The Great Googa Mooga Sets a New Standard for Festival Food

By: Sarah De Heer

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The Great Googa Mooga. Googa what? That was my exact reaction when I heard the name for the first ever "amusement park of food and drink" that is taking place this weekend at Prospect Park in Brooklyn.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Roots, Fitz & the Tantrums and Hall and Oates. These names are enough to draw in thousands of people to the newest food and music festival added to the roster of so many, but a first for New York City.

However, the true stars this weekend and what I believe was the biggest draw were the 75 food vendors, 35 brewers and 30 winemakers that dished out food ranging from barbecue to burgers, pizza and seafood and pastrami and ice cream. If you were craving it, you could buy it. While you might have to wait in multiple 30 minute lines, it was worth it — the food produced at this festival set a new standard for all festival food.

We spoke with organizer Jonathan Mayers, who launched Bonaroo and he said, "It’s time for food to get top billing." He did just that. Included in those 75 food vendors were restaurants Spotted Pig, Roberta's Pizza, Momofuku Milk Bar and Hill Country Barbecue. Special guests, demonstrators and chefs also included were Food Network's own Michael Symon, Pat LaFrieda, Marcus Samuelsson, Anthony Bourdain, David Chang, Ruth Reichl and even Parks and Recreation's Aziz Ansari. ( For more with Michael Symon, click the play button above.)

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