The Hester Street Fair is gearing up for a great Mother’s Day on the Lower East Side with all kinds of new offerings. Organizer SuChin Pak says they’ve been working hard to introduce new vendors each week and to give visitors a different experience on Saturdays and Sundays.
In the near future, they’ll be teaming up with the New Museum for some interesting events. On Sunday, you might want to make it an all-LES holiday, checking out the New Museum (where moms get in free) and then heading over to the Fair. Pak says they’re hosting Bake for Hope, a big bake sale benefiting the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research. A lot of vendors are donating a portion of their proceeds or baked goods to the cause. DB Sweets will be making special pink cupcakes for the bake sale. La Newyorkina will have a guava rosy popsicle, and Pain D’Avignon is baking pecan cranberry chocolate bread for mom.
Among the new faces you’ll see this weekend:
- Emily Guggino of Studio Manhattan will be showcasing her striking Manhattan-inspired photographs.
- A Local artist, Peter Sutherland, will be featuring original works from photographers inspired by nature and the outdoors. Partnering with the Fresh Air Fund, he’s created a web site where the pieces are being sold. Prints and t-shirts will be sold on Sunday, with all proceeds going to the Fresh Air Fund.
- D’Anne Dupree will be bringing her vintage clothing collection to the Fair.
- The team from Etsy will be on hand with a rotating cast of artisans selling all sorts of crafts.
- For the first time, Maggie Feuchter will be bringing her one-of-a-kind ceramics.
- There will be a special line of Mother’s Day cards by Pumpkin and Honey Bunny. All of their cards are handmade.
And new food finds include:
- Arancini Brothers with Sicilian risotto croquettes. Traditional arancini are made with arborio rice, saffron, a meat ragu with fresh peas and mozzarella. They are doing lots of varieties including broccoli/bescamel, shrimp/saffron, 3 cheeses and a sweet rice ball stuffed with nutella.
- A couple of New York artists will be coming to the fair with a new twist on fresh-squeezed lemonade. They’ll have flavored ice cubes and fresh strawberries and blackberries.
- Boom Town Bakery will be offering their homemade gluten free treats.
- Cheshire Canning will have their famous honey heat sauce and other jams and spreads.
- And McClure Pickles will be joining the fair for the first time.
The Hester Street fair is held Saturdays and Sundays from 10-6, where Hester and Essex Streets meet.
