On Sept. 6, Staten Island will be transformed for the day into Pig Island NYC as the New York City food festival scene staple returns to the Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden for its 16th year. The all-inclusive walk-around tasting event will be attended by a seasoned lineup of local and national chefs, farmers, and BBQ experts, all vying for awards. Pig Islanders can also look forward to an expanded list of premium spirits, including mezcal and tequila, craft beers, and artisanal wines and ciders.
“Pig Island NYC is all about giving chefs utter freedom to run with the ideas they’ve been wistfully doodling on napkins,” says Jimmy Carbone, founder of Food Karma Projects and producer of Pig Island NYC. “They get the chance to cook things that wouldn’t make it onto a typical restaurant menu, using heritage-breed pork and farm-fresh, local vegetables.” More than 20 chefs and food professionals cook up everything from classic BBQ favorites to flavors from around the world, like artisan pizzas, steamed buns, charcuterie, and whole hog roasts, plating up everything for Pig Island NYC guests and a panel of expert judges.
This year’s Pig Island NYC features newcomers serving up their best and returning award-winners defending their titles. Oak Marprasert of Astoria’s Kam Rai Tai, known for contemporary Thai techniques and flavors shaped by his time in Bangkok, Tennessee, and Queens, defends his 2024 Best in Show title against chefs and restaurants like Jase Franklyn of Jase BBQ, whose Trinidad and Tobago-influenced bites earned him viral social media attention and last year’s Pig Island NYC People’s Choice Award. Brothers BBQ joins the lineup as well, bringing with them family traditions from North Carolina’s Outer Banks, while New York City darling Empire BBQ — multi-time award winners of previous years of Pig Island NYC, Brisket King NYC, and Rib King NYC — eyes another trophy to add to their shelves.
Tickets are on sale at pigisland.com, with General Admission Tickets starting at $55 plus processing fee and VIP Tickets and Packages starting at $85 plus fee.
