RE: Latin Food & Music

[marinade]

Hi Gang,

I picked this one up on one of my music sites and I thought I'd pass it on. The idea of Latin Food & Music under one roof sounds tre cool to meand some of these bands are really hot!!

Philadelphia¹s First Summer Latin Music Series

Hosted at Philadelphia¹s newest Farmers¹ Market ­ El Mercado

Philadelphia, PA -- (June 27, 2003) Philadelphia is getting ready to welcome its newest citywide Arts & Culture event ­ the Mercado/AMLA Free Friday Night Summer Music Series. Every Friday night between July 11th and September 5th, the varied world of Latin music will be showcased at Philadelphia¹s newest Farmers¹ Market - El Mercado. El Mercado offers a variety of Latin foods, Lancaster County produce, and is a meeting place for an eclectic mix of Philadelphians of all races, incomes, and ages.

This series represents a collaboration between the Norris Square Civic Association (NSCA) and La Asociación de Músicos Latino Americanos (AMLA).

NSCA, the parent of the Mercado, is one of Philadelphia¹s key community development organizations with a staff of 45 and an operating budget over $2 million. NSCA was the first CDC to receive the Williams¹ Award from the Philadelphia Foundation for its comprehensive approach to community development. Program areas include education, housing, community organizing, and economic development.

AMLA is 21 year-old grassroots Latino organization working on community development through arts and culture. Its mission is to promote the development, dissemination and understanding of Latin music and culture in the Philadelphia and Delaware Valley region with an emphasis on youth. Founded in 1982, AMLA has grown into a premier arts organization that has reached thousands in the region through folkloric and contemporary music.

The primary mission of the Mercado is to stimulate neighborhood business activity through supporting local food entrepreneurs. The Mercado has also evolved into an important model of connecting local farmers with consumers in the inner-city.

Since inception, NSCA¹s Board of Directors, comprised of community residents, recognized entrepreneurial development as an effective means for their neighbors to support themselves despite their lack of a high school diploma. The efficacy of entrepreneurial activity as a means for socioeconomic advancement was clearly evident in each corner bodega, often started and operated by recently arrived immigrants with limited education and/or English skills. Local business development also meant the retention of capital within the neighborhood; store owners, who often lived above or adjacent to their businesses, frequently invested in additional local housing and commercial real estate improvements.

To encourage local entrepreneurs to move their underground operations out of the home/garage and into a licensed commercial space, NSCA decided to develop the Mercado.

The Mercado started with two tents and 8 tables in August 1997 at NSCA¹s annual neighborhood festival. It featured fresh produce from both local growers and farmers in Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rican produce was especially unique and would soon be featured on the menus of several high-end Philadelphia restaurants. Operations moved indoors that fall, where it then started to feature products from local entrepreneurs. These products included baked goods, crafts, prepared food, and specialty food items. Space was extremely limited as all of these products and entrepreneurs were squeezed in three rooms of a reclaimed abandoned property.

In 1998, the Mercado was accepted as a participant in the Farmers¹ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. This program brings thousands of low-income seniors and mothers with small children to the market where they redeem their vouchers for quality produce. The Mercado quickly became one of Pennsylvania¹s most important FMNP outlets, providing the state with an invaluable resource to connect small local farmers to a city population in need; more specifically, the Mercado connects Lancaster Amish & Mennonite farmers with Philadelphia¹s Spanish-speaking community. The Mercado is now among Philadelphia¹s largest outlets for small Pennsylvania growers.

The Mercado has recently moved to a newly renovated warehouse of 5000 square feet. Here it is finally able to: a) offer local entrepreneurs an ideal place to start and grow their businesses; b) install a commercial kitchen and start health outreach programming; and c) handle storage and distribution of local farm products. At present the Mercado distributes high quality produce to NSCA¹s Childrens¹ Center, a new facility recently opened to provide affordable childcare to low-income families.

Funding for the Mercado/AMLA Free Friday Night Summer Music Series comes from SEPTA, the City of Philadelphia, and Commerce Bank.

