Ammi
Ammi means ‘mother’ in Hindi/Urdu and will serve homestyle foods coming from chef Jimmy Rizvi’s mother and family dating back a century.
Bessou
Bessou serves reimagined Japanese home cooking using natural, locally sourced ingredients. The word ‘Bessou’ loosely translates to second home and chef Maiko Kyogoku will create dishes that are new but familiar, to bring people together.
Bird & Branch
Husband and wife team Brandon and Faith Lee opened Bird & Branch in February 2018. Their goal is to give back to the communities they serve and provide job training for those facing barriers to employment.
Due Madri by The Butcher Girls
Whole animal butchers Erika Nakamura and Jocelyn Guest always loved meaty Italian fare and work to emulate some of Italy’s most beloved meaty recipes. With 20 years of shared experience, the Butcher Girls’ mission is to put people and animals before profit.
Good to Go
Good To Go by JBF is an incubator for fast-casual concepts featuring rotating menus from established operators looking to expand their brand. Guided by Good Food for Good™, this kiosk will be a place where sustainable, ethically-sourced, and accessible food is created by people striving to make the world a better place.
Harlem Hops
Harlem Hops is an immediately welcoming space for casual dining, socializing, and exploring an intriguing and accessible collection of innovative, small-batch beers.
Local Roots
Wen-Jay Ying is the founder of Local Roots NYC, a small business that connects New Yorkers with produce that’s always local and always fresh. Ying’s entrepreneurial spirit comes from her years in the DIY music scene playing in multiple bands.
Lolo’s on the Water
Husband and wife Raymond Z. Mohan and Leticia Skai Young Mohan present LoLo’s On The Water, a spin-off of their Harlem mainstay LoLo’s Seafood Shack. LoLo’s menu is inspired by local seaside eateries in the British West Indies.
Malai
Brooklyn-based ice cream company Malai was founded in 2015 by Pooja Bavishi and draws inspiration from South Asian ingredients. Inspired by Bavishi’s childhood, she combines nostalgic spices and flavors and unexpected twists on classics.
Mijo
Mijo is an abbreviation of “my son” in Spanish and the first collaboration from Fany Gerson and her husband Daniel Ortiz de Montellano. Gerson is the chef, founder, and co-owner of La Newyorkina, a Mexican frozen treats business, and Fan-Fan Doughnuts, a gourmet doughnut shop. Ortiz de Montellano is the founder of a Mexican-based company, The FoodWorks Co., administering food and beverage facilities for the US Embassy in Mexico and more.
Mothershuckers
MotherShuckers’ goal is to serve the best oysters with the best toppings in NYC and has a mission to educate people about the benefits of eating and harvesting oysters. Harney donates his cart’s oyster shells to the Billion Oyster Project, an initiative to restore a billion oysters to the New York Harbor by 2035. Recycling the shells rebuilds the reefs so that new oyster populations can grow—improving the water quality and stimulating a return of sea life.
Nom Wah
Nom Wah at Pier 57 will serve an assortment of dumplings, ranging from the traditional chicken and cabbage to a vegan mix of edamame and mushrooms to a gluten-free option. Additional options, echoing a second-generation sentimentality, will make appearances to round out the menu. In 2020, the brand published The Nom Wah Cookbook, featuring classic recipes and stories from the neighboring multi-generational businesses that make up Chinatown.
Ras Plant Based
Ras Plant Based, run by husband and wife team Romeo & Milka Regalli, focuses on providing communities with delicious, healthy Ethiopian cuisine that is reminiscent of food they grew up eating. Food that is simple, yet insanely complex, made with love and bursting with flavors.
The Galley by Lobster Place
The Galley is a fun, casual seafood kiosk from the team behind Lobster Place. They are highlighting some of the most popular items from their flagship location while creating new dishes that capture the quality of their seafood offerings.
The Good Batch
Anna Gordon founded The Good Batch in 2010 with the purpose of introducing her one-of-a-kind pastries to New York City. The Good Batch specializes in hearty cookies, baked goods, and ice cream sandwiches.
Meet the Chefs
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Maiko Kyogoku
Maiko Kyogoku
Kyogoku grew up in a restaurant-owning family that opened the first sushi restaurant on the Upper West Side. Her modern approach to traditional Japanese dishes reflects her multicultural heritage as a Japanese American New Yorker. Kyogoku has over 15 years’ experience running operations for Daniel Boulud and the Thompson Hotel group.
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Wen-Jay Ying
Wen-Jay Ying
A proud Asian, female-owned small business, Local Roots serves Chinese farm-to-table food using local and sustainable ingredients. Dishes are inspired by Ying’s favorite childhood foods. Local Roots hosts weekly farmers’ markets at bars/cafes throughout New York.
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Ben “Moody” Harney
Ben “Moody” Harney
Ben “Moody” Harney is the founder of MotherShuckers, the only oyster cart in Brooklyn. Harney was inspired by the story of Thomas Downing, “the Oyster King of New York,” and the son of freed slaves. Downing peddled oysters on Wall Street in the late 1800s and opened one of the most successful oyster restaurants of his time.
