Best Weekend Food Events: Candy Making, Boozy Cupcake Tasting, and Chili Takedown

Union Square Holiday Market Opening Weekend, Union Square, Friday through December 24

Grab a cat-shaped macaron from Meow Parlour or pick up any number of food gifts at the brand new Urbanspace Provisions pop-up at Union Square’s annual holiday market, with ready-to-eat bites from the likes of Delaney Barbecue. This year, The Children’s Museum is also setting up a crafts booth where kids can make their own ornaments. A full line up of participating food focused businesses as well as holiday hours can be viewed on the Union Square Holiday Market web site.

How to Make Magical Healing Candy with Sweet Saba’s Maayan Zilberman, Fort Gansevoort, 5 Ninth Avenue, Saturday and Sunday, 12 to 2 p.m.

This two-day workshop lets students make candy from scratch, while teaching them how additives and oils can turn candy into cough drops. After students have molded their candy and returned for day two, the class will cover how to use food dyes for decoration. The class includes a mold to take home as well as goodie bag of treats from Sweet Saba; reserve your seat for both days – $264.74 per person – here.

Lexy’s Cupcake Tasting, Lexy’s Cupcake Bar, Blue Jean Studio, 149 West 24th Street – Suite 5B, Saturday, 5 p.m.

Enjoy cupcake and cocktails? Want to be on the ground floor to give feedback on flavors? Sample a variety of two dozen different alcohol-infused sweets (wine and soft drinks will be available too). Cupcakes also come in non-alcoholic flavors like pineapple-upside-down and caramel cinnamon apple, with other booze-infused creations like strawberry margarita and Bailey’s Irish Cream-infused vanilla.Tickets are $10; reserve them here.

Brooklyn Chili Takedown, The Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club, 514 Union Street, Brooklyn, Sunday, 12 p.m.

Grab all-you-can-eat bowls of homemade chili and vote on which chef’s secret recipe will take home the top prize. Over 25 chefs will offer spicy, savory, and sweet chilis to enjoy, with drinks available for purchase. Tickets are $20 and can be secured here.

Oyster Pairing and Restoration Talk, Lighthouse, 45 Borinquen Place, Brooklyn, Sunday, 5 p.m.

Have an hour to kill this weekend? Then enjoy it with an hour of oyster and beverage tastings along with conversation with Pete Malinowski, director of the Billion Oyster Project. Guests receive a half dozen oysters with beverage pairings — three different oyster preparations teamed up with a cocktail, beer, or wine. Afterwards, guests will learn about the role of recycling oysters in New York’s restoration efforts as well a better understanding of the farming process, courtesy of guest speakers from the Fishers Island Oyster Company. Tickets are $30; score them here.