Local foodists came out to Williamsburg en masse on a hot and sticky Sunday to sample the wares at the UnFancy Food Show, a celebration of artisan foods and a casual counterpoint to the Javits-hosted behomoth of a similar name. The all-stars were there, doling out nibbles—some for free, others for a small fee. Marlow & Sons prepared small brisket-and-whitefish-salad sliders, Salvatore Bklyn offered $3 prosciutto, arugula and ricotta sandwiches, and Sweet Deliverance had some not-too-sweet (i.e., just right for us) sweet tea. But that wasn’t all. Click through the slide show for more highlights.

Guest blogger Liz Thorpe, author of the forthcoming book The Cheese Chronicles and Murray’s Cheese guru, gives you, dear readers, the skinny on some not-so-skinny weekend diversions:

Every June, 25,000 trade types descend on the Javits Center to taste some ungodly number of specialty foods (like, 250,000 different choices) and talk shop at the Fancy Food Show. The influx of food makers from across the U.S. and Europe is what makes the FFS—I get to taste Creminelli’s wild boar salami and the first batches of Graham Kirkham’s Lancashire cheese from Goosnargh, England. But the downside is that nonindustry folks are non grata.

In response, a couple of Murray’s alums decided to create a counterpoint to the FFS two years ago. Sasha Davies and Tom Mylan (now head butcher at Marlow & Daughters) organized the UnFancy Food Show. Admittedly, its third incarnation is a bit of a Brooklyn lovefest (click here for a list of confirmed exhibitors). Don’t miss these two highlights, near and dear to my heart, for folks looking to learn and taste food with makers from farther afoot: Read more »