Dirk McCall de Palomá is a serious epicurean seeker of spicy and ethnic food, and a passionate connector of people. For the past two years, he has also been the executive director at the Sunnyside Shines business improvement district, a nonprofit funded by the city that promotes Sunnyside, Queens, as a destination.
“I help businesses and empower communities,” said Mr. McCall de Palomá, 55, who plans cultural celebrations. “People come to me with problems; I find solutions.”
The foodie in him loves that he runs the Taste of Sunnyside Restaurant Week.
He grew up in Georgia, then migrated to New York in 1991 to attend graduate school at Columbia University for political science. In 1994, he began renting his one-bedroom apartment in Astoria, Queens, on the top floor of a four-story walk-up.
“In your 30s it’s OK because you think: ‘This is great exercise. My butt looks great,” he said. “Once I hit my 40s, I realized I should be living on the first floor. Now that I’m in my 50s, I wish I had an elevator.”
Still, his love for his neighborhood overrides the grueling climb, which has also made him really good at not forgetting anything upstairs. He lives with his 12-year-old Norwegian Forest mix cat, Herbert.
NATURAL RISE My body kicks in around 6 a.m. and wakes me up. I don’t drink coffee. I’m from Georgia — I drink Diet Coke. People are surprised when I tell them, but it’s got caffeine. I also want the fizzy. Then I feed Herbert, who’s a large, fluffy, vocal boy with opinions on everything and expects breakfast once he sees me moving around.
READING AND LIST MAKING For the next few hours I’ll catch up on the news, which I get off the internet: Joe.My.God, an L.G.B.T. news site, which I supplement with Politico, The New York Times and The New York Post. Then I make lists of errands I need to do, calls I need to make and emails I need to send. I like lists. You can cross things off, and that gives you a sense of accomplishment.
FARAWAY HUSBAND I’ll WhatsApp with my husband, who is currently stuck in Bucaramanga, Colombia. We do this several times throughout the day. We met in 2019 on Grindr and got married in 2021. When he went to visit his family, Covid was still a problem. And though travel restrictions were lifted, he’s been having trouble getting permission from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to re-enter. It’s been horrifically lonely without him. He loves to send voice messages, so I savor those and listen to them throughout the day.
CONNECTING I’m showered and dressed by 10 a.m. Then I get the Q104 bus on my block, which I take to 49th Street and Queens Boulevard. I walk the first six blocks of Greenpoint Avenue so I can connect with merchants and store owners and make sure there are no problems — that the streets are swept properly, that traffic lights are working and that no furniture has been damaged. I love stopping in the small specialty stores like Parrot Coffee, which has jams, marinated olives and artichokes, and different types of soaps, and Chakra Cafe, which is Turkish. They sell breakfast sandwiches and baklava, which are delicious.
GROUP ACTIVITIES A big part of my job is planning cultural events for the Sunnyside community. Past events have been a Day of the Dead celebration, a Sunny Pride parade and Chuseok, a Korean harvest festival. It’s important that communities see themselves reflected in the programming and that public spaces help promote local commerce.
CONNECTING WITH FRIENDS I’m usually at brunch by 2. I’m an evangelist for the area. My aim is to bring friends to Astoria from Manhattan or the Bronx who have been trying to do dinner or drinks with me and can’t because everyone is so busy. Brunch is usually easier. People don’t mind traveling on the weekends. Astoria gets a bad rap because people think it’s far away. They haven’t found the beauty of it yet. Usually I go to Salvatoria Kitchen and Bar, which is owned by a lesbian couple. Their pupusas are amazing, There’s also The Shady Lady and Fresco’s Grand Cantina.
INGREDIENT HUNT I cook quite a bit, which relaxes me. I love hearty southern food, which reminds me of home. I’m always acquiring groceries or looking for interesting ingredients. Last week it was the White Bear in Flushing to get frozen dumplings and wontons. It’s the greatest hole in the wall. Now I’m on the hunt for Armenian cracker bread, which I researched and found is sold in Rego Park.
FORGING CONNECTIONS I coordinate two different groups: Out Astoria, an L.G.B.T. social group for Astoria and western Queens, which I created with a friend in 2006; and AstoriaCentric, where 20 to 30 people who live in the neighborhood come to a local restaurant. It makes me happy to bring people together. There’s a sense of joy that’s palpable. When I was single, I was on the apps, which isn’t very personal or social, and so this made me feel part of something. Now, even though I’m married, I’m living by myself, so having a sense of community has become important.
TV DEVOTEE I’m home by 9. I love RuPaul, who has a drag race empire. I watch all the franchises, but that can cut into my “Eurovision” time, which I stream on YouTube, on my TV. It’s a national European songwriting competition between the 26 to 40 countries that participate. Each song has to be three minutes or less. Abba got their start here and won for the Swedish. Celine Dion got her big break representing Switzerland. It’s a great way to find new artists that are unique. I get obsessed with songs. There’s a song competing in Finland this year that reminds me of trashy Eurodance from the ’90s, which I love, and lets me relive my glory days. The people I want to win generally don’t.
LOUD NIGHTS It’s lights out by midnight. My block is especially loud; so are my neighbors, so I have a white noise machine and sound-reducing curtains on the window. If I can’t calm my mind, I make notes on a pad I keep next to my bed. If I’m really groggy, I tend to write strange things that I can never read the next day.
