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Whether you want bagels or pizza or Chinese food, New Yorkers all seem to know a place. You can expand the list to everything from seafood to French cuisine- but what if you want a new dining experience for your next night out? What if you’re from Canarsie and find yourself with friends in New Dorp? Where can you get a decent slice of kugel or bowl of tom yum in this town? Well, who would know better than the politicians who are figures in the neighborhood?
Andrew Rigie is the executive director of the New York Hospitality Alliance, and host of the podcast “Hospitality and Politics.” The Alliance recently released its “District Dining Guide”, where politicians talk about culinary experiences. Rigie appeared on 710 WOR’s Mendte in the Morning program to discuss why the people who serve New York can tell you about a nice place that serves sopa seca.
Rigie explained to host and fellow foodie Ken Rosado, filling in for Larry Mendte, why the restaurant industry is a centerpiece of the New York experience: “I always say that the restaurant industry is vital to the economic foundation of New York City, but also the social and cultural fabric. We have nearly 30,000 eating and drinking establishments across the five boroughs, employing about 300,000 people from all walks of life. It’s the streetscape… so we need our government officials in particular to support our industry. We need New Yorkers and visitors to go out and support these small businesses, because without restaurants, New York City is not New York City.”
Rigie says the association wanted to try something different with government figures to highlight New York’s neighborhoods- hence, the guide was born. “We said, you know what? Let’s do something less political, although maybe it’s political in its own right- go ask city council members and other elected officials across the city… for a place that they love, that they go to. So, we got almost 50 submissions from elected officials who, many of them grew up in their neighborhoods, to make a recommendation of a restaurant and a dish to order.”
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