By Beret Leone KTTC News
ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) — It all started with an idea.
“I think Rochester has a lot of diversity in food and businesses, but we don’t always see them all together in the same place,” Night Market organizer Tiffany Alexandria said. “And I just thought it’s something really fun to showcase.”
A showcase Saturday night — that will transform the Mayo Civic Center Riverfront Plaza, into Rochester’s first ever “Night Market.” In a three night series, it aims to bring Asian culture to the heart of Rochester; featuring food, drinks, art and handmade products that encompass Asian society and traditions.
“I have a lot of community support, which I am so grateful for,” Alexandria said. “I couldn’t have done it without the community.”
Growing up in Taiwan, Alexandria attended night markets frequently. Now living in Rochester, she wanted to bring a piece of home — and a piece of Asian culture — to the Med City.
“Night markets in Taiwan are not like a super organized event like this,” she said. “It’s just where people gather at night. There will be street vendors showing up in the streets and people just know to go and seek it out at night. Night markets are an every day, where ever you go. They have different areas, there might be two or three or even ten in a city. So, you just pick your favorite place to go and eat their food.”
While Alexandria was the master mind behind the event, there was another crucial piece of the puzzle: funding. That’s where Rochester Downtown Alliance came in. Each year RDA grants up to $3,000 to bring new, creative events to downtown Rochester. And this year, the Night Market pitch got chosen as one of RDA’s yearly “Start Up Grant Funding” recipients.
“We just want to get the money out there to people who can execute and do something new,” RDA Executive Director Holly Masek said. “And the Night Market struck us as engaging a new community downtown, highlighting a new area downtown and we are just really excited to see it come to life.”
The free, outdoor event has dozens of local vendors, eager to share Asian and BIPOC arts, games, handmade products and food. One of which, is Infuzn Foods. Co-founder, Chandu Valluri says he and his team wanted to be apart of it to share and educate.
“It’s the ability to share culture. To be a part of the spirit of inclusivity, equity and diversity,” Valluri said. “The opportunity to share, to learn, to educate about things and foods that are passion to us.”
You can also find Infuzn Foods at the Rochester Farmer’s market.
The Night Market will kick off Saturday night, July 16, from 5 to 9 p.m. There will be two other markets on Aug. 21 and Sept. 18.