By h. nazan ışık—

7 March 2022—

Two shows took place from Sunday, 6 March to Tuesday, 8 March at the Jacob K Javits Convention Center: The International Restaurant and Foodservice Show of New York (IRSNY), and Coffee Fest, Coffee and Tea Trade Shows.

Who do you think showed up on Monday, 7 March at the International Restaurant and Foodservice Show of New York at “Rapid Fire Challenge: Plant Based Edition” to deliver remarks? It was, as you might guess, the Mayor of New York City Eric Adams.  

Melissa Fleischut, President and CEO of the New York State Restaurant Association, introduced the Mayor: “ Now here we are two years later, the vaccine mandate is lifted, mask mandate is gone, city is coming back, the restaurant industry coming back, and we can’t think of anybody rather than plant-based diet person himself Mayor Eric Adams.

Mayor Eric Adams, with a big smile, come to the stage, took the mike from Melissa Fleischut “Doesn’t it feel to get back…”. He talked about going out, restaurants, good food, city’s economic recovery.. etc…and “ In New York you can walk into a Chinese restaurant with a Russian cook, serving German dish. That’s the diversity of New York City” he finished his remarks. And again with a big smile left the stage ( I guess) to visit some booths.

What is “Rapid Fire Challenge: Plant Based Edition” ? It is a competition. Three contestants who among chefs had submitted their most creative plant-based recipes before, and become finalist, compete at the show before three judges. The winner gets a $1000 award.

It was “rapid”! Melissa Fleischut’s introduction, Mayor Adams’ remarks, competition and announcing the winner took place between 15:30 and 17:00.

Since Mayor Adams always reminds us that he is a vegan, the annual “Rapid Fire Challenge: Plant Base edition” focused on plant-based meals, was the perfect place for the Mayor to make his opening remarks.

And, since as of  7 March, indoor venues, including restaurants, fitness centers, and entertainment places will no longer be required to check for proof of vaccination from customers to enter, 7 March was the perfect date for Mayor Adams to deliver remarks to boost the city’s economic recovery. 

Photographs: © h. nazan ışık

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