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Chef entrepreneurs served it up hot, smoky and sweet at San Diego’s first Street Food Market

September 5, 2013 By //  by Heritage PTO Leave a Comment

Alchemy chef Ricardo Heredia, sporting sunglasses, turns Japanese skewers over a smoky grill at his Street Food Market stand in the San Diego Public Market on March 24, 2013. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix.)
Alchemy Chef              Ricard Heredia

Racks of lamb turned over fragrant wood fires and mango fruit pops chilled in a colorful cooler at the first annual Street Food Market held last spring in the new San Diego Public Market.

Mariachi music filled the air as a mix of start-up food entrepreneurs and established chefs dished up a global spread of goodies. There were microbrews from Cucapa Brewing Co. of Mexicali and fried octopus puffs from Azuki Sushi of San Diego, among lots of treats. The party was also a way to show off the San Diego Public Market. The nonprofit venture, still in its infancy, is in a former boiler factory on National Boulevard about five blocks south of the Petco Park stadium.

Painted Creamsicle orange, the cavernous building hosts a Sunday farmers’ market and special events. Founders Catt White and Dale Steele ran a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to help get the doors open in early 2013. Eventually they want to create a market with permanent food and craft stalls. More later on those efforts.  (Event co-chair and chef Andrew Spurgin is my brother-in-law.)

 

Street Food Party slideshow:
The vintage-style orange and white logo designed for the first annual Street Food Market held March 24, 2013 at the San Diego Public Market. (Logo by Heidi Spurgin of Get Pure Design)
Street Food Market logo
Pastry chef Jennifer Costa-Stines of the A.R. Valentien restaurant at the Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif., gestures behind her table of pie pops at the Street Food Market party held at the San Diego Public Market, March 24, 2013. Her mini pies on lollipop sticks hid sweet fillings such as a rosy strawberry-rhubarb as well as savory ones such as duck. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix)
Pastry chef Jennifer Costa-Stines with her sweet and savory pie pops
Partygoers wait outside the San Diego Public Market to join the Street Food Market party inside, March 24, 2013. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix)
Partygoers wait outside
A woman plucks a strawberry-rhubarb pie pop out of its bed of sugar in a glass box on a fanciful pink-metal dessert cart at the Street Food Market party in the San Diego Public Market, March 24, 2013. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for Small Biz Mix)
Choosing a pie pop
Chalk writing on the rustic menu board at Alchemy chef Ricardo Heredia's food stand lists the two types of Japanese skewers he was grilling at the Street Food Market party held in the San Diego Public Market on March 24, 2013. Momo nigma is a mix of chicken and Japanese scallions. Butabara is pork belly. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix.)
Japanese skewer menu
Keoni Simmons, left, prepares a hot dog wrapped in bacon, Tijuana-style, with Kristin Lieb at the Andrew Spurging(TM) TJ Dogs stand at the Street Food Market Party held March 24, 2013 in the San Diego Public Market. Spurgin, my brother-in-law, was the event co-chair. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix.)
Serving up Tijuana-style hot dogs
Rows of colorful Mexican paper banners (papel picado) wave overhead in the smoky air as hundreds of partygoers sample the goodies at the Street Food Market party held March 24, 2013 at the cavernous San Diego Public Market. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix.)
Mexican paper banners wave in the smoky air