Mercado/AMLA Free Friday Night Summer Music

6 ­ 9 pm at El Mercado, 1751 N. Front Street

July 11th Elio Villafranca, Afro Cuban Jazz

July 18th Trio Bayama, Trio Music

July 25th Super Combo, Salsa

August 1st Walter Bell, Latin Jazz

August 8th Salsa Lou, Salsa

August 15th Jesse Marquez y Su Banda Rockera, Latin Rock

August 22nd Anthony Colon & Company, Tropical Music

August 29th Johnny Velez y Los Muchachitos, Bomba & Merengue

September 5th Danny Rodriguez & the Mambo Machine, Mambo

[Jaymes]

Wow. What a post.

Sadly, not my part of the country, but still...

Good job, Marinade!!

[marinade]

Jaymes

On entirely different issue and this should be in the Southwest forum, my wife asnd I are headed to Austin for the Austin City Limits Festival in September. Could you contact me off forum for must eats.

Thanks (and sorry folks for the spam)

Jim T

marinade@aol.com

[Jaymes]

Will do. But, you really should post something in the Southwest Forum about your upcoming visit!

It'll get all of us Austin EG'ers totally excited. Of course, we excite easily.

[Holly Moore]

Yo Marinade -

Have you been to the market? Any details on the food available. Sounds like an outing to me.

Two separate issues.

1. How come your post count is a puny "10?" Get a'writing.

2. Why not put a tagline on your posts (see "My Controls") so those who, unlike me, haven't scrounged free copies of your books off you, can check them out?

[marinade]

Shamless Plug Dept:

"1. How come your post count is a puny "10?" Get a'writing."

I have been. I'm working on a revised edition of "Marinades" for 10 Speed Press due out in Spring 2005. I'm keeping the recipes (with more to follow) and reorganizing the book to be pantry driven with added sections on Brines & Cures, Glazes etc...

The market sounds like a great way to spend hot Friday night in the city.

[KatieLoeb]

Hey Marinade:

Thanks for posting this!! I'm totally psyched and think I'm going to try make it over there tomorrow evening. Any takers to join/meet me?? Andrew? Herb? Rich? Where'd everybody go???

[Andrew Fenton]

Dude, I'm booked solid for every weekend in July. I'll be totally up for it on August 1 or later-- and if you go before then, and it's as much fun as it looks, I'll be doubly up for it!

[marinade]

In the interest of culinary reconnaissance I swung by El Mercado on the way home from work. It’s a few blocks north of the Girard ave. El stop. It sits off of Front St. with a cedar parking lot and it appears to be start-up mode. The building has a nice mural with mirror flaking and a large porch where the bands will be playing, It was close to 5:00 PM closing but I did get in to do a look around. There are about 3-4 Latin food vendors, a produce area, juice bar (with drinks that show up in most Latin fooleries) and a real interesting bakery. Pure Barrio. Bit rough around the edges, but you can see real possibilities.

Now some of these bands have a real pedigree. Some of the faces you may recognize from White Dog Café’s Latin block parties. Walter Bell, BTW. Will be appearing in Wiggins Park Sunset Jazz series on Tuesday nights at the Camden waterfront. This is a night of Jazz with a sunset over the Philly skyline as a backdrop, which is a real jaw-drop. Beeline to it. There’s a group of folks fronting Caribbean food tent that you can picnic over. Combine that with a breeze off the river. Anyway, definitely going to give El Mercado a shot.

Jim T

[mrbigjas]

In the interest of culinary reconnaissance I swung by El Mercado on the way home from work. It’s a few blocks north of the Girard ave. El stop.

Just to clarify--according to the address, it's actually just a couple blocks off the Berks el stop, not Girard.

I'm thinking about heading up tomorrow evening, if I can get my shit together and get out of work at a decent hour.

[KatieLoeb]

I'm told by serious jazz aficionado friends that tomorrow night's band, Elio Villafranca, is not to be missed.

I called the information number just to check the hours of operation for the market itself, and they will indeed be open until 9PM Friday evenings, so you can hear the music and still shop at the market! I'm going to try head over there about 7PM or so, do a little shopping for hard to come by Latino ingrediments and catch some jammin' tunes. Looking forward to it!

