A new market is aiming to bring foodies from all over the city to Queens for a taste of hand-crafted, artisanal and ethnic foods made in the borough.
The monthly Queens County Market is set to open with about two dozen vendors on April 14 at Sunnyside Community Services.
“I want to celebrate food artisans in many forms — whether they’re producing jams or producing wine,” said organizer Katrina Schultz Richter. “It’s really trying to create that food-focused community in Queens.”
Richter is looking for local food producers, restaurants and kitchen supply shops to fill the stalls of the epicurean bazaar.
“It’s really more of a large, food-focused festival,” she said.
In other boroughs, food-friendly markets such as the Smorgasburg, an outgrowth of the Brooklyn Flea and the Dekalb Market, in downtown Brooklyn, have become wildly popular.
Richter believes they are inexpensive first steps for entrepreneurs looking to open brick-and-mortar businesses down the line.
Last year, Richter left her job at Hot Bread Kitchen, a business incubator in Harlem that trains immigrants and low-income women in the culinary field, to work on opening a Filipino cafe.
The idea for the Queens County Market
“came about because I wanted a place to support my small business,” Richter said. “The marketplace allows for a low-cost and affordable means to introduce, test and market your food business.”
That’s why Pilar de Guzman, owner of Bonne Fête Baking, which makes high-end fruit and nut bars, decided to get on board.
“I want to get into the retail business and I want to see if my products will sell,” said Guzman, who dreams of one day opening a retail shop in Manhattan. “This is a way for me to test the market.”
Daniel Yi, chef and owner of the pioneering Sunnyside restaurant Salt & Fat, said the Queens County Market could also be a boon for western Queens businesses.
“It’s fun. It attracts new people in the neighborhood,” said Yi, who plans to sell his bacon-fat popcorn and bottled sauces and marinades there. “It’s going to promote local businesses.”
Kathrine Gregory, who oversees the Entrepreneur’s Space, a commercial kitchen in Long Island City for budding food businesses, called the endeavor “fabulous.”
“So many of the entrepreneurs need to have outlets to sell and outlets that are not exorbitantly expensive,” she said.
It also gives them an opportunity to get immediate feedback from prospective customers, she said.
“The public is very interested in these new food-themed markets,” Gregory said. “It reflects a curiosity ... and a desire to see where their food is coming from — which ties into the entire locavore trend.”
Alia Akkam, a contributing editor of Edible Queens and founder of The Q Note blog, said the market could also capitalize on the success of the borough’s farmers markets.
“This is just another reflection of the growing interest in the artisanal food movement in the borough,” she said. “The demand is there.”
If the Queens County Market is a success, Richter said she hopes to make it a weekly event.
“There’s a strong food movement in western Queens,” she said. “I’m looking to bring the diverse communities in Queens to one area to celebrate their food and culture.”
ctrapasso@nydailynews.com
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