Five Alive: QEDC Entrepreneur Space Celebrates Its Fifth Anniversary

The Queens Economic Development Corporation celebrated the fifth anniversary of its Entrepreneur Space in Long Island City on 30 March 2016 with a lively networking party that featured spicy, savory, and sweet food samples from some 30 vendors. There was much to celebrate: the incubator has helped more than 500 small businesses, generated $6 million in revenue, and created more than 100 jobs in its five-year history.

Five Alive: Cooks Kickin' It In Queens video

The Entrepreneur Space opened officially on 19 January 2011. Sponsored by the NYC Economic Development Corporation, the 12,500-square-foot space comprises a fully equipped commercial kitchen, offices, and classrooms. In addition to providing space and equipment, QEDC offers business counseling, technical assistance, and financial classes on site. The E-Space also provides an area for culinary skills training to The Fortune Society, an organization that supports successful reëntry from prison.

Matt Swanston

Beginning in Studio 4, my first taste was a St. Louis-style gooey butter cake from Gooey&Co. Since introducing his Gateway City staple to Gotham (via Smorgasburg) in 2014, Matt Swanston has never looked back. The St. Louis native makes his cakes with organic, all-natural ingredients.

Gooey&Co: Butter Cake

I made the transition from sweet to savory with samples of DILL-icious Salsa Verde (medium) and Fire Roasted Red Salsa from the husband-and-wife team of Danny and Bella Mayans of Casa Maya.

Casa Maya: DILL-icious Salsa Verde (medium)

At the next table, Phoebe's Sourdough Bakery gave rise to my next nibble. Phoebe Goh's sourdough bread varieties—SuperSpelt, SimplyRye, and Omega3Bomb—are made from ancient grains that are grown locally, certified organic, and non-GMO.

Phoebe's Sourdough: SuperSpelt, SimplyRye, and Omega3Bomb

And the sweet cycle begins anew …

Andrea "Sweetcicle" Patel

What appeared to be tortiglioni were actually confections handcrafted by Andrea "Sweetcicle" Patel. Sweetcicle's Soft Chews are available in chew, er, two flavors: Meyer Lemon and Peach with a hint of Elderflower.

Soft Chews: Meyer Lemon and Peach with a hint of Elderflower

Little Luna cookies were inspired by a little girl with type 1 diabetes.

8 Bit Bakeshop: Little Luna

8 Bit Bakeshop's pastry chef Hannah Maldonado and Matthew McNamee created these special treats for their diabetic daughter, Luna—and others with food allergies and special dietary needs.

Little Luna: Sweet Vanilla & White Rice Cookies

On to Kitchen A …

My first sample in this large space was a snack from itskale. The chips, made from kale and chia seeds, and baked with organic ingredients, certainly seemed healthful.

itskale: Kale and Chia Seed Chips

Yu Bakery offered some healthful snacks as well. Using a modified Brazilian recipe, Kurt Schwarzbauer and his wife, Daniela, bake their yucca-based puffs and buns without artificial colors, chemicals, and preservatives. Because yucca is naturally free of gluten and GMOs, YuPuffs and YuBuns contain neither.

YuPuffs: Parmesan (left) and Coconut Oil & Flaxseed (right)

Just out of the oven, these warm Cheese YuBuns melted in my mouth.

Yu Bakery: Cheese YuBuns

Chef Sherri Royes prepares soul food and fusion dishes with a focus on catering. Her Citrus Glazed Chicken, with its Asian-inspired sweet and spicy flavors, showcased her culinary creativity.

Chef Sherri's Catering: Citrus Glazed Chicken

The bruschetta from Little Pleasures, a dining event and catering concern, was smokin'—literally. Scott McCullough's antipasto was prepared with smoked sea salt, seared with fresh feta on top, and infused with hickory smoke. Where were the mirrors?

Little Pleasures: Smoked Bruschetta

Around the corner, British Guyana-inspired food samples—Chicken Curry, Roti, Chicken and Vegetable Patties, and Almond Cookie Cakes—from Veda's Cakes and Catering beckoned.

Veda's Cakes & Catering: Tastes of British Guyana

In Kitchen B, across the aisle, Judy's Knishes offered a vegetarian taste of old New York.

Judy's Knishes

At the neighboring table, emphasizing healthful ingredients and "no empty calories," Lydia Fiorentino's baked goods tasted every bit as good as they looked.

