I got the opportunity to interview Rosemary Raposo, the Marketing/Events director at The Village Voice, in anticipation for their Choice Eats event. As you may know, I am always a big supporter of the event (here’s my collection of favs from each of last year’s participants). They are one of the few true trailblazers that keep the integrity of a great event.
Here’s me and Rosemary:
Tastes: Where do you live and why do you live there?
Rosemary Raposo: I actually live just across the river in Jersey City, NJ. Being a born and bred Jersey gal, I like being able to split my life between New York and New Jersey and this year we will actually be welcoming our first Jersey restaurant to Choice Eats – Sol Mar from Newark, NJ.
T: Choice Eats is crazy every year. How are you going to make this event bigger and badder?
Choice Eats makes March my favorite time of year! We are bringing in new restaurants again into the line up – such as Maima’s Liberian Bistro & Bar from Queens (our first Liberian restaurant), Fay Da Bakery, Red Hook Lobster Pound from Brooklyn and O Lavrador from Jamaica (our first Portuguese restaurant – which personally I am super excited about being Portuguese myself). And some of our favorite places will be returning back too like Porchetta, Dirt Candy, Del Posto, The Vanderbilt and Baohaus. Check our website out for more!
Helping make 2011 even bigger we are adding two new elements to the event this year – Choice Streets and Choice Sweets. Upon arriving at the event, Choice Streets Food Trucks will be greeting guests as they wait online to enter with free samples for ticket holders. Some trucks we have invited include Korilla BBQ, Kimichi Taco, Joyride Truck, The Taim Mobile and Wafels & Dinges. We also have Choice Sweets where we have invited some of New York’s tastiest treats for guests to sample, including Baked from Brooklyn, Bee Desserts & Café from Manhattan, Liddabit Sweets and Robicelli’s.
T: You worked for CMJ before the VV, does working with restaurants have any similarity to working with rockbands?
RR: Funny enough, when I came on board to work on the Voice events I thought the experience would be different but at the end of the day it’s just producing a great event in New York. Whether its music or food, it’s all about making the event something that people will enjoy and walk away having a fun experience at.
T: Who are you rooting for to show well this year at the show?
RR: That’s a tough one! We have so many great spots and this year having a Sweets room makes it even harder to choose (having a huge sweet tooth!) but I’m looking forward to trying some wings from Buffalo Boss in Brooklyn and nibbling on meatballs from The Meatball Shop in Manhattan.
T: What’s your idea of an eating adventure?
RR: Anytime I can try a cuisine from a country I haven’t had yet is an adventure to me! We just launched our official Choice Eats Foursquare badge so I’m hitting as many as I can right now! Looking forward to trying out Buka from Brooklyn, our first Nigerian restaurant this year.
T: You work with the Siren Fest too, what would be your ultimate fantasy event to create?
RR: I love music and food and am lucky enough to get to work on two great events here at the Voice that covers those. I also really enjoy a good microbrew so I’m thrilled this fall we will be launching our first ever beer tasting event. Be on the look out!
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Thanks Rosemary! Good luck with this year’s event. Unfortunately, this will be the first year I miss out – but my photog, Dan Post, will be there to capture it! Thanks again.
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