Edible Queens

05/29/2020

The Final Letter from the Publisher

Today is the last day of Edible Queens. To the writers, photographers, and illustrators we've had the pleasure of working with, to our readers and to the Queens community — thank you. It has been a pleasure covering the food of this very special borough. We look forward to seeing you around/on the other side. Take care 🖤

To say that we have all had our challenges these last few months is an understatement. Lives have been lost in so many ways. During my culinary school days, I externed under chef Floyd Cardoz. He commanded his kitchen with unsappy sweetness and strict aplomb. He terrified me, and I wanted nothing mo...

05/28/2020

Hard to Love: Essays and Confessions

Read an excerpt from this brilliant new collection of essays by Briallen Hopper, an assistant professor of creative nonfiction at Queens College.

Baking as a woman can be fraught. It’s often seen as soft and feminine to pipette a layer cake or trim and crimp a piecrust (picture Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, who hums a sweet song while little forest creatures help her tame the dough).

05/27/2020

The Temple Aunties

For our Women's Issue, Aditi Natasha Kini visited Elmhurst's Derasar, a temple dedicated to Jainism, a religion dating back about 2,500 years and predicated on the pursuit of nonviolence. Every Sunday morning for over a decade, a group of women have volunteered to prepare a feast for the temple's worshippers, following Jainism's dietary guidelines — no leftovers or waste, nothing from a can and nothing plucked from underground, as it's believed that uprooting them disturbs too many tiny life forms.

Editor's Note: This article was written before the COVID-19 crisis for what would have been our print Women's Issue.

05/22/2020

The Girl with the Lemon Tattoo

"There are well more than 800 lemons in Hannah Berger’s Ridgewood apartment," writes our editor Abby Carney. "She pours them out of two cardboard boxes and a hill of them emerges, sweet-smelling and in various states of decay."

There are well more than 800 lemons in Hannah Berger’s Ridgewood apartment. She pours them out of two cardboard boxes and a hill of them emerges, sweet-smelling and in various states of decay. A visual artist from Florida, Berger’s work with citrus is both nostalgic of her West Palm Beach upbrin...

05/21/2020

Perfect Pockets

On peak summer weekends at Caracas Arepa Bar in Rockaway Beach, Maribel Araujo serves 1,000 Venezuelan arepas, all made to order, from a colorful counter facing the ocean.

Maribel Araujo serves her arepas hot, fresh and dry. But when she has lines spilling onto the Rockaway Beach boardwalk, with summer demand peaking at 1,000 arepas on weekends and 400 on weekdays, and the construction of each pocket takes 20 minutes (and a two-step cooking process), a logistical equa...

05/20/2020

Supporting Queens' Food Community

Check out our running list of restaurants, bars, breweries and more that are open for takeout and delivery.

Edible Queens and their friends, Joe DiStefano, Jonathan Forgash and Drew Kerr, are creating a video series highlighting members of Queens’ diverse food community in an effort to support local businesses through the current crisis. Each video introduces a member of the community and what they need...

05/19/2020

Behind the Bar with the Best in the Biz

For the Women's Issue, our editor Abby Carney visited three of the borough's most beloved career bartenders to talk about their decades of kegs tapped, vodka-sodas poured and regulars counseled.

You might expect career bartenders in Queens to be grizzled and salty, none too concerned with whether you live or die, but while some of the women below might sometimes call themselves rude and say they hassle their customers, in actuality they’re all extremely kind, attentive and exude a cool ol...

05/18/2020

Mina's

Mina Stone spent nearly a decade working for the artist Urs Fischer, preparing daily meals for his studio staff, before she took over the café space at MoMA PS1. Her all-day restaurant Mina's is a bright, white space serving subtle, thoughtful food, what Stone calls "a respite from looking at art."

“It seems like no matter what I’m doing in my life, it’s always a sort-of renegade operation,” says Mina Stone, who opened her café, Mina’s, on the ground-floor of MoMA PS1 in September 2019. It’s her first restaurant—and a high-profile one at that—after nearly a decade of working f...

05/18/2020

Recipes for Home is a digital cookbook with over 80 recipes from Edible Communities publishers, from Edible Alaska's salmon Nicoise salad, to Edible New Mexico's sweet potato-and-red chili sauce, to our own pork-and-shrimp dumplings.

https://www.ediblecommunities.com/edible-cookbook-download/

05/14/2020

Queens Grocery Diaries

The yoga teacher who loves Trader Joes, the video producer with a vegetarian husband, the designer with "high standards for bread," the mother who feeds her family Dominican staples — four western Queens women share their weekly grocery diaries for our Women's Issue.

Queens is best known for its diversity in terms of the wealth of international cultures that reside in its neighborhoods. This is most evident in the borough’s food: Tibetan momos, Indian samosas, Greek dolmas, Filipino kamayan feasts, Korean soondae, Sichuan dan dan mian and more. But beyond rest...

