Queens Gazette

Let’s Party Hearty! Queens Centers for Progress Hosts an Evening of Fine Food


Annual Gala Goes Online With Great Eats, Drinks, and Shows

Dynamite dishes. Dreamy drinks. Delectable desserts. Different backdrop.

 

Queens Centers for Progress (QCP) will host An Evening of Fine Food: At Home Edition on Wednesday, March 24, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

 

Though usually at Terrace on the Park, this year’s festivities will take place on Zoom due to COVID. The interactive event promises a unique, unforgettable experience with cuisine from local restaurants, comedy, music, magic, and home delivery, thanks to the Long Island City-based food-delivery service EatNom.

 

Tickets cost $135. Each one entitles the purchaser to any three meals and one dessert from the participating establishments, which include Aigner Chocolates, Arepalicious, Ben’s Kosher, Havana Central, La Casa de Julia, La Fondita, Marbella, MumsKitchens NYC, Papazzio, Philly Pretzel Factory Forest Hills, Queens Bully, Remy’s Italian, Shanghai You Garden, and Veeray da Dhaba. Then, enhance the fun with products from the QCP Preferred Vendors — Aigner Chocolates along with New York Gourmet Coffee, QG Floral + Landscape, and The Wine Room of Forest Hills.

 

EatNom will deliver the goods or the ticket holder can opt for a $50 voucher to redeem at the participating restaurants for up to six months after the event. QCP will receive 20 percent of the proceeds.

 

The night’s program will open with stand-up comedy by Jen Kay, Mercer Morrison, Sandeep Sen, and Suzanne Windland. Then, Apollo Riego will amaze with his magic before Jim Altamore sings Frank Sinatra favorites. Throughout the night, Bravo Sound will spin deejay music from Terrace on the Park, while Le Selfie provides a Virtual Selfie Booth and Long Island Picture Frame spearheads a silent auction. (Don’t forget the 50-50 raffle and “schmooze rooms!”)

 

“Live and interactive, this is going to be as close to the usual event as can be,” said QCP Director of Development Wendy P. Gennaro. “Plus, it’s a chance to do a lot of good while having a lot of fun. We want to lift up the businesses that have supported us in past years.”

 

The Chefs of the Year (aka the main honorees) are members of the Dempsey-Reilly family, whose relative lives in a QCP residence. Jonathan Forgash from the grass roots restaurant advocacy group Queens Together shares the You’re Awesome Award with Mark Boccia Sr. and Mark Boccia Jr., who founded Food for the Fearless to deliver free meals to first responders during COVID’s height.

 

Sponsors are still joining An Evening of Fine Food: At Home Edition, but here’s the most recently updated list: BDO, The Rotary Club of Flushing, Gerald J. Caliendo Architect RA AIA, Investors Bank, Law Office of Donna Furey, Long Island Employee Benefits Group Ltd., Merritt Engineering Consultant DPC, Mutual of America Financial Group, Raymond Chan Architect PC, Resorts World Casino New York City, Total Care RX, and Veronica Tsang.

 

 

With more than 500 employees, three campuses, and nine residences, QCP serves more than 1,200 individuals with developmental disabilities a year. The nonprofit’s mission is to help clients make the most of their talents and abilities, while also providing a wide array of personalized services ranging from health care to therapy to vocational training.

 

For more information, surf to www.queenscp.org/.

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