Fruit juices, herbs and veggies mix with galvanized steel tubs packed with ice, liquor, wines and local beer at the cocktail station run by the Queen-Connor-Ward Collective for the Street Food Market party at the San Diego Public Market, March 24, 2013. Jen Queen caps a cocktail shaker at left. Ian Ward, center, works another cocktail shaker while Justin Hockemeyer, right, leans out to offer a citrus-garnished drink. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix)
Mixologists serve up hand-crafted libations
Alchemy chef Ricardo Heredia, sporting sunglasses, turns Japanese skewers over a smoky grill at his Street Food Market stand in the San Diego Public Market on March 24, 2013. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix.)
Alchemy chef Ricardo Heredia at the grill
Dressed in a grey kimono, Stephanie Obayashi, kitchen chef at Azuki Sushi Lounge of San Diego, uses two skewers to turn takoyaki or octopus puffs, a popular Japanese Street food, in a special multi-mold pan. The stand was one of dozens at the Street Food Market party held March 24, 2013 in the San Diego Public Market. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix.)
Preparing takoyaki, or octopus puffs
Open burlap sacks of rust-colored dried chilies, a basket of key limes and a bulging bag of yellow lentils are among the colorful wares at the Specialty Produce stand at the Street Food Market party held in the San Diego Public Market on March 24, 2013. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix.)
Specialty Produce displays its colorful wares.
Smiling puppeteer Bridget Rountree of Animal Crackers Conspiracy Puppet Co. in San Diego, holds aloft a large butterfly on a stick while leading the giant pink-haired fairy puppet who is hugging a partygoer behind her at the Street Food Market fest held March 24, 2013 in the San Diego Public Market. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix.)
A giant puppet hugs a partygoer
A spiral swirl of white ruffles is almost all there is to see of this Ballet Folklorico dancer from DanzArts of San Diego, one of the entertainers at the Street Food Market party held March 24, 2013 in the San Diego Public Market. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix.)
Ballet Folklorico dancer from DanzArts
Colorful French macaron cookies on lollipop sticks by pastry chef Jennifer Costa-Stines of A.R. Valentien in La Jolla, Calif., wait on a pink metal dessert cart for Street Food Market partygoers, March 24, 2013. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix)
French macaron cookie pops
Erik Gosswiller, left, and Maylin Chavez open local oysters at chef Melissa Mayer's Pacific Standard Oyster Co. food cart at the Street Food Market party held March 24, 2013 in the San Diego Public Market. Mayer, who runs Martini Media, is event co-chair.(Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix.)
Shucking locally raised oysters
Bottles of beer from Cucapa Brewing Co. of Mexicali, one of the first microbreweries in Baja California, line a shelf at the Street Food Market party held March 24, 2013 in the San Diego Public Market. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix)
Baja beer
Alison McGrath, left, and Tami Ratliffe, owners of Cafe Chloe in downtown San Diego, at their Moroccan-inspired food stand offering the spicy North African lamb sausage-and-French fry sandwiches, known as Merguez frites, a popular street food in France. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix.)
Moroccan-style French street food from Cafe Chloe
A group of partygoers eat Tijuana-style hot dogs, or TJ dogs, at the Street Food Market party March 24, 3013 in the San Diego Public Market. The banner in Spanish in the backgrounds reads, "Put your hands up and open your mouth!" (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix.)
Chomping on Tijuana-style hot dogs

