Discover Moldovan a sibling-run restau rant By Angela Matua
rother and sister duo Radu
and Sorina Panfil have
been bringing their version
of Moldovan cuisine
Photos to Sunnyside since July 2016. There, they
serve a mix of traditional comfort food
and dishes with Romanian and Russian
elements.
The siblings’ father owned two restaurants
in Moldova, a small country bordered
by Romania and Ukraine, and Radu Panfil
was inspired to open his own kitchen in
America. He came to the United States in
2005 and opened Moldova in Midwood,
Brooklyn.
His sister Sorina came to the states
in 2008, where she worked in finance.
But Radu Panfil wanted to expand his
restaurant and called on his sister to help
open Boon by Moldova in Sunnyside.
“I was on my maternity leave and my
brother said, ‘Come on, let’s try this’ and
I said, ‘Why not? I’m in my 30s, this is the
opportunity for me to see if I’m good at
it or not good at it, see how much I like
to be a business owner, what challenges
are there.’”
The restaurant, located at 43-45 40th
St., used to be a Romanian eatery, and
Sorina Panfil said the large Romanian
community in the area pushed them to
open Boon in Sunnyside. The owners
were also encouraged by the young crowd
with adventurous taste buds in the area.
“Sunnyside is so close to the city and
it’s a growing area and it’s an area where
you have a lot of young people with a cool
mind set, like they wouldn’t be scared to
try something new,” she said.
Sorina Panfil’s husband was responsible
for the design at the spacious restaurant,
which features hand-painted designs,
a stage for weekend performances and
portraits of men, women and children
34 FEBRuary 2017 i LIC COURIER i www.qns.com
by Angela Matua
“Sunnyside is so close
to the city and it’s a
growing area and it’s
an area where you have
a lot of young people
with a cool mind set, like
they wouldn’t be scared
to try something new.”
Sorina Panfil, co-owner
Food
