It was to be the party of the year with several dozen restaurants and beverage purveyors providing samples of their products to hundreds of revelers in a great venue. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Queens Taste will not take place this year.
The organizers, the Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC) and the Queens Tourism Council (QTC), had hoped to reschedule the 18th annual May event for October, but now they have announced its cancellation.
“We’re saddened by this decision, but there’s so much uncertainty that even holding it in the fall is not feasible,” QEDC Executive Director Seth Bornstein said. “We hope for a healthier 2021 and we’ll hold another Queens Taste then.”
Last year, an estimated 500 people attended Queens Taste to sample cuisine from such countries as China, Colombia, Guyana, Haiti, India, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Thailand, Trinidad and the Philippines. The extremely popular food-and-networking celebration was at the New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows Corona Park where it has been held for the past five years.
“We are hoping to hold a triumphant, post-COVID affair and show off the borough’s businesses, but this disease is just too dangerous,” QTC Director Rob MacKay said. “It’s a shame, but we’ll be back.”
In addition to promoting the borough and its gastronomy, Queens Taste raises funds for the QEDC, whose mission is to create and retain jobs through programming that grows neighborhoods, assists small businesses, and promotes tourism and business development. The QTC is a subdivision of the QEDC.
In response to the coronavirus emergency, the QEDC has developed a document with detailed information on business assistance. It can be accessed here.
For business counseling, send an email to info@queensny.org, and an advisor will follow up. In addition, webinars to assist businesses as they reopen will be scheduled soon.
