Open since 2015 in East New York, Fusion East (1179 Elton Street, at Vandalia Avenue) has built the kind of following most restaurants dream about — and not just because of its jerk chicken wings, jerk salmon, chicken and waffles, and roti. Owner Andrew Walcott, a U.S. Air Force vet who also happens to be a corporate attorney and a CPA, has loyal fans — including the NYC Department of Education (DOE), which has reportedly spent nearly $750,000 on catering there this year alone, according to AM New York. The Comptroller’s office responded to a significant uptick in spending at the restaurant since 2023 ( $81,637), 2024 ($470,686), and 2025 ($745,823), according to financial documents.
The DOE countered: “We are the largest school district in the nation… large purchase amounts are not uncommon.” In short: feeding staff across nearly one million students in over 1700 schools equals a lot of jerk chicken wings…