Everything We Saw at Complex’s Family Style Food Fest
Over 10,000 people were in attendance to eat, drink, mingle, and shop.
Keith Lee at Complex’s Family Style Food Festival in New York. Photography by STADE New York
It was a perfect Saturday in Industry City for Complex’s Family Style Food Fest. What more could we ask for besides a sunny 80-degree day, great food and drinks, top-tier vendors, lively DJs, and over 10,000 well-dressed people with great auras crowded into one space? In addition to super long lines both inside and outside the festival, there were nothing but good vibes all around (even in the lines).
Hosted by the iconic Detroit native food influencer and critic, Keith Lee, the Family Style Food Fest brought together some of the best restaurants, chefs, artists, musicians, and fashion brands. For eight hours, guests had the chance to indulge in food from around the world, with endless options.
There were dozens of food and drink vendors, some including 7th Street Burger, African Chop House, Ayat, Café Colmado, Carmen’s Empanadas, Chef Kwame’s Patty Palace, Dhamaka, Fish Cheeks, Forsyth Fire Escape x Nom Wah, L’industrie Pizzeria, Regina’s Grocery, Rokstar Chicken, Scarr’s Pizza, and dozens more. The sweet treats also came in abundance with the Kith Treats x New Balance ice cream and merch pop-up, and drinks kept flowing at the Casamigos bar.
The food and fashion worlds collided in the most innovative ways: Buldak collaborated with Rokstar Chicken and designer VandyThePink for a fiery exclusive menu. While guests ate, drank, and mingled, the opportunities became even more limitless: The option to shop for clothes. Nestled in between the food vendors were designers and fashion brands with limited-edition collaborations and pieces, like Awake NY, Barriers Worldwide, Billionaire Boys Club, Brigade, Jae Tips, Kids of Immigrants, LAAMS, Martine Ali, Staple, Taller de Rafa, Verdy, and more.
Photography by STADE New York
There was also limited edition merch, which had guests (including myself) waiting in line for a long yet worthwhile time. Here, there were never-before-seen collaborative graphic t-shirts, hats, bags, jackets, and chef coats for African Chop House, Bricks & Wood x 7th Street Burger, Billionaire Boys Club x L’industrie Pizza, Kids of Immigrants x Ayat, Laams x Shmackwich, Happy Memories Don’t Die x Fish Cheeks, and many more.
We can’t forget the music. It’s not Complex unless there are tasteful tunes. Amongst the eating, drinking, and shopping was a DJ booth. Guests multitasked, holding merch bags while munching on their favorite foods and dancing to eight straight hours of sounds by DJs Cory Townes, TOWFU, TJANI, Levar (DBA), Va$htie, Drewbyrd, Venus X, Andre Power, and ODALYS.
Culture, community, and culinary arts met in Brooklyn (as they do and always have). We saw appearances from icons like André 3000, Eric André, Steve Nash, Jazzy’s World TV, Ray J, María Isabel, Isan Elba, New York Nico, and many more enjoying their favorite dishes as fans and supporters crowded around them.
We’re already looking forward to next year’s Family Style Food Fest—eager to see what new food spots and chefs are up next and which brands and artists will continue to merge culinary arts, culture, and community. Until then, we’re still trying to go to all of the restaurants that participated in this year’s festival.
