Brings Together Borough’s Best Culinary, Beverage, Business and Entertainment Industries on May Day

(Kew Gardens, NY) Fantastic food and refreshing beverages happily competed with unique networking opportunities and a festive atmosphere as 47 vendors and almost 1,000 individuals enjoyed Queens Taste 2012 at Citi Field’s Caesars Club on May 1.

Hosted by the Queens Economic Development Corporation, the tenth annual extravaganza also included an art exhibit by Jackson Heights-based curator Zoescope, a stand up routine by Steve Hofstetter of the Laughing Devil Comedy Club in Long Island City and a special appearance by
Mr. Met.

There was also a taste competition as judged by a team of local foodies and media types. Magna Ristorante of Flushing won the Best Entrée award for its Penne alla Siciliana, which featured  sautéed eggplant and long, tubular pasta in a marinara-style sauce, and Pollo alla Romana, which included lightly sautéed chicken breast and specially prepared artichokes in a tomato-and-cream sauce.

Bayside’s Papazzio Restaurant & Caterer won the Best Appetizer award for its Pasta e Fagioli, which consisted of various kinds of red and white beans in a creamy, savory broth with onions, carrots, celery, rosemary, prosciutto and noodles. Upon accepting his prize, Papazzio’s Dominick Bruccoleri emphasized that his soup also contained “a lot of love.”

In the Best Dessert category, the judges chose Tropisec, a Long Island City-based company that creates flowers and other edible designs from dried tropical fruits such as mango, papaya and pineapple. One of founder Blanca Lilia Narváez’s signature products consists of dried banana pieces mixed with unprocessed cocoa.

“This was a fantastic event on so many levels,” said QEDC Executive Director Seth Bornstein. “The food, the beverages, the networking and the upbeat, almost giddy, atmosphere really couldn’t be beaten. Everybody had a great time, and we hope to build on this for next year.”

Event sponsors included Citi, Fairway Market, Daily News, Con Edison, Kaufman Astoria Studios, Port Authority of NY & NJ, Capital One Bank, the International Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, Cleary Gottlieb, Farrell Fritz, Emily Lin + Associates Architects, The Mattone Group, Queens Center, Ares Printing & Publishing, the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, Herald Bank, Hollis Center Mall, Sholom & Zuckerbrot Realty, Webline Design, TCE Systems, TD Bank, The D&F Development Group, LaGuardia Community College and Flushing Bank.