Night markets, originating in Asia as illegal “ghost markets” that bustled through the evening and vanished before daybreak, have begun taking major North American cities by storm.
Rows of glowing vendor booths light up the night, music fills the air, art is sold to passersby and, most importantly, xiaochi, or small eats and street food, are served up as fast bites throughout the fleeting bazaar.
For Michael Fleming, Executive Director of St. Clair Superior Development Corporation, it was a recent trip to Hong Kong that sparked the idea to bring the event to Cleveland. On the last Friday of every month, beginning June 26, Night Market Cleveland (nightmarketcle.com) will pop up from 5 – 11 p.m. The first takes over the Rockwell Ave. block at East 21st St.
“Food is something that’s always been very important to these; you get little tastes of things you just hadn’t seen before,” says Fleming over tea at Emperor’s Palace, where the night market will take place directly outside the glittering red and gold restored historic building. “It’s an entry point for people to experience another culture.”
Emperor’s dim sum will be served as quick takeaways, along with snacky fare from other nearby restaurants, such as pad Thai, pineapple buns, lo mein and bubble tea.
But don’t be surprised if the food comes to you first. A fleet of carts outfitted with birch-topped counters and wheels from Ohio City Bike Co-Op was constructed to rove the crowd. Expect longstanding neighborhood favorite Koko Bakery to zip by offering some of their most popular pastries.
By working one-on-one with local restaurants like Emperor’s and Koko, Asian-American community liaison Joyce Tan Huang is recreating her own experiences of visiting Taiwanese night markets and adding a Cleveland flair.
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