Highlights From The New York Times Food Festival
The New York Times Food Festival came to Washington, D.C., this weekend. I was able to attend the first New York Times Food Festival, which was held in a lovely new pavilion in Capitol Park. From my seat in the press box, I was able to hear some of the food writers who were attending, and we talked about the festival. Here’s what I learned:
— There is a lot of talk about foodies, of course. The New York Times has been calling people that for many years. Food is a big part of who we are, and it is important because it is the source of our food choices. And because food has become so popular, it has become a conversation topic.
— The idea is to bring a range of local food experiences to the festival. This is a huge, beautiful facility, but they are not only trying to showcase the food on offer but to showcase them as a part of the Capitol Hill neighborhood. There is a lot of food on offer, including everything from pizza to sushi.
— There are three categories to the festival and they are: food trucks, food trucks with chefs, and the stand-alone pavilions. The food trucks have their own area called the Grand Central, with an excellent food truck lineup, with food that is new and fresh.
— If you like to cook, there is a cooking program with chefs. They will be cooking classes starting at 2 p.m. and all day long.
— The food trucks with chefs will have their own area called the Garden. And there will be a chef pavilion where chefs will be cooking and giving demonstrations.
— The chefs are making the food in their kitchen, but all the food is served outside. The chefs are giving an inside view into their kitchen.
— A chef will be doing demonstrations, for example, cooking a chicken, and we’ll hear the chef talk about his process during that moment.
— There are people who will be cooking at the festival, as well. A person will walk around with a giant chef’s knife and show you how to cut your own meat. There will also be pop-