Street Food  Party Photo Gallery

(click an image for more information)

Pastry chef Jennifer Costa-Stines of the A.R. Valentien restaurant at the Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif., gestures behind her table of pie pops at the Street Food Market party held at the San Diego Public Market, March 24, 2013. Her mini pies on lollipop sticks hid sweet fillings such as a rosy strawberry-rhubarb as well as savory ones such as duck. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix)
Pastry chef Jennifer Costa-Stines with her sweet and savory pie pops
The vintage-style orange and white logo designed for the first annual Street Food Market held March 24, 2013 at the San Diego Public Market. (Logo by Heidi Spurgin of Get Pure Design)
Street Food Market logo
Partygoers wait outside the San Diego Public Market to join the Street Food Market party inside, March 24, 2013. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix)
Partygoers wait outside
A woman plucks a strawberry-rhubarb pie pop out of its bed of sugar in a glass box on a fanciful pink-metal dessert cart at the Street Food Market party in the San Diego Public Market, March 24, 2013. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for Small Biz Mix)
Choosing a pie pop
Chalk writing on the rustic menu board at Alchemy chef Ricardo Heredia's food stand lists the two types of Japanese skewers he was grilling at the Street Food Market party held in the San Diego Public Market on March 24, 2013. Momo nigma is a mix of chicken and Japanese scallions. Butabara is pork belly. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix.)
Japanese skewer menu
Keoni Simmons, left, prepares a hot dog wrapped in bacon, Tijuana-style, with Kristin Lieb at the Andrew Spurging(TM) TJ Dogs stand at the Street Food Market Party held March 24, 2013 in the San Diego Public Market. Spurgin, my brother-in-law, was the event co-chair. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix.)
Serving up Tijuana-style hot dogs
Rows of colorful Mexican paper banners (papel picado) wave overhead in the smoky air as hundreds of partygoers sample the goodies at the Street Food Market party held March 24, 2013 at the cavernous San Diego Public Market. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix.)
Mexican paper banners wave in the smoky air
Smiling puppeteer Bridget Rountree of Animal Crackers Conspiracy Puppet Co. in San Diego, holds aloft a large butterfly on a stick while leading the giant pink-haired fairy puppet who is hugging a partygoer behind her at the Street Food Market fest held March 24, 2013 in the San Diego Public Market. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix.)
A giant puppet hugs a partygoer
Dressed in a grey kimono, Stephanie Obayashi, kitchen chef at Azuki Sushi Lounge of San Diego, uses two skewers to turn takoyaki or octopus puffs, a popular Japanese Street food, in a special multi-mold pan. The stand was one of dozens at the Street Food Market party held March 24, 2013 in the San Diego Public Market. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix.)
Preparing takoyaki, or octopus puffs
Open burlap sacks of rust-colored dried chilies, a basket of key limes and a bulging bag of yellow lentils are among the colorful wares at the Specialty Produce stand at the Street Food Market party held in the San Diego Public Market on March 24, 2013. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix.)
Specialty Produce displays its colorful wares.
Fruit juices, herbs and veggies mix with galvanized steel tubs packed with ice, liquor, wines and local beer at the cocktail station run by the Queen-Connor-Ward Collective for the Street Food Market party at the San Diego Public Market, March 24, 2013. Jen Queen caps a cocktail shaker at left. Ian Ward, center, works another cocktail shaker while Justin Hockemeyer, right, leans out to offer a citrus-garnished drink. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix)
Mixologists serve up hand-crafted libations
Erik Gosswiller, left, and Maylin Chavez open local oysters at chef Melissa Mayer's Pacific Standard Oyster Co. food cart at the Street Food Market party held March 24, 2013 in the San Diego Public Market. Mayer, who runs Martini Media, is event co-chair.(Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix.)
Shucking locally raised oysters
Colorful French macaron cookies on lollipop sticks by pastry chef Jennifer Costa-Stines of A.R. Valentien in La Jolla, Calif., wait on a pink metal dessert cart for Street Food Market partygoers, March 24, 2013. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix)
French macaron cookie pops
A spiral swirl of white ruffles is almost all there is to see of this Ballet Folklorico dancer from DanzArts of San Diego, one of the entertainers at the Street Food Market party held March 24, 2013 in the San Diego Public Market. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix.)
Ballet Folklorico dancer from DanzArts
Bottles of beer from Cucapa Brewing Co. of Mexicali, one of the first microbreweries in Baja California, line a shelf at the Street Food Market party held March 24, 2013 in the San Diego Public Market. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix)
Baja beer
A group of partygoers eat Tijuana-style hot dogs, or TJ dogs, at the Street Food Market party March 24, 3013 in the San Diego Public Market. The banner in Spanish in the backgrounds reads, "Put your hands up and open your mouth!" (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix.)
Chomping on Tijuana-style hot dogs
Alison McGrath, left, and Tami Ratliffe, owners of Cafe Chloe in downtown San Diego, at their Moroccan-inspired food stand offering the spicy North African lamb sausage-and-French fry sandwiches, known as Merguez frites, a popular street food in France. (Photo by Cyndia Zwahlen for the Small Biz Mix.)
Moroccan-style French street food from Cafe Chloe

 

Filed Under: Marketing + Sales Tagged With: farmers' market, Kickstarter, market, San Diego, San Diego chefs, street food

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