NYC Restaurant Week runs until Feb. 4, but in Queens the great dining never stops.
The 28th annual Evening of Fine Food is set for Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Tuesday, Feb. 27, from 6:30 pm to 9 pm.
Restaurants from around the World’s Borough – including Arepalicious (Ozone Park), Bourbon Street (Bayside), and Rincón Salvadoreño (Jamaica) – will offer samples of their specialties, while local gems such as MumsKitchens NYC (St. Albans), The Wine Room of Forest Hills, and Schmidt’s Candy (Woodhaven) add their spice to the fun.
Tickets are $150 per person, and the event raises funds for Queens Centers for Progress, a multi-branched nonprofit that annually helps more than 1,200 individuals with developmental disabilities as they lead more independent lives.
For the second year in a row, PIX 11 Reporter Greg Mocker will serve as emcee. He’ll honor QCP’s Chefs of the Year, two people who have had a positive impact on the community. They are Frank J. Quatela, Owner and Principal Architect at Quatela Architects, and Hersh K. Parekh, Director of Government & Community Relations at the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.
Each Chef will serve the community in a different way on this night — by cooking a family specialty.
QCP will also present the Claire Shulman Spirit of Community Award to Lara Gregory, a QCP Board Member who is a Principal Attorney at Lara Gregory and Associates.
“If you want a taste of Queens, then this is the place to be – featuring culinary delights that illustrate the diversity of our borough,” stated QCP Executive Director Terri Ross. “And it’s all for a good cause because the funds that are raised allow us to keep our longtime mission alive so that all people can learn and that everyone – in spite of any developmental disability – can make meaningful choices about their lives.”
More food-and-drink purveyors are expected, but here’s the current list of participants: Aigner Chocolates; Arepalicious; Austin Ale House; Bevos; Bourbon Street; Café Renis; Citizen Cider; Havana Café; Il Bacco NY; Julia’s Kountry Kitchen; Kam Rai Thai; Little Chef Little Café; Marbella Restaurant & Catering; MumsKitchens NYC; Neir’s Tavern; One Station Plaza; Rincón Salvadoreño; Schmidt’s Candy; The Wine Room of Forest Hills; and Trattoria 35. For more information, contact Wendy Gennaro at 718.380.3000, ext. 325, or [email protected].
Located within walking distance from the 7 train’s 111th Street station at 52-11 111st St., Terrace in the Park has a large, free parking lot.
(Editor’s note: After moving to Corona with dreams of becoming a star in the entertainment world, a teenage Madonna worked as an elevator operator at Terrace in the Park.)
Images: Queens Centers for Progress