3. Brooklyn Piggies: Making America’s Favorite Hors d’oeuvre Even Better
Years ago a representative from Glorious Food, New York’s preeminent caterer, told me that Pigs in a Blanket were by far their most popular offering, even at the poshest Manhattan gatherings at the Met or Lincoln Center. Over and over again I’ve seen that statement borne out at fancy events. You better grab your pigs in a blanket the moment they emerge from the kitchen because they disappear fast. Kathleen Squires of Eater has an apt description: “To New Yorkers, they are tiny hot dogs encased in puff pastry, a snack that falls somewhere between the French saucisson en croute and the Chinese lop cheung bao.”Â
Missy Koo and Stacey Cole, founders of Brooklyn Piggies, are not exaggerating when they say: “We put the perfect pig in a blanket.”
They started out in 2012, renting a kitchen at The Entrepreneur’s Space in Long Island City and selling their hand-rolled piggies at Brooklyn’s Smorgasburg, the phenomenally successful open-air food market that was anointed by the New York Times as “The Woodstock of Eating.” They had to actually audition, says Koo, to sell at the Smorgasburg. But when Oprah named the Piggies one of her Favorite Things, the founders knew they had to expand beyond their local base. Now they ship nationwide as well as on Fresh Direct and Goldbelly.
Made without artificial seasoning, additives, MSG, or fillers, and sourced entirely in New York State, the Piggies come in four flavors—original, spicy, chicken, and Swiss cheese. And as Koo points out, “These piggies know how to party.”