Good morning, New York. Dani Finkel grew up in 1980s Flushing, Queens, a diverse community where, she says, “everyone ate from the same multicultural, comforting smorgasbord” — a hodgepodge of Jewish, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Latino and Indian flavors (and more).
That pan-cultural upbringing, plus time spent with her Lower East Side–reared “Yiddish grandparents,” inspired her pop-up Mamala, where Dani reimagines Jewish comfort food with a global twist.
At Mamala, Dani serves Yentenadas (a Jewish take on the empanada, in flavors like shakshuka or salami and eggs) and Knoshes (mini knishes infused with miso).
“There’s a lot of inspiration from everywhere,” Dani told our Lily Lester, who visited the Mamala stand at Brooklyn’s Fort Hamilton Distillery the other week.
Tap the photo below to watch a short video about this only-in-New-York Jewish business.
Fun fusion
"Flushing — it's is a food mecca," Queens native Dani Finkel said. "All of the foods inspired my family's food journey." Tap the photo above for more.
