21 minute read
COVER STORY: Steve Klein, Co-Owner of Dough Donuts
COVER STORY
HOW DOUGH BROKE INTO THE INDUSTRY TO BECOME THE GO-TO DOUGHNUT OF THE STARS
By Daniel Offner
Dough Doughnuts began as a small business in Bed-Stuy and in less than 10 years’ time, they grew into a city-wide favorite among celebrities, businesses, and international tourists. Their oversized brioche-style dough gives them a unique look and texture to any other breakfast pastry and many have taken notice, including people like Chrissy Teigen, Kevin Durant, Conor McGregor, Christie Brinkley, and Stephen Colbert just to name a few. They can even be seen in the hit HBO original series Billions.
Steve Klein, co-owner of Dough Doughnuts, spoke with Queensborough Magazine in front of his store on 31 St. in Astoria. He said that growing up he went to school in Canarsie with worldrenowned businessman and author, Howard Schultz, who is best known as the former CEO of Starbucks. It was during Schultz’s reign as the coffee shop king that Klein first had the idea to get into the doughnut business.
“What goes with coffee? Doughnuts!” Klein said. “It’s like a match made in heaven.”
At the time, there had not been a national doughnut chain since 1968 when Dunkin Donuts officially went public.
Klein started by seeking out a talented chef and his French partner, who he said had a top-notch product but didn’t have the vision needed to expand. The two quickly Dough Doughnuts are not your average everyday pastry
became partners and began to figure out a business plan that would help spread their unique doughnut recipe all across the city.
The Dough brand began by testing their oversized doughnuts at Smorgasburg events in Brooklyn. Based on the overall reception they soon began to expand by providing their superior product in stores and local coffee shops throughout the city.
Having built the business from scratch, they began to put a business plan into action, but things didn’t go so easy at the start. They found that they needed to balance the cost of goods and it took them time in order to learn from their mistakes before they were finally able to synergize the plan with the product.
In October of 2014, they officially opened their Flatiron location at 14 W 19th Street in Manhattan. Today, this location serves as their central kitchen, where all of the doughnuts are hand-made and prepared fresh for customers to enjoy.
Following the success at their other locations, they soon opened up their first Queens location in Astoria. Less than a block from Ditmars Avenue, their shop at 21-70 31st Street is located right in the heart of the Astoria community. Today they are open in five different locations spread out across the five boroughs. Klein said that when it came to the Astoria location, understanding real estate was essential. He picked his location carefully, hoping to provide people with easy “Grab-nGo” access which made the storefront’s parking and subway access pivotal to the plan.
“We’re going to be a destination,” Klein said in regards to his plans for the company. “We can’t just be a fad.”
Since the company began they have grown to be the largest artisanal donut company in the city. They are open 7 days a week, 365 days out of the year, and were one of the few companies to continue to produce through the pandemic.
In fact, during the pandemic Dough Doughnuts began its own donating platform, providing entire hospitals with their tasty oversized pastries for free. While we were chatting, a woman named Phyllis (@phyllissharp72) stopped by. She stops by the story nearly everyday at closing to take some unsold doughnuts to either a homeless shelter, caregiver facility, school or senior home.
So, what could possibly be next for this delectable doughnut company?
Currently, they are working in partnership with Nintendo to create
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honored as “Chefs of the Year” at the event.
“We select people who have made a difference in their communities in some way, shape or form,” said Gennaro. “Rhonda and Tom are both exemplary people in the community who have served Queens well, either through funding or supporting initiatives in the community.
“They are honorees, but unlike most events where you put them up in front and praise them, we put them in front of a crowd and make them serve food,” she added.
While guests sample food and enjoy an open bar, they will be entertained by DJ Mike Kouros, comedians Suzanne Windland and Usama Siddiquee, magician Apollo Riego and Jim Altamore, a Frank Sinatra impersonator.
Although a remote option will be available to guests who cannot attend, Gennaro said the entertainment experience is part of what makes the live event so exciting.
“No one has ever been disappointed with the atmosphere,” she said. “There’s just such an energy to the event that just draws you in, and we work really hard to make that happen.
“We set the bar high every year, we try different things all the time and we always want to make it better,” Gennaro continued. “This year, we have quite the challenge ahead of us, but we’re very excited about bringing it back.”
