About forty of the borough's independent restaurants will set up under one roof in Corona next month. The fifth annual Queens Together International Food Expo is Monday, December 7, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the New York Hall of Science, 47-01 111th Street, in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, and tickets are on sale now.

The expo is the biggest fundraiser of the year for Queens Together, a nonprofit that works on food relief, on the economic health of the borough's restaurants, and on community programs built through local partnerships. The organization expects several hundred guests.

What is on the tables

Queens Together says roughly forty independent Queens restaurants and hospitality partners will serve. The format is a walk-around tasting: one ticket, many kitchens, from neighborhoods across the borough.

Two partners handle the drinks. Neir's Tavern and SingleCut Beersmiths are both pouring. Local band Repriman plays live.

This year the organization is also publishing a new Expo Dining Guide with Metropolitan Airport News, in print and online, as a directory of the participating restaurants for guests to use after the night is over.

Where the money goes

Proceeds support three programs, according to Queens Together:

  • The Family Meal Program, which supplies produce to families through school food pantries.
  • Feed a Veteran and Rally Point, which provide meals and community events for veterans.
  • Small Business Support, which advocates for, develops and promotes Queens restaurants.

Since 2020, the group says, Queens Together and its partner restaurants have served more than 500,000 people.

Tickets

Tickets are sold in household tiers, each of which also puts the buyer's name in the expo's Family Circle listing:

  • Bronze, $250: two tickets
  • Silver, $500: four tickets
  • Gold, $750: six tickets
  • Platinum, $1,000: eight tickets

Businesses can buy ads in the dining guide or sponsor the night outright, with packages from $1,000 for a half-page ad up to a $75,000 founding sponsorship. Ad materials for the guide are due November 20. Questions go to Jonathan Forgash at Queens Together, jonathan@queenstogether.org or 917-626-8960.

Getting there

The New York Hall of Science is a short walk from the 111th Street stop on the 7 train.

If you go

  • What: Queens Together International Food Expo, fifth annual
  • When: Monday, December 7, 6 to 8:30 p.m.
  • Where: New York Hall of Science, 47-01 111th Street, Corona
  • Tickets: from $250 for two
  • Train: 7 to 111th Street

Sources