28 THE QUEENS COURIER • JUNE 29, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Metro Meat Market continues to
serve delicious food after expanding
BY ANTHONY GIUDICE
agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com
@A_GiudiceReport
Th e guys at Metro Meat Market have
been serving Forest Hills and the surrounding
Samantha Bee slams Senate’s refusal to vote on Child Victims Act
BY ANTHONY GIUDICE
agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com
@A_GiudiceReport
Th e Child Victims Act, introduced
repeatedly by Queens lawmakers with
the aim of giving sex abuse victims their
fair day in court, passed the Assembly but
didn’t come to a vote in the State Senate
for yet another session. Now a prominent
comic and television host is making this
state bill a national battle.
Samantha Bee, host of TBS’ “Full
Frontal with Samantha Bee,” spoke
out on her June 21 episode about the
Child Victims Act and slammed the
State Senate’s Republican leader, John
Flanagan, for failing to bring it to the
fl oor before this year’s session ended.
Th e Child Victims Act (CVA), sponsored
most recently by Assemblyman
Mike Miller of Glendale, was approved
by the Democratic-led Assembly earlier
this month. Prior to this year, former
Assemblywoman Margaret Markey of
Maspeth had been the bill’s key sponsor
and introduced it every session; she lost
her re-election campaign last year.
Th e CVA looks to extend New York’s
statute of limitations which currently
allows victims of childhood sexual abuse
to bring their abuser to criminal court
until their 23rd birthday — fi ve years
aft er they legal become an adult. Under
the CVA, victims would have until their
28th birthday to bring their abusers to
criminal court, and until their 50th birthday
to bring civil action against their
abuser.
Th e bill would also create a one-year
window which would allow victims to
start a civil action, and would allow courts
to consider claims by those who were previously
dismissed or were not heard at all
because of the current law’s limitations.
“Victims of childhood sexual abuse
carry the trauma and pain with them
for the rest of their lives,” said Miller in
a statement. “Th at’s why we must do all
we can to empower victims, allow them
more time to seek justice and help them
move on with their lives.”
Th e legislation passed by the Assembly
would also treat public and private entities
equally by removing the current
notice of claim requirement for public
entities, which states any individual
who wants to sue a public entity must
notify them of their intent within 90
days; as well as require judges to undergo
additional training for cases involving
the sexual abuse of minors; and give
these revived civil cases a trial preference
so they are more rapidly moved forward
in court.
But the CVA has been opposed in
recent years by religious and youth organizations
who believe the bill, were it to
become law, would open the door to a
new round of litigation that could ultimately
bankrupt these institutions.
Th e State Senate’s refusal to take up
the CVA this year got Bee’s attention. At
the end of her nearly 6 minute monologue,
she provides phone numbers for
Flanagan and Governor Andrew Cuomo
in an eff ort to get viewers to call them
about the CVA.
“Th ese people (referencing child sex
abuse survivors who’ve actively supported
the CVA) have schlepped up to
Albany enough. If they have to go back
to the Capitol next year, so help me, New
Yorkers can make sure you guys don’t,”
Bee said to Flanagan and Cuomo at the
end of her segment.
Meanwhile, the Diocese of Brooklyn
and Queens announced last week a new
program that will monetarily compensate
childhood victims of sexual abuse by
members of the clergy.
For more information on how the program
works, visit the diocese’s website at
http://dioceseofb rooklyn.org.
Screenshot via YouTube/Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Samantha Bee slammed the New York State Senate leadership for failing to take a vote on the Child
Victims Act, which is sponsored by Queens lawmakers.
areas with fresh cut deli meats
since they opened in 1995.
Now, aft er some modern renovations,
the establishment has grown from a simple
deli/butcher shop into a full marketplace
off ering a wide variety of new products
and services for their customers.
Mitch Palminteri opened Metro Meat
Market, located at 102-23 Metropolitan
Ave. in 1995. For nearly 23 years, he provided
his customers with deli products
and prime meats, but eventually he was
looking for a change.
In February, the shop closed down for
renovations, and by the time the store
opened again in April, it was outfi tted
with a kitchen which gave Metro Meats
the ability to off er customers prepared
foods, a fresh and packaged vegetable
section, as well as top-notch catering service
in addition to the fresh deli meats
and butcher products.
“Now it’s more like a market. We have
a little bit of everything now,” said Peter
Asaro, Palminteri’s nephew who came on
board aft er the renovations to help run
the shop. “Th e neighborhood, I kind of
felt, needed a place like this.”
Some of the more popular items
off ered at Metro Meat Market include
their skirt steaks, kebabs, classic beef
burgers, homemade pasta sauces (marinara
and vodka sauce), empanadas, their
variety of salads, and their lasagna.
Along with Asaro, Palminteri brought
in Erick Garcia and Jesus Cruz to man
the new kitchen.
In the kitchen Garcia and Cruz handle
all the daily orders, prepared foods, and
the catering aspect of the business. Both
chefs pride themselves on the homecooked
style foods they prepare by hand
each day.
“Working for Mitch and Peter,
it inspires me to do what I do best,
and that’s cooking,” Garcia said. “It’s a
neighborhood store and it’s like a homecooked
meal like you made it at your
house. Whenever we make something, it
is made with love.”
Th e Metro Meat Market team isn’t just
creating a great place for customers to
get high-quality foods; they are also creating
true camaraderie between all the
employees, which makes their work that
much better.
“For me, coming on board working
with Erick and working alongside Mitch
and Peter, it’s amazing,” Cruz said. “We
work great together. Th ey make you feel
good. And that’s very important in business,
to make clients, customers and
workers feel good. I wouldn’t want to
work anywhere else.”
Asaro and Palminteri are excited to see
where Metro Meat Market is headed and
to continue provide their customers with
quality products and excellent customer
service.
“I love it, it’s great. I want to keep the
family business alive and keep it going
for hopefully another 23 years,” Asaro
said of working at Metro Meats. “We
have our loyal customers who come in
every single day. Now, since everybody
has seen the fl ags outside, we’ve had a lot
of new customers come in as well, which
is good.”
Photos by Anthony Giudice
Pictured from left to right: sous chef Jesus Cruz, chef Erick Garcia, Mitch Palminteri, and Peter Asaro.