Rockaway Food Festival Ready for Second Rounds

By Katie McFadden

November is marathon month, and a month of eating, with that big celebration to give thanks over a full spread of comfort food at the end. But like running a marathon, that requires some training ahead of time to prepare for the main event. Training begins this Sunday, November 9 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., at The Rockaway Hotel, for the 2nd Annual Rockaway Food Festival.

With samples from 13 different eateries around the peninsula, all under one roof, there will be plenty of exercises in culinary exploration. Margie’s, right in the Rockaway Hotel, will be dishing out helpings of their famous Margie’s burger. The Rooftop, also in the Hotel, will be serving samples from their new Asian-inspired menu. Sean Aiken of Seany Slices will be making his Food Fest debut with his latest concept, Crown Square Pizza, serving samples of his Detroit-style squares, before he even opens his doors to the public. If you’ve got more taste for Italian, Adrienne’s, Crustinos and Rocco’s of Roc Beach has you covered. Bungalow Bar, Tap That and Meat Up Grill have your American favorites. Batesy’s brings a taste of barbecue and Pico brings you to a Mexican fiesta. And if you have room for something sweet, Rockaway Beach Bakery will be on site to top your tastes off along with gluten-free baker Raquel Confections, serving up pastries like cinnamon rolls, cheesecake and brioche buns.

You get all that and even a welcome drink all for a $65 ticket for adults, or bring the kids 12 and under for $30, while the youngin’s under 3 get in for free. And in between bites, don’t forget to hit the dance floor and burn some calories as popular local band, The Knobs will entertain throughout.

Taking a page out of the late Robert Kaskel’s book, who introduced a Taste of Rockaway to the peninsula after Hurricane Sandy, The Rockaway Hotel introduced a version of that, without the food-crawl aspect of going restaurant to restaurant, by bringing them all under one roof in 2024.

“Last year’s event went beyond our expectations,” Terence Tubridy, founder of In Good Company Hospitality, which includes The Rockaway Hotel, said. “It was a really great day getting as many restaurants as we did in the same room together, so the networking off of that and everyone getting to meet each other and work together, that was fun. This event serves to make people aware that there are year-round businesses here and then I think getting everyone together in one room to do something different than you do every Sunday is great. We rarely get to see each other stuck in our own restaurants, so it’s just fun.”

And the response from the restaurateurs and foodies alike, motivated those at The Rockaway Hotel to pull it all together again. “Overall, the people who attended were beyond happy and blown away and obviously they asked if this was going to be an annual thing, so we brought it back and we hope it brings more people out to these businesses after the festival,” Tubridy said.

“This is really to bring all of these year-round businesses together in one place for the community so people can see what they have coming up for the season, and our restaurant owners in the same room to hang out because they don’t get to do that often. It brings everyone in the community together over something we all have in common, which is a love for food,” Margo Comis, director of guest experience at The Rockaway Hotel said. “This is a great way to spend a Sunday in November, while supporting the spots that you love and frequent, and also maybe learn about a new spot that you haven’t tried before and it can become your new favorite spot.”

One of those new spots could be Crown Square Pizza. Aiken, of Seany Slices at the Beach 97th concession, will be participating in his first Rockaway Food Fest to give folks a little preview of what’s to come at his new Detroit-style pizza spot at 99-04 Rockaway Beach Blvd., expected to open early next year. While Rockaway has plenty of pizzerias, Detroit-style pizza will be a first for the peninsula, but Aiken, and those around him, have gotten to know just how good it can be.

Learning the recipe from the literal “Pizza Bible” by Tony Gemignani, Detroit-style became an instant hit in the Aiken household. “The first time I ever had it, I fell in love with it. This is really hard to come by. I don’t think anyone has it in Queens and only a handful of places in Brooklyn and Manhattan do it. But I’ve been making it for my family and bringing it to Christmas Eve as a special treat. It’s a really special pizza,” Aiken said.

So, what is it? “It’s a square, or really a rectangle and it’s Sicilian style meaning the dough is pushed down into a pan and you let it rise. You put cheese on top of the dough and then add the sauce on top of the cheese. Us being in Rockaway, the closest thing to it is L&B, but it’s not quite that style. The difference is the cheese,” Aiken said. “The cheese gets all burnt and crispy. They call it frico around the edge of the crust, and it gives it this delicious, cheesy, crunchy bite. It’s so addictive. The cheese blend I’ll be using is a special low moisture mozz and white cheddar. I’m excited for people to try it.”

So, start stretching your stomachs to prepare for everything from pizza to burgers to sweet treats and more on Sunday. Tickets for the Rockaway Food Festival at The Rockaway Hotel (108-10 Rockaway Beach Drive) are on sale now. Head to TheRockawayHotel.com and click on the Happenings tab to get yours.