As veganism remains an attractive choice for those leaning toward healthier food options, the Vegan Night Market is one of the newest vegan weekly series. It debuted in Wollman Rink at Central Park on Tuesday, June 6. This plant-based market promises customers will “enjoy the best plant-based cuisine” every Tuesday night at 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. from now until early October.
The Masc Hospitality Group (MHG), which creates cuisine and culture experiences for the community, is the producer and promoter of the Bronx Night Market, Uptown Night Market, Brooklyn Night Market, and now Vegan Night Market.
Marco Shalma, founder and owner of MGH, said events like this make NYC communities feel connected and help them grow. The first Vegan Night Market welcomed 20 vendors who Shalma envisioned being in Central Park on an early weekday instead of the weekend. “I like a Tuesday because unlike my competition, I trust my marketing team to be able to do what they need to do [for a weekday market],” he said. Shalma said the location is ideal because “nothing says NYC more than views of Central Park in front of the high rises in Midtown.”
Shalma praised his MHG vegan markets for providing customers with a good time and good food. He said the atmosphere is always positive and no negative incident has happened at any of the group’s markets since they began seven years ago.
Shalma feels “blessed” for having the power to support predominantly women- and Black women-owned businesses and other people of color vendors.
For some, veganism has become less of a strict diet and more of an incorporated lifestyle that may take awhile to adopt 100 percent. That was the scenario for entrepreneur Dominique “Bunny” Moultrie, who was on and off with her veganism interest. Moultrie, a Black woman business owner, started Bunny’s Vegan Bakery in 2017. “Vegan baked goods were hard to find [that tasted] good,” she said.
As a native of Charleston, South Carolina, Moultrie uses southern flavors heavily in her cooking and baking. She promises her chocolate chip walnut cookies are the best. “My chocolate chip walnut cookie cannot be topped,” she said. Bunny’s Vegan Bakery menu also includes oatmeal raisin cookies and Oreo-stuffed brownies. Moultrie lives by the phrase “I’m my ancestors’ wildest dreams” when facing challenging moments, especially with the cartoon version of herself as a dark-skinned Black woman in the business logo. She anticipates being at the market every Tuesday until its duration.
Another person who will be returning to Vegan Night Market is Harlem resident Tamara Clark. She started her veganism journey in 2012 for health and environmental reasons. Clark said she appreciates weekly vegan series like this one because it increases the accessibility and versatility of vegan meals. At the event, she enjoyed a seitan stew from Mina’s Kitchen, which she said was reminiscent of a “hearty beef stew” she would have eaten in the past. “The sauce, vegetable medley, and texture were all on point,” said Clark.
She was pleased with the Haitian flavors of Mina’s Kitchen offerings. “[The owner] told me to come back and let her know how [the food tastes],” said Clark. “When I went back to tell her how good it was, I wasn’t the only one.”
Lormina Rinaldi, owner of Mina’s Kitchen, made sure to create dishes that will have her customers coming back. Mina’s Kitchen began 12 years ago when she started making fresh baby food before advancing to meals for all. Her kids and other young family members were present during the opening.
“I want to teach them that in life, everything you want comes with hard work,” said Rinald.
She claims to be the first and only Haitian food vendor participating in these street fairs, which provides inspirational actions for her children to witness. “That’s why I have the flag here—so they know who’s making the food,” she said.
Rinaldi has been indulging her love and passion for cooking since she was eight years old. She honors her Haitian traditions by guaranteeing all her foods are made from scratch. “I like to give the people fresh food because fresh is always better,” said Rinaldi.
Caribbean flavors were in full effect during Vegan Night Market, including St. Lucia-inspired meals from Bevo’s. Owner Gracia Clery-Léonce has been running her business for six years.
“I’m a scientist turned entrepreneur in an effort to help people understand that we are what we eat,” said Clery-Léonce. She learned that lab tests results indicated poor dietary choices led to illnesses that were preventable. “High cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease; a lot of illnesses that we deal with as Black people have to do with the way we eat,” she said.
There are no fried items on Bevo’s menu, and ingredients are steamed, baked, and cooked without excessive oil. Menu items include jerk tofu, kale quinoa, veggie chicken, and sweet potato mac and cheese.
Clery-Léonce wants people to understand that vegan food isn’t bland; it has great flavor. “Properly cooked vegan food is just as delicious as [flavors on] the meat out there, but healthier,” she said.
Caribbean vendors at Vegan Night Market seem to have a way of putting the right foods and flavors together to create enjoyable products. Andrea Cruz and Nick Joseph, from Puerto Rico and Guyana, respectively, are the owners of Aquam Dei and found winning recipes with their beverages. Customers love their beverages, especially their “Tropicae,” which consists of lemon-lime, sugar cane, and mint.
Joseph loves watching customers’ satisfied reactions to products. “The best part is after they taste it—that wow factor when they say, ‘Oh, snap, this is good!’” he said. He understands people can buy a product anywhere, and appreciates genuine feedback.
Cruz and Joseph are inspired to make better products and provide additional drink flavors that are healthier than current main market options. They look forward to opening a physical shop in Ozone Park, Queens, in the next couple of months.
All four vendors hope to be a part of the weekly Vegan Night Market until it wraps up for the year in October.
For more information, visit https://www.maschospitalitygroup.com/.