Emerging Artists Shine, Questlove and More Famous Foodies Rep at EEEEEATSCON Festival in New York

By Mane Terez On 7 October 2019

Teenage NYC band Laundry Day and alt/indie singer Your Smith were among the acts who performed throughout the food-focused weekend.

Over the Oct. 5-6 weekend, thousands of gourmands flocked to Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, N.Y. for one of the city’s most anticipated food festivals: the New York City iteration of The Infatuation's EEEEEATSCON, now in its second year (and this time taking place over two whole days, making it the biggest yet).

Festivalgoers lined up for exclusive food items from local spots, such as a Shake Shack x Uncle Boons collab, and s’mores Crullers from Daily Provisions, as well as for restaurants who traveled far and wide. Hattie B’s Hot Chicken flew in from Nashville (and earned the Longest Line Award), Portland, Oregon’s Salt & Straw Handmade Ice Cream had devotees salivating, and London hit Indian restaurant Brigadiers was one of a few who made a trip from across the pond.

Special libations abounded, too, with Las Vegas' Palms bringing their Unknown Bar to the Stadium, and a Captain Morgan Speakeasy Tiki Bar serving cocktails in coveted coconut cups.

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After today, this collab will only exist in memories. Grab the exclusive @shakeshack x @uncleboons burger and coconut sundae concrete before they’re gone forever. #EEEEEATSCON

A post shared by The Infatuation (@infatuation) on Oct 6, 2019 at 1:56pm PDT

There were plenty of entertainment options beyond the food: a Saturday talk with legendary music manager Shep Gordon and Questlove (there to discuss his new book Mixtape Potluck) packed the panel tent. The Roots frontman shared his early memories around food growing up, and talked about visiting soul food restaurants in his Philadelphia neighborhood. “Any place with a jukebox, that was my heaven,” he said.

Quest also reminisced about The Roots’ brief stint in London in the ‘90s, when Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter would keep the crew fed. “On maybe £15 a day, Tariq would go to the local fish and chips spot and feed a band of nine of us, like something out of the Bible,” he said. “He would get like a trough of fries, and he’d buy tomato sauce and make, like, fish and chips lasagna. That’s how we survived.

"It was like the poorest times of our lives, but also the fondest memories.”

The Infatuation's co-founders, Andrew Steinthal and Chris Stang, are both veterans of the music industry (Steinthal is the former vp of PR at Warner Records, and Stang the former vp of marketing at Atlantic Records), and the fest was further elevated by a robust live music lineup, with rising artists like Lolo Zouaï, Your Smith and Abir doing short sets amid the vendors. All in all, not a bad way to spend the weekend.

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