Restaurateur spreads good taste & success
The continuing journey of Haitian-born restaurateur Chef Wesly Jean Simon and Zanmi NYC — his Brooklyn restaurant — is both inspiring and appetizing. Through his Prospect Lefferts Gardens fine-dining establishment (Zanmi translates to “friend” in Haitian Creole), Jean Simon has been creating loyal patrons since February 2020.
Since opening, Zanmi NYC — at 1206 Nostrand Ave. — has been doing well, which Jean Simon attributes to “hard work and good luck.” The restaurant is just two blocks north of Brooklyn’s vibrant Little Haiti neighborhood.
A veteran of the New York area’s competitive cuisine scene, the seasoned chef has developed a menu of appetizers, entrees, and brunch items — from balsamic kreyol scallops, and crab cakes to grilled octopus, lambi (conch) Boukkanen, and a tasty voodoo pasta.
Zanmi NYC — which toughed out the shutdowns and health restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic in the city — also plans to resume its live Haitian music performances in the future.
One of the chef’s aids for economic survival was the formation of the Haitian Business Coalition, which helps area businesses through the economic hardships of the pandemic and beyond. Jean Simon was instrumental in founding the organization.
“The business coalition is still going and we’re going to stay strong,” Jean Simon said. “We share a lot of ideas, and we share what we want to do in the community.” He noted that the organization intends to meet with city officials to address the needs of local business owners.
Zanmi NYC can be reached at contact@ zanminyc.com, (718) 676-1047, or by visiting zanminyc.com.
AWARDS FOR FATHERS
Jamaican-born businessman Vincent HoSang of Caribbean Food Delights, and Royal Caribbean Bakery, is among the 11 dads being honored in the Bronx on Sunday with the “Esteemed Father’s Award,” presented by the Street Hype newspaper.
The event will be held at The Dumpling Cove, at 1530 E. 222nd St., starting at 5 p.m. The affair will be live streamed on Twitter @ streethypenewpaper and @patrickmaitland. Call (718) 753-9469 or (914) 663-4973 for information.
SOCIETY FOUNDER HONORED
It’s been almost 90 years, but the Antigua and Barbuda Progressive Society is finally getting its props from the city on Wednesday, when a block in Harlem is co-named for the organization’s founder.
The street naming — to Bishop James P. Roberts Sr. Way — will take place from noon to 3 p.m. on W. 122 St. (between Malcolm X Blvd. and Mt. Morris Park West), the block where the 87-year-old organization is headquartered.
After arriving in Harlem from Antigua, Roberts, along with fellow Antiguans, founded Antigua Progressive Society in 1934. The bylaws of the organization were changed to include the sister island of Barbuda, when the New York-based Barbuda Benevolent Society dissolved.
Still active, the Antigua and Barbuda Progressive Society holds monthly meetings, hosts workshops and aids the less fortunate in New York and the Caribbean.
Visit abpsociety.org for more information.
IMMIGRANT FEATURES
Caribbean immigrant Jan Matzeliger — inventor of the automatic shoe lasting machine, which revolutionized shoe making — is one of the daily “Caribbean Immigrant” features on the News Americas Now website.
Successful newcomers to America, such as pioneering Episcopal priest Joseph Sandiford Atwell and city of Chicago founder Jean Baptiste Point du Sable are among the highlighted immigrants. The month’s features are available at newsamericasnow. com
CARIB MONTH AFFAIR
June’s celebration of national Caribbean American Heritage Month will dip into July with the “Great Minds are Made in the Caribbean” event on July 1, presented by the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies.
The session of “Consuls General in Conversation About the Contribution of the Caribbean to the USA” will be held at the rooftop lounge of BKLYN Commons, at 495 Flatbush Ave., from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
RSVP by Friday to mwallace@afuwi.org or call (212) 759-9345.