Food geeks, rejoice! Foster Sundry is officially in business and just might be the most perfect addition to the neighborhood, especially for those of us who are obsessed with food. Upon walking into the store located at 215 Knickerbocker Ave, you’ll be instantly amazed by the cheese and meat cases.
Foster Sundry is the brainchild of Aaron Foster, the former head cheese buyer of Murray’s Cheese and Brooklyn Kitchen. You’ll find him behind the cheese counter sampling cheeses with customers and talking about his travels.
“I select cheeses for the shop because I respect what the particular cheesemakers are doing and their farm practices. Plus, I’ve traveled around the world to a lot of the places and even made cheese with them,” Aaron says.
Aaron knows some of the most prestigious, award-winning cheese-makers in the world, and because of these relationships Bushwick will now have access to some of the most speciality, sought after cheeses. He seriously knows his cheese–six cheesemakers were even at his wedding!
“Cheese is one of those indulgences that is surprisingly affordable,” Aaron explains. “Even if a cheese is over $30/pound, you have the ability to select the amount of cheese you want to purchase depending on your budget.” Not only does Foster Sundry have an incredible cheese selection, but the whole animal butcher program is also high class.
Foster Sundry offers a wide variety of grass-fed beef cuts from NY farmers like Slope Farms in the Western Catskills, and from sustainable farmers involved with Hardwick Beef, which is a co-op that provides 100% grass-fed beef to their customers.
Each day, the shop will feature a local farmer for their beef and pork products. Their whole animal butcher program allows customers to have access to specialty cuts of meat, as well as handmade sausages, meatballs and in-house ground meats. The meat case is quite impressive and you can watch the butchers break down whole animals directly behind the case on a giant wooden butcher table.
Along with the meat and cheese cases, Foster Sundry also has a shelf of speciality food products like sauces, crackers, pickles, peanut butter and more where you will find many award-winning producers like Big Spoon Roasters from North Carolina, who received a Good Food Award for their handcrafted nut butter. A refrigerated section includes assorted artisanal sodas, olives, produce, local eggs, goat cheese and more.
Additional goodies to this charming gourmet grocery store include a coffee program from Parlor Coffee.
“Within a few months we will be adding one of the most impressive cider selections in the city along with beer,” Aaron tells us. Pop-up dinners involving their team and other local chefs are also in works. Plus, they will be offering pairing classes, animal butcher lessons and more.
Aaron Foster (second from right) and the team
Foster Sundry, 215 Knickerbocker Ave, Bushwick. Hours: Mon-Sat 8am-8pm. Sun 10am-6pm. 718-569-8426.