THE CARIBBEAN BUSINESS REPORT
Bed-Stuy eatery awarded prestigious honor
By Alexandra Simon
And the award goes to…
A Bedford-Stuyvesant Caribbean
eatery is an honoree
of the James Beard Foundation’s
American Classics award.
The notable dining honor was
bestowed to Noel and Greeta
Brown’s A&A Bake and Doubles
and Roti Shop on Fulton
Street, which serves up popular
Trinidadian fare as its name
suggests — doubles and roti,
along with other dishes from
the twin-island republic.
Every year the foundation
awards several established restaurants
that prioritize and utilize
their communities to reflect
their menus and offerings. Of
this year’s five recipients — A&A
Bake and Doubles and Roti Shop
is the only New York area restaurant,
and the only one serving
Caribbean-centric cuisine.
The thrilled restaurateurs
have an idea as to why they
were selected for the prestigious
award.
“Besides the food and the
price, our food is excellent and
cheap and we serve it all day,”
said Noel Brown.
Unlike the foundation’s other
awards that can be submitted or
nominated, the American Classics
category however, must be
brought forward by its 19-member
Restaurant and Chef Awards
Committee.
Caribbean L 24 ife, Feb. 8–14, 2019 BQ
The group consists of food
critics who suggest hundreds of
restaurants that meet the criteria
of being in operation for at
least a decade, locally owned,
and serving moderately-priced
food options.
For more than 22 years, the
Browns family-run business has
served New York City with the
fresh doughy snack and flatbread,
with 18 of those years in
Brooklyn.
Despite the neighborhood
seeing increasingly major demographic
changes since moving
from Queens in 2002, Brown
said it has been business as
usual, and the newcomers are
part of their loyal clientele.
“The area’s been changing a
lot, but a lot of the new people
are curious to taste what we
have — they are always adventurous,”
he said.
And after their award
announcement, Brown says he’s
already seeing a slight increase
in patrons, but vows to retain
the cultural authenticity that
earned it to them.
“I’ve seen a few new customers
and its been great, but we’re
taking it one day at a time,”
said Brown. “We’re not going to
change and everything will still
be the same. We’re going to keep
maintaining our home-like vibe
and atmosphere.”
A&A Bake and Doubles and
Roti Shop at 1337 Fulton St.
between Verona Place and Nostrand
Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant,
(347) 425-0016, www.
aandabakedoublesandrotishop.
com. Open Mon., 6:30 am–4:30
pm and Tues–Sat., 6:30 am–7
pm.
More than doubles: Though the restaurant’s most popular items are doubles and roti, other
menu options include a wide range of Trinidadian cuisine. A&A Bake and Doubles and Roti Shop
Family business: Couple Noel and Greeta Brown at their
Bedford-Stuyvesant eatery, A&A Bake and Double and Roti
Shop, which was recently awarded the James Beard Foundation’s
American Classics awards. A&A Bake and Double and Roti
Shop
By Anna Spivak
Eat your heart out, outer
boroughs!
A dazzling new dining experience
will promote the unique
cuisines found in Brooklyn,
Queens, and the Bronx next
month!
Dine The Boroughs, a twoweek
culinary tour of some of
the outer boroughs’ best bites,
will feature some 200 restaurants
offering prix fixe menu
options for just $28, from
March 18 to March 31.
The expansive munch marathon
fills a gaping hole in New
York City’s beloved Restaurant
Week line-up, which features
hundreds of Manhattan eateries
while spotlighting only
a fork-full of outer borough
options, according to one of the
creators of Dine the Boroughs.
“This is really an opportunity
to promote the diverse food
offerings found in Brooklyn,
Queens, and the Bronx,” said
Joshua Schneps, the chief executive
officer of Schneps Media.
“We want to drive traffic to
each of the boroughs because,
as we all know, great food is a
destination.”
Joining the roster of the ultimate
outer-borough feast will
have no cost for participating
restaurants, said Schneps.
“It’s completely free for restaurants
to participate,” he
said. “They have to offer a prix
fixe menu, at least for dinner,
during the period of time
that we’ll be holding Dine the
Boroughs, and they have to be
based in Brooklyn, Queens, or
the Bronx. There is no other
charge, and we’re very fortunate
to have such a large reach
in those three areas, through
our different newspapers, websites,
newsletters, and social
channels, that we can really
promote these restaurants.”
Foodie feast: Dine the Boroughs, a two-week culinary tour
of varied cuisines found in the outer boroughs, will kick off
on March. 18. Festival Media
Restaurants and sponsors
interested in signing up can
visit www.dinetheboroughs.
com, which in the coming
weeks will be updated with a
detailed list of participating
eateries and their offerings.
Join the Dine the Boroughs
journey, presented by the Whitmore
Group, by following along
on social media using the hashtag:
#dinetheboros
Dine the Boroughs in NY
/www.dinetheboroughs
/www.aandabakedoublesandrotishop
/www.aandabakedoublesandrotishop
/www.dinetheboroughs