Page 72 - December2018

ESSEX STREET MARKET
Public Market
120 Essex St.
New York, NY 10002
Tel: (212) 312-3603 www.essexstreetmarket.com Hours: Mon-Sat: 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. Sunday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Mangos and tomatoes at Viva Fruits and Vegetables, one of the vendors at Essex Street Market.
NEW YORK FOOD SCENE
By Chris Auman
The Essex Street Market has a history in New York City that goes back nearly 80 years. It was in 1940 that then Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia established this large indoor market as a way to get the traditional pushcart vendors off the street and out of the public way. Essex Street Market today is one of only four public markets left in the city, and even as it has survived in its current location for eight decades, it will nd itself in a new home in 2019 when it crosses the street to become a part of the new Essex Crossing development.
The new market will remain a public market, owned and operated by a city agency called the New York City Economic Development Corp. “All 25 vendors that are with us will be moving over to the new market, but we’re also bringing on 14 new members and two full-service restaurants,” says Lauren Margolis. Margolis is the community programs and engagement manager for the Essex Market Vendors Association. She works directly with vendors that include produce purveyors Viva Fruits and Vegeta- bles, Luna Brothers Fruit Plaza and Essex Farm Fruits and Vegetables, along with booths occupied by bakers, cheesemakers
72 / DECEMBER 2018 / PRODUCE BUSINESS
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ESSEX STREET MARKET