Good afternoon.

I'm Catherine White, Executive Director of the New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce, and we are delighted to be here today in downtown New Rochelle to celebrate the grand opening and ribbon cutting of Mona Restaurant.

It's been a long time coming this opening, and we've all been looking forward to it because so many items are featured at Mona that are part of the original Shirley India menu that we all know and love, especially those butter chicken empanadas.

Pro tip, don't miss them.

But we really want to congratulate owner Andrew Abraham.

He's taken his family business and expanded it.

So it's moved from a catering, original catering restaurant to a takeout restaurant.

Now he has the brick and mortar restaurant Mona.

And then eventually in 2027, we're expecting a great expansion thanks to the New Rochelle Tenant Improvement Fund, which will provide an outdoor eating area right behind Mona.

So this area is just going to explode with eating and merriment and great activities down here in downtown New Rochelle.

So we're thrilled about the whole scenario and so happy to be here today.

So we have many people with us to celebrate.

We'd like to start by thanking Mayor Yadira Ramos Herbert for being here.

There she is.

Woo!

We have Kevin Jimenez, Director of Economic Development with us.

And then also from economic development, of course, we have Mariana Hussafai.

She is the small business relations manager for the city of New Rochelle.

And we have Benito Seja with us.

He is the senior project manager for New Rochelle, and in particular, this project.

Of course, we're in the downtown, so we have with us the executive director of the New Rochelle downtown Bit and Gold.

From the New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce, we are with us Andrew Fagenbaum.

Of course, NRPD on site helping us direct traffic and keeping everyone safe as they're always doing at all of our events, so we're thrilled for that.

And the man of the hour, Andrew Abraham.

So I'd like to begin by calling up the mayor to say a few words.

Thrilled to be here also with two of my council colleagues, Martha Lopez, who's double hitting for the county executive as well, representing District 1 and Councilman Shane Austin Loyer.

I think we are in District 4, if I'm not mistaken.

I was chatting with Andrew very briefly because I remember him telling me a lot about his family's long-standing presence here.

It's easy to be here today.

But as I said to you, you're not new to this, you're true to this.

You have been in the downtown, your family.

You said your aunt was where Scratch and R was between what your mom has done, like what you're doing.

I mean, like this is a family who has believed in New Rochelle, and just like y'all saw something before so many other people did, and to be able to just stand here and celebrate this ribbon cutting with you.

Just thank you, honestly, for choosing New Rochelle, for sticking with New Rochelle in our less than nice pretty days.

Um helping us honestly be the face of the future of New Rochelle.

The investment in that grant, like your exact you're exactly the story we want to tell.

You know, we want to uplift and help small businesses like you.

Um the vibes are right inside.

Any place that plays hip hop with that aesthetic, will always have my heart.

So very grateful and just just so happy and thrilled for you and the family.

So congratulations.

Thank you, Mayor.

And now I'd like to call up Kevin Jimenez, Director of Economic Development.

So I just wanted to give a few words because you know, as some of you know, Andrew is actually one of the very first recipients of the retail tenant improvement fund, and he actually he was able to receive a grant of 250,000 for this space that we're here for today.

Um so just wanted to thank you for your commitment, your persistence, sticking it out through the process, working with myself, with Mariana with Jorge.

Um I know it was very long, drawn-out process, but you really did start stick it out, and um it was a testament to being neuro strong.

So just wanted to give you that that kudos and um also just the overall Vanguard initiative as a whole.

Um, you know, this space itself is going to contribute to creating a more vibrant downtown, and we're just really looking forward to enjoying it, um, to enjoying the great food.

I already heard you know a lot of great things about the food, so I'm really looking forward to enjoying it and also supporting you as part of the development and as the city as a whole.

Thank you, Andrew.

Thank you, Kevin.

And now as we are in District 4, I'd like to bring up the City Council representative for District 4, Shane O'Sheen Loyer.

It is a absolute pleasure to be here today.

I have I'm sad to say that I've never been in the Shirley's and Mona's spot before, and the reason for that is I see Andrew all over the city.

So it's a pleasure to support a business that's deeply engaged with the entirety of Neurochelle.

I've had Shirley's everywhere else but Shirley's and Mona's everywhere else but Mona's, but that just speaks to how much of a family environment that we encourage in Neurochelle and you know back to the tenant improvement fund, reinvesting into the families that are investing into the city that we love.

It's a pleasure to be here today.

It's an honor truly.

And if there's anything that we could do to support, of course, our ears are wide open.

And thank you for doing even more business in Neurochell.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

And now we have another city council person, Martha Lopez, who in addition to representing New Rochelle in the city council is the director of women in Minority Owned Businesses for Westchester County.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you for choosing New Rochelle and to bring this wonderful restaurant.

I'm gonna put my order in because I love Indian food.

But here in New Rochelle, we take economic development very seriously.

And we are very proud of businesses such as this one.

And I wish you the very best and I want you to know that we also at the County have many resources available where we can help you thrive and get to a higher space.

Okay, thank you so much.

Thank you, Martha.

And now I'd like to call up Ann Gold because we are in the downtown, so let's hear from the NeuroShell downtown bid.

Thanks, Catherine.

Thanks, Catherine, for organizing another fabulous ribbon cutting.

It's a it's a joy to be here and to congratulate Mona's.

Um it's really going to bring a cool vibe to the city.

I was here for the pivot party.

The food was excellent.

The murals and the energy is wonderful.

I know this is gonna be a place that brings culture and a wonderful place for people to hang out and connect and have some really good food.

And it's just makes downtown more vibrant.

So as the other said, thanks for choosing New Rochelle.

Thanks for expanding from next door, fabulous place, and we want to welcome you and we wish you lots of full tables.

And now I'd like to call up the man of the hour, Andrew Abraham.

Woo.

Alright, thank you guys for all for coming.

I don't want to thank uh I want to thank a lot of people, but I don't want to forget anyone, so I'm gonna just come up to you guys individually later.

Um all of you guys have been a part of this journey since about I've been posting on Instagram for four years.

I've been talking about it for six, and I had imaginations of this as a kid, so uh so but it no matter how long you guys have been waiting, no one has been waiting longer than me.

So let's get in there, let's cut this ribbon and let's have a good time.

Thank you.

Andrew, don't go away.

Now I'd like to call up Andrew Fagenbaum from the Neurochell Chamber of Commerce.

Alright, on behalf of the Neurochelle Chamber of Commerce, we want to present this plaque to Andrew and Mona.

Uh welcome back or welcome again or whatever.

Uh really great to have you here.

Thank you.

Uh just uh one last thing.

Uh this is a journey.

We are opening up Mona today.

We do have the garden, hopefully this October or uh next 2027, and that's all thanks to the city's uh tenant improvement grant that I'm entirely grateful for.

Thank you guys so much.

Appreciate it.

And now as they say, let's get ready to cut a ribbon.

Ready?

Yeah.

Three, two, one, cut.

Oh yeah.