FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JULY 26, 2018 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 47
dining out
Get ready to indulge in drinks
and decadent desserts at
Wine & Sweets Festival in LIC
BY QNS STAFF
editorial@qns.com / @QNS
If you’re looking for a weekend to
savor amazing beverages and scrumptious
sweets, then make plans to visit the
LIC Flea & Food market the fi rst weekend
of August.
LIC Flea & Food, which off ers best
in global eats, unique vendors and the
LIC Flea Beer Garden serving up local
craft beers, will host the second-annual
Wine & Sweets Festival on Saturday and
Sunday, Aug. 4-5, from 11 a.m. until 6
p.m. each day.
Admission to the market is free, but
if you want to enjoy global wines curated
by a NYC wine expert, then grab a
ticket for unlimited tastings of whites,
rosé and reds while enjoying delectable
sweets from over 20 of the best sweets
vendors in the tristate area.
Wines to explore on the menu
include Vino di Fratelli Prosecco, Riff
Pinot Grigio, Bridge Lane Rosé, Elsa
Bianchi Malbec, Francois Montand
Brut Sparkling, Ponga Sauvignon Blanc,
Clean Slate Riesling, Zardetto Sparkling
Rosé and many more.
Th e wines are a perfect complement
to the incredible sweets available such
as Foughnut’s gourmet baked donuts.
Gluten- and nut-free as well as vegan
options available in wonderful fl avors
such as chocolate caramel (vegan & GF),
a moist chocolate cake with homemade
caramel, or banana coconut (vegan &
GF), fresh banana with shredded coconut!
Scoops In Cahoots is off ering up cream
premium ice creams right here in NY
using fresh, non-GMO milk and cream
from local family farms in delicious fl avors
such as Champagne Problems and
Whiskey’s Cookie Dough Crush.
Try a dulce de leche fi lled churro
empanada from Empanada Papa; cookies
galore and decadent brownies and
blondies by Baked By Dawn; the most
gorgeous sweets you’re ever going to eat
from Little Bird Chocolate; and more.
Instead of traveling east for wine
tours, let the wine tour come to you
at the LIC Flea & Food! Th e market is
located at 5-25 46th Ave. in Long Island
City.
Tickets are available at LICFlea.com/
special-events. Use the promo code
COURIER and receive a 15 percent discount!
Photo courtesy of Movitzsa Simmons
LIC mother launches all-natural Smooth
Pops to help kids cool off this summer
BY LIZZ SCHUMER
It was one of those sweltering Long
Island City days and 6-month-old Rock
Simmons needed a cool-down treat. He
was still too young to hold a popsicle
stick, but a Flav-Or-Ice freezie pop hit the
spot — until he wanted more.
His mom, Movitzsa Simmons, couldn’t
let herself give him all that sugar and
artifi cial color and fl avor, but she also
couldn’t fi nd a product that gave Rock
the tasty summer treat he wanted without
unnatural additives. Th us began Smooth
Pops, a 100 percent natural product that
Rock and his mom can both enjoy, guiltfree.
Th e tubular Smooth Pops came about
as a nostalgia-driven answer to a common
problem. As much as Simmons loved
freezie pops as a kid, as a nutrition-savvy
adult, she couldn’t justify it for her child.
“Looking at labels as a parent, it’s scary
to know that even in natural products,
companies sneak in binders like guar
gum and xanthan,” Simmons explained.
“Smooth Pops are just simple, all-natural
ingredients with zero additives — just
100 percent whole fruit, fi ltered water and
organic cane sugar.” She added that the
tubular package works great for young
kids to enjoy on their own, with less mess.
And enjoy he does! Chief tasting offi cer
Rock, now 2, approves all of Simmons’
creations, some of which come from
old family recipes. All Smooth Pops use
the entire fruit, including pulp, to retain
fl avor, texture and nutritional value.
Currently, Simmons makes strawberry
watermelon, mango, blue-raspberry,
pineapple-peach and lemon-limeonade
fl avors.
“I chose fruit blends that I love and
that give the boldest and most refreshing
tastes when combined, so with that in
mind, I essentially made all my favorites,”
Simmons said. “Th e lemon-limeonade is
a family recipe that is really unique and
gets the perfect balance between sweet,
sour and citrus tartness.”
As a participant in the StartUP!
Business Plan Competition administered
by the Queens Economic Development
Corporation, Simmons and other aspiring
business owners received technical
assistance and training in operations,
marketing and fi nancial statements
over an eight-month course. At the end
of the course, Simmons took home the
award in the food category, beating out
40 other teams and winning $10,000 to
jump-start her company. Th e funding
helped Simmons produce and make her
Smooth Pops ready for retail. She expects
to launch her treats in time to beat the
heat this summer.
And Smooth Pops won’t stop at the
kid-friendly fruit tubes. Simmons hopes
to launch crème pops, which she called a
“HUGE hit” in test markets, as well as tea
blends and chocolate fl avors.
“We also want to branch out into alcohol
and fruit-based pops — think strawberry
daiquiri with real strawberries in a
pop,” Simmons added. “Essentially, we
want Smooth Pops to be an all-natural
and refreshing snack, treat or indulgence
for everyone, anytime.”
As an entrepreneur, Simmons said
she has also learned not to fear sharing
her own ideas. By participating in the
StartUP! Competition, she consulted with
others in the industry to spread her idea
and help give birth to a solution.
“Pick one idea that really solves a problem
for you, and focus on helping others
solve that same problem with your solution,”
she advised. “As a woman, mom
and entrepreneur, I would also say confi -
dence in yourself is key.
“We are already built with what we
need to be entrepreneurs,” Simmons
added. “Moms manage their homes and
lives like CEOs without even blinking
an eye. Young, gutsy women are changing
how the world is run every day. It’s a
women’s world and moms birth it.”
Smooth Pops will hit local specialty grocers
and natural and health food stores
starting in June. For specifi c locations and
more information, follow @iLuvSmooth-
Pops in Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
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