local spirits makers were joined by a first-of-its-kind distillery, and a new bakery is taking traditional savory items and sweets and presenting them to an entire new generation. These six retailers and makers exemplify this trend and are worth watching. Brooklyn Kura: Experiencing American Sake at the Source New York has its first sake brewery, one of only 15 in the entire U.S. In the cavern- ous, 2,500-square-foot distillery in Industry City that the company has occupied since 2017, founders Brian Polen and Brandon Doughan are hand-crafting this fermented rice beverage with the same care of centuries- old Japanese brewers. ("Kura" translates into "storehouse" for grain or rice.) To make their sake, they use just four ingredients: rice, yeast, water, and koji, a fungus that kickstarts the fermentation process. One of the three team members (Brooklyn Kura also has a part-time sake sommelier) stays overnight to tend to the fermenting rice, helping to produce sake that can be f loral and fruity or more acidic. store tour "Just like beer and wine, each sake variety is different, and we're excited to be educating NYC on how versatile this beverage can be." Summer Fancy Food Show Booth 2466 50 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com