Mamdani and Hochul Visit Queens Night Market to Get Out the Vote

Zohran Mamdani wanted to share with the governor, but the vendor at the Taiwanese Yummy tent wasn’t having it. Cheng Liu insisted the New York mayor try his own bowl of beef noodle soup—the chef’s way.Instead of trying a bite from Governor Kathy Hochul, Mamdani watched and waited as Liu arranged slippery, wide noodles underneath pickled mustard greens, herbs, and slices of succulent brisket that had been cooked for eight hours, all ladled with a delicate broth. Mamdami started to dig in with his chopsticks when Liu rushed over to spoon in a generous amount of homemade chili oil.“The mayor is not scared of spicy food,” Liu said via his son’s translation. “We wanted to give him Taiwanese cuisine.”Beef noodle soup from Taiwanese Yummy. Photo by Gabe HiattAt the Queen’s Night Market, Mamdani and Hochul struck an unusual pair: a New York mayor and governor who get along.Three days before Election Day, the political allies arrived at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in a motorcade of black SUVs to pose for photos and get out the vote for the Democratic party. Hochul has made the city part of her final push in a re-election campaign against Republican Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County executive endorsed by President Donald Trump.In a joint interview with Hochul, Mamdani told Bon Appétit that he was showing up for the governor because she was showing up for immigrant New Yorkers. Earlier this year, Hochul signed legislation to ban local and state law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration operations, and to stop police at all levels from covering their face when interacting with the public.“The governor has stood up and called for public safety to actually be public safety and not just be an assistance and an accompaniment of ICE,” Mamdani said. “That has been part of what makes people feel like they can be part of this city.”Photo by Gabe HiattThe mayor also mentioned that the Queen’s Night Market was a favorite with constituents because of the price. Every dish is capped at $6. Hochul, running on affordability, points to her expansion of free school lunch statewide. “As a mom, this is personal,” she said. “I made a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches over the years for kids.”Representing different generations and factions of their party, Mamdani and Hochul recognize what they stand to gain together. Mamdani needed Hochul to expand free childcare and greenlight plans for a second-home tax. Hochul needs the enthusiasm of the Democratic Socialist mayor’s voting bloc.Hochul said she and Mamdani are aligned on lowering the cost of living and supporting the small business owners that make the food and nightlife scene so special.“It’s a rare day in New York for this kind of relationship,” Hochul said, “but when we talk to each other, we don’t disagree on these issues.”Hochul and Mamdani posed for selfies. Photo by Gabe HiattThe pair of politicians approached the night market in a coordinated operation that included advance teams, extra security, and business casual ’fits: Hochul in jeans, Mamdani tie-less in a quarter-zip. The mayor—who has made his appetite a key part of his public identity—appeared less stiff in his interactions with food vendors, but Hochul gamely grabbed chopsticks and posed for selfies.John Wang, who launched the Queens Night Market in 2015, said politicians are a regular presence here. “Every election season, they come out,” Wang said. “Even if they’ve never been here before, they’re like, ‘Yeahhh! I love the Queen’s Night Market.’” He said some (2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang, for instance) get feted like Mamdani, and others (N.Y. Sen. Chuck Schumer) draw a tamer response. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez used to come a lot, Wang said, and would always get swarmed by supporters.For the last market of the season, which fell on Halloween, Mamdani might as well have been a member of BTS. Vendors and visitors alike stared slackjawed, squealed, and uttered “oh my God!”A young man named Asad showed up in a Mamdani costume with no idea he would meet the mayor, let alone pose for photos that brought him to tears.“This is Bruce Blakeman’s nightmare!” the mayor said of his Mamdani double.Not the mayor. Photo by Gabe Hiatt“It was surreal, emotional a little bit,” said Asad, who declined to share his last name. Asad said he was born in Karachi, Pakistan, became a U.S. citizen in 2022, and voted for Mamdani after moving to New York from Florida.At the Ella Spice stand, Akera Phillip represents Grenada with breadfruit croquettes, fried cou-cou, and to-go pouches of sorrel. Phillip, who named her business after her grandmother, felt “elated” and “blessed” to serve her food to the leaders of the state and the city.“As a small island girl, it just made me feel big,” she said.Akera Phillip holds breadfruit croquettes. Photo by Gabe HiattAt the Epis by Steve tent, Hochul told Steve Lahens she could handle “Buffalo spicy,” a nod to her hometown, rather than admit to any trouble with his Haitian pikliz. Lahens and his wife fixed up plates of griot (fried pork) with diri djondjon (black rice) and makawoni au graten, a Caribbean mac and cheese he makes with bell peppers, “evaporated milk and a few little things I can’t talk about.”Lahens said he was born in Haiti but came to the U.S. in 1988. A workplace injury pushed him toward cooking, “and it changed my life, for the better.” He began cooking out of his house but now works out of the Mangrove shared kitchen at the Flatbush Central Caribbean Marketplace. He was excited to hobnob with the governor and the mayor, but Lahens also said New York small businesses need more help.“The rent could be lower so people like me could get a spot,” Lahens said. “Right now I’m stuck in catering. I love it, too, but my whole plan and goal is to get a storefront.”Photo by Gabe Hiatt