Jackson Heights Film Festival

The 2006 JHFF will be held on second Thursdays in September, October and November. An additional Saturday afternoon of children's programming is scheduled for October 14th at 11am. Each Second Thursday installment features work from assorted countries of origin, offering a range of perspectives on a common theme. Themes are chosen based on their ability to command interest and relevance beyond cultural and ethnic boundaries, such as food, family or home.

Tickets are available for $10.

Screenings take place at Native’s Restaurant, 82-22 Northern Blvd., Jackson Heights, NY, 11372

Battle of the burgers

By:Deborah Allard from Herald News 08/19/2006

Susan Mello doesn't have to sing for her supper, but she did anyway. How could she not, with Food Network's Bobby Flay in her kitchen? Mello, a professional opera singer and something of a sensation in her own kitchen, caught the network's attention when she won a Build a Better Burger contest in 2003.

Her "Big Fat Greco-Inspired Burger" got her $20,000 from contest sponsor Sutter Home Winery Zinfandel Ranch....

...Of course, she's not accustomed to the various cooking shows available today. Mello said she's never watched the Food Network and doesn't have cable television in her Jackson Heights, N.Y., home....

Jackson Heights Chronicles

Jackson Heights Chronicles:
When Crossing the Border Isn't Enough
(Paperback)
by Orlando Tobon

From his small travel agency tucked away in an area of New York City known as Little Colombia, the "Godfather of Jackson Heights" does far more than make travel arrangements. Fernando Padrón is a social service fixer to many of the tens of thousands of Latino immigrants living in his neighborhood. Tax accountant, job hunter, fund-raiser, and missing persons detective are just some of his roles. Fernando also earned the title of Undertaker for the Mules after helping families repatriate the remains of the dozens who die every year smuggling drugs into New York when drug-filled capsules in their stomachs explode. The riveting experiences shared in this collection of connected stories are based on the author's life. In scenes at once fascinating, inspiring, and heartbreaking, Orlando Tobón reveals not only what it means to be an immigrant, but also what it means to be an American.

Publisher: Atria (September 26, 2006)

Time Out New York Cheap Eats 2006

by James Oliver Cury, Time Out New York Eat Out editor

...In this year’s Cheap Eats issue, we made sure to compile legitimately useful information about inexpensive edibles: Hungry reporters combed 11 of the city’s most heavily trafficked subway hubs—where vast numbers of people go to the office or to do business each day, people who are constantly seeking new options for low-priced sustenance—to find the best inexpensive breakfasts ($5 maximum per person), lunches (up to $10) and dinners ($17 and below)...

74th and Broadway, Jackson Heights, Queens

Lentil need spikes after shortage

BY SHOMIAL AHMAD for Newsday (Staff Writer)

The price of lentils - a staple on the Indian dinner table - has doubled at some stores, and area South Asians are feeling the pinch...
...But New York City restaurants also pay more for lentils - sometimes 30 to 40 percent more. Some suppliers are getting lentils imported from other countries like Australia, said Manjit Singh, manager of Jackson Diner in Jackson Heights...