Tickets to the event are $135 per person, and can be purchased at queenscp.org until March 13.
Sunnyside Community Services ESOL Program
Registration for our free English for Speakers of Other Languages classes opens in midMarch.
The classes are taught by expert ESOL instructors. The curriculum was created to meet the needs of all immigrants.
Each day will help you to build the skills you need to communicate with employers, doctors, landlords, your children’s teachers, and others in the community.
Classes will be offered from April 19 – June 23 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Participants will have a choice of morning (9 a.m. – noon) or evening (6 – 9 p.m.) classes.
If you or someone you know is interested in learning English this spring, email us at English@ scsny.org.
NONPROFIT NEWS
PFLAG Read with Love
PFLAG National has launched “Read With Love,” a campaign supporting the freedom to learn for all students, no matter their race, genders, or zip code.
Beginning March 2, supporters can join Don Lemon and other influencers by using the hashtag #ReadWithLove to share the banned books they are reading, the actions they are taking to donate books to libraries, and their support of honest and inclusive education.
“Defending students’ ability to learn about history, science, human development and even the topics that interest them should not be an issue, but lately, it has become a necessity, especially for families of LGBTQ+ students,” Jean-Marie Navetta, Director of Learning and Inclusion for PFLAG National, said. “‘Read with Love’ is about offering an entrypoint for community members who are appalled by efforts to censor what our kids learn. It’s about empowering youth with tools to think critically. It’s about doing what PFLAGers do best: we lead with love. And when you read with love, you can make a difference.”
NY Cares hosts 33rd annual Coat Drive
The 33rd Annual Coat Drive was a shining example of #NewYorkCity at its best—volunteers, donors, and community partners came together to show how New Yorkers truly warm one another up, inside and out.
Even through the challenges of the pandemic—we persisted and improved.
NY Cares far surpassed our fundraising goal of $600,000, and more than 63,000 coats were distributed.
In addition, thanks to our new Coats+ campaign, 262,889 nutritious meals were served.
Coat Drive 2021 would not have been possible without the steadfast support of our partners, including Bloomberg Philanthropies, New York Mets and Master & Dynamic.
Thank you for bringing warmth, comfort, and nutritious meals to tens of thousands of New Yorkers. We couldn’t do it without you.
We invite you to continue serving our communities by volunteering or donating.
Boys & Girls Club host Spring swim sessions
Variety Boys and Girls Club in LIC will be hosting Learn-toSwim sessions for children. Learn this essential skill at VBGCQ. Expert instructors will cover everything from their first splash all the way to skilled and selfassured swimming.
Due to the COVID-19 virus, VBGCQ is only offering small group lessons with a 4:1 ratio.
The Spring session will begins this March and continues through June. Registration is open to new and existing members who wish to reserve a spot for the spring session. For more information visit bgcqueens.org/swimlessons.
Over 5,000 Blood Donations made at the Shops at Atlas Park
Hundreds of blood drives have been canceled since the start of the pandemic, however, thanks to the continued effort made by The Shops at Atlas Park, the New York Blood Center was able to receive much need donations over the last two years.
“When the New York Blood Center needed partners to host blood drives, The Shops at Atlas Parks stepped up,” Andrea Cefarelli, senior executive director at New York Blood Center, said. “This continued partnership has helped us get through some of the most difficult moments of the pandemic and in our organization’s history.”
For the last two years, The Shops at Atlas Park have provided space to host blood drives that resulted in a total 5,811 donations - equivalent to 17,433 lives saved - providing the blood necessary for transfusions and other medical emergencies.
The location has served as a central hub for the New York Blood Center, which does not currently have a presence in Queens. This has also helped to serve donors who may have been limited in travel options due to COVID-19.
Earlier this year, the Blood Center announced a blood emergency as the region’s supply has remained critically low. Blood centers across the country are and have been suffering from shortages since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
Prior to the pandemic, 50,000 annual blood donations were made at high schools, but concerns about COVID-19 cases has made it nearly impossible for them to host blood drives in the past year.
“When the COVID-19 pandemic forced many blood donation sites and drives to close, Atlas Park was there and opened their space to New York Blood Center over the last two years,” New York State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. said in a statement.
