56 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • AUGUST 22, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
buzz
Rego Park woman is fi nalist in Coca-Cola freestyle fl avor competition
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com
@QNS
A Rego Park woman is going headto
head with four other contestants to
see which person created the best Coca-
Cola fl avor concoction.
Born and raised in Poland, 43-yearold
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��his week’s “Power Woman” podcast
features Barbara Askins, President
& CEO of the 125th Street Business
Improvement District (BID) speaking
with host Victoria Schneps.
Ms. Askins talks about growing up
in her small-town childhood home of
Plaquemine, LA, her life today, and her
advice to other women on how to succeed
in business.
Recalling her early life, she candidly
shared it was women such as
her first grade teacher and her
college mentor who greatly influenced
her to get to where she
is now, and how she will always
remember “all of those wonderful
women.”
Askins left Plaquemine for
Houston where she majored in
the sciences before realizing
she needed to be in a more “creative”
field. After visiting on a school trip, she
eventually landed in New York City
where, after “trying many fields,” her
journey led her to 125th Street. While
working on a transportation project she
realized she loved the energy and the
culture of the neighborhood and decided
to stay.
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Barbara Askins created the 125th
Street BID which was one of the first
BIDs in the community of color in the
world. “125 Alive” is her mantra and her
passion comes through as you hear her
talk about the BID’s benefit to the community
by the jobs it creates and the opportunities
it presents.
“It’s challenging and it can only happen
if business owners participate with
all of the planning of the BID,” she says.
Askins also knows that it takes a village
and she works closely with the police
and sanitation departments
as well. “It’s a family of people
working together, not just the
BID,” said Askins.
The BID’s yearly Harlem
Holiday Lights celebration,
created by Ms. Askins, will
take place this year on Nov. 20,
2019. Schneps has already penciled
in the date to ride on one
of the illuminated floats with Barbara!
According to Askins, “It is truly an
event that brings the community together.”
It is a magical day to kick off the
holiday season.
“Power Women” podcasts share
successful women’s secrets to success.
Tune in to the podcast at SchnepsBroadcasting.
com and wherever podcasts are
heard.
Danuta Rybak moved to the United
States 23 years ago. Aft er spending some
time in New Jersey, Rybak moved to
Queens in 2013, where she worked in
hospitality and catering before moving
into real estate.
However, Rybak is a foodie at heart
and has always loved to cook. And for
her, entering the Coca-Cola “Make
Your Mix” freestyle competition was a
no-brainer.
“I took up cooking jobs as a hobby
and started entering cooking contests,”
Rybak said. “When I stumbled upon the
Coca-Cola freestyle contest, it felt right.
I’ve always loved Coca-Cola; it’s my
favorite drink.”
Th e rules for the Coca-Cola “Make Your
Mix” contest were simple: fans entered
the contest by mixing two or three of
Coca-Cola Freestyle’s nearly 200 drink
choices and sharing photos or videos of
their mixes on Twitter or Instagram with
the hashtag #MakeYourMixContest.
Rybak knew that Cherry Coke was
going to be the base for her drink.
“I love cherries. I’m always making
cherry desserts,” said Rybak. “So I knew
Cherry Coke had to be my fi rst ingredient.”
With her based fl avor chosen, Rybak
chose fl avors that she believed would
balance well with the cherries, leading
her to choose Fanta Orange and
Lemonade as mix-ins. She calls her
drink the “Lemon Fan Cherry Cola.”
View this post on Instagram
My creation for #makeyourmixcontest
I call it “Lemon Fan Cherry Cola” (40%
Lemonade +20% Fanta + 40% Cherry
Coke) @cocacolafreestyle_us
A post shared by Danuta Rybak (@
danutellascorner) on Jun 9, 2019 at
8:41am PDT
“I thought orange would be a great
complement to the cherry, and lemonade
would give it more variety,” said
Rybak. “I wanted to keep with the fruit
theme.”
Rybak and the four other contestants’
mixes will be put to the test to determine
the winner. From Aug. 26 until Nov.
4., their mixes available for America to
try on over 50,000 Coca-Cola Freestyle
machines nationwide. Consumers will
cast their votes for their favorite mix by
selecting and pouring it at a Coca-Cola
Freestyle dispenser. Th e winner, which
will be determined by which fan-created
mix attracts the most pours by volume,
will win $10,000.
As a foodie, Rybak already runs a food
blog (Danutella’s Corner) and a YouTube
channel where she makes and shares recipes.
Should she win, Rybak wants to use
the money to help fund a Polish-inspired
mini-food truck.
“My long-term goal is to start my own
business,” said Rybak. “Th e mini food
truck is in the process of being built. I’ve
had the idea for quite a few years, but
it has been delayed and delayed. More
funds would help fi nish the truck and
provide equipment and advertising.”
To fi nd a Coca-Cola Freestyle machine,
visit coca-colafreestyle.com/fi nd-freestyle
locations.
Photo courtesy of Danuta Rybak
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