Weehawken, tasted

Peraveen Nair grew up in Weehawken. He worked in IT for many years before he finally took the plunge and made the first Indian restaurant to grace his town in 150 years a reality three years ago.
“I wanted to do something that made me happy,” Nair said, “and I wanted to share that with Weehawken.” And share he did. He and his wife Papita were almost out of the North Indian regional cuisine their chef, Francis Gomes, had prepared Tuesday for the annual library fundraiser, “Taste of Weehawken.”

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“The ‘Taste’ is not only a worthwhile fundraiser, but it’s a great community event.” – Holly Pizzuta
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Twenty-eight restaurants, catering businesses, and wine distributors filled the food court at Lincoln Harbor on the Weehawken waterfront that evening as over 400 hungry ticket-holders filed in to sample their wares. Door prizes were awarded to some of the lucky ones who traded a larger donation for the privilege of an entire hour to wander the court and get first pickings before the rest arrived.
“People marveled at the variety and quality of the food and wine,” the library Director of Administration and Operations Holly Pizzuta said. “The ‘Taste’ is not only a worthwhile fundraiser, but it’s a great community event.”
‘Taste’ raised around $15,000 for the library’s children’s programs that night. Pizzuta expressed gratitude to the participating restaurants who graciously donated their time and resources to make the event a success, and on behalf of the library, she thanked Giannone Wine and Liquor Co. for sponsoring the wine tasting and providing the programs.
“We would like to encourage everyone to patronize these vendors,” Pizzuta added, “and we look forward to seeing everyone at next year’s ‘Taste’.”

Gennarose Pope may be reached at gpope@hudsonreporter.com