In celebration of the life-saving work performed by the Blood Center, Addabbo along with City Councilman Robert Holden held an awards presentation last week to honor The Shops at Atlas Park’s General Manager Peter DeLucia. “We are so thankful to be a part of a community that comes together to support each other,” DeLucia said. “This award wouldn’t be possible if not for people generously donating much needed blood.”
Holden said that the community’s effort to donate blood has been critical towards helping save lives during the pandemic.
For more information and to make and appointment for an upcoming blood drive, interested donors can call 1 (800) 933-2566 or visit nybc.org/atlaspark.
Pols partner with Juice 101 for PPE distribution
Community members rewarded for activism, contributions
By Jessica Meditz jmeditz@queensledger.com
Benjamin Robinson, a certified personal trainer, continued his mission of providing others with options for healthy lifestyles when he opened Juice 101 in 2018.
Located at 97-16 101st Avenue in Ozone Park, Juice 101 offers accessible and affordable healthy food options to the community in the form of juices, smoothies, bowls and more.
Partnering with local elected officials assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar, state senator Joseph Addabbo and council member Joann Ariola, Robinson held a community PPE distribution at Juice 101 on Feb. 24.
Residents of Ozone Park gathered at Juice 101 to thank Robinson for his contributions to the neighborhood and to collect disposable masks and hand sanitizer as the state of COVID19 remains uncertain.
Robinson is grateful to be able to provide the community with PPE, because many people do not have access to those products.
“Health is inside and out; health is what you do with your body internally, what you ingest,” said Robinson.
“To keep yourself healthy is how you protect yourself, like washing your hands, wearing masks and using hand sanitizer.”
Rajkumar said that she feels it’s important to have small businesses like Juice 101 that promote healthy lifestyles in south Queens.
“You are what you eat, and if you eat well, you become healthier and your life is better,” she said.
“Mr. Robinson brought his creative energy to our community and founded this incredible business. We need more healthy eating shops in this district.”
She also emphasized the importance of distributing COVID supplies in the district as the omicron variant subsides, because new variants are always a threat.
Rajkumar awarded Robinson with a proclamation from the state of New York for his work in the community, which includes various charitable endeavors including free wellness shots, yearly backpack and PPE distributions, coat and toy drives, raising breast cancer awareness and hosting a youth conference.
Rahana Rampershad, a resident who works on efforts to instate gender equality and human trafficking prevention, co-partnered with Robinson on various community outreach projects.
Robinson and Rampershad were both honored with various awards from the offices of elected officials, including Rajkumar, Borough President Donovan Richards and Mayor Eric Adams.
Sherry Algredo, a longtime community advocate, organized the event and hopes that the rest of Queens is able to discover and support Juice 101.
“Ben does such a great job supporting the community and providing affordable, healthy eating options in a neighborhood where junk food is everywhere,” said Algredo.
“I hope the community sees the work he’s doing and continues to support Juice 101 and other small businesses like it. And I’m so grateful for our elected officials who came out to support and distribute necessary COVID supplies.”
HERSTORY: “AN INDEPENDENT WOMAN”
By Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato, 23rd Assembly District, Queens
The late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg said, “My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.”
These are words that have stuck with me because it was my mother who taught me that being a lady means to be your own person, be independent.
With the start of March, it is officially Women’s History Month. In the last few years there has never been a more critical time to celebrate women, their accomplishments and yes, their independence.
We have seen over and over the women of our Borough, City and State standing up, being bold and taking on positions.
Independent doesn’t mean you are against or unaffiliated with something, but rather you have the ability and courage to think and act on your own.
I have lived my life as an independent person, not afraid to stand up with the strength to say “I agree” because it is what I believe is correct, or even “I disagree” because I believe it to be wrong or not needed. In fact, I learned this trait from my mother, my mentor, Audrey, who served as the Assemblywoman for South Queens for over 24 years.
My mother is a pioneer who helped lead the charge in our State for women. To this day she inspires me, and now she inspires my daughter.
Her trailblazing efforts, and the independent thinking of all women, have helped make it possible for what we have today: HERstory.
For the first time ever our Governor is a woman, Kathy Hochul.
We have a woman Majority Leader in the State Assembly with Crystal Peoples-Stokes, and have an incredible Senate Majority Leader, Andrea Stewart-Cousins.
