Five Alive: Cooks Kickin’ It In Queens: Entrepreneur Space 5th Birthday Party

Please join us to celebrate the Entrepreneur Space’s fifth anniversary – with the theme Five Alive: Cooks Kickin’ It In Queens — on Wednesday, March 30, 6 pm to 8 pm, at 36-46 37th Street in Long Island City.

Partakers can expect great networking with 250 expected attendees and at least 30 vendors providing spicy, savory, and sweet samples to please all taste buds. Pretzel Man, who makes soft, doughy balls stuffed with ingredients such as cheddar cheese, peanut butter, and chocolate, will give out samples. Ditto for Yu Bakery, which sells healthy, gluten-free snacks with yucca; Gooey & Co., which bakes a St. Louis-style butter cake in various flavors; and Little Bird, which candies jalapeños and covers them in dark chocolate and sea salt. Wash it all down with alcoholic drinks from SquareWine & Spirits, teas from Forest Witch Spells, and super- caffeinated beverages from Coffeed.

There’s a lot to celebrate. The E-Space has helped more than 500 small businesses, generated $6 million in revenue, and created more than 100 jobs over the past five productive years. Plus, the Queens Economic Development Corporation, which operates the E-Space, will announce the StartUP! Business Plan Competition finalists and host a special recognition of QEDC’s award-winning Women’s Business Center during Women’s History Month.

The E-Space officially opened on Jan. 19, 2011. This 12,500-sq.-ft., NYC Economic Development Corporation-sponsored hub features a fully equipped commercial kitchen, offices, and classrooms. To improve outcomes, QEDC offers business counseling, technical assistance, and financial classes on site. The E-Space also provides room for The Fortune Society, which trains previously incarcerated individuals for jobs in the food-preparation industry.