Business & Tech

Jamaica Food Entrepreneurship Program To Expand Across Queens

The city is expanding a Jamaica-based entrepreneurship program for aspiring culinary mavens to other parts of Queens.

The city is expanding a Jamaica-based entrepreneurship program for aspiring culinary mavens to other parts of Queens.
The city is expanding a Jamaica-based entrepreneurship program for aspiring culinary mavens to other parts of Queens. (Shutterstock)

JAMAICA, QUEENS — The city is expanding a Jamaica-based entrepreneurship program for aspiring culinary mavens after a spike in interest.

The NYC Economic Development Corporation and Queens Library announced plans to expand a training and mentorship program that helps Jamaica residents start and grow food businesses.

The program, called FEASTS, will double the number of classes offered and launch locations in northern, southern and western Queens, the the city announced Wednesday. The expanded program will accommodate 250 students, up from 100. New employees will provide entrepreneurship counseling, teach English as a second language and track what happens to participants after they complete the program.

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More than 100 students have graduated from FEASTS, or the Food Entrepreneurship and Services Training Space, since it started in 2016. Three-quarters of graduates are women, and about 70 percent are minorities. Graduates have been showcased at the NYC Wine and Food Festival and have participated in the Queens Night Market.

“The classes were intense but gave me all the knowledge and tools I needed to open my food business," said Tavia Kowalchuk, a member of the first FEASTS class and founder/owner of Bliss Street Creamery, based in Sunnyside. "One of the most important tools it gave me was inspiration. The more I learned about how to do it, the more I realized I could do it — and that I had a clear vision for my business.”

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Jamaica FEASTS, based at Central Library on Merrick Blvd., is part of the city's $153-million initiative to economically revitalize the Jamaica area with workforce training and small business support, new mixed-use developments and neighborhood safety improvements.


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