Keith Lee To Host Family Style Food Festival in New York City

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Event Details

🗓️ Date: Saturday, May 17, 2025
🕒 Time: 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM EST
📍 Location: Industry City, Brooklyn, NY
🎟️ Tickets: https://www.familystylefest.com/

New York, NY - When Keith Lee steps into a room, people listen—and this time, they’ll also eat. A former MMA fighter turned TikTok food critic and community connector, Lee’s influence has reshaped how people discover food. On May 17, he brings that magic to Brooklyn with Complex’s Family Style Food Festival, a vibrant collision of food, fashion, music, and cultural capital that speaks directly to NYC’s Black and Brown professionals looking to LEVELUP.

Hosted at the iconic Industry City in Brooklyn, this event isn’t just about eating well—it’s about being seen, making meaningful connections, and curating your next career move over pizza and patties. With over 40 food vendors, exclusive fashion collaborations, and performances by DJs like Va$htie and Andre Power, Family Style Fest is positioning itself as the premier lifestyle experience for the ambitious and culturally fluent.

More Than a Meal: A Networking Playground for the Culture

From Katz’s Deli to Fish Cheeks, and Lucali to Chef Kwame’s Patty Palace, the culinary lineup reads like a “Best of NYC” list—and that’s by design. But what makes this event stand out isn’t just the food. It’s the cross-industry collisions it creates. You’re just as likely to brush shoulders with a tech founder as you are a streetwear designer or startup investor while waiting for dumplings from Nom Wah.

In an era where nearly 85% of jobs are filled through networking (source: CNBC, 2023), being in rooms—especially cultural rooms—matters more than ever. For Black and Brown professionals navigating NYC’s competitive landscape, access to influential networks and genuine peer connections is the new currency.

That’s the spirit of Family Style.

Who You’ll Meet in the Room

Family Style isn’t just a who’s-who of chefs—it’s a strategic gathering of Black creatives, entrepreneurs, founders, and rising professionals. With sponsors like Pepsi, Casamigos, and DoorDash and fashion collabs from Kids of Immigrants, Billionaire Boys Club, Martine Ali, and Awake NY, the event also draws a mix of influencers, brand reps, investors, and decision-makers.

Whether you're seeking a new gig, future collaborators, or capital for your next idea, this is the room to be in.

The Keith Lee Effect

Since exploding on TikTok with over 15 million followers, Keith Lee has used his platform to uplift small businesses—especially Black-owned ones—by simply sharing his honest food reviews. His authenticity has turned restaurants into overnight sensations and sparked national conversations about equity in the food industry.

Bringing that energy to Family Style is both a cultural signal and a strategic move.

It’s also a natural extension of his ethos: leveling the playing field.

One Quick Networking Tip You Can Use Right There

Here’s one innovative tip you can try at Family Style: "Do the double-tap intro."
When you meet someone interesting at the event—whether it’s over a slice from Scarr’s Pizza or in line for a patty—briefly mention what you do, then immediately ask who they think you should meet next at the event. It’s a strategic move that not only makes you memorable, it opens up a chain of new introductions.

Networking is about momentum. And the double-tap keeps the energy flowing—while keeping the convo short and low-pressure.

Why LEVELUP in NYC is Covering This Event

At LEVELUP in NYC, we’re on a mission to help ambitious professionals in NYC build their networks, increase their income, and scale their impact by curating the city's most culturally relevant, high-value career events. The Family Style Food Festival checks every box: community, culture, connection, and commerce.

It’s not just about fun—it’s about intentional exposure. The best networking doesn’t feel like work. It feels like walking into a room full of your future collaborators—with a matcha in one hand and your phone blowing up with new IG followers in the other.

What’s on the Menu (and the Merch Table)

Here’s a sample of the brands and bites coming together:

Food Highlights:

• Lucali — Legendary Brooklyn pizza with a cult following

• Russ & Daughters — Classic NYC Jewish deli flavors

• Double Chicken Please — Recently ranked among the World’s 50 Best Bars

• Chef Kwame Onwuachi — James Beard Award winner bringing Patty Palace

• Potluck Club & Bonnie’s — Representing NYC’s next-gen Asian-American cuisine

Merch Collabs:

• Barriers Worldwide x Scarr’s Pizza

• Kids of Immigrants x L’industrie Pizzeria

• Verdy x Kato

• Awake NY, Bricks & Wood, ButteryPat, and more

These exclusive drops are only available at the event—giving you even more reason to pull up early and leave with something no one else has.

Sounds By:

• Va$htie — The downtown queen of NYC cool

• Andre Power — Cofounder of Soulection

• Venus X, Odalys, Levar (DBA) — Spinning vibes that blend the global Black diaspora

Final Bite

If you’ve been waiting for an event that fuses culture, commerce, and career growth—this is it. The Complex Family Style Food Festival is more than just the "best food festival of all time." It’s a strategic play for anyone looking to align their lifestyle with their career trajectory.

Bring your appetite—but also bring your business cards. The people you meet between bites might be the ones who change your life.

So—who will you meet at Family Style?

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Disclaimer: This article was created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence for compiling and analyzing information. The editor rigorously fact-checked all details to ensure accuracy. Delivering timely and precise information about upcoming events is a key part of our reporting process, and AI helped us achieve this more efficiently.