JULY 2 0 2 0 I BOROMAG.COM 15
Most Astorians would agree
going out to eat is a part of
the western Queens lifestyle
and a beloved ritual in one
of the most diverse neighborhoods
in the world. The
process of choosing a place
to eat, who to dine with and what to order
off a menu has been sorely missed
by Astoria residents, and restaurants
certainly feel the same.
Astoria resident Katie Riley fondly
remembers going to Comfortland
every Sunday morning and attending
Monday night trivia at Sek’end Sun. In
early May, Riley read a New York Times
article about the increased popularity
of community cookbooks during
the pandemic, since food lovers have
been craving their restaurant scenes.
She thought, why not create a community
cookbook for Astoria so people
could recreate their favorite recipes
from local restaurants?
Riley and a team of eight western
Queens residents reached out to 120
restaurants — representing 34 different
cuisines — asking them if they would like
to submit a recipe from their menu to be
featured in the Astoria at Home Cookbook.
So far, restaurants such as Taverna
Kyclades, no5nyc, Mom’s, Queens Comfort,
Lokanta, Vesta, Mojave and Ovelia
are participating in the project.
“Working with local restaurants has
been lovely. Not one single restaurant
has asked if it will draw more customers
or money for them. They really just
want to be involved,” Riley said.
The cookbook will include not only
recipes, but also stories and histories
of some of the local eateries.
“Recipes are very personal,” said Ardian
Skenduri, owner and chef of Taverna
Kyclades. “The Astoria community
is our home and very personal to us.
Of course, we jumped at the chance to
be part of the Astoria Cookbook. We
are so happy we were included. Also,
this recipe is from our menu and everyone
loves it.”
The owner of the Greek restaurant
off Ditmars disclosed that their recipe
in the cookbook is a “hearty, Greek
Photo courtesy of Rivercrest Photo courtesy of Comfortland
Photo courtesy of Astoria at Home Cookbook
Photo courtesy of Queens Comfort
Photo courtesy of Duzan
Photo by Desmond Thorne/courtesy of Bench Flour Bakers
/BOROMAG.COM
