Katerina Katakalides of Whitestone has participated in several pageants and won her share.
But some things were still the same when her name was called last month to represent Queens this coming June in the Miss New York contest, where the winner will go on to compete for Miss America.
“That is the most exhilarating moment,” Katakalides told the Chronicle in an interview last Friday. “I’ve been competing in pageants, I think, since I was 15 years old. And I always say you lose more than you win. So it makes those moments you finally achieve that goal even more exciting.”
Aside from going to college in Minnesota and a brief stint in California, Katakalides, 27, is a lifelong Queens resident. Her family’s business, Citadel Foods, a food distributor in Long Island City, was founded by her grandfather 50 years ago.
“I’m really proud to be representing Queens,” she said, her smile audible over the phone.
This year’s pageant is being held in Rockland County on June 27.
Her service initiative is Healing Hearts Through Homes, a program in multiple states that helps those who may be homeless because of alcohol or drug addition. Others are LGBT clients who have been kicked out of their homes by family. She is a board member of the Sherlock’s Homes Foundation, a national nonprofit that addresses similar issues.
“We work on fixing the broken relationships,” she said. “We offer support, education opportunities, employment assistance … You can’t cure homelessness with a band-aid.”
Miss America has been switching emphasis on the scholarship competition than the pageant.
“New York is the only state that lets you use the scholarship to pay off your student loans,” she said “I love that about New York!”
As for the talent competition, Katakalides is among a growing number of women who enter under the category of HERstory.
“It’s taken from ‘history,’” she said. “It’s for women who have a nonperforming talent that they can showcase on stage.”
The genesis, she said, was a recent Miss California pageant in which a contestant was an award-winning equestrian.
“She went on stage in her equestrian outfit and spoke about her accolades when it comes to riding,” the Whitestone resident said. “And you can’t get a horse on stage. And she actually won the entire thing.”
Katakalides’ talent will combine her passion for cooking with a little bit of science and her professional training in marketing to drive it all home.
“I’ll be making fruit caviar,” she said.
“You isolate the liquid from fruit — you make fruit juice. You can blend it with different components. Calcium is one we use. You use a pipette and a dropper and you drip the juice into the calcium bath. It solidifies into these little jell-like bulbs of fruit. It’s really fun to watch. It’s colorful and pretty.
“I wanted something fun and engaging. I want people to say ‘Wow, that was awesome!’”
The five-day competition begins June 23, but her preparation already began months ago in terms of diet, exercise, community service, outfit selection and even practicing her walk.
“It’s a lifestyle change,” Katakalides said. “It’s not just doing one thing for the competition.”