This year, women have continued to break the glass ceiling as we have the first woman of color as the Speaker of the New York City Council, Adrienne Adams - and yes, she’s from Queens.
It was our own Claire Schulman who was the first woman to hold the position of Queens Borough President and brought our borough to new heights.
And it is the first time in history that women are the majority in the New York City Council.
One thing all these women have, something I admire and am glad to be associated with, is their independence- something that has driven and drives all of these women to not only have a seat at the table, but to bring an extra chair for the next generation of women.
Look at my mother and myself, we made HERstory as the first mother-daughter team to represent a district in the New York State Assembly. There have been countless father-son teams, and even brother-brother teams; but only recently was there finally a mother and then a daughter who went on to represent their community. And what better place for that history to have occurred than in Queens, and in the 23rd Assembly District.
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, let us be grateful for our free-thinking, multitasking, hardworking grandmothers, mothers, aunts, sisters and friends who showed us that to be a lady means having an independent voice.
Happy Women’s History Month!
RESTAURANT OWNERS RALLY FOR REPLENISHMENT OF RRF
By Evan Triantafilidis evant@queensledger.com
The economic burden of the pandemic has taken more than a bite out of New York City restaurants and their sales.
Frank McCawley, owner of McGee’s Pub in Midtown Manhattan, is celebrating one year of remaining open this February. Before that, he endured a long eight-month closure.
McCawley and some of his fellow restaurant owners joined Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney in Long Island City last week to call on Congress to replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF).
“When we opened last February, we were doing about 10 percent of what we usually do,” said McCawley, who said the pub currently brings in about half of what it did pre-pandemic. “It stayed like that for a couple of months. It’s been really tough.”
The fund helped secure $28.6 billion for the restaurant industry last year. Over 27,000 applications came from New York State alone, with 9,775 restaurants receiving over $3.6 billion in aid.
Maloney said there are more restaurants in her district than in the entirety of some states, and that “people come to New York to go to our restaurants.”
A trio of bills spearheaded by the congresswoman would replenish the fund with $60 billion in new relief money, create new protections in the form of business interruption insurance, and rework the Paycheck Protection Program.
“The restaurant industry is a major economic driving force for our economy,” said Maloney. “We lost so many businesses, many were not able to come back.”
The day the initial RRF began accepting applications, the entire $28.6 billion was spent within hours, said Maloney.
Within three weeks, the Small Business Administration received more than 362,000 applications requesting more than $75 billion in aid.
From pivoting to outdoor dining and to-go offerings, restaurants have been forced to get creative to survive.
Michael Muzyk, president of Baldor Specialty Foods,
Michael Muzyk, president of Baldor Specialty Foods, made a plea to Congress to lend financial help to struggling restaurants in New York City and across the country.
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney is calling for the replenishment of the Restaurant Relief Fund.
said his company pivoted to home deliveries at the start of the pandemic, but many small businesses were not able to hang on during the past two years.
“If restaurants fail the community fails, and if the community fails, the city fails and the country fails,” said Muzyk. “It took 30 years to build some businesses, and some were gone in 30 minutes.”
For McCawley, finding new employees has also proven to be a struggle.
He said he’s happy his head chef is back working with him now after nearly moving to Alabama.
With St. Patrick’s Day just a few weeks away, he said he’s looking forward to some extra business during tough times, but “one day doesn’t make up for two years.”
“Chris Barca is a talented communications professional who has demonstrated a high level of dedication to the important work of this administration, as well as the overall health and well-being of our borough. I look forward to his leadership and the continued success of the entire Communications Department as Queens’ historic comeback advances into 2022 and beyond,” Borough President Donovan Richards said. “In a little more than one year, our administration has achieved so much for the families of Queens, and Breeana Mulligan has been instrumental in that success. An exemplary public servant and friend, Breeana will be deeply missed at Queens Borough Hall. I wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors and thank her for all she has done to uplift The World’s Borough.”
NYC Health + Hospitals and Elmhurst Hospital announced three new appointments
Dr. Suzanne Bentley has been named as the hospital’s Chief Wellness Officer.
