Action Bronson Joins Taste Talks Food Fest, Underway in Brooklyn

Food is the one constant in our lives. We eat everyday, whether it’s a pizza slice, a three course meal at an elite restaurant, or a few crumbs from a co-worker’s leftovers.  A good meal makes us feel good inside, satisfying our hunger and making us stronger to take on whatever is next on our plate of life.  So, while we usually don’t discuss food in the e-pages of Birthplace Magazine, we can make an exception, because in this case, it involves the eclectic, bodacious wordsmith, Action Bronson.

Fresh off the release of  lead single “Easy Rider,” and it’s highly charged and entertaining accompanying video off of the Vice/Atlantic LP, Mr. Wonderful, due out later this year, Action Bronson is poised to make his mark among the greats in rap music. After having burst on the scene, albeit sounding slightly like a Ghostface Killah clone, Action has distinguished himself from the Ghost and created the ill persona that is a 300-pound, weed smoking, crowd-pleasing Albanian rapper from Queens dropping critically acclaimed mixtapes like Well Done, Dr Lechter, and Blue Chips, praised for sounding more like major label releases from a seasoned veteran.

But what you may not know is that Action Bronson is an accomplished chef. Perhaps not on the level of a Mario Batali or Alex Guarnaschelli, but nevertheless a capable chef not afraid to throw on an apron and cook an exquisite meal that not only looks good on a plate, but that would leave Bronson to say, “Fuck, That’s Delicious!” (which also happens to be the name of  his new culinary web series.)

For those that follow Action Bronson, Action is really a foodie at heart. The man loves good food, and more than likely he’s not filling up on cheeseburgers and pizza. Action has an affinity for fine cuisine like lamb, veal, crème brulee, and calf’s brain. So it’s somewhat fitting that he  will be bringing his culinary knowledge and chef skills to the  2014 Taste Talks Food Festival which kicks off September 12 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Taste Talks celebrates its second year with a three day festival in Brooklyn,  chock full of symposiums, workshops, discussions, and plenty of food. Taste Talks, presented by folks at The Northside Media Group and world renowned chef and co-host of ABC’s The Chew, Mario Batali is curated by James Beard Award winner Danny Bowien, and serves as a forum to discuss food and innovation in the food industry.

“The goal of Taste Talks is to create a dialogue around the future of taste and Danny Bowien personifies that perfectly,” said Northside Media co-founder and Taste Talks director, Daniel Stedman. “Taste Talks is all about the future of taste, so what better way to demonstrate this than to curate a space for innovative companies to showcase forward-thinking food products and technologies?”

Action Bronson will be participating in the “Taste Talks All-Star BBQ,” on September 14, a sampling feast bringing together world-renowned chefs making signature dishes at East River Park. With more than 20 chefs at 14 different grilling stations, there will be plenty of culinary delicacies to sample including  Action Bronson pairing up with Osteria Morini chef Michael White to create Porchetta “Kra Prow” Tigelle, a Thai spiced “Porchetta Kra Prow” with crispy watercress and tigelle. What that is, I have no clue, but I will assume it’s tasty (but don’t quote me on that).

One of the focal points of this year’s festival is the introduction of the first Future Food Expo on September 13. This showcase is a celebration of what’s next in the culinary world, focusing on the future of food products, companies, media and innovators from Brooklyn and around the world that are transforming the culinary space.

“As one of the companies changing the way people eat and dine out, it’s really exciting to join other food companies breaking new ground,” said Dinner Lab founder Brian Bordainick, “And what better place than in the heart of America’s innovative culinary capital, Brooklyn?”

Other events include the aforementioned Dinner Lab, which will present a one night only pop up dinner at an undisclosed location in Williamsburg. Food media will be discussed at Online/Offline: The Future of Food Magazines and at Big Chefs on the Small Screen: How Food Television Lifted Chefs to Cult Status. There will also be a special screening of the VICE  webisode series, Fuck, That’s Delicious, which follows Action Bronson and his comical culinary exploits around the world.

When I found out Action Bronson was going to be cooking at a food festival, I was amused because this is totally a non-hip hop event. Action will be cooking, not rhyming and probably on his best behavior so don’t necessarily expect to see clouds of marijuana smoke wafting through the air. Instead, expect the aroma of carefully crafted foods for the more distinguished palate. Bronsolini’s sole purpose is to allow you to sample his food and while you’re at it, that of countless other renowned chefs, some you might actually recognize from the TV food shows that populate our cable channels.

So do yourself a favor, check out Taste Talks for some good eats and find out if your favorite rapper can actually cook.

Check out http://taste-talks.com/schedule-bk-2014/ for a full listing of all chefs, events and schedules.