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New York has no shortage of incredible food events, but one food festival is about to make waves.
Queer Cafeteria, billed as NYC’s First LGBTQ+ Food Festival, will take place in Queens on Saturday, August 13.
Led by Dave’s Lesbian Bar, the monthly Astoria pop-up queer bar, in partnership with Socrates Sculpture Park and Queer Food Foundation (QFF), Queer Cafeteria will gather dozens of LGBTQ+ makers, vendors, artists, cooks and more to feed, entertain and sustain the local queer community.
Running from brunch time through dinner, 11am-8pm, the event is organized like an all-day cookout: Bring a blanket, buds (friends, but, well, you know) and sunblock to spend the day entertained by live musicians and dancers, participate in a yoga class and work up an appetite to taste your way through all the dishes.
So what will there be to feast on? A lot.Fresco’s Cantina, a gay-owned and operated Astoria restaurant, will be doling out Mexican fare, with more vendors including Coleslaw Vegan, Tif’s Cakes, Bad Girl Hot Sauce, Kinky Taco, Nightcore Kitchen, Wilde Herbs, Slutty Sammys, Kau Kau and many more throughout the day.
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“As a black-owned food truck we pride ourselves in diversity and inclusion and love of self,” said Akeelah, Kinky Taco’s owner. “We will use whatever platform we have to promote and support marginalized groups.”
To drink, Boyfriend Coop will be raising funds for their new queer coffee and cocktail cooperative in Ridgewood, with cold caffeinated beverages.
“Dave’s has been so enthusiastic, inclusive, and welcoming to BOYFRIEND co-op, so we are excited to build community with and beside them,” said co-founders Hena Mustafa and Mica Fisher. “For Queer Cafeteria, we became vendors to meet more queers in our community, grow our co-op’s membership, and continue stimulating the queer, particularly BIPOC and trans, economy by selling to queer consumers and buying from queer creators.”
Cheers to queer creators with freshly cracked cans of Dyke Beer, which can also be found in a special batch of plant-based beer cheese from vegan hot dog vendor Yeah Dawg!
For entertainment, a stage will host live performances by local queer bands including Daisy Grenade, THEMME, Lily Mao and the Resonaters, Rest Ashore and Monte. Yoga, plant healing workshops, a dance performance and voguing by House of Babylon are also all slated for the epic day.
Dogs are welcome on leash, and picnic blankets are recommended for guests to lounge and graze from a variety of vendors throughout the afternoon through sunset. Bring cash for tips, but most vendors will also accept cards or Venmo.
To attend, a $10 donation is requested per ticket (sold via Eventbrite) to help raise funds for the Queer Food Foundation and People’s Bodega.
Happy feasting!