Amin is a partner in “Fauzia’s Heavenly Delights”, a beloved food vendor for the past four years on Governors Island (GI). He is also Fauzia’s husband. They have three children who all help out with the business. Amin hails from Baltimore, and he first experienced “green” coconuts in his travels to Jamaica and West Africa. “You pick them off the tree and the flesh is a jelly; like egg whites!”.
Amin, a vegetarian, loves to provide this fresh, natural and hydrating drink, in the heat of the summer, to GI visitors. He slices off the tops of the “green” coconuts (the brown variety is used mainly in cooking), and inserts a straw. After drinking the milk, people bring him back the coconut and he chops it open so they can eat the soft “meat” inside.
Amin began serving coconuts at the West Indian Day Parade on Eastern Parkway and the Dance Africa festivals in Brooklyn, years back. “Coconuts represent island and tropical culture. I like sharing this culture with people that came from this culture, and also introducing it to people. My main goal is to provide this good food as a way to encourage youth to embrace eating healthy, natural foods”. What makes his day? “Seeing a family or group of children gather round one of my coconuts and seeing their faces when they taste fresh coconut for the first time”.
Amin is looking into ways of recycling the shells (in addition to supplying them to Earth Matter to shred into “coire” (a mulch). Be on the lookout in the 2014 season for his shells re-purposed as bowls, purses, and jewelry, in addition to enjoying your own refreshing drink.