51Eat is putting the Capital Region's food scene on the map

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Happy Thursday, Capital Region! Today, we’re letting you in on a really cool project. Just launched by two siblings originally from Duanesburg, 51Eat is a homegrown platform built to support the Capital Region's terrific food scene. “Just real people building real tools to help local food makers, farmers, and small businesses thrive,” as they say. Bravo 👏

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

51Eat puts the Capital Region food scene at your fingertips

With a name like Luigi Battaglioli, you know he loves food.

Not just Italian cuisine either. He’s constantly seeking out all kinds of delicious eats, made from real ingredients sourced from real places like local farms, butchers, cheese shops, and indie grocery stores with quality goods. Right now, he’s on a French kick.

Like us, Luigi has long thought that the Capital Region’s food scene deserves more attention.

Unlike us, he has actual programming skills, so he went ahead and built 51Eat. It’s an online directory where you can discover artisan shops, fresh markets, family-run farms, great restaurants, and other neighborhood gems throughout the region.

Their motto: Eat better, shop local, and taste the 518. This is a mission we can get behind 1000%.

“I really built this app out of my own need,” says Luigi, who comes from a family of restaurateurs. “I wanted to know where to get local eggs, local milk, fresh pasta—all in one place.”

It’s also a reaction to the “predatory” fees that DoorDash and UberEats slap on both small businesses and users, Luigi says.

The other part of the mission is keeping local dollars local. Citing statistics from a study done in the Chicago area, 51Eat notes:

When you spend $100 at a local business, about $68 stays in your community. Spend that same $100 at a national chain? Only $43 stays here.

Launched just last week, the project is already gaining some traction. The first business to sign up was Stella Pasta Bar & Bistro in Schenectady. Not coincidentally, it’s where Luigi worked his first restaurant job.

The platform is simple but powerful. Every local business that signs up gets a free, customizable digital storefront. No Facebook. No paywalls. Menus, hours, photos, and events are all on one clean, accessible page.

Luigi runs the project with his sister Ashley, who handles social media and content. She’s a longtime foodie and sustainability advocate with roots in the solar industry.

To get the word out, they’re mostly focusing on Instagram and hitting the pavement, talking to as many businesses as possible. Over time, they have visions of turning 51Eat into a real business of its own.

To browse the 51Eat app, you need to create an account. Right now, you won’t find a ton of listings given it just launched, but be sure to check back later and encourage local businesses you love to sign up. You can also support their efforts directly by donating to their GoFundMe.

We’re rooting for Luigi and Ashley. The more we can encourage folks to shop (and eat) with intention, the better it will be for the entire food scene in the Capital Region.

Lastly, we asked Luigi for his favorite haunts. His list includes Arthur’s Market in the Stockade, Stella, and Schenectady’s Little Italy, particularly Civitello’s and Cornells. Mangiamo!

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🥚Tomorrow is your last chance to enter The Egg’s Seat Naming Contest. Submit your best "egg" pun, favorite Egg memory, or otherwise witty idea that will be mounted on a seat in the Hart Theatre for the next five years. The winner gets a free engraved seat plaque worth $500. Submit your egg-cellent joke here (you’re gonna need to do a lot better than that to win!)

😬 The TU’s Chris Churchill has some hard truths to share about Albany after a convo with Ben Margolis at MIG, the firm hired to help guide the $200 million downtown revitalization effort. “Albany is the capital city of the state,” Margolis says. “Honestly, it’s not even acting like the center of a growing region in terms of its growth. It’s falling behind. This needs to change, and it needs to change urgently.” [Times Union]

🏆️ For an example of a successfully revitalized downtown, Albanians don’t need to look far. They can simply visit Schenectady, which has turned around its once derelict commercial core over the past two decades. The Daily Gazette takes a look at how the city saved its downtown.

🥧 The Blue Ribbon Restaurant and Bakery, an institution in Schenectady for nearly 50 years, has changed hands. The Menagias family has sold the business and its properties for $6.5 million to Gulshan Soni, a Connecticut-based restaurateur. [Albany Business Review]

⭐️ 🥳 Albany’s Palace Theatre's Community Block Party fills Clinton Ave with music, family-friendly activities, vendors, community organizations, and more! Heads up, the street will be closed to car traffic. Sat, starts at 1p, free.

