Queens FEASTS (Food Entrepreneurship and Services Training Space) is a free 12-week program that provides resources, training, and counseling to entrepreneurs looking to start or grow their food businesses.
The program offers:
- A food entrepreneurship curriculum
- Entrepreneurship counseling
- Access to vending opportunities
- Dedicated support for program graduates
- Assistance obtaining licenses/permits for food businesses
- Ongoing support and counseling for graduates
Participants in Queens FEASTS receive training and assistance on drafting a business plan, registering their business as an LLC in the state of New York, legal and financial advice, and 1-on-1 support from an entrepreneur counselor.
FEASTS gave me a clear roadmap to get my business off the road and running.
Celebrating Culture, Creating Jobs
With Queens’ amazing diversity comes an unparalleled opportunity for food and restaurant businesses. To help food entrepreneurs take full advantage of this opportunity, Queens FEASTS gives them the building blocks to transform their ideas into fully operating, registered businesses. With 90 graduates to date, these businesses not only enrich and celebrate the many cultures of the borough, they provide job opportunities for New Yorkers.
Queens FEASTS is operated by The Queens Public Library’s Job & Business Academy (JBA), which offers a variety of workshops and individual assistance to aspiring entrepreneurs and current business owners. JBA’s overall goal is to increase employment by providing the resources people need to enter new careers, change careers, or ease back into work.
Queens FEASTS taught me about the different business structures so I can choose between a self-proprietorship or an LLC. They taught me all the things to consider when looking for a storefront, how to negotiate rent and what kind of leases there were for a commercial establishment, and what are the health codes for an ice cream business. Every class was riveting. I just ate up all the information.
Born from a Jamaica Plan
The first iteration of the program was called Jamaica FEASTS and came out of the Jamaica planning initiative, a $153 million dollar neighborhood initiative announced in 2015 by the City, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, and NYCEDC. The action plan identified opportunities to support Jamaica as a thriving residential and commercial neighborhood.
By The Numbers
130
The number of applications for 15 spots in initial Jamaica FEASTS pilot
By The Numbers
90
Entrepreneurs graduated to date
By The Numbers
87
Percent of graduates officially registered in New York City
By The Numbers
90
Entrepreneurs graduated to date
By The Numbers
130
The number of applications for 15 spots in initial Jamaica FEASTS pilot
By The Numbers
87
Percent of graduates officially registered in New York City
The initial Jamaica FEASTS pilot, from 2017 to 2018, received 130 applications for 15 spots, signaling community members’ hunger for food entrepreneurship resources.
Following this initial success, NYCEDC and the Queens Public Library expanded the program across the borough, renaming it Queens FEASTS. Further, key findings from the initial program led to an expansion of services, including:
- A contextualized curriculum for students with English as a second language
- Vending opportunities for entrepreneurs
- Specialized cohorts with targeted support to specific types of food businesses
Today, the program continues to provide workshops in Jamaica but also includes Far Rockaway, Flushing, and Long Island City, with a goal to enroll over 250 students in two years.
Learn More and Apply
Visit the Queens FEASTS website
Contact Monique Hector, Queens FEASTS Manager
Explore Other Programs