{"id":185071,"date":"2026-04-04T02:16:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T02:16:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/185071\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T02:16:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T02:16:17","slug":"honorees-celebrate-as-qcps-30th-evening-of-fine-food-draws-strong-community-support-caribbean-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/185071\/","title":{"rendered":"Honorees celebrate as QCP\u2019s 30th \u2018Evening of Fine Food\u2019 draws strong community support \u2013 Caribbean Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"From\t\t<\/a>\t<\/p>\n

From left, Loycent Gordon, recipient of the Claire Shulman \u201cSpirit of Community\u201d Award, is honored alongside Richard S. David, Patricia Ornst and Ben Guttmann, recognized as \u201cChefs of the Year,\u201d during Queens Centers for Progress\u2019 annual Evening of Fine Food.
\nPhoto by Tracey Khan<\/p>\n

Photo by Tracey Khan<\/p>\n

Held earlier this year at Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, the event drew over 700 people who enjoyed dishes from Queens restaurants while supporting QCP\u2019s mission to serve people with developmental disabilities.<\/p>\n

Patricia Ornst (Delta Air Lines), Richard S. David (Con Edison), and Ben Guttmann (Queens Economic Development Corporation) were honored as \u201cChefs of the Year.\u201d Each thanked supporters and valued the opportunity to give back.<\/p>\n

\"HonoreeHonoree and officials of Queens Centers of Progress pose for a picture during the Fine Food event. Photo by Tracey Khan<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s incredibly meaningful to use something as personal as cooking to support a cause like this,\u201d said David, who reflected on his connection to preparing traditional Guyanese dishes.<\/p>\n

Guttmann called the evening an honor and a celebration of Queens\u2019 diversity. He stressed the importance of supporting organizations that uplift the community.<\/p>\n

Loycent Gordon, owner of Neir\u2019s Tavern and recipient of the Claire Shulman \u201cSpirit of Community\u201d Award, also expressed gratitude and highlighted the need to support organizations serving the borough\u2019s vulnerable residents.<\/p>\n

The evening was emceed by PIX11 reporter Monica Morales with guest co-hosts Joe DiStefano, Rick Bedrosian, and Roslyn Nieves, who guided the program and highlighted QCP\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

\"AttendeesAttendees gather at the 30th Annual \u201cEvening of Fine Food\u201d hosted by Queens Centers for Progress at Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. Photo by Tracey Khan<\/p>\n

Wendy Paff-Gennaro, QCP\u2019s development director, said the event\u2019s success was especially meaningful after a brief postponement.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was hard to postpone my event a month. It actually gave me time to be calm about it,\u201d she said. \u201cI think things went great. We have another amazing crowd, great restaurants, and we\u2019re doing a great job for our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paff-Gennaro said about 40 food providers, including honorees, participated, despite a few cancellations due to the new date.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have plenty of people, plenty of food, and we\u2019re really pleased,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"GuestsGuests sample a variety of dishes from local restaurants during Queens Centers for Progress\u2019 \u201cEvening of Fine Food\u201d in Queens. Photo by Tracey Khan<\/p>\n

She thanked the community and participating restaurants for their ongoing support.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to thank the community for always showing up for us,\u201d Paff-Gennaro said. \u201cEspecially the restaurant community. Without them, where would we be? It\u2019s such a warm, feel-good event, and we truly appreciate the love in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n

Attendees sampled dishes and drinks from dozens of local establishments, showcasing Queens\u2019 culinary diversity. Proceeds support QCP\u2019s programs, helping over 1,200 individuals lead more independent, fulfilling lives.<\/p>\n

Now in its 30th year, the \u201cEvening of Fine Food\u201d proved a resounding success, highlighting the power of community, culture, and compassion in Queens.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From left, Loycent Gordon, recipient of the Claire Shulman \u201cSpirit of Community\u201d Award, is honored alongside Richard S.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":185072,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":{"0":"post-185071","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-queens","8":"tag-new-york","9":"tag-new-york-city","10":"tag-nyc","11":"tag-queens","12":"tag-queens-headlines","13":"tag-queens-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=185071"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185071\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/185072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=185071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=185071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=185071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}