Esther’s Aid 6th Annual ‘Dinner By The Bite’

Esther’s Aid helps needy and abandoned children with its various programs providing education, vocational instruction, life skills, and the tools necessary to overcome poverty and create productive, sustainable lives. The Esther’s Aid 6th Annual “Dinner By The Bite” was held at the historic Riverside Church on November 18, 2019.

We enjoyed delicious, bite-sized, gourmet food tastings from their restaurant supporters Massawa NYC, Emma’s Torch, Masala Kraft Cafe, Alvin & Friends, KRAVE – A New York Eatery, Independent Chef Vincent Le, and Esther’s Aid Graduate Chef Didier, just to name a few.

We tried and some bought the delicious Gorilla’s Coffee, where the coffee is grown, harvested, and packaged in Rwanda. The coffee has dark chocolate, spice and a touch of fruit that is 100 percent Arabica Bourbon. This is distributed by the Global Food Coffee division of Global Food Production Corporation of New York. The profits are reinvested in their farmers.

We were able to try the contemporary, Southern-style soul food with Caribbean influences from Open Table Award Winner Alvin & Friends Restaurant in New Rochelle, NY. They have a cozy, elegant space graced with vibrant artwork. The restuarant is the winner of a 2015 Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor and was named by Westchester Magazine as one of the “Best of Westchester” four years in a row.

Massawa NYC Ethiopian Restaurant is the oldest African eatery in NYC since 1988. Yohanes and Abraham Tekeste served tasty sambusas that were quite similar to samosa found in Indian cuisine. Many tried the delicious food prepared by Chef Imanzi “Didier” Tuyisenge who graduated from Esther’s Aid Culinary Arts Program.

Some were able to sample beers from The Wolf & Warrior, a five-barrel capacity New York State Certified Farm Brewery, the first of its kind to ever exist in the city of White Plains. Over 80 percent of the grain and 40 percent of the hops they brew with are grown in the state of New York. Mike and his co-brewer Mark formulate every recipe from scratch for every beer.

Tania Richards Joyce presented the Elite Island Resorts donation worth $23,000 in the form of vacation package certificates to Antigua, Barbuda, The Grenadines, St. Lucia, Barbados, and Panama. The vacations packages were valued between $2,800 and $5,000. Also, there was also a painting titled “LA LUZ DEL MUNDO” by the well-known artist Orlando Sobalvarro from Nicaragua. The painting is valued between $5,000 and $10,000. Restaurant owners generously donated gift certificates to their restaurants.

Chef Christian Petroni donated a dinner certificate for four people at Fortina Restaurants valued at $200. The dinner for four provided the winner with an opportunity to enjoy an authentic Italian meal at Fortina owned by Chef Christian Petroni, who jointly won the 14th season of the Food Network television series “Food Network Star.” This Bronx native now owns restaurants in Brooklyn, Connecticut, and Westchester. Orsay restaurant owners Regis and Jan Marinier also donated two dinner certificates worth $125 each to their restaurants Orsay and Bar Italia in Manhattan.

Long-time supporters Carol Froehlich-Hull, her son Max Hull, and her daughter Sophie Froehlich-Hull shared an excerpt of their international film documentary titled “Hills of Resilience… Rwanda 25 Years Later.” Max is the cinematographer for the film and Sophie is also assisting with the production. This past summer, they traveled to Rwanda and spent time filming at Esther’s Aid with the founder, Clare Effiong. The film documented the progress made in building the Esther’s Aid Village of Peace. The sooner the buildings are completed, the more young people at risk will have a place to go to learn and gain skills to support themselves and their families.

‎Tim Barker– an actor and producer known for his film and television performances in “RISE,” “Blue Bloods,” “The Blacklist,” “Quantico,” and “Law and Order”– was an engaging host.

Esther’s Aid honored Sandra Bookman for her ongoing support and outstanding work as a reporter and anchor at WABC-TV for over 20 years, and the impact that she has made with “Here and Now.” She has won four Emmy Awards for her reporting, including Olympic Coverage and the aftermath of the ValuJet Airlines Crash in the Everglades. Sandra has received numerous awards and honors, including the Mercy College Quill Award, and being named one of the Network Journal’s “25 Most Influential Women.”

We also enjoyed the live Latin jazz by Metrotang La Banda Ramirez.

Esther’s Aid is a 501(c)3) Christian-based, non-profit organization that was established in 1999 in New Rochelle, NY. In 2000, they planted their roots in Kigali, Rwanda. They began a grass-root operations to help children in need and the homeless in their local community.

Esther’s Aid inspires hope by providing free life-changing skills through its vocational training and education programs to impoverished youth and women who have been abused and exploited. Every year, students enroll into their programs which include Culinary Arts, Catering & Hospitality, Business Management & Entrepreneurship, Computer Training, Sewing, and Home Accessory Designs. Students are placed on three-month internship programs upon completing the 12-month course, and receive certificate at graduation.

They work in partnership and in collaboration with international, national and local organizations/institutions. There is a new partnership with the International Potato Center (CIP) where the organization is a local leader. One does not realize that too many children lose their eyesight due to lack of Vitamin A. Esther’s Aid is trying to get children to have some sweet potato in their diets that will help prevent that.

As a result of the new CIP partnership, Esther’s Aid was invited to attend the 10th Annual Sweet Potato for Profit and Health Initiative (SPHI) in Kigali on August 24, 2019. The event included 91 people from 14 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa as well as the USA, UK, and Peru. The theme of this year’s SPHI meeting was “Sweet Potato’s Role in Africa’s Food Systems: Reaching Diverse Groups in Diverse Settings.”

More about Esther’s Aid can be found at esthersaid.org.