One Astoria writer is taking readers on a delicious trip around the borough with her new book.
Andrea Lynn released her fourth food book called “Queens: A Culinary Passport” on Sept. 30, providing a guide to the most diverse borough and the variety of ethnic cuisines it has to offer.
Lynn, who grew up in Alabama and moved to Astoria seven years ago, attended culinary school in New York City and worked as a personal chef.
“Brooklyn gets a lot of hype, Manhattan gets a lot of hype, and it seems like Queens as a whole doesn’t get the same appreciation,” said Lynn, who is now a freelance food writer. “I decided why not try to do a book about it. I was trying to think of things that would let people explore things like I do.”
In the 214-page, fully-illustrated book, Lynn offers a guide to more than 40 restaurants and food stands, chef and restaurant profiles, interviews with establishment owners, and recipes, which Lynn said would help readers bring ethnic dishes home.
“I realized the more you start exploring, the more you find and it seems almost endless,” Lynn said. “I feel like [the book] scratches the surface. It’s a good guide to Queens but there is so much beyond it.”
The book also features ethnic grocery stores, fish markets, delis and more. It also includes “easy-to-follow” subway directions and neighborhood walking tours.
“The common excuse [from outside people] is that Queens is so far away,” Lynn said. “All the excuses that people make, the book troubleshoots the excuses. I tried to make it as accessible as possible.”
She said the hardest part of compiling the book was trying to fit everything because the borough has a lot to offer.
“You can’t get everything represented. There’s so much,” she said.
She also added that after finishing this guide, she hopes other people will also begin to work on food guides to specific neighborhoods in the borough.
“I hope [the readers] will use the book to explore Queens or even to just start making more ethnic dishes at home,” Lynn said. “Or even start learning how diverse the borough really is.”
“Queens: A Culinary Passport” is available on Amazon and bookstores, including the Astoria Bookshop, located at 31-29 31st St.
Lynn will be having a book signing at the Jackson Heights Fall Festival on Oct. 19 at 34th Avenue and 78th Street from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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