A Return to Governors Island and Nearly 10 Years of Growing a Food Business
For the third year, married Pomonok Houses residents Brandi Covington and Corey Whittenburg have brought their catering company’s soul food menu to Governor’s Island.
On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through October 31, Cooking with Corey serves visitors to Governors Island a menu featuring fried fish, fried chicken, collard greens, potato salad, ribs, and cornbread at The Foodie Spot, a shared vendor space created for NYCHA food business owners thanks to a partnership between NYCHA and The Trust for Governors Island.
“We really love being on Governors Island,” said Ms. Covington. “It’s a great opportunity, and we get to have our catering business surrounded by this beautiful park with an amazing view.”
For the fifth year, this unique opportunity to be a vendor on Governors Island has been offered to graduates of NYCHA’s Food Business Pathways Program (FBP), which provides free business development training to assist NYCHA public housing and Section 8 residents start or expand their food businesses. The program is operated by NYCHA’s Office of Resident Economic Empowerment and Sustainability (REES).
The opportunity is another milestone for a business that began with an email from NYCHA and a plan to sell cupcakes.
In 2017, Ms. Covington was working for the New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) as a parent coordinator. She enrolled in FBP, initially planned to start a cupcake business, and launched Tainted Treats LLC after completing the program. When she began looking for places to sell her cupcakes, she found that potential customers wanted more than desserts.
Meanwhile, Ms. Covington was helping her then-partner Mr. Whittenburg build a website for his catering business, Cooking with Corey. The two eventually combined their efforts, with Ms. Covington serving as owner and director of operations and Mr. Whittenburg serving as head chef. She left her NYCPS job to focus on their business.
“I can’t think of a better person to work with,” she said of her husband. “He really is amazing at his craft, and he really knows his stuff when it comes to food. He handles the food and I handle the business; one doesn’t happen without the other.”
Since then, the business has continued to grow. Though they are serving the company’s specialty soul food on Governors Island, they prepare various types of food, providing school and daycare meals and taking on other food service opportunities.
“NYCHA, REES, and the City have reached out to us when they need food for certain events,” Ms. Covington said. “We’ve always shown up and been professional, so they keep reaching out. We even received several contracts through the COVID-19 pandemic.”
For NYCHA, Cooking with Corey has helped provide meals to NYCHA residents experiencing gas outages, as well as food to those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As Cooking with Corey approaches its 10th year in business, the couple is beginning a new chapter with the launch of Cooking with Corey Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching children how to cook and explore culinary careers. They also want to explore ways to make home-cooked meals more accessible to families who may not be able to afford them.
“The nonprofit is really at the forefront of what we want to do, and our goal is to expand the foundation and try to find partnerships for a pilot program,” said Ms. Covington. “For our 10th anniversary, we’d love for the foundation to have gotten some traction.”
Through the foundation, they’ve held a free workshop and a pilot summer program for children. Ms. Covington is now seeking partner schools and community-based organizations that serve children to expand the programming.
For Ms. Covington, the foundation is a natural extension of what she and Mr. Whittenburg have built over the past decade. Cooking with Corey has grown from a business that began with cupcakes to a catering company serving communities across New York City – and on Governors Island.
The ferries to Governors Island operated by the Trust for Governors Island are free for NYCHA residents. To learn more about Governors Island and plan a visit, go to www.govisland.com.