Over a decade ago, Williamsburg residents Harry Rosenblum and Taylor Erkkinen didn’t have a good place to pick up kitchen supplies when in a pinch, so they created one. The Brooklyn Kitchen first opened on Lorimer Street in late 2006, moving to a former textile warehouse at 100 Frost Street in 2009. They added The Meat Hook in the back (the butcher shop moved last year to its new digs), offered fresh produce, and became a full specialty grocery offering classes, hosting book events, and presiding over many cooking competitions. And last week, it was announced that the dream was over.
The Brooklyn Kitchen will still exist, just not as it does now. You may have heard Harry and Taylor are opening a new space in Sunset Park’s Industry City, which is true. Indy City, as Taylor likes to call it, will be the new home of their cooking classes and events, including any visiting guest chefs. Until it’s fully ready to go, The Brooklyn Kitchen will still be holding classes in Williamsburg. During the month of June, the duo will be setting up the new location while slowly emptying out the Williamsburg retail store. This means everything needs to go.
Last week saw every single retail item marked down by 20%, some marked down to 50% and daily deals that included BOGO Weck jars and 40% off coffee “stuff.” But the Williamsburg store isn’t going to be completely gone. It will now just be available for film and photo shoots with access to food production, cold storage, and props, plus still available for pop-ups, private parties, and events. So, that dream isn’t exactly over, just evolving into something new. Also, they will always sell knives because every cook loves a good knife.
But where to get your fresh produce and kitchen supplies now? For the latter, there is always Whisk at 231 Bedford Avenue and Cucina & Tavola at 235 Grand Street. For the former, there are a few CSAs worth checking out, like the Greenpoint-Williamsburg CSA, Local Roots, The 607 CSA, and the Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op CSA. Of course, you could always enjoy our farmers markets: McCarren Park on Saturdays and McGolrick Park on Sundays.