“It was surreal, emotional a little bit,” said Asad, who declined to share his last name. Asad said he was born in Karachi, Pakistan, became a U.S. citizen in 2022, and voted for Mamdani after moving to New York from Florida.
At the Ella Spice stand, Akera Phillip represents Grenada with breadfruit croquettes, fried cou-cou, and to-go pouches of sorrel. Phillip, who named her business after her grandmother, felt “elated” and “blessed” to serve her food to the leaders of the state and the city.
“As a small island girl, it just made me feel big,” she said.
Akera Phillip holds breadfruit croquettes.
Photo by Gabe Hiatt
At the Epis by Steve tent, Hochul told Steve Lahens she could handle “Buffalo spicy,” a nod to her hometown, rather than admit to any trouble with his Haitian pikliz. Lahens and his wife fixed up plates of griot (fried pork) with diri djondjon (black rice) and makawoni au graten, a Caribbean mac and cheese he makes with bell peppers, “evaporated milk and a few little things I can’t talk about.”