05/14/2020

The yoga teacher who loves Trader Joes, the video producer with a vegetarian husband, the designer with "high standards for bread," the mother who feeds her family Dominican staples — four women share their weekly grocery diaries with @jasminepting for our Women's Issue. Read them at the link in our bio. 🖊@jasminepting 📸@ameadowsphoto

05/13/2020

Local Dining and Resources in Queens

We're still working to keep our takeout guide updated as best as we can, with help from Eat Your World, Bayside Village BID, Sunnyside Shines and more. See who's open for takeout and delivery in your neighborhood.

We support local restaurants, bakers, farms, brewers, and makers — and we encourage everyone to patronize as many local businesses in as many ways as possible during this challenging time. We are working closely with area BIDs to create one central searchable database. We’ll update this list of ...

05/12/2020

Sambal, Spice and Everything Nice Tuesdays with Chef Tjahajadi

In different times, we might be heading to Warung Selasa ("Tuesday Pop-up"), where Anastasia Dewi Tjahjadi cooks Indonesian meals for $10 a pop in the back of Indo Java Groceries. Young jackfruit cooked in palm sugar coconut milk, shrimp potato stew, turmeric beef soup with tripe, steamed fish with shredded mangoes and spicy lemongrass hardboiled eggs — all this from a microwave and three electric burners. You can still order from Indo Java Groceries for pickup, and read about Lisa Wong Macabasco's visit with Tjahjadi.

https://ediblequeens.ediblecommunities.com/eat/sambal-spice-and-everything-nice-tuesdays-chef-tjahajadi

“You like spicy?” Anastasia Dewi Tjahjadi asks, laden with grocery bags bursting with chilis. The small ones are a riot of precarious reds, oranges and yellows; the long hot ones, a sober deep green. She’s just bought a sackful for a song from an Indian grocery in Jackson Heights.

05/08/2020

Saying goodbye to Edible Queens

We are sad to announce that Edible Queens will close on May 29th. Until then, we will share stories from what would have been our third annual Women's Issue and continue to update our COVID-19 resources. Many thanks to you, our readers, for being part of our community.

04/27/2020

Local Dining and Resources in Queens

Our guide to eating and drinking (at home) in Queens.

We support local restaurants, bakers, farms, brewers, and makers — and we encourage everyone to patronize as many local businesses in as many ways as possible during this challenging time. We are working closely with area BIDs to create one central searchable database. We’ll update this list of ...

04/27/2020

Coconut-Spiced Asparagus

Got asparagus in your CSA box? Toss it with some lime juice and fresh coconut.

A recipe for Coconut-Spiced Asparagus from Shilpa Uskokovic

04/24/2020

Fifth Hammer Nails It

Weekend plans: order cans and merch from Fifth Hammer Brewing Company for pickup at their LIC brewery.

An important thing to know about Chris Cuzme is that he’s first and foremost a saxophonist. The same creative ability necessary to find a rhythm and harmonize comes out in the beers he makes at Fifth Hammer Brewing, Queens’ newest brewery. Cuzme is probably best known as the former brewer at the...

04/24/2020

Asian Bowl is one of only a handful of Burmese spots in the city. Recipes for dishes like mohinga, the fish noodle soup pictured here, come from Aye Thida, and her family, who ran restaurants for over 20 years in Yangong, Burma. She and her husband, John Htin, have kept their kitchen open for pickup and delivery. Order a refreshing fermented tea-leaf salad, and read more at the link in our bio. 🖊@carolinestoriesnyc 📸@ameadowsphoto

04/24/2020

Arada's Mango Salad

As a child in Northern Thailand, Chef Arada Moonroj of Lamoon would eat this mango salad with her grandmother as an after-school snack.

Arada's Mango Salad recipe from Lamoon Thai restaurant in Elmhurst, New York.

04/23/2020

Submit to Edible Queens' Guide to Local Food Businesses

Small businesses! We have a comprehensive list of all take out, delivery, and special information that restaurants and hospitality-related businesses are offering during the COVID-19 crisis.

Attention local businesses! We are compiling a comprehensive list of all take out, delivery, and special information that restaurants and hospitality-related businesses are offering during the COVID-19 crisis. Please fill out the below form to be included on our list. View our current list of local....

04/23/2020

Coronavirus in NYC: Resources You Need to Know

THE CITY NY has tons of continuously updated resources for New Yorkers facing the Covid crisis.

Here’s our guide to resources for dealing with the coronavirus crisis. This page will update regularly — and your suggestions are welcome.

04/22/2020

Home Edible Queens

Sign up for our newsletter for longform stories, restaurant updates and recipes.

