THE QUEENS
NOVEMBER 2020
Courtesy Kaufman Arts District
Queens Together launches online Kaufman
Arts District guide to food, culture in Astoria
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Queens Together, a restaurant advocacy
group launched in the wake of the
COVID-19 pandemic, has launched a
new eff ort to support local support of cultural
institutions, shops and eateries in
western Queens with its “KAD Passport,”
an online guide to 15 of the very best
attractions in Astoria’s Kaufman Arts
District.
Th e KAD Passport features the neighborhood’s
culinary and cultural institutions
such as the performing arts high
school founded by Astoria’s favorite son
Tony Bennett; New York City’s only ukulele
emporium; and a host of restaurants,
including Mexican cantinas, latenight
Desi kebab stands, a bistro featuring
French crepes from Brittany and Astoria’s
only Nigerian eatery. Th e guide was written
and compiled by Joe DiStefano, a local
food guru, tour guide and the author of
“111 Places in Queens Th at You Must
Not Miss.”
“Th is is home for me. I moved to
Astoria in the mid-90s and immediately
started doing craft service and catering
for fi lm and TV studios in New
York City,” Queens Together Executive
Director Jonathan Forgash said. “For 25
years I worked in and around Kaufman
Astoria Studios. Th ey are an anchor in
the neighborhood. Kaufman provides
jobs, supports families and sponsors
events for all to enjoy. Th e district and
its cultural and culinary institutions are
living, breathing history. I’m excited to
share it.”
Th e online KAD Passport is available
to download for free at queenstogether.
org.Participants are encouraged to start
their KAD tours at the Kaufman Astoria
Studios iconic Main Gate at the corner of
35th Avenue and 36th Street.
“As Queen’s fi rst cultural district, we
have always banded together to support
the arts and our neighborhood,” Kaufman
Arts District Board of Directors President
Tracy Capune said. “Today, as many restaurant
owners struggle in our district
and around Kaufman Astoria Studios, we
are happy to join Queens Together to promote
and provide assistance to unique
restaurants that you can only fi nd in the
Kaufman Arts District.”
Th e district is home to a community of
cultural institutions that support emerging
artists. Founded by the Kaufman
Astoria Studios, the Museum of Moving
Image and the Queens Council on the
Arts, KAD spans more than 24 blocks
and serves to advocate for the arts in the
neighborhood.
For more information visit the Kaufman
Arts District website.
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