Brooklyn's Progress
November 2002

Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Announces Winners of First-Ever Brooklyn Eats Scholarships and Debuts Students’ Signature Recipe at Annual Tasting Festival

In front of a cheering crowd of hundreds of hungry Brooklyn “foodies” and dozens of Brooklyn chefs and restaurateurs, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce announced the winners of the first-ever Brooklyn Eats Scholarships.  At a press conference preceding the 6th Annual Brooklyn Eats tasting festival at the New York Marriott Brooklyn on October 21, Chamber President Kenneth Adams presented scholarships to three hospitality management students studying at the New York City College of Technology in Downtown Brooklyn.  Scholarship winners (and Brooklyn residents) Donna Crayne, Sarah Fagan and Fermin Martinez then unveiled a new recipe they had developed especially for the event – “City Tech Chocolate Tart” – and quickly got to work on the evening’s task at hand:  creating and serving tastes of their new chocolate sensation to more than 800 Brooklyn Eats guests.

Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President Kenneth Adams said, “All it takes is one taste of the desserts created by these exceptional student chefs to recognize that the borough of Brooklyn is nurturing some serious culinary talent.  The Brooklyn Chamber is honored to have the opportunity to help support the education of these talented and civic-minded young people, and we hope that we’ll be able to keep them here at home in one of our great Brooklyn restaurants once they graduate.”  Mr. Adams pointed out that the three scholarship winners were chosen not only for their demonstrated abilities as chefs-in-training, but also for their roles as leaders in their communities and among their peers.

Brooklyn Eats, which has become one of New York City’s most anticipated food events, this year featured a record 50 Brooklyn restaurants, caterers, micro-brews and wines and attracted more than 800 guests.  The event serves as the premier annual marketing opportunity for restaurants in Brooklyn’s rapidly growing, increasingly high-profile restaurant scene.  Major funding for Brooklyn Eats was provided by the Brooklyn delegation of the New York City Council.  Additional sponsors include American Express, Independence Community Bank and Champagne Pommery.

Chamber President Kenneth Adams concluded, “By now, the secret is out:  The Brooklyn restaurant industry is booming and our borough has become a truly important dining destination.  We’re proud of the role the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and Brooklyn Eats have played in this economic development success and we look forward to doing all we can to continue to support this critically important industry.”

The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce -- New York City’s largest Chamber with 1,300 members -- is a nonprofit membership organization established in 1918 to assist Brooklyn businesses in ways that promote commerce, stimulate economic growth, and improve the quality of life throughout Brooklyn.

New York City College of Technology (formerly New York City Technical College) is a recognized national model for urban technological education and a pioneer in integrating technology into the teaching/learning experience.  The City Tech Department of Hospitality Management's mission is to provide students with hospitality career education that integrates applied management practices and theory with liberal arts and sciences.  The program offers students a broad range of courses from culinary and pastry arts to lodging operations management and marketing strategies.