NYC Celebrates Its First-Ever African Restaurant Week 2013

NEW YORK - Sept. 24, 2013 - PRLog -- NEW YORK, NY —This fall, for the first time in New York City (NYC), food lovers get an opportunity to enjoy prix-fix three-course meals at several high-caliber African restaurants, between Sunday October 13 and Sunday October 20.

Produced by Panla and A Taste of Africa USA, two leading culinary events companies reinventing the way African food is consumed and discovered, the week-long African cuisine and culture celebration features lunch and dinner options valued at $19.95 per person and $28.95 per person, respectively.  NYARW vouchers and gift certificates for friends and relatives are available for purchase online at www.beUevents.com via a secure payment system. In addition to the special fixed priced lunch and dinner options, diners are eligible for a 10% discount off regular menu items when they mention “New York African Restaurant Week” at participating restaurants.

The inaugural New York African Restaurant Week (NYARW) affair also features:

·         A food and wine tasting party at Taj Lounge (48 W 21st Street, Chelsea, NYC) from 2PM-8PM on Sunday, October 13.  A variety of African wines and cuisine prepared by celebrity chefs Pierre Thiam, Brian Hayford and Chekh Cisse and A. Cisse will be illustrated at the event. This event will include food, wine, music, networking and philanthropy. Advance discounted $30 tickets are available for purchase online at www.beuevents.com;

·      A variety of other food and wine events betweenOctober 14 and October 20 at six participating locations:

o   “Africa  & Food” on Wednesday, October 16, from 6PM until 10:30PM, at Le Souk Harem located at: 510 LaGuardia Place, New York, NY;

o   “African Food and Wine meets Brooklyn” on Thursday, October 17, from 5PM until 10PM at Bedvyne (http://www.bed-vyne.com/) located at: 370 Tompkins Avenue,  Brooklyn, NY;

o   “African Cuisine & Culture Party” on Friday, October 18, from 10PM until 2AM, at Buka located at: 945 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY;

o   “A Taste of Senegal” on Saturday, October 19, from 2PM until 7PM, at Jollof (http://www.joloffjoloff.com/) located at:1168 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY;

o   “Pan-African Literature Salon”, a reading event featuring three renowned African and Haitian literary authors, on Sunday, October 20, from 4PM until 7PM, at La Caye (http://www.lacayebk.com/) located at: 35 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, NY.

A select number of restaurants and wine brands represented during the inaugural NYARW include: Bed Vyne Wine (http://www.bed-vyne.com), Buka (http://www.bukanewyork.com/), House of Mandela Wines (http://www.houseofmandela.com), Jollof (http://www.joloffjoloff.com), Katra (http://www.katranyc.com), La Caye (http://www.lacayebk.com), Les Ambassades (http://www.lesambassadesbarresto.com/), Le Souk Harem, Madiba (http://www.madibarestaurant.com), Ponty Bistro (http://www.pontybistro.com), Queen of Sheba (http://www.shebanyc.com), Shrine NYC (http://www.shrinenyc.com/) and Toast 105 (http://www.toastnyc.com/). A portion of the profits from the week-long NYARW will benefit Guinee Espoir (http://www.guineeespoir.com), an organization dedicated to promoting youth development in Guinea, West Africa, as well as The Telem Center for the African Child (http://telemcenter.org/index.html), an organization providing children of African descent with recreational camping activities, cultural and educational programs that celebrate African heritage.

“Within the rapidly burgeoning culinary scene in NYC, New York African Restaurant Week presents an exciting and unique opportunity to celebrate the best of African culture,” said Akin Akinsanya, CEO, A Taste of Africa and Founder, NY African Restaurant Week.  “The NYARW targets a culturally rich and diverse audience in NYC, both residents and visitors, who have one thing in common: love and/or appreciation for the intricacies of African cooking.In addition to the offerings at participating restaurants, for those foodies interested in going on a ‘culinary getaway’ across Africa, we have an amazing food and wine tasting event on Sunday, October 13 at Taj Lounge in the Chelsea area of New York City.  The event will feature wines and tantalizing dishes from all four corners of Africa.  Moreover, interest in the week is very high particularly given that this is a first for New York City.  Therefore, we encourageresidents and visitors to reserve their tickets in advance to ensure a spot at their top choice NYARW restaurants.  Tickets and reservations are currently available online at: www.beUevents.com.”

Complete NYARW details, including a full list of participating restaurants, prix-fixe menus, chef bios and special events are available at: www.beUEvents.com.  The site is updated frequently to reflect new restaurants and events.  Search #NYARW on Facebook and on twitter to get up to the minute details on new events, chefs and restaurants added to the NYARW roster.

About the NYARW Producers:A Taste of Africa USA (http://www.tasteafricausa.com/) and Panla (http://panla.com/) are two Culture and Special events companies located in NYC. Since 2008, both brands have produced networking events in NYC that feature food, fashion, and live entertainment programs from all over Africa.  Their events have also highlighted and raised funds for non-profit organizations dedicated to supporting change and development in various parts of the world.  Follow on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TasteofAfricaUSA) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/PanlaUSA) today.