It’s pretty much common knowledge that New York City hosts tons of opportunities and events for food lovers, no matter someone’s skills or interests. There’s Restaurant Week, where dozens of eateries across the city offer a cheaper pre-fixe menu for a short while, and the star-studded New York City Wine & Food Festival, a four-day celebration of food happening in October As we near the end of summer, the city is hosting one last summer-themed food event: Brooklyn’s Ice Cream Takedown contest. This is a community food competition where everyday cooks battle for high-quality kitchenware and neighborhood bragging rights.
Hosted and created by Matt Timms – founder and organizer of The Takedowns – the Ice Cream Takedown Contest is an all-you-can-eat frozen dessert competition held on August 23 at Threes Brewing in Gowanus, Brooklyn. This contest was especially created for local, self-taught, and home cooks, so that they’re able to showcase their unique ice cream related creations. Ticket holders will receive unlimited samples and vote for the People’s Choice award, while professional guest judges from renowned ice cream shops crown the judges’ winner. Just the fact that literally anyone will be able to try unlimited sweet treats – regardless of being a food expert or not – and give their take on what’s most exceptional makes this a deeply indispensable event and an underground NYC experience. This event is remarkable due to the genuine, pure connection it brings to local food creators and foodies alike. After all, New York City is one of the key places to expose yourself to all the food world has to offer.
Timms created The Takedowns as a series of informal indie cooking competitions held in New York City. All contests are purposefully rule-free as an alternative to rigid, corporate cook-offs. The series first launched in 2003 with a chili contest and has since broadened the DIY food themed battles to food like garlic, tacos, mac & cheese, and cookie takedowns. These events are usually hosted in local bars and small music venues to focus solely on community and wildly creative amateur cooking. Competitors move beyond classic or basic flavors, and instead use unusual and savory elements to make a sensory overload of their own design. Past winning ice creams include a mojito flavor and a burnt cream and roasted green tea. Each event is also advertised with custom pop art and graffiti styled posters created by talented artists, featured on Takedowns’ website to buy alongside their other fun merch.
The contest is completely free for home cooks to join. Currently, there is no formal cutoff date to join on The Takedowns’ official site, but competitor slots are first-come, first serve. Professional ice cream makers or commercial shops are not allowed to compete. Cooks can officially join by emailing Matt@TheTakedowns.com. To attend, general tickets are available at Eventbrite.