Fiorentino's L Baked Goods

Of course, beer goes with everything. Student-run Bayside Brewery poured some fine suds to accompany my cake.

Kitchen C, in the center of the large space, offered dumplings, pretzel balls, and a witch's brew.

Michael Zhang and daughter Sylvia

Asian Farmer's dumplings contain all-natural, local ingredients only—from the vegetables to the grass-fed beef, pasture-raised pork, and free-range chicken. Owner Michael Zhang prepares them by hand using recipes and techniques passed down from generations of dumpling makers.

Asian Farmer: Vegan, Pork, and Chicken Dumplings

Pretzel Man Mike Panara Jr. rolled out cheese-stuffed, soft pretzel balls. He makes six flavors in all, and sells them to bars and restaurants in New York.

Forest Witch teas are based on the Wiccan belief that nature possesses magical powers. Thus, Stephanie Sanz's tea blends comprise herbs that have particular magical properties in common. Additionally, a unique incantation is affixed to the back of each package to facilitate casting a spell before drinking the tea.

Forest Witch: Magical Teas

Over in Kitchen D, a familiar vendor served a familiar dessert along with one that was new to me. Pilar de Guzman won top honors at Queens…A Taste of the World in 2011 (video) for her Date and Walnut Thins, known in the Philippines as "Food for the Gods."

Pilar de Guzman

While I don't wish to seem impious, I found Bonne Fête's Apple Cake to be just as heavenly as the Date-and-Walnut bar.

Bonne Fête Baking: Apple Cake

To the best of my knowledge, Biggie's Crack Toffee hasn't anything to do with plumbers or cocaine. It has everything to do, however, with Stephanie Golden, innovative toffee, and a large cat.

Stephanie Golden

Biggie's thin, crackly, crunchy treats are "not your grandmother's toffee." (Full disclosure: my grandmother did not make toffee.) Several flavors were available for the tasting: Toasted Almond, Toasted Pecans & Bourbon, Pomegranate, Espresso, and Peanut Butter & Wild Blueberries—each speckled with sea salt.

Biggie's Crack Toffee: Espresso (left) and Peanut Butter & Wild Blueberries (right)

In the classroom space, Megan Sipe danced her way into my sweet tooth. The colorful choreographer-chocolatier steps into cacao to create a multisensory experience called Chocolate Dances.

Megan Sipe

The tasting portion included three dark-chocolate Wild Women Mediants: Zoey (ginger, toasted coconut flakes, pumpkin seeds), Michelle (pistachios, sea salt), and Rachel (almonds, sea salt, cherries).

Chocolate Dances: Wild Women Mediants

After a taste of Wild Women chocolates, what could be better than a little more caffeine? COFFEED poured samples of cold-brewed Burundi, their medium-roast house blend, imported from Africa. More than a coffee roaster, COFFEED is a charity-minded food-and-beverage company that supports the communities around its stores.

COFFEED

Sergey Golosinkiy, co-founder of Oaks & Co Foods, served diminutive pancakes to accompany my cup of joe. The tasty, high-protein flapjacks—free of gluten, soy, and GMOs—went like hotcakes.

Oaks & Co Foods: Protein Pancake Mix

At the next table, I spotted another familiar face. Rosangela Arnold introduced me to her yucca-based, gluten-free Viva Natural pão de queijo (cheese bread) at the first E-Space anniversary celebration four years ago (video).

On this occasion, she crafted little sandwiches from her cheese rolls, filling them with a choice of salami, dulce de leche, or smoked wild salmon.

Viva Natural: Cheese Roll Sandwiches

To end my classroom visit on a sweet note, I tried Buenos Angie's Argentine Alfajores (dulce de leche cookies).

Buenos Angie's Argentine Alfajores

One of my favorite vendors, Little Bird Curious Confections, has left the building.

Corey Meyer

I first met owners Corey and Sarah Meyer at Queens Taste 2013 (video). They started at the E-Space in May of that year, whereupon, they tweaked their recipes and learned how to transform a treat they made at home into a product that could be mass produced. In the incubator, the Meyers honed their marketing skills, refined their packaging, and developed a professional website.

Little Bird Curious Confections: FIRE BITES

Over time, they added staff as well as shifts. In the past year, demand for their FIRE BITES has risen so sharply that Corey and Sarah have outgrown the Entrepreneur Space and, consequently, moved into their own space.

Milk and Dark Chocolate Sea Salt FIRE BITES