Pig Island

09/14/2026

Congrats Chef Oak!
KAM RAI THAI , Dhanapol Oak Marprasert

The Friends of Firefighters, Inc. Peoples' Choice Award winner!

09/12/2026

Bring your picnic blankets, water bottles, and appetite because Pig Island NYC is TODAY!

From 11 am-4 pm at Snug Harbor Cultural Center, your all-inclusive tickets will get you some of the most delicious BBQ samples, including smoked pork shoulders, patrami-cured pork ribs, and Thai clay-pot roasted pork jowl, from chefs across NYC, NJ, and even North Carolina.

𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐁𝐐:

Always save room for dessert! Tipsy Scoop is serving up their boozy ice cream, MuMs Baking Boutique | Delicious Gifts | Decadent Dessert Tables will be sampling their beloved carrot cake & other dessert table faves, and Wonder is bringing Baked by Melissa’s bite-size cupcakes.

No Pig Island is complete without Hot Sauce Alley, which will include Coney Island Saucery, Achilles Heat®, and Jersey Barnfire.

East Meets Young brings their bold pan-Asian sauces & snacks, enjoy grilled vegetables from Snug Harbor’s very own Heritage Farm at Snug Harbor, plus get samples from former East Village staple, Jimmy's No. 43 | East Village.

𝐒𝐢𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡:

→ Spirits from Bubba’s Wh***ey, Fort Hamilton Distillery & Tasting Room, Upstate Vodka, and piñaq ®️
→ B**r from The Flagship Brewing Co., Nightmare Brewing Company, and Momentum Brewery (N/A options)
→ C***r from Vermont-based America’s Original Hard C***r
→ Polar Beverages, plus Liquid Death with their signature coffin-shaped cooler

In between bites & sips, stop by the 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 table, our long-time community partner that will have a raffle and information about the wonderful work they do for active and retired FDNY firefighters and their families. They’ll also be presenting the People’s Choice Award.

Link in bio to purchase tickets or get them onsite.

📸: (1) an echo of an echo / (6) Christina Holmes

09/11/2026

Kyle Smith, an Air Force veteran, built Smith Poultry into a working farm in Williamstown, NJ, raising free-range chickens, turkeys, and pigs — plus running an egg CSA that keeps five dozen eggs a month coming to members. He believes in employing sustainable practices and implements organic growing techniques.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱: Kyle learned to smoke whole hog from his uncles in the Carolinas, and around Philly he’s become known for pulling smoked pigs straight off street-corner smokers and pop-ups with local food businesses like Riverwards Produce.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱: Smith Poultry’s farm is located in Williamstown, NJ, plus his products are featured regularly at South Jersey and Philadelphia-area farmers’ markets.

Link in bio or head to pigisland.com for more info and to purchase tickets.

09/10/2026

Saturday at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden !.
The 17th annual
Pig Island NYC September 12, 2026 .

Thanks Pamela Silvestri , Staten Island Advance , for this great preview article.

What a lineup of chefs and bbq!

https://www.silive.com/dining/2026/09/pig-island-nyc-to-return-to-staten-island-with-unlimited-pork-tastings.html

Tickets at pigisland dot com

The snout-to-tail celebration is $85 for VIP tickets with early access or general admission at $55 starting at noon.

09/10/2026

This Weekend Happenings:
Saturday September 12.
Pig Island NYC September 12, 2026

Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden

Tickets at www.pigisland.com

Phil Wingo
KAM RAI THAI
Rodrigo Duarte
Holy City Hogs

09/09/2026

Burnt out after years of working in luxury resorts and country clubs, Lewis Donald changed up the pace and opened Sweet Lew’s BBQ in 2018 — trading in white-tablecloth service for all-wood-smoked BBQ out of a converted gas station and car repair shop.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱: Sweet Lew’s has become a Charlotte staple, drawing families, BBQ obsessives, and anyone craving Carolina and Southern-style plates. The restaurant has earned rave reviews from diners and critics alike, with Southern Living calling Lewis one of the next BBQ legends shaping the future of Southern BBQ. He also runs the Carolina BBQ Festival, one of the fastest-growing BBQ events in the South. This is Lewis’ first year at Pig Island NYC, and we can’t wait to see what he brings.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱: Sweet Lew’s BBQ is located in the Belmont neighborhood of Charlotte, NC.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲’𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴: Get ready for some Carolina Whole Hog!

Link in bio or head to pigisland.com for more info and to purchase tickets.

09/08/2026

Dhanapol Oak Marprasert grew up learning to cook at his mother’s side in Bangkok’s Samsen neighborhood, moved to the U.S. in 2014, and worked his way up from dishwasher to self-taught chef before opening his first restaurant, Ma Kin Thai, in Middle Village in 2020.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱: Ever since Chef Oak started competing in Food Karma Projects events, he’s become a force to be reckoned with. He’s the two-time defending Best in Show champion at Pig Island NYC, having taken home the top prize in both 2024 (sai ua and Thai-grilled pork jowl) and 2025 (charcoal-smoked pork belly and grilled pork jowl), and he’s coming back to make that THREE. He also took home awards in 2025 - Pretty Yum Thing (PYT) at Brisket King NYC and Tongue Thai-ed at Rib King NYC.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱: Chef Oak has opened four restaurants - Ma Kin Thai in Middle Village, KAM RAI THAI and JAZKAYA in Astoria, and samsaenthai in Midtown West — plus, Kam Rai Thai has a stall in Time Out Market Union Square.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲’𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴: Thai-smoked, slow-smoked, skinless pork belly served over crispy puffed rice crackers and finished with Chef Oak’s new signature Thai sauce. Prepare yourself for a bold bite of smoke, richness, crunch, and vibrant Thai flavor.

Link in bio or head to pigisland.com for more info and to purchase tickets.

📸: Chris Gampat

09/07/2026

We’re thrilled to introduce you to this year’s sponsor, New York Pork Producers, bringing something new to Pig Island NYC on September 12th: a live, butcher-led, whole-hog breakdown!

Leading the demo is Jake Levin, aka “The Roving Butcher,” a nose-to-tail butcher and charcuterie expert who trained at Fleisher’s Meat in Kingston, NY, and has worked at whole-animal butcher shops from Great Barrington, MA to Manhattan. He’s the author of Smokehouse Handbook and travels the country teaching people how to break down, cook, and cure whole animals.

New York Pork Producers Executive Director, Emma Kron, says the live cutting demo is a unique chance to connect attendees directly to the animal, farmer, and every cut of pork on their plate — and to help people walk away with a deeper appreciation for what goes into raising high-quality pork in New York.

Link in bio or head to pigisland.com for more info and to purchase tickets.

📷: Courtesy of National Pork Board and the Pork Checkoff (2-5)