Food pop-ups continue to flourish

Restaurant and food pop-ups are flourishing in every shape and size. Intimacy and hipness is the attraction: the ‘I-know-something-or-somebody-you-don’t-know’ feeling. We’ve seen numerous examples of pop-up restaurants in recent years, including those with strictly three-month seasonal menus. Others use guerrilla gourmet dining clubs: strictly word-of-mouth, unlicensed, underground restaurants in unmarked buildings, blind alleys and urban caverns.

Now we’ve got wind of a pop-up community brunch and that also offers a whole day of eco-minded activities. Founded by Nadege Winter, (who, incidentally, is affiliated with Wool and the Gang, a Swiss venture that sells all-in-one kits complete with everything that’s needed to make a particular knit design)  BrunchBazar is a series of community get-togethers that take place on the first Sunday of every month at the Comptoir General in Paris.  The last one, for example, took place on May 2, running from noon to 7 p.m. Organic catering was provided by Cococook, as was a series of cooking workshops throughout the day. Creative workshops for kids were provided by PetitHOOD, while Wool and the Gang served up something similar for knitters.

Also on hand were a fashion swap sponsored by Good Storage, dance classes by I Could Never Be a Dancer, music from Big Festival, eco-minded education from Winter’s online magazine Greenkiss, and more. The price of admission was EUR 3, 50 cents of which went to the World Wildlife Fund—with small additional fees for some of the workshops.

Besides the obvious attraction for consumers and charity, BrunchBazar benefits local vendors and brands, namely, a way to get close to their neighborhood customers in a relaxed setting that’s focused on education and entertainment rather than making a sale.