Euskal kultura

For another year the Txakoli fest in New York, Txikifest, brought a little of Euskal Herria to the streets of Manhattan. The festival gathered more than 1,000 people in the street behind the Txikito Restaurant that was close to traffic and seemed more like a plaza in any Basque town during Txakoli Eguna, but with a more diverse crowd. The event, organized by Bilbao Chef, Eder Montero and his wife, recognized New York Chef, Alex Raij, is attracting more and more New Yorkers to this typical Basque tradition of Txikiteo.

New York, NY. The fourth edition of Txikifest, the Txakoli Festival in New York, has left a good taste in the mouths of the participants and the organizers with more than 1,000 participants including those who couldn’t even get in. Festival tickets sold out just days before, and so this event has become part of the New York social agenda thanks to word of mouth.

The event was once again organized by Bilbao Chef Eder Montero and his wife Chef Alex Raij, owners of the Txikito Restaurant, with the support of the Bilbao Bizkaia Tourism and support from the BilbaoHistoriko. Proceeds from the event were donated to “Edible Schoolyard NYC – ESYNYC,” an NGO that supports school children in public schools in the most disadvantaged areas of New York.

Txikiteo in the heart of Manhattan

The event turned the street behind Txikito into a closed street that filled to its maximum capacity. There attendees could taste up to 17 brands of Txakoli that are available in North America. As an accompaniment, small portions were also available, prepared by some of the most prestigious restaurants in New York.

[Dishes prepared by local restaurants were as successful as the Txakoli (photoTxikifest.com)]

Among those in attendance were several members of the Basque community in New York, along with renowned gourmets, bloggers and media like ETB, among others, and of course a lot of New Yorkers hoping to try this Basque tradition of Txikiteo with quality Txakoli.

Raffles and Give-Aways

The admission ticket to the New York Txakoli Festival was an original Txakoli glass embossed with the Txikifest 2014 logo, designed this year by well-known Basque artist, Pablo Ugartetxea and graphic designer, Leire Gonzalez.

Txikifest NY 2014