12
QUEENS WEEKLY, AUGUST 25, 2019
Rego Park woman fi nalist in Coca-Cola mixology contest
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
A Rego Park woman is
going head-to-head with
four other contestants to
see which person created
the best Coca-Cola
f lavor concoction.
Born and raised in
Poland, 43-year-old
Danuta Rybak moved
to the United States 23
years ago. After 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,” said Rybak.
“When I stumbled upon
the Coca-Cola freestyle
contest, it felt right. I’ve
always loved Coca-Cola,
it’s my favorite drink.”
The 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 first
ingredient.”
With her based flavor
chosen, Rybak chose
f lavors 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.”
“I thought orange
would be a great
compliment 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
C o c a-Col a F r e e s t yl e
machines nationwide.
Consumers will cast
their votes for their
favorite mix by selecting
and pouring it at a Coca-
Cola Freestyle dispenser.
The 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 minifood
truck.
“My long-term goal
is to start my own
business,” said Rybak.
“The 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
finish the truck and
provide equipment and
advertising.”
To find a Coca-Cola
Freestyle machine,
visit coca-colafreestyle.
c om/ f i nd - f r e e s t yl e -
locations.
Reach reporter Emily
Davenport by email at
edavenport@qns.com or
by phone at (718) 260-2576.
Flu. taekwondo school gives children 200 backpacks
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
As the new school
year approaches, a
Flushing martial arts
center is giving back
to the community at
its annual backpack
giveaway to children
who need backpacks
for school.
Master Michael
Ro, headmaster at
Ultimate Champions
Taekwondo, located at
at 141-20 Northern Blvd.,
wil l be distributing
200 backpacks on
Saturday, Aug.17, from
2 to 3 p.m.
Activities wil l
include face painting,
music, games, a
bounce house, and
other fun games at the
Taekwondo school for
the community to come
and enjoy, Ro said.
Ultimate Champions
Taekwondo, which has
been in the Flushing
community for 12
years, had its first
backpack giveaway in
2017 and looks forward
to hosting the event
every year.
“This is just a little
something that we
have decided to do,
to give back to the
community,” Ro said.
“Last year we gave out
100 and our goal was to
double it this year. We
have been successful
in our fundraising to
raise money to provide
200 this year for the
community.”
Photo courtesy of Danuta Rybak
Ultimate Champions Taekwondo in Flushing will host its annual backpack giveaway on Saturday, Aug. 17. Courtesy of Michael Ro
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