c/o Mee Jai Foundation
Nancy Burkett posing with skewers from TimNoy Food Truck, a regular vendor at the night market.
Night time street food markets are popular in a multitude of Asian countries—from The Philippines to Thailand—and a local organization is bringing a taste of home to The Burg’.
This family-friendly, free to attend market happens every Friday from 5 p.m.-9 p.m. at the Lao Arts & Cultural Foundation’s headquarters, located at 4090 58th Ave. N.
Creative Loafing Tampa Bay spoke with two of the market’s hosts, Nancy Burkett and Joneny Vorasarn, who are both members of a local charitable organization Mee Jai Foundation.
“We wanted to create a space where people could get good food and hang out without having to wake up early for the farmers market," Vorasarn says. "We're trying to incorporate a younger generation of Laotian vendors, too."
Their inaugural market took place on Feb. 11, and since then has featured local Asian vendors dishing out eats like barbecued skewers, sticky rice desserts, boba teas, fried taro, egg rolls, noodles, coconut cakes, pho, papaya salad, fried rice, and fresh produce every Friday night.
Like street food stalls in the motherlands, these vendors typically focus on a few specialty dishes. The fun in street food-style eating is watching the vendors make their dish in front of you, browsing around, and building yourself a wide spread of tasty eats.
Non-food vendors are also welcome to peddle wares like apparel or second-hand goods, but Vorasarn says that they're still looking for a few more Asian food vendors to add to their roster (although folks from all backgrounds are welcome to attend.)
This new street food market also features a few of the same Asian vendors from the Pinellas Farmers and Flea Market, which takes place every weekend at Clearwater's Icot Center.
Burkett tells CL that their foundation is named after a Lao word that translates into "having a heart and lending a hand." In addition to hosting St. Pete's new night market, the Mee Jai Foundation also raises money for different charities, helps maintain the Wat Lao Temple in St. Pete and partakes in general volunteer work.
For more information on St. Pete’s new weekly night market, head to Mee Jai Foundation’s Facebook page, where updates are posted regularly.
This family-friendly, free to attend market happens every Friday from 5 p.m.-9 p.m. at the Lao Arts & Cultural Foundation’s headquarters, located at 4090 58th Ave. N.
Creative Loafing Tampa Bay spoke with two of the market’s hosts, Nancy Burkett and Joneny Vorasarn, who are both members of a local charitable organization Mee Jai Foundation.
“We wanted to create a space where people could get good food and hang out without having to wake up early for the farmers market," Vorasarn says. "We're trying to incorporate a younger generation of Laotian vendors, too."
Their inaugural market took place on Feb. 11, and since then has featured local Asian vendors dishing out eats like barbecued skewers, sticky rice desserts, boba teas, fried taro, egg rolls, noodles, coconut cakes, pho, papaya salad, fried rice, and fresh produce every Friday night.
Like street food stalls in the motherlands, these vendors typically focus on a few specialty dishes. The fun in street food-style eating is watching the vendors make their dish in front of you, browsing around, and building yourself a wide spread of tasty eats.
Non-food vendors are also welcome to peddle wares like apparel or second-hand goods, but Vorasarn says that they're still looking for a few more Asian food vendors to add to their roster (although folks from all backgrounds are welcome to attend.)
This new street food market also features a few of the same Asian vendors from the Pinellas Farmers and Flea Market, which takes place every weekend at Clearwater's Icot Center.
Burkett tells CL that their foundation is named after a Lao word that translates into "having a heart and lending a hand." In addition to hosting St. Pete's new night market, the Mee Jai Foundation also raises money for different charities, helps maintain the Wat Lao Temple in St. Pete and partakes in general volunteer work.
For more information on St. Pete’s new weekly night market, head to Mee Jai Foundation’s Facebook page, where updates are posted regularly.
