Queens County Farm Museum Director of Agriculture Kennon Kay; Cannelle Patisserie owner Jean-Claude Perennou; Edible Queens publisher Leah McLaughlin; Espresso 77 owner Afzal Hossain; Queens County Farm Museum Executive Director Amy Boncardo
Local Heroes Get Their Due
Written by Jesse Hirsch
FLORAL PARK - At an event Tuesday night at the Queens County Farm Museum, nearly 100 oenophiles and locavores came out in the rain for a wine auction and awards ceremony honoring Edible Queens local heroes. The fundraiser event included food by Tamara Reynolds (author of Forking Fantastic: Put the Party Back in Dinner Party and co-host of the Sunday Night Dinners underground supper club), all-organic wine and other beverages, jazz music by the Phil Costa Band and speeches by local dignitaries including state Senator Frank Padavan.
Midway through the event, Edible Queens publisher Leah McLaughlin took the mic for an awards ceremony honoring four of the five ve heroes of the local food scene. The honorees were nominated in five categories, based on hundreds of votes by local readers. “That’s what makes these awards really special,” said McLaughlin. “It’s not about what I think or what the magazine thinks; it’s the people of Queens who want to honor these people.”
The first award was given to Jean-Claude Perennou of Cannelle Patisserie in East Elmhurst, voted Best Food Artisan for his seasonal baked goods and pastries that appeal to a range of immigrant tastes. Next was Afzal Hossain, owner of Espresso 77 in Jackson Heights, who was given Best Beverage Artisan honors for his wide variety of inventive coffee and juice-based beverages. Queens County Farm Museum, New York City’s only working historical farm, garnered two awards, one for Best Farm and one for Best Farmer. The latter award was given to director of agriculture Kennon Kay, who oversees the farm’s livestock and two acres of vegetables.
"Famous Fat Dave" (at far left) and friends and family celebrate Immigrant Heritage Week at Gracie Mansion and honor Edible Queens' 2010 Local Heroes Ali El Sayed (second from left) and Jean-Claude Perennou (at back). Perennous' partner, Samba, is at far right.
The final award, Best Chef/Restaurateur, was given to Astorian local legend Ali El Sayed, proprietor of Kabab Café, who could not be in attendance at the awards. “It’s hard to get him to leave his restaurant,” joked McLaughlin. But El Sayed was not forgotten. The photo above was taken a few weeks before, when he, Perennou and Perennou's partner Gnanasampanthan Sabaratnam were welcomed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg at Gracie Mansion and honored as part of Immigrant Heritage Week. There, these three talented chefs contributed an amazing array of pastries, plus an Egyptian egga tart, made with eggs donated by Queens County Farm Museum.
All told, the evening’s wine auction grossed over $10,000 for the Queens County Farm Museum. The wine is available for sale at the museum's gift shop.
Read more about the 2010 Local Heroes here.
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