Kam Rai Thai serves guests at the fourth annual International Food Expo. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud.
Hundreds of foodies flocked to the New York Hall of Science in Corona Monday night for Queens Together’s fourth annual International Food Expo, which showcased a flavor of the borough’s diverse food scene while raising funds for the non-profit’s food relief programs.
The Food Expo, which featured 40 Queens restaurants providing samples of some of their most popular bites, offered exposure to hidden gems from neighborhoods across the borough on Dec. 8.
Participating restaurants represented the diversity of the Queens culinary scene, offering cuisines from Japan to Indonesia and from Brazil to Mexico. The event also represented neighborhoods across Queens, featuring Italian bites from Fuzi Pasta in Fresh Meadows and Filipino baked goods from the hugely popular Kora in Sunnyside.
All proceeds from the sold-out event went toward two new Queens Together initiatives – “SNAP BACK” and “Adopt a Veteran.”
The latter program, which launched as a pilot earlier this year, aims to provide veterans recently discharged from hospital care with one month of fresh meals prepared by local chefs.
Queens Together founder and Executive Director Jonathan Forgash said the program aims to cater to up to six veterans a month and provide freshly-prepared meals for the first month of their respite after a stay in hospital.
The SNAP BACK program, meanwhile, aims to proactively respond to upcoming federal funding cuts to the SNAP program. The cuts, introduced by President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, are set to be introduced next spring and mandates that states pay a share of SNAP benefits. The bill also imposes stricter work requirements on SNAP recipients.
Forgash said the new initiative will see Queens Together partner with local restaurants and schools to provide culturally-appropriate groceries to families impacted by the cuts. The non-profit will identify areas in Queens with no food pantries and work with schools in the area to identify families in need, Forgash said.
Speaking at the Food Expo, Forgash said he was “elated” with the success of the event, describing the fourth annual expo as “the biggest year yet.”
“Everyone looks like they had a great time,” Forgash said. “I’m really just over the moon.”
The event also honored a number of Queens restaurant owners who partnered with Queens Together to provide food relief when the non-profit launched during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Michael Fuquay, owner of Jackson Heights institution the Queensboro who received a Humanitarian Services Award on Monday, praised Forgash for his ability to find “hole-in-the-wall” restaurants off the beaten track throughout Queens and bring them together under one roof for the annual Food Expo.
Fuquay, who began working with Forgash and Queens Together at the onset of the pandemic, said the expo represents some of the best values of the borough.
“We want to represent what we feel are the best values of our community – and doing food relief and helping neighbors in needs is part of that,” Fuquay said.
He added that the expo offers an opportunity for people to discover some of the most underrated restaurants in the entire borough.
“People can come here and discover restaurants they didn’t even know existed,” he added. “And because the business are doing the right thing in our community, people want to support them. You want the good guys to survive.”
Other restaurants to receive awards on the night included Fuzi Pasta, Neir’s Tavern, Mayahuel, the Bier and Cheese Collective, Kam Rai Thai and Halal Diner.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards praised Queens Together during a fiery address at the expo, describing the non-profit as an “amazing organization” rooted in the community.
He added that it is “more important than ever” to partner with such organizations at a time when SNAP benefits and immigrant rights are “under attack” from the federal government.
“We are the most diverse county in the United States,” Richards said to enthusiastic applause. “We will never be beholden to ICE agents… we will stand up. This is what Queens Together is symbolic of. This is what you being here tonight is symbolic of… We don’t build walls in Queens, we build bridges. The number one way to do that is through food.”
Peter Rose, a senior director at Hydro Québec, a chief sponsor of Queens Together and the Food Expo, said the event is an example of how to be good neighbors.
“Queens Together really epitomizes what it means to be a good neighbor,” Rose said. “It (Food Expo) encapsulates the whole borough. You have the restaurants and the diversity, doing it for a wonderful cause.”
Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas, who attended the event alongside fellow lawmakers Assembly Larinda Hooks and Council Member-elect Shanel Thomas-Henry, said the event captures the diversity and multiculturalism of the borough.
“We have the best restaurants,” González-Rojas said. “This is just a taste of the amazing work that our restaurant owners do – what they contribute to the community and the delicious food that they offer.”
