Quantcast

Businesses voted ‘Bethpage Best of the Boro’ 2019 celebrate in Douglaston

Photos by Allen Ngai

This year’s businesses voted best in the “World’s Borough” celebrated their win Thursday night in Douglaston with food, drinks, networking — and a performance from New York’s top Elvis Presley tribute artist.

Hundreds of people filled the room at the Douglaston Manor — located at 6320 Commonwealth Blvd. — on Jan. 31 for the 2019 Bethpage Best of the Boro Winners Celebration. Now in its ninth year, the Bethpage Best of the Boro competition is a roadmap to the best businesses in Queens as determined by the public.

“We welcome all of you, and am so happy to see all of the new faces and old faces,” Schneps Media co-publisher Victoria Schneps told attendees. “It’s all about you guys who are sitting here, who are the great winners and we want to acknowledge every one of you that has won.”

The program is sponsored by Bethpage Federal Credit Union — the largest credit union in the northeast — which offers the community a full range of banking products including checking, savings, credit cards, mortgages and loans.

“We’re looking to grow in the tri-state area, so any events we can get into we’ll try to do. For us it’s an honor to host Best of the Boro, we’ve done it before in the past and going forward we hope to do it from year to year,” said Mousa Rabie, of Bethpage Federal Credit Union.

QNS spoke with some of the winners at the event about the significance of winning “Best of the Boro.”

Roseann McSorley, owner of Katch Astoria and three-time award winner, felt honored to win in four different categories: Best Singles Bar, Best Sports Bar, Best Happy Hour and Best Beer Selection.

“We’re so excited and honored to be winners of Bethpage Best of the Boro,” said Roseann McSorley. “We’re just really happy to be here. It’s such an exciting event, It’s a fun event and it really helps us armor out because we work really hard all year long to bring a lot of great events to the community, and this award really helps us feel good about what we’re doing.”

Teresa Rishik, executive director of the Performing Arts Conservatory of New York in Jackson Heights, won the category for Best Musical School in Queens for a third year in a row.

“It certainly is an accomplishment. We are very proud of the work we’ve done, and to be a part of this event, to serve the community and children we’ve worked with,” said Rishik. “It certainly brings joy that we’re being recognized.”

Lara Fois, general manager of Bourbon Street, won for three categories: Best Rooftop Bar in Queens, Best First Date Venue and Best Cajun American Food.

“We’ve won multiples times before. It’s nice to be recognized as a coveted winner, which is great and also being in the neighborhood for so long it’s just nice to be a part of the community. It’s been very good,” said Fois.

And the night couldn’t end without a performance from the Bethpage Best of the Boro Cover Band winner, Lamar Peters, as Elvis Presley.

“It is a wonderful honor,” said Peters, who is a second-generation cover artist. “This is my first time winning. It took 12 years, but hey, we did it.”

Peters placed in the top three in the Ultimate Elvis Presley tribute contest sponsored by Elvis Presley Enterprises.

Hundreds of Bethpage Best of the Boro business award winners were celebrated in categories including Bars & Nightlife, Home & Garden, Shopping and Services. See the full list of winners by visiting the Best of the Boro website.