Organizer Spotlight: Food Karma — A Decade of NYC Food Festivals, From Brisket King to CiderFeast

Some organizers build a venue; Jimmy builds appetites. For more than a decade, the old-school New York restaurateur behind Food Karma has taken one craving at a time and turned it into a full-day festival: brisket in the spring, ribs in early summer, whole-hog barbecue in September, cider and pozole when the weather turns. Five festival brands, one operator — and in 2026 the whole calendar runs on Posh, with more than 1,200 tickets and over $73,000 in ticket sales since January.

The format

Every Food Karma festival is organized around a single dish or pour, and everything else — the pitmasters, the cideries, the crowd — orbits it. Attendees graze tasting portions across dozens of stations while local chefs and makers each bring their own take on the theme. It’s a format built for repeat editions: same craving, new lineup, every year.

A decade in, five festival brands

The 2026 calendar shows the machine at work. Brisket King® NYC moved 446 tickets in April. Rib King™ NYC followed with 353 in May. Pig Island™ NYC — the September whole-hog cookout — sold 331. Each brand runs its own Posh group page with its own following, and together the family has crossed $73,000 in ticket sales on Posh this year.

The playbook

Food Karma’s playbook is specialization at portfolio scale: one obsession per brand, one flagship edition per year, and a dedicated group page per brand so every festival keeps its own identity and audience. New editions extend proven brands instead of starting from zero — CiderFeast™, born in Brooklyn, adds a Boston edition this November.

Know before you go

• CiderFeast™ Brooklyn — early October at Industry City, Brooklyn
• Bowl of ’Zole™ Brooklyn — late October at Industry City, Brooklyn
• CiderFeast™ Boston — mid-November

Where to find Food Karma

• Instagram: @foodkarmanyc

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