50 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • JULY 18, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
buzz
Photo provided by Robert Duff y.
Queens gets creative: Astoria
craft market celebrates
its two-year anniversary
BY JACOB KAYE
jkaye@qns.com
@QNS
An Astoria craft fair group celebrated
Kew Gardens seniors to witness showdown between cops & chef
BY JACOB KAYE
jkaye@qns.com
@QNS
Something’s cooking between Kew
Gardens seniors and the police.
In celebration of National Culinary
Arts Month this July, residents of Atria
Senior Living in Kew Gardens will witness
Chef Helen Stampfl , director of culinary
services at the senior facility, face off
against a team of police offi cers from the
102nd Precinct in a spicy cooking competition.
Th e NYPD team, made up of offi cers
from the neighborhood, will be led by
Deputy Inspector Courtney Nilan, commanding
offi cer of the 102nd precinct.
Competitors will have free reign to
embrace the creative side of cooking, with
one caveat – they must use peppers, the
secret ingredient.
“Atria Senior Living has earned a reputation
for culinary experiences that are
nutritious, creative and delightful for the
residents and families they serve,” said
Martin Ingber, Engage Life director at
Atria Senior Living. “Atria believes people
belong together which is why they continuously
look for partnerships and opportunities
that allow our residents to engage
with their local communities – with the
goal of creating fun, rewarding events for
everyone involved.”
Th e competition will take place on the
patio at Atria Kew Gardens located at
117-01 84th Ave., Kew Gardens today,
Th ursday, July 18, at 2 p.m. It’s open to
all residents of the senior facility and the
general public. Photo provided by Atria
its two-year anniversary this
July by doing what it always does –
putting on a top-notch craft s market
fi lled with talented creators and
their work.
Queens Craft Brigade, an independent
market that hosts makers
exclusively from the “World’s
Borough,” held its monthly market
on Sunday, July 14, at its home in
the VFW Hall in Astoria.
Th e market began back in 2017
when its founder, Robert Duff y
noticed a lack space for local artists
in Queens.
“Th ere are a lot of amazing
things being created in the borough,”
said Duff y. “Th ere has been
a lot of infrastructure for makers in
Brooklyn and Manhattan but a lot
of the same things are being made
here in Queens – and sometimes,
even better.”
Two years on, Queens Craft
Brigade has collaborated with over
120 Queens-based makers, off ering
an intimate and curated platform
for the artists to sell their work.
“We have a lot of our makers tell
us they make more money selling
at our markets than they do at
other places,” Duff y said. “People
come from the neighborhood who
really want to support local businesses.”
Both creators and customers
keep coming back, according to
Duff y.
“We see a lot of repeat customers.
People are still supporting their
neighbors,” Duff y said. “I think
that’s amazing.”
July’s market featured about
25 creators including Frank Ape,
Benchfl our Bakers, Caryn Cast,
HISS, Hellgate Farms, Astor
Apiaries, GRL Supply and Key and
Arrow Leather.
For more information about
future shows, visit www.queenscraft
brigade.com.
/www.queens-craftbrigade.com
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