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Greenpoint Food Market Goes from DIY to DI Don't
By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 15, 2010
Modified Jun 15, 2010
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Greenpoint Food Market's Flickr
By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 15, 2010
Modified Jun 15, 2010
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After getting some love from the New York Times two weeks ago, the popular Greenpoint Food Market has been indefinitely canceled. The bi-monthly market featured more than 50 artisanal food vendors selling everything from "Anarchy in a Jar" pickled pears to Ghost Chili. Then along came the Times to blow the place up, just like they did with The Yard. Now the Health Department is breathing down the market's neck, insisting that vendors take food-handling courses and use commercial kitchens.
Many of the smaller vendors say they won't be able to comply, because commercial kitchens cost as much as $300 to rent for five hours. And there seems to be a feeling that the Health Department's crackdown is part of a bigger conspiracy to force shoppers back into the arms of corporate supermarkets. One big fan of the market, Elaine Matthias, tells the Brooklyn Paper, "The grassroots activity is a reaction to the presence of big food corporations in health policy so it doesn’t surprise me that the government is putting up a lot of red tape to prevent people from creating foods in their kitchens and bringing it to a public market."
Instead of the market slated for June 26th, organizer Joann Kim will hold a "Think Tank Potluck" to brainstorm ways to help keep the market in business. A representative from the Health Department will be on hand to talk about the laws, and Council member Stephen Levin will also join the panel.
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Greenpoint Food Market
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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