'Taste of Harlem' is a Culinary Celebration of Uptown's Vibrant Cultures

West Harlem is a vibrant part of Upper Manhattan’s culinary landscape. From block to block, you’ll find everything from longstanding mom-and-pop eateries serving up classics rooted in tradition to contemporary, fusion-inspired restaurants bridging cultures through food.

Taste of Harlem, an annual social event organized by the New York Women's Chamber of Commerce (NYWCC), celebrates the neighborhood’s eclectic dining scene and highlights the community’s culinary innovators.

Ahead of the highly anticipated event, happening on July 3 at the Lee C. Bollinger Forum, we spoke with NYWCC President Quenia Abreu about the inspiration behind the celebration, what makes West Harlem’s food scene unique, and what attendees can expect this year.

You founded the New York Women's Chamber of Commerce in 2002. What inspired the creation of the organization?

It was founded because none existed locally. At the time, I was working as director of the Hunts Point Economic Development Women’s Business Center, and later as director at the Queens Economic Development Corporation Women’s Business Center. I worked with many local entrepreneurs and small business owners across the city, particularly women and people of color.

One piece of advice I often shared with them was to join their local chambers of commerce, and business and merchant associations. Many of the women entrepreneurs I worked with said there was a lack of organizations and chambers focused on women-owned businesses.

After doing research, I noticed there were other spaces and organizations like this in other states and cities. Although New York state and New York City have some of the largest numbers of women entrepreneurs and small businesses, there wasn’t one here. So, we decided to create one.

New Yorkers are good at doing that; if something doesn’t exist, we’ll create it.

Can you share some insights on the current state of the local small business landscape? What are some of the challenges entrepreneurs in the community are facing, and how can we shift the narrative?

Many people have forgotten there was a pandemic not too long ago. The small businesses that were significantly affected are still feeling the impact of the public health crisis. They are still trying to recuperate from a very difficult situation.

Financially, many small businesses ended up owing a lot of rent, and it has taken them years to catch up. The same rent hikes that New York City residents are facing are no different for small businesses. The rent is very high for our small businesses—especially brick-and-mortar—and that’s more often than not the reason why they close.

Economic uncertainty is another major factor. Small businesses are dealing with rising costs across the board—whether it’s produce, meat, or fabric. When this happens, they often have to raise prices for products and services, which can impact their customer base as people cut back on shopping or dining out. It’s a trickle-down effect.

Then you have the rise of e-commerce, which has led to more online shopping and fewer in-person visits to local stores. And with the current state of immigration, many people are afraid to go out because of what they’re seeing in the news. That also causes a dip in revenue and impacts businesses in the neighborhood and the overall local economy.

How are economic empowerment-driven initiatives and programming key to transforming and uplifting communities like Harlem and Washington Heights?

The New York Women's Chamber of Commerce is big on pushing for contracting opportunities for women and minority business owners. The City of New York has been a leader in passing legislation to mandate these opportunities.

When small businesses in a community are economically empowered, they often hire locally. If you help small businesses with sustainability and growth, it’s going to translate into local job opportunities as a form of community investment.

In New York City, when we have economically healthy businesses—across different neighborhoods—the communities benefit from that. Collectively, when you look at small businesses in NYC, they are one of the largest employers of the city of New York. Where do they exist? In our local communities and neighborhoods. When you look at the mix of businesses and the composition and demographics of who they are and who they hire, it's a reflection of their communities.

Can you talk about the inspiration behind Taste of Harlem?

I grew up in Harlem, which is why the NYWCC office is based here. I love Harlem. I’ve seen it grow. I wanted to come back and be in the neighborhood where I was raised. I’ve always loved the diversity of the community, especially when it comes to culture and food.

We created this experience in West Harlem because, for some time, Central Harlem has been getting a lot of attention. There’s so much happening there. Taste of Harlem was started to bring people to this particular area to get a taste of what we have to offer through food, culture, and networking with people who make this neighborhood special.

In addition to Taste of Harlem, we have a guide called Explore West Harlem that highlights local restaurants, retail businesses, landmarks and educational institutions. We also want people from other parts of NYC to learn more about West Harlem. The event brings the community together. It’s fun, and people love to come out for the celebration. We’re really looking forward to doing it again this year.

From your perspective, what makes West Harlem’s culinary scene unique compared to other neighborhoods throughout the city?

It’s the diversity of taste—that’s why we call it Taste of Harlem. There are so many different flavors, cuisines, and spices represented in the food. That diversity will be shown through the lineup of vendors we have at this year’s event.

Uptown has more of a variety of cuisines. In this community, you have Latin, Caribbean, Southern, and much more. Taste of Harlem will be representative of this part of the city. It will show why West Harlem is so special and unique.

Can you talk about the role community partnerships have played in bringing this event to fruition?

It truly takes a village, and it took the village of Harlem to do this event. Columbia University has been amazing with providing the space and their team. Not only are we able to host the event at the Lee C. Bollinger Forum—through Columbia and West Harlem Development Corporation’s In-Kind Program—the University has an incredible team that works with us to make sure the event goes smoothly, and we have everything we need.

We’re also partnering with the BOC Network and Councilmember Shaun Abreu, who has been very supportive. Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, who started partnering with us on this event when he was a councilmember, has also supported us.

The Harlem Community Development Corporation, led by Curtis Archer, has not only supported us with the event but with the Explore West Harlem initiative as well. Manhattan Community Board 9 has also helped bring this event to fruition. From the partners to vendors and attendees, we want to make sure everyone is involved because this is really a community-driven celebration. We are happy and blessed to have these partnerships. We’re grateful to be able to bring this to the community. 

What can attendees expect from this year’s event?

Great food, drinks, music, networking, and fun. We always bring in an amazing DJ.

It’s the summer, and it’s the day before the Fourth of July. It’s almost like a kick-off for the holiday.

We want attendees to come out and enjoy everything Harlem has to offer. There are so many local small businesses the community should know about. Sometimes we stick to the same places and services, but new businesses are opening up all the time that are worth exploring

It’s important for local residents to support small businesses, but it’s just as important for businesses to support the community. That’s what this event is all about: building that connection.

Beyond the Taste of Harlem event, what’s on the horizon for the NYWCC?

Over the past few months, we’ve hosted our State of the New York Women in Business forum and our ContractHER procurement event, so Taste of Harlem is a celebration of all the work we’ve done throughout the year.

However, we will continue offering programs for small businesses and women- and minority-owned enterprises. One of those is the Latino and African American Business Recovery Assistance (LABRA) program, sponsored by NewYork-Presbyterian, which includes a pitch competition sponsored by JPMorgan Chase. We’re going to continue that program throughout the summer. We’re also working on a health fair we’ll host in September.

We love what we do at NYWCC, and we will continue to take that community-oriented approach to supporting our small businesses. We remain committed to offering programs and services that help local entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses while economically empowering the communities they serve.

Some of our key programs include the ContractHER program in partnership with Ponce Bank; the Harlem Entrepreneurial Assistance Center, in partnership with the Business Outreach Center (BOC) and New York State's Empire State Development; and our M/WBE program in partnership with the NYC Department of Small Business Services. 

I love this community, and I see the gaps that need to be filled. I look at other neighborhoods across NYC and what’s happening there and try to find ways to bring those same offerings into this community. We never stop.

We’re just like New York City—we never sleep, because we’re passionate about the mission.

Learn more about the New York Women's Chamber of Commerce and attend Taste of Harlem.