Brooklyn: The Great GoogaMooga Is Alive!
Announced with a name that makes you smile just to say it, there are now some firm details about New York City's largest food festival ever. It's called The Great GoogaMooga. It's going down in Brooklyn's Prospect Park May 19-20. There will be bands. There will be over 75 restaurants on site. We'll be there too! Exciting details to follow.
And citizens of Food Republic should know that Superfly Presents, the guys behind Tennessee's Bonnaroo and San Francisco's Outside Lands music fests, are promising that the food will come first at the GoogaMooga (which is an old DJ term meaning "awesome").
This morning Superfly organizers presented the festival details at a press conference at the Bowery Ballroom, with a curio cast that included Top Chef host Tom Colicchio, chef Eddie Huang from Baohaus, Frank Falcinelli from Frankies 457 Spuntino, wine master Paul Grieco, Brooklyn Brewery brew master Garrett Oliver, Niki Russ Federman of Russ & Daughters, restaurant designer David Rockwell and Brooklyn Borough president Marty Markowitz.
The emphasis was on engaging the community: Rockwell plans to design an experience that will foster togetherness and a pleasant experience for families and hipsters alike (not that the two are exclusive).
So why no music talent? Because the lineup hasn't been finalized. And considering Superfly's record, they are sure to attract some top talent. (There will no doubt be a Brooklyn flavor to some of the bands.) For now, we can look forward to the food, which will include offerings from the people mentioned above, a giant pizza pit that will host the city's top pizzerias, a showcase of craft beers and local wines, a Harlem renaissance party with Food Republic co-founder Marcus Samuelsson and the "hamageddon," a pig-bacon extravaganza.
And the best part? It's free. Well, attendance comes with no charge, but you have to pay for the food. Or, you can choose the "Extra Mooga" pass, which should cost a couple hundred dollars, and will buy you an all-inclusive experience (all food and drink and VIP access to the concert stages).
Sounds pretty googamooga, right? (The only question is: why didn't this happen sooner?) To get us all in the Mooga mood, we asked press conference attendees if GoogaMooga were a food, what it would be:
"It would be a mushroom: really funky and wild." — Tom Colicchio
"It would probably be a buffet, like the ultimate American interpretation of a Pupu platter." — David Rockwell
"I think it would have to be a chili." — Frank Falcinelli
"It would be a sticky toffee." — Niki Russ Federman
"I'll take the literal definition of googamooga and apply it to the most awesome grape on the planet: Riesling." — Paul Grieco
"Baby food." — Eddie Huang