⭐️ 🐷 Cue your taste buds for Troy Pig Out. The annual street fest brings out the city’s best barbecue masters. Only one pit champion can emerge, but the food slaps, so everyone wins. Don’t miss the hot dog-eating contest (if you can stomach it)! Sun, 1p start, free admission, samples are $4-5.

⭐️ 🎡 A summer highlight for many, the Altamont Fair goes through the weekend. Choose from a variety of memory makers, including the “World Famous Racing Pigs” and the Royal Hanneford Circus. Ours is the demolition derby—what a thrill! Here’s everything you need to know about the fair. $15 admission, 10 and under free, $30 for unlimited ride bands.

⭐️ 🎨 The 15th annual Saratoga Arts Celebration comes to the great lawn of the National Museum of Dance at Saratoga Spa State Park. This boutique art fair is geared towards making collectors out of casual viewers by showcasing a juried mix of fine art and crafts. Artists will be on hand to educate, demonstrate, or sell custom artwork at accessible prices. Sat & Sun, 10a–5p, free.

⭐️ 🎃 It’s never too early for the spooky season. Halloween in August at Thacher State Park gets you in the mood for ghosts and ghouls. Come for the scary animals and Halloween parade, and stay for the evening campfire stories and s’mores. If you’re not booking a campground, be sure to register for the event. Fri, 10a–8p, free.

🎟️ MORE NOTABLE EVENTS

TODAY

🎥 Picture Lock One screens “La Cienaga,” a visceral tale of a dissolute bourgeois family. PL1 is located in a former bank vault in the basement of Collar Works in Troy. A must-see experience!

🎸 The Tang Museum invites you to a free concert on its lawn. Come for Upbeat on the Roof with Girl Blue, and stay for the kids’ craft activities!

🤠 Schenectady’s Central Park puts on a free play, “Rodeo! A Play with Dance.” Come to the park for a new kind of rodeo combining hip-hop with Afro-Caribbean dance!

🍺 Saratoga Social Cycling puts on Le Tour de Toga, a three-brewery bar crawl this evening.

FRIDAY

🌿 On Friday, Collard City Growers is hosting a Community Work & Play Day in partnership with the Sanctuary for Independent Media.

🪐 Calling all Trekkies. Transport yourself to Ticonderoga this weekend as the Star Trek Set Tour sets down for Trekconderoga.

SATURDAY

🎸 Rock the Lock 2025 kicks off three consecutive Saturdays at Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site. On the bill: The jazzy rock of Zorbas Trio and folksy blend of the Bluebillies.

🏖️ Big Fez and the Surfmatics throw a beach party at Wolf Hollow Brewing Co. Show up in your very best beach attire.

🪩 Upstate Alternative Fitness invites you to Poles at the Park. Learn the basics of pole dancing at the Washington Park Fountain.

🎸 Rock Voices Albany Presents: One Hit Wonders from the past 70 years, at Colonie High School.

🏳️‍🌈 A Big Gay Market is doing a popup at the Shirt Factory in Glens Falls.

🧝Watch “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” live with the Philadelphia Orchestra at SPAC.

🚘️ Vette lovers should get to the Saratoga Automobile Museum for the Corvette Car Show. Also happening: The 19th Annual Clifton Park Elks Car, Truck & Bike Show.

SUNDAY

🐕️ Get your pup and join Yappy Hour at RavensWood Grill & Tavern in Clifton Park.

🚗 The Brunswick Elks Car Show is giving out giant trophies this year to the winners.

🎤 The MopCo Improv Theatre invites performers of all ages to try out their best stuff for 10 minutes on stage at its Open Mic event.

GET YOUR EVENT ON THE LIST 🎸

Our rolling deadline is the Saturday before your event!

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Got an awesome business, event or personality we should feature? Let us know! Contact: [email protected]