A Queens Queen Cooks Up A Win
The Queens Economic Development Corporation and the Citi Foundation are the sponsors of the Queens Taste 2014 which happened on April 29. The winners of the Eighth Annual Queens StartUP! Business Plan Competition, a five-month challenge-and-instruction course were announced during Queens Taste. Each winner gets $10,000 to jumpstart their businesses.
One of the competitors was Jaime Montalvo is also known as Soraya Sobriedad, “a trim and sassy drag queen” who offers tasty recipes for healthy Latin dishes on a her Internet cooking show. Sobriedad took the prize in the Innovative category and got the $10,000 prize.
TGForum spoke with Sobriedad and asked her some questions about the competition.
TGF: Was this your first time in the Queens StartUP! Business Plan Competition?
S: I have been in this competition for three years in a row. The first submission I was a finalist but did not win. Second year I did not come in at all, but was asked to be a judge for the food vendor tasting.
TGF: What do you think made the difference this year?
S: This year, with The New York Times review and my appearance on Food Network, I had a much clearer idea of my business plan and what I wanted to convey in the plan.
TGF: There were several winners in different categories. What category did you win?
S: I won the Innovative category since the business is Internet-based, as well as catering and live healthy cooking presentations.
TGF: What are your plans for the prize money?
S: My usage of funds include creating a great website and hiring a publicist to assist me in getting more media visibility as well as appearances in cooking shows and competitions.
TGF: Was there any part of the whole Queens Taste event that you enjoyed, besides getting that check?
S: I was asked to be a taste master judge this year among a panel of women judges.
TGF: You look very pretty accepting your prize.
S: I am prettier when I am winning!
Watch Soraya’s cooking show on YouTube and locally in the New York City area on Manhattan Neighborhood Network and Queen Public Television.
Category: Drag Queen, Transgender Community News
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