Foodstand, a community designed to keep people “in the know” about the good food movement, now gives you the best food events online, on app and in your inbox—curated by their community.
In a city like New York, there is never a shortage of food events or openings. In the last decade alone, new restaurant, bar and cafe openings in New York City have risen more than 27 percent.
“A decade or so ago, I would lay out Time Out NY, The Village Voice, New York Magazine and the New Yorker, and I would get overwhelmed with all the events, tastings, and restaurant/theater/gallery openings. Heck, you could even find out where all the free wine and cheese events were taking place each week throughout the city,” Robert Haynes-Peterson, drinks writer for Askmen.com told me in conversation. “Now those publications don’t comprehensively cover any of those topics, and the information is too fragmented or even outdated across the web. Even as someone covering food and drink, I have no reliable, comprehensive resource for finding out what’s going on this week across the city.”
“A decade or so ago, I would lay out Time Out NY, The Village Voice, New York Magazine and the New Yorker, and I would get overwhelmed with all the events, tastings, and restaurant/theater/gallery openings…Now those publications don’t comprehensively cover any of those topics, and the information is too fragmented or even outdated across the web.” ~ Robert Haynes-Peterson
“Independent artisans and foodmakers, particularly ones that are just starting out, also have challenges when reaching food-interested communities. In speaking with the community, many voiced their concerns that they have to rely on their own social streams, which they are still building,” says Summer Rayne Oakes, Director of Community and Marketing at Foodstand. There hasn’t been one place to share your event or see what else is happening, so we’re glad to be offering that to everyone.”
Foodstand, which produces some of their own events—from the Good Food Spotlight for entrepreneurs to their upcoming Food Book & Film Club, saw the value that people were getting during their in-person events. Randy Rodriguez of @cabalitonyc connected with Jimmy Carbone @jimmycarbone of Jimmy’s No. 43 at one of Foodstand and Slow Money’s Good Food Spotlight events and pretty shortly afterwards was doing a pop-up for his pupusas in Jimmy’s space. Six months later, Randy opened one of the first El Salvadorian restaurants in New York.
This was reinforced after hearing from Foodstand subscribers that the Top 10 Best Food Events that are curated by Foodstand and delivered to their inbox every week, were invaluable. “I often work 6 days a week and don’t get home until late at night. It’s challenging to keep up with everything that’s happening,” Chef Flo @servemenow, shared.
Butter Believe It! Now local farmers and foodmakers can include their events on Foodstand’s app and community calendar. Photo of Orwashers Bread.
“Now the community can add any food-related events that they deem interesting and relevant to the community. “Those events are searchable by event and date both on our app and on our website,” says Rachna Govani, co-founder and CEO of Foodstand. “When people ask whether they can get their event featured, we just say, ‘Sure—you can just do it yourself!’ It’s all part of our community-powered ethos.”
“It’s unbelievable the diversity of food-related events happening—and not just in New York,” says Oakes. “Of course, it’s impossible to go to all of them, but in a way, it reveals just how much the community around better eating has grown and is growing. It immediately allows us to feel that we’re part of something much larger than us all.”
Anyone in the Foodstand community can post their own events with location, event date and time, and RSVP link via the Foodstand app, which is available as a free download for iPhone. (Android releases in late April 2016). Events automatically are updated on Foodstand’s community calendar online as well, and the best events are shared in a weekly email.
And what’s on Foodstand’s radar this month? Check out these events:
- American Raw Cheese Tasting – April 16th, 2016
- Food Tank Summit – April 20th-21st, 2016
- Food Bloggers Eat Write Retreat – April 22nd-24th, 2016
- Foodstand’s Food Book & Film Club at Brooklyn FoodWorks – April 25th, 2016
- Food Book Fair Summit – May 1st, 2016
Want to post an event in the app? Here’s how to do it in 5 easy steps!
- Click on the “+” button
- Add a url (information will automatically populate)
- Type headline or subtitle (if information didn’t automatically populate)
- Provide location, start date, end date, and photo, where needed.
- Click the “✓”
BONUS: Automatically share across all of your social media feeds from the app!
Want to “stay in the know” about event happenings in your neighborhood or include some of your own? Download the Foodstand app, sign up to the newsletter, or check out the website.
