Entrepreneur Space to deliver fresh food
to Long Island City and Astoria residents
Live streamed events keep Astoria community connected
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | MARCH 27-APR. 2, 2020 3
BY JESSICA MILITELLO
As bars, restaurants, stores
and gyms have been closed in
a state-mandated effort to slow
the spread of the coronavirus,
residents have been mostly
stuck at home unable to enjoy
their usual fitness classes,
meet up with friends and take
part in Astoria nightlife.
However, many businesses
and event organizers have been
using livestreams and social
media to continue reaching
out to the community by having
online classes and digital
events for their audiences to
maintain a sense of normalcy
and a source of relief while the
city is at a standstill.
James Orfanos, the coowner
of New York Martial
Arts Academy, which has one
of its four locations on Broadway
and Crescent, has been
letting his students continue
their Jeet Kune Do training by
providing livestreamed classes
via the school’s Instagram
and YouTube pages Monday
through Friday at 7 p.m. and a
Saturday class at noon.
Orfanos immediately
made the decision to keep
classes going in some way for
students to continue enjoying
the benefits of the martial art
from home.
“Our livestreamed classes
will be taught the same as
regular class,” said Orfanos.
“Our students can still get
good information and train in
their living room. We’re obviously
not giving up. I want to
make sure that the students
are still training, especially
now when everyone is stircrazy
at home. It’ll be a good
way to get the students energy
up.”
While personal trainers
and fitness facilities seem to
be following suit in offering
their classes online for members
to work on their physical
health, Astoria Music Collective
founders Miguel Hernandez
and Karen Adelman have
decided to keep their music
showcases going through live
sessions called “AMC Digital
Sessions” streamed through
their Facebook page for artists
and listeners to enjoy.
Normally, the AMC performs
throughout bars and
venues in the neighborhood,
but the duo is determined to
keep the show going any way
they can.
“Although we can’t gather
in person, through digital sessions
we can come together
to support and rejoice in each
other, and maybe bring a little
warmth to uncertain times,”
Adelman said. “It may not be
exactly a sense of normalcy,
but it’s extremely comforting
to see and hear our friends continue
to celebrate life through
our shared love of music.”
Queens Craft Brigade,
which holds monthly makers
markets, will be having an online
event on April 19 in order
to bring people together and to
continue being a platform for
artists to show and sell their
work. As their events for the
next few months will likely be
postponed, the group’s founder
Robert Duffy took their
event online which will also
include showing home-bound
residents different ways to tap
into their creative side as well
as continuing to show other’s
work.
“We want to find a way for
people to still connect,” Duffy
said. “We hope to have a forum
for people to talk with each
other, maybe learn a skill, and
just be with each other. If it
goes well we may do them on
a more regular basis; we’re all
in this together.”
BY BILL PARRY
A Long Island City foodand
business incubator, looking
to serve a hungry and
stressed population while also
helping small startups thrive
during the COVID-19 crisis,
has announced an innovative
delivery service for fresh and
packaged products.
Beginning Wednesday,
March 25, the Entrepreneur
Space will deliver freshly prepared
meals from 10 a.m. to
3:30 p.m. on weekdays within
a half-mile of its 36-46 37th St.
location.
Over time, the E-Space
hopes to ramp up and serve all
of western Queens and parts
of Manhattan, but for now
the zone is from 33rd Street
and 30th Avenue to Northern
Boulevard; 48th Street to 36th
Street; 36th Street and Honeywell
Street; 35th Avenue and
21st Street.
The E-Space was created
by the Queens Economic Development
Corporation to give
clients a place to prepare food
products in a 12,500-squarefoot
industrial kitchen. These
products are sold online or
at the Queens Night Market,
Smorgasburg and other New
York City pop-up markets.
“This is economic development
in its true sense,” QEDC
Executive Director Seth Bornstein
said.
The process is simple.
Savvy shoppers go to the individual
client’s website and
order what they want. The
businesses will then fill the
order and they will be delivered.
Clients can also use services
such as Seamless and
Uber Eats.
Participating E-Space businesses
include Cooking with
Corey, Daily Spoon/Destination
Dumplings, Ipsa Provisions.
Other businesses like
Broma, Lucina’s Gourmet and
Milene Jardine will prepare
packaged products available
for delivery via the U.S. Postal
Service and FedEx in and outside
the delivery zone.
For more information visit
the E-Space website.
Reach reporter Bill Parry by
e-mail at bparry@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718)
260–4538.
The Entrepreneur Space will begin delivering fresh meals in Astoria and Long Island City to boost
small startups during the COVID-19 emergency. Courtesy QEDC
Photo via Getty Images
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