04/21/2020

#EQSpotlight on Schmidt's Candy

Today’s #EQSpotlight is a whirlwind tour of Schmidt's Confectionery a 95-year-old institution in Woodhaven. They’re open for pickup, delivery and shipping

04/20/2020

The Sweet Spot for Vegetarian Indian Cuisine

"Push past the smiling dads in colorful shalwar kameez and you’ll find about a dozen tables and chairs neatly arranged in the back. This is where they serve the 'snacks,' though that’s drastically underselling it."

https://ediblequeens.ediblecommunities.com/eat/sweet-spot-vegetarian-indian-cuisine

Some of the best vegetarian Indian food in New York City is in the back of a candy store in Jackson Heights. Maharaja Sweets and Snacks is a tiny storefront wedged between a mobile phone kiosk and the kind of grocery store that sells most of its food from the sidewalk. It’s on the outer edge of Ja...

04/18/2020

#EQSpotlight on Tea & Milk

Tea and Milk is selling DIY bubble tea kits for pickup or shipping! Proceeds go to donating drinks and protective gear to frontline workers, as well as supporting Tea & Milk’s staff. #EQSpotlight

04/17/2020

Amy Quichiz, Founder of Veggie Mijas

Meet the writer and organizer behind Veggie Mijas in her family's Jackson Heights kitchen.

Amy Quichiz’s smile brightens the doorway of her family’s Jackson Heights home. She speaks with candor and is quick to laugh, or cry—telltale traits of a Pisces, she disclaims.

04/16/2020

#EQSpotlight on Beebe's

#eqspotlight on Beebe’s, which is open for pickup and delivery! The pizza is great as always and the wine is half-off. If you call them directly and order for curbside pickup, you'll get a 15% discount — (718) 208-2895.

04/15/2020

Local Dining and Resources in Queens

Our obsessively updated takeout guide is here to help you decide what to order for dinner.

We support local restaurants, bakers, farms, brewers, and makers — and we encourage everyone to patronize as many local businesses in as many ways as possible during this challenging time. We are working closely with area BIDs to create one central searchable database. We’ll update this list of ...

04/14/2020

#EQSpotlight on The Nourish Spot

#EQSpotlight on The Nourish Spot in Jamaica, which is open for pickup and delivery. Get your smoothies, immunity boosting shots and more.

04/14/2020

The Sweet Spot for Vegetarian Indian Cuisine

Maharaja Sweets & Snacks is open for pickup! Chris Chafin wrote about the shop's menu of vegetarian street snacks, which includes nine delightful varieties of chaat.

Some of the best vegetarian Indian food in New York City is in the back of a candy store in Jackson Heights. Maharaja Sweets and Snacks is a tiny storefront wedged between a mobile phone kiosk and the kind of grocery store that sells most of its food from the sidewalk. It’s on the outer edge of Ja...

04/13/2020

#EQSpotlight on Fiamma 41

#EQSpotlight on @Fiamma 41 — Get your fresh pasta, arrancini and Neopolitan pizzas for pickup or delivery! They're offering a free pizza margherita for every $50 you spend.

#EQSpotlight is a video series we're publishing in partnership with Joe DiStefano, Jonathan Forgash and Drew Kerr. We're highlighting local chefs, restaurant owners and more in an effort to support them through this crisis.

To participate, please visit ediblequeens.com.

04/11/2020

#EQSpotlight on Rockaway Beach Bakery

#EQSpotlight on Rockaway Beach Bakery! Get your pastries and breakfast sandwiches for pickup. 🥐

#EQSpotlight is a video series we're publishing in partnership with Joe DiStefano, Jonathan Forgash and Drew Kerr. We're highlighting local chefs, restaurant owners and more in an effort to support them through this crisis.

To participate, please visit ediblequeens.com.

04/10/2020

Deasura

At Deasura in Forest Hills, Maram Jdeed Shami serves the food of her childhood on Syria's Mediterranean coast. The restaurant, which Shami co-owns with her brother, is open for delivery.

https://ediblequeens.ediblecommunities.com/eat/deasura

The vegetarian kibbeh (cracked wheat stuffed with Swiss chard, spinach, onion, sumac and lemon, served with garlic pepper sauce) and kafta kebab (grilled beef and lamb) at Deasura are two of Maram Jdeed Shami’s favorite childhood foods. She and her brother—and co-owner—Mohannad Jdeed, grew up ...

04/09/2020

Sunnyside Shines

Give our Sunnyside restaurants a lifeline by funding them to do awesome things! Your gift through the dedicated link bit.ly/QTSunnyside will go directly to Sunnyside businesses to feed our hospitals, first responders, and families in crisis. You can also arrange direct payment to a restaurant for a goodwill delivery through us! Thank you to @qns_together for your partnership! #sunnysidestrong #philanthropy #gratitude #giving #community #sunnyside #sunnysidequeens