In this newly created role, Dr. Bentley will oversee the coordination, management, and implementation of wellness programming for hospital employees, including initiatives related to fostering emotional, physical, social, and mental health.
Dr. Bentley’s new role builds off her work during the COVID-19 pandemic, where she coordinated and helped lead employee wellness and mental health support services.
She will work closely with hospital leadership to design wellness programming tailored to fit the needs of a diverse workforce made up of close to 4,000 employees. In addition to her new responsibilities, Dr. Bentley will continue her work in simulation as the Director of Simulation Innovation, Research & Scholarship of NYC Health + Hospitals/ Elmhurst’s Simulation Center and as an emergency medicine physician at the hospital.
Aiding the System Chief Wellness Officer in the improvement and implementation of enterprise-wide well-being initiatives, Dr. Bentley is a member of the NYC Health + Hospitals Workforce Wellness Taskforce, the Helping Healers Heal (H3) Steering Team, the Combating Stigma Workgroup, and a system lead for delivering HERO-NY/Helping Healers Heal Wellness & Resilience Training.
In her new role as Elmhurst’s Chief Wellness Officer, she will combine her passion and commitment to workforce wellness with her expertise in education and debriefing and vast experience in promoting a culture of safety and responsibility in healthcare environments.
Dr. Bentley is a graduate of Bucknell University, the New Jersey Medical School, and the Mount Sinai-Elmhurst Emergency Medicine Residency Program. She is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Medical Education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She is a board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician, fellowship trained simulation specialist, and has also served as the Medical Director of the Simulation Center at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst since 2014.
David Guzman, MPA, FAB, will serve as Elmhurst’s new Chief Operating Officer (COO). He previously worked for several years as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the hospital, where he managed a staff of 300 in the Patient Accounts, Revenue Integrity, Medical Records, Utilization Management, Care Management, Managed Care, Budget, Grants, Financial Counseling, and Registration departments.
As COO, Guzman will be responsible for the optimal and efficient operations of NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, which includes the oversight of high quality, cost effective, and integrated clinical programs at one of the City of New York’s largest healthcare facilities.
He will also be responsible for the implementation of key strategic projects.
In 2021, Guzman was named to Crain’s list of New York City’s Notable Hispanic Leaders and Executives.
He holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Baruch College, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Hunter College.
Dr. Laura Iavicoli has been appointed as Deputy Chief Medical Officer.
In this role, Dr. Iavicoli will work closely with Dr. Jasmin Moshirpur, the hospital’s Chief Medical Officer, to oversee quality improvement, risk management, patient safety, and medical department service line operations.
She will also be assisting with facility growth initiatives and system service line operations.
Dr. Iavicoli, an experienced and seasoned board-certified emergency medicine physician with an expertise in disaster preparedness and pandemic response, previously served as NYC Health + Hospitals system-wide Assistant Vice President for Emergency Management.
She played a pivotal role in guiding the hospital through the first COVID-19 surge, using her background in disaster management to develop new and innovative procedures and treatment protocols in the hospital.
Dr. Iavicoli is an emergency medicine physician at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, where she’s practiced for 20 years.
Dr. Laura Iavicoli has worked as an emergency medicine physician at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst since 2001.
During her time at Elmhurst, she’s held the title of Associate Director of the Emergency Department and Clinical Emergency Management and Emergency Medicine Services Director.
She’s also served as the Sexual Assault Response Team Director for NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens.
Dr. Iavicoli has devoted much of her career to emergency management issues, with publications, trainings and seminars pertaining to disaster preparedness, including pandemic response, terrorism and mass casualty incidents.
She has also been a disaster relief team member for more than 10 years for New York City and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). She most recently served as NYC Health + Hospitals’ Assistant Vice President of Emergency Management for the system.
She is a graduate of Boston University. She received her Doctor of Medicine degree from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at the State University of New Jersey.
“I am extremely pleased to welcome these three dedicated healthcare professionals as they take on exciting new leadership roles here at Elmhurst,” NYC Health + Hospitals/ Elmhurst Chief Executive Officer Helen Arteaga Landaverde, MPH, said.
“Dr. Iavicoli, Dr. Bentley and Mr. Guzman have a deep commitment to our patients. They have all been instrumental in helping us through the unprecedented healthcare disaster brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. ”