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Aniwat Khotsopa (Tong)
Aniwat Khotsopa (Tong)
Bryan Chunton was born into a restaurant family; his parents owned and operated Thai restaurants in the 1980’s. Chunton started working in kitchens at the early age of 12 and introduced NYC to the authentic flavors of Northeastern Thai Cuisine with the help of Chef Aniwat Khotsopha and Pei Shan Wei. Chef Aniwat hails from Udon Thani and was the chef at the Centara Grand Hotel, serving Isan cuisine. Wei, a long-time business partner, and entrepreneur, oversees the operation.
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Anna Gordon
Anna Gordon
Gordon is best known for her playful diversity of ingredients and textures, some of which are secretly vegan and gluten-free. Gordon splits her time between chef and CEO of the company and is a James Beard Foundation Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Alumna.
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Kim, Kevin & Stacey
Kim, Kevin & Stacey
Harlem Hops is the realization of years of hard work and collaboration by three friends, Kim, Kevin & Stacey, HBCU grads and business partners, who have combined their experiences in restaurant management, event production, and community service with a lifelong passion for beer. As minority business owners and operators, the Harlem Hops team features the growing number of brewers of color on the Harlem Hops beer list.
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Pooja Bavishi
Pooja Bavishi
Bavishi previously worked in public policy before switching careers to focus on food. She is a 2018 Tory Burch Foundation Fellow recipient and was named one of Inc. Magazine’s Female Founders 100 in 2020. In one of her sweetest accomplishments, she won a battle on Food Network’s Chopped Sweets – her winning Agate Candy & Saffron ice cream is currently on Malai’s menu.
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Brandon and Faith Lee
Brandon and Faith Lee
Serving coffee, non-coffee drinks, and baked goods, the creations are inspired by flavors the Lees grew up with and incorporate both Asian and American tastes. The Lees don’t have all the answers, but invite you to join them for a good cup of coffee to figure things out together.
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Dave Seigal
Dave Seigal
Chef Dave Seigal was the opening Executive Chef for Cull & Pistol in 2013 and is responsible for all kitchen operations in the combined Lobster Place Seafood Hall and Cull & Pistol enterprise. Several industry greats trained him, including Martin Berasategui in Spain and Charlie Palmer, Jean Georges Vongeritchen, Gray Kuntz, and David Bouley in the U.S. His culinary vision finds inspiration in a life-long love of seafood and the global breadth of his cooking experience.
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Romeo Regalli
Romeo Regalli
Romeo Regalli is a self-taught plant-based chef who has dedicated his career to creating delicious and nutritious dishes using only whole, natural ingredients. As the cofounder of Ras Plant Based, a company that specializes in creating vegan meals for individuals and families, Romeo has become a leader in the plant-based movement.
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Raymond Z Mohan
Raymond Z Mohan
A New York Restaurant School graduate, Executive Chef Raymond Z. Mohan has apprenticed under renowned chefs such as Wayne Nish. Born in Guyana, his culinary interest developed as a child while shopping with his mother for their family’s roadside stand.
Leticia Skai Young Mohan was born in East Harlem and brings entrepreneurial-driven creativity as a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Culinary Entrepreneurship Program of the French Culinary Institute.
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Jimmy Rizvi
Jimmy Rizvi
Rizvi’s first restaurant, GupShup, fulfilled his dream of opening a Bombay-inspired restaurant to provide a modern Indian brand with genuine hospitality and creative cuisine. Rizvi currently serves on the board of NYC Hospitality Alliance & City Harvest’s esteemed Food Council.
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Erika Nakamura & Jocelyn Guest
Erika Nakamura & Jocelyn Guest
After a babymoon trip to Rome, the Amalfi Coast, and Sicily, they created Due Madre as a labor of love between two mothers. Their journey into motherhood was profoundly informed by the region’s air, water, and food and guides their approach.
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Wilson Tang
Wilson Tang
Owner Wilson Tang and his team at Nom Wah at Pier 57 are making dim sum an all-day casual affair serving an assortment of dumplings perfect for sharing with friends and family. Nom Wah is a beloved Chinatown institution with a second location in Nolita that originated as a tea parlor in the 1920’s. After taking over from his uncle, Tang shifted the business to a fast-casual Dim Sum restaurant.
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Fanny Gerson
Fanny Gerson
Fany Gerson is the chef, founder, and co-owner of La Newyorkina, a Mexican frozen treats and sweets business, and Fan-Fan Doughnuts, a gourmet doughnut shop. Fany takes great pride in representing her cultural heritage, Mexican, and religion, Judaism. Daniel Ortiz de Montellano is the founder of a Mexican-based company The FoodWorks Co., administering food and beverage facilities for the US Embassy in Mexico and more. Fany and Daniel met in 2014, married in 2016, and had their son, Gael, in 2018.
