Events — 08 March 2011
La Newyorkina Mexican Ice @ Brooklyn Winery: Thinking Local & Delicious

Brooklyn Winery
213 North 8th St. (between Driggs Ave & Roebling St.), Brooklyn, NY 11211
Getting There: Take the L to Bedford, Take G to Metropolitan
http://www.bkwinery.com/

 

A rainy Sunday in New York should never be an excuse to stay inside your tiny apartment. The city does not shut down. In fact there is a literal cornucopia of fun, mind-stimulating places to venture out to. This past Sunday, the LocalBozo Crew was in attendance at Williamsburg, Brooklyn’s own Brooklyn Winery for their on-going series of “Thinking Local” events. These weekly events shine a spotlight on small businesses throughout our fair city.  This week was quite special as we were graced by the presence of Fany Gerson and her company, ‘La Newyorkina Mexican Ice and Sweets.’ Along with her business partner Roberto Levinson, they have set up shop at venues across the city (including this past summer’s ever popular Hester Street Fair) to sell and spread the word about their artisan popsicles.

We arrived at the Brooklyn Winery shortly before the event started and chatted with Gerson about her business. She has a great attitude and a true passion for her product. And, what a product it is! The flavors of the night were quite an eclectic mix ranging from fresh coconut and mango-chile to, what I would call the main attraction, avocado. Avocado? Yes, an avocado popsicle.

Gerson presents the pop straight from a cooler to the customer with a wide smile upon her face. The pop’s shape is thick, and perfectly molded, which is definitely a trade secret. The fresh taste of a perfectly ripened avocado flavor came through first and it was brilliant. Couple that with the ice cold feeling of the pop, and you form a “Threat Level Midnight” taste explosion. It was delicious. Make sure to seek out La Newyorkina whenever they are at an event. Lets hope she has a store set up in the not so distant future.

The next stand out flavor was the mango-chile.  We are all familiar with the trend for salty and sweet combinations with food. But how about sweet and spicy? That’s exactly what you get with the mango-chile pop. The bright radiant color of the mango shines through with specks of chile peppers throughout the pop. Gerson even goes a step further by placing a jar of spices out for you to put on the mango-chile pop to add some extra heat. The taste of the sweet fresh fruit combination with the hot peppers was well executed. You get a little bit of everything. It was also great that there were real chunks of mango throughout.

The crowd was literally eating these artisan pops up, and Gerson was happy to talk to each of them about her products. She has a real passion and a love for her business, which makes interacting with Gerson as refreshing as her pops themselves. Born in Mexico City, and the author of the popular book, “My Sweet Mexico,” Gerson is a perfect example of the, “do it yourself,” or DYI approach to forming a business, and managing to succeed in such a competitive New York landscape. Check out this ever growing small business.

The Brooklyn Winery was the perfect venue to hold an event like this. The Thinking Local events occur weekly, and the next one up is all about Sausage, on March 10th. So check that out! The LocalBozo crew was lucky enough to take a guided tour of the large establishment with co-owner John Stires. He explained that the Brooklyn Winery is an urban winery, where grapes from all over are used to create a local Brooklyn product.  Vinophiles may group together to make their own wines under the masterful instruction of Brooklyn Winery’s in-house wine makers. Groups who choose to participate will see their investment turn from grapes to a fine crafted wine.  They will share nearly three hundred bottles of wine, and even create their own labels. Please check out their website for details on upcoming events, as well as wine making.

LocalBozo is pleased to see La Newyorkina, and Brooklyn Winery take this hands on approach, to create items made from quality ingredients, and with love and a respect for their craft.

- Alan Smithee

Related Articles

Share

About Author

LocalBozo

(0) Readers Comments

Comments are closed.