Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/691740
W hen Hurricane Sandy ravaged the East Coast in late October 2012, the unprotected Rockaway Peninsula in Queens, N.Y., was among the areas hardest hit. The storm swal- lowed the boardwalk and many homes and businesses along the 11-mile strip of land. At least nine residents were killed. Nearly four years later, The Madelaine Chocolate Company, based in Rockaway Beach for 49 years, is on a stronger footing but still not fully recovered. Surviving the Storm—Barely "Imagine this," says Jorge Farber, 68, the company's president and chief executive officer, "four feet of salty ocean water th rough- out our facility and the neighborhood, including my house. The whole peninsula was inundated. The electric substations were destroyed so we had no electricity for five weeks." His family had to temporarily move in with relatives in Manhattan. After Hurricane Sandy decimated his business, this Queens chocolatier had to rebuild from scratch. BY JULIE BESONEN PHOTOS: THE MADELAINE CHOCOLATE COMPANY Jorge Farber, The Madelaine Chocolate Company A New Approach for a 50th Anniversary producer profle 62 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com