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Annual Festival Celebrates Harlem’s Cuisine And Culture Thousands of people flocked to Harlem over the weekend for a festival that showcases Harlem’s food scene. Harlem restaurant mainstays like Sylvia’s and Melba’s took their places alongside newcomers like Blvd Bistro and Settepani for Harlem EatUp!, a two-day festival where chefs serve their restaurant’s signature dishes. There were culinary delights like smoked shrimp and potato corn salad from Blujeen and fried chicken sandwiches from Harlem Shake. The Harlem Chocolate Factory served a whiskey chocolate tart, while Barawine’s chefs dished up yellow fin tuna tartare and shrimp and grits came courtesy of Blvd Bistro. The festival is a boon to business owners, who said Harlem EatUp! not only celebrates the neighborhood’s cuisine, but introduces them to locals and visitors alike. “It’s just so nice to be in this environment around other like minded people here to support the community,” said longtime Harlem resident Adria Bell, of Ida Preserves, who served blueberry jam cornbread at the festival. “And for people who are non-residents to kind of get an idea of what we’re doing in Harlem and the new, amazing businesses that are opening up and the ones that have been around and are still going strong.” Shay Wood, the co-owner of the Harlem Haberdashery boutique, agreed. “We get a lot of local traffic, but this drives a lot of different traffic from different areas in the city,” Wood said. “We get a lot of new impressions, fans and followers through these events so we love coming here.” Celebrities like Freddie Jackson , Neil Patrick Harris, “The Chew” host Carla Hall and Gayle King were among the attendees at the festival, co-founded by celebrity chef and entrepreneur Marcus Samuelsson. The event attracted a slew of celebrity chefs, like Emeril Lagasse, who whipped up some yummy smelling ribs with restaurateur Melba Wilson on the festival’s main stage. “These are cooking just like Harlem is cooking,” Lagasse said. “I asked Melba, what could I do in Harlem? And she directed me to a little place called the Storefront School up here in Harlem. And I rebuilt the entire kitchen 15 years ago for the Storefront School – and they’re still cooking there. You keep cooking too!” Hit the flip for more pics from the festival:

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Harlem Celebrates Foodie Scene With Annual “Harlem EatUp!” Festival