Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
"We Heard You Have Hot Rice": Lonestar Taco Feeds Isolated Gerritsen Beach
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 5, 2012
Modified Nov 5, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Gothamist
View all 7
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 5, 2012
Modified Nov 5, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gerritsen Beach, the small Zone B community in South Brooklyn that was ruined by Hurricane Sandy, hasn't had power since last Monday. With many homes uninhabitable after so much flooding, people have been spending their time cleaning and salvaging what they can. And it's been a long time without a fresh-cooked meal for them, too—which is why Lonestar Taco's visit was especially welcome yesterday. One volunteer said that people came up to their table saying, "We heard you have hot rice."
Wayne Surber and Tracie Lee operate a stall at New Amsterdam Market, and they fed lower Manhattan residents and businesses last Thursday. Then Aaron Cohen, of @EatBoston, asked if they would go out again, if Boston-based (or anywhere-based, really) contributors donated money.
With over $525 successfully raised, Wayne and Tracie did about a week of preparation—from procuring ingredients (like a pig from a farm) to cooking them (that chipotle is made from scratch)— in two days. Then they rallied five other volunteers to head to Gerritsen Beach, at the suggestion of Allison Robicelli who has been networking to connect volunteers with needy areas, and set up a grill and everything else (induction burners, stable surfaces, sterno candles, serving implements, etc.) and got to work, serving tacos, rice and beans. According to volunteer Adriana Jacobs, one child watched Wayne cooking with great interest and said, "This is beautiful."
Tracie tells us, "We served food in a modified version of how we do it at New Amsterdam Market—in a way we had an advantage to doing an ad-hoc mobile set up since we do this every Sunday! We had most of the equipment already and we got chafing dishes donated from Craig and Ben from Peaches (we live just down the street from Peaches). We wanted to give people options since we knew that a lot of people have dietary restrictions or allergies, but we needed to balance that with serving many people quickly. Plus having help from volunteers allowed us to control the flow and make sure everyone got fed."
Lonestar Taco says they are trying to sort out their previous commitments in hopes of doing more for the devastated Hurricane Sandy-struck communities soon. In the meantime, Gerritsen Beach really needs MANPOWER and coffee.
Tagged
brooklyn
gerritsen beach
hurricane sandy
lonestar taco
volunteer
original
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.
The median price of a cocktail in the city is now $16, and $9 for a draft beer.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Oct 19, 2026
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .