Bill Clinton teamed up with the Zagats to release the new Spotlight on Harlem guide.
This morning, former President Bill Clinton joined our own Nina and Tim Zagat to unveil the first-ever Zagat Spotlight on Harlem guide, produced in partnership with the Clinton Foundation’s Economic Opportunity Initiative. The guide – available by request at www.clintonfoundation.org – features 323 restaurants, nightspots, shops and attractions and includes a brief overview of Harlem’s history.
Devoting a guide to the riches of Harlem has been a longtime dream for Tim Zagat. “The Clinton Foundation gave us the edge to do it,” he said, noting that, “My family comes from Harlem. My mother grew up in Morningside Heights, and my father lived on 117th Street and Lenox Avenue. And my parents got married at Butler Hall.”
Mr. Clinton called the guide a “tribute to the hardworking men and women who have cultivated” small businesses in the area. He said he hopes it will “spark the creating of even more locally owned businesses” in Harlem, adding that the neighborhood is a “great place for business and a great place to call home.”
Tim Zagat echoed those sentiments in praising the businesses included in the guide. “These establishments reflect the rich culture of Harlem and are evidence of the hard work and determination of local leaders and entrepreneurs over the years,” he said. “I don’t need to tell anyone here that Harlem is a great cultural and historic destination, but it is our hope that our guide will draw many people who don’t know that.”
Before introducing the Zagats, Clinton noted that “Tim and Nina are the only couple that I know well from around here who also went to law school at Yale together.” Tim Zagat countered, “We were a couple of years ahead of the Clintons in law school…and that was the last time we were ahead of the Clintons!”
The guide will also be distributed at local businesses and through sponsors such as Carver Federal Savings Bank, Citibank, Empire State Development Corporation and the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone.
– Kathleen Squires