52 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • JUNE 29, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
buzz
Astoria’s Sugar Freak reopens with
new additions to NOLA-inspired menu
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @AngelaMatua
Th e beloved New Orleans-inspired
Sugar Freak will offi cially reopen in
Astoria on June 26.
Th e restaurant, previously located
at 36-18 30th Ave., closed in Feburary
when owner Michele Addeo and restaurateur
This hot sauce company will make Queens
sauce using peppers from local gardens
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @AngelaMatua
If you’re looking to add a kick to your
meal, one Bronx-based hot sauce company
will use community gardens in
the borough to create the Queens 7 Hot
Sauce.
Th e Bronx-based Small Axe Peppers
was founded by affordable housing
developers John Crotty and John
Fitzgerald. Th e duo was working on revitalizing
apartments in the Bronx in 2014
and decided to do more for the community.
Crotty and Fitzgerald provide free
Serrano pepper seeds to community gardens
and buy the peppers at a premium
price. Th ey then use those peppers
to produce Th e Bronx Hot Sauce in partnership
with Chef King Phojanakong.
Now, they’re expanding their business
to Queens. GrowNYC, the organization
that runs the Union Square
Greenmarket and others like it around
the fi ve boroughs, will provide jalapeno
pepper seeds to community growers,
who will dedicate a portion of their garden
to growing the peppers.
Chef King Phojanakong will make the
Queens 7 Hot Sauce and include fl avors
inspired by the “World’s Borough”
diversity like jalapenos and fi sh sauce.
Phojanakong, a Bronx native, is the chef
and owner of Kuma Inn and Tito King’s
Kitchen. Th e “7” in the sauce’s name
come from the seven ingredients used
in the sauce.
Th e Korean American Family Service
Center will help grow some of the peppers.
Th e Rockaway Youth Task Force
will also help grow the ingredient. Th e
hot sauce will be sold by greenmarkets
and companies that stock local products.
“Th is sauce captures all the vibrant
ingredients from Queens’ ethnic neighborhoods
in one bottle: jalapeno peppers
spice up Mexican salsas in Corona;
tomatoes are the base of Indian curries
in Jackson Heights; and fi sh sauce
adds the quintessential Asian fl air in
Flushing,” the website said.
In 2014, the company produced 5,000
bottles of Th e Bronx Hot Sauce and in
2016 production spiked and 70,000 bottles
of the sauce were made, according to
Untapped Cities.
You can already pre-order a bottle of
the sauce, which will be available in the
fall. One bottle costs $10 and there is
a $5 shipping fee. Proceeds go back to
GrowNYC to run their programming
and to the community gardens.
James Paloumbis announced it
would reopen at 37-11 30th Ave. Th e new
space previously housed the restaurant
MexiBBQ.
Now, Sugar Freak will open at the bigger
space and retain the “authentic homegrown
feel” including the vintage plates
on the walls and the tin ceiling.
“Everything is upcycled, recycled and
repurposed,” a spokesperson for the
restaurant said.
In addition to its old menu, the restaurant
will now off er new seafood boils,
waffl e tacos and Beignet Eggs Benedict.
Freshly baked cakes and pies will be
added to the dessert menu along with the
deep-friend banana pudding and traditional
dump cake.
To make the ordering process smoother,
customers will now order their meals
at the counter before taking a seat. Sugar
Freak will also off er delivery service,
catering and lunch service.
If you’re interesting in working at the
restaurant as a bartender, cook, server or
working the counter, email your resume
to info@sugarfreak.com.
Now, Sugar Freak will open at the bigger
space and retain the “authentic homegrown
feel” including the vintage plates
on the walls and the tin ceiling.
“Everything is upcycled, recycled and
repurposed,” a spokesperson for the
restaurant said.
In addition to its old menu, the restaurant
will now off er new seafood boils,
waffl e tacos and Beignet Eggs Benedict.
Freshly baked cakes and pies will be
added to the dessert menu along with the
deep-friend banana pudding and traditional
dump cake.
To make the ordering process smoother,
customers will now order their meals
at the counter before taking a seat. Sugar
Freak will also off er delivery service,
catering and lunch service.
If you’re interesting in working at the
restaurant as a bartender, cook, server or
working the counter, email your resume
to info@sugarfreak.com.
Photo via Instagram/SmallAxePeppers
A hot sauce company is using local community
gardens to make a Queens-inspired hot sauce.