Sign up with email

or

Already a member? Log in.

Trouble logging in?

Not a member? Sign up!

Starting with our Queens Migrant Kitchens project – whose creator, Sarah Khan, was recently featured on Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown – and continuing with the introduction of our dedicated Queens section, we’ve been increasingly drawn deeper into the rich world of New York’s most diverse borough.

The food in Queens, representing communities that speak over 150 languages, is of course a major draw. But it’s the human element, particularly the stories of the immigrants who call Queens home, that we have found so compelling – especially during these unsettling political times. We have been exploring these stories in particular through our new Queens culinary walk, which goes through the immigrant neighborhoods of Corona and Elmhurst and stops at vendors, small restaurants and groceries to get the culinary take on what it means to make it in America today.

We recently asked New York-based freelance photographer Melanie Einzig to go along our walk’s route and document what she saw. Einzing, whose photos have been printed in several books about photography including Bystander: A History of Street Photography (Bullfinch), Street Photography Now (Thames and Hudson) and New York in Color (Abrams), has a knack for capturing the inherent, and sometimes whimsical, humanity of a moment – even when photographing inanimate objects – and we were curious to get her impressions of this bustling slice of Queens.

Below is a slideshow of some of our favorite images from her shoot:

  • Rincon CriolloJanuary 19, 2022 Rincon Criollo (0)
    "Everything had to remain the same." In the dining room of Rincon Criollo, a Cuban […] Posted in Queens
  • Best Bites 2021December 20, 2021 Best Bites 2021 (0)
    For Queens, one culinary claim to fame has always been the variety of cuisines on offer. […] Posted in Queens
  • LeticiasDecember 6, 2021 Leticias (0)
    Our first encounter with the chaulafan from Leticias, an Ecuadorian restaurant in […] Posted in Queens
Culinary BackstreetsMelanie Einzig

Published on May 22, 2017

Related stories

January 19, 2022

Rincon Criollo: Memories of Cuba, In Queens

Queens | By Dave Cook
Queens"Everything had to remain the same." In the dining room of Rincon Criollo, a Cuban restaurant in Corona, Esther Acosta recalls the pledge that she and her older brother, Rudesindo ("Rudy") Acosta, made to their great-uncles when they took the reins of the family business. The surrounding community has changed in the years since the…
December 20, 2021

Best Bites 2021: Queens

Queens | By Dave Cook
QueensFor Queens, one culinary claim to fame has always been the variety of cuisines on offer. That was the case in 2019 and before, it held true in 2020 and continues to this day, late in 2021. The onset of the pandemic, however, meant that businesses sometimes felt as isolated as individual families. Many were…
December 6, 2021

Leticias: Ecuadorian Eats & Treats in Corona Plaza

Queens | By Dave Cook
QueensOur first encounter with the chaulafan from Leticias, an Ecuadorian restaurant in Corona, was at the 2021 season opener of the nearby Queens Night Market. As it cooked outdoors – in a wok over high heat, a testament to the dish's origins among Chinese immigrant workers – the fried rice was a dramatic sight. Our…
Select your currency
USD United States (US) dollar
EUR Euro