Dishes from Mayahuel restaurant. Photo credit: Mayahyuel
Feb. 25, 2025 By Jessica Militello
Queens Together is teaming up with Alewife Brewery for the third annual Eats in Queens Restaurant Month, an initiative that supports local restaurants while raising funds for food relief efforts. The event runs throughout March, encouraging residents to dine at participating restaurants and purchase a special edition brew to contribute to the cause.
The month-long event features restaurants across Western Queens, Elmhurst, Fresh Meadows, and Rockaway Beach. Nineteen local restaurants are participating, including Mayahuel in Astoria, Neir’s Tavern in Woodhaven, Zaab Zaab in Elmhurst, and more.
Jonathan Forgash, founder of Queens Together and Patrick Donagher, owner of Alewife Brewing. Photo credit: Queens Together
Patrick Donagher, founder of Alewife Brewing in Sunnyside, said the partnership aimed to complement the variety of cuisines Queens has to offer. “For a community as diverse as Queens, we wanted to create something that pairs well with everything from BBQ and pizza to spicy cuisines like Korean and Thai,” Donagher said. “I hope we can do good things with this beer. Anything we can do to help the hungry, we’re all in.”
Queens Together: Supporting restaurants and fighting food insecurity
Founded in March 2020 by Jonathan Forgash, Queens Together is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on food relief through a restaurant-driven model. The organization started during the COVID-19 pandemic when restaurants were shutting down and many residents were struggling with food insecurity.
Initially, Forgash used social media to fundraise money to pay local restaurants to prepare meals for those in need—a strategy that both supported small businesses and provided critical food relief. “As a chef, this is a really passionate issue,” said Forgash. “Chefs are here on this planet to feed and care for people. We are a food relief organization, but we do it in a very special way, and that is utilizing the experts that are already here, meaning the restaurants, to do the work, so it funds them and it promotes them.”
Since its inception, Queens Together has expanded its work to fund restaurant-prepared meals for homeless individuals, veterans, and families in need, as well as supply fresh food and produce to food pantries across the borough.
Recent and ongoing food relief efforts
Forgash highlighted some of the organization’s latest initiatives, which were made possible by donations and fundraising events. “This week alone, with money that we raised from the International Food Expo, we are working with Nona’s 1977 on 23rd Ave. to bring 50 bags of fresh produce to the Bread of Life Food Pantry in Queens,” he said. “And we’re working with Kam Rai to do something really special. There’s a veterans’ shelter in Long Island City, and we’re delivering care meals to 225 veterans.”
Queens Together Pilsner made by Alewife Brewing. Photo credit: Queens Together
How Eats in Queens supports the cause
Eats in Queens Restaurant Month is a fundraising and promotional effort designed to spotlight restaurants while generating support for food relief programs. Community members can contribute by dining at participating restaurants and ordering the Queens Together Pilsner, brewed by Alewife Brewing. For every can sold, $1 will be donated to Queens Together’s food relief efforts. “Restaurants in Queens, for the majority, are mom-and-pop, very often newer immigrant families that are doing something that they know they can do to support their family,” said Forgash. “So the events we do always have two purposes: to celebrate and promote the restaurants, helping them get exposure, and at the same time, raise money for food relief. It’s a do-good, feel-good promotion.”
Residents can find the full list of participating restaurants on the Queens Together website. The event runs from March 1-31.
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