Anyone whose definitely going to make it, let me know via PM. We can trade cell phone digits and find each other at the front door. I'd rather leave my Groucho glasses home...

[marinade]

Just to clarify--according to the address, it's actually just a couple blocks off the Berks el stop, not Girard.

If you're heading from Center City, I'd roll up 3rd to Girard. Make a right on Girard to Front (El Stop). Make a left on Front and it's on your right a few blocks up. If you hit the Berks El Stop you've gone too far. Beach chairs may not be a bad idea if you want to sit and listen after eating, dancing, and shopping.

Jim T

[cinghiale]

Have you been to the market?  Any details on the food available.  Sounds like an outing to me.

I've eaten at the Mercado a couple of times. It's a lunch-time thang, and not all vendors are open everyday.

The taco place is run by a real friendly couple. He takes orders, she cooks on a little grill in front of your eyes. Unfortunately, they don't make a very good taco -- nothing compared to the WashAve places.

There's also a Salvadoran vendor (who's been closed all three times I've been) and a baker who comes in on the weekends. Produce also looks good, though not a great variety.

That said, the Mercado is an undertaking that is to be supported. Norris Square been down so long... Now, the locals (and they run the gamut) have a tidy, friendly place to shop and get info. The backers hope that continued support will generate more (and better) vendors. I'm with 'em on that.

[KatieLoeb]

Holly:

I know I saw you scribbling notes and definitely saw the pictures, so what's keeping you??? Post for everyone to see what they missed and hopefully there'll be more of us on future Friday evenings.

This was really fun! The band was indeed fantastic. Looking forward to some of the upcoming salsa and mambo bands so we can watch the dancers too. Food at El Mercado is CHEAP, plentiful and delicious. Lot of real homemade Latino treats. We tried Papusas (well actually HERB ate the papusa in a feeding frenzy before he remembered to share ), shrimp empanadas, chicken tamales, tortas, yuca, and pernil that made the sound of your arteries snapping shut audible! YIKES ! However, everything was delicious and plentiful. The produce stand had homemade sofrito for sale that smells heavenly. I'm hoping to do something fabulous with it tomorrow, perhaps mix it into scrambled eggs for breakfast as the young lady who sold it recommended. We tried herbs we'd never heard of (recao), funky fruits that I thought were key limes (anyone remember what those were called?), but Herb thinks are under-ripe longans. Very interesting stuff to see and try. Hopefully there will be more specialty Latino produce in the future. I'd love to make some yuca and chayote.

This is going on all through the summer, so it has the potential to turn into a regular thang.

[cinghiale]

The Business section of today's Inky featured a nice piece on El Mercado and its manager, Elvin Padilla.

[Holly Moore]

Six eGulleteers showed up for hispanic cuisine and jazz last Friday. Don't remember how to say feast in Spanish, but feast we did. There are three restaurants open, El Viejo (Puerto Rico), La Pancita (El Salvidor) and Chivas (Mexico). Also a bakery (Pan del Dia) and a produce stand featuring fruits and vegetable from the Caribbean and wonderful, homemade sofrito.

For Fridays, El Viejo roasts a pork outdoors on the patio. They carve it up and serve it with beans and rice, a home made biscuit and a salad. La Pancita sells a lot more than what is on the menu on the wall. My favorite were the pulpusas, steamed like and same consistency as a tamale, but shaped like an empanada. Chivas' tacos didn't look all that great, but they serve excellent tortas.

The eating happens out on a large deck, in fornt of the market. Band at one end. Picnic tables at the other. Can't think of a better place to spend a city summer evening. Only the city didn't seem like Philadelphia. It was the Frankfort El passing every few minutes. Felt like Chicago or New York.

Kathy, Herb, Jim and Ellen. Charlie's getting more food.

[KatieLoeb]

Holly:

Good heavens! Thank goodness you had the WIDE ANGLE lens! Could there be a more unflattering photo angle on me????

Thankfully you spelled my name wrong so no one will know the turquoise broad side of the barn is me

See Tommy - I told you I wasn't photogenic!

[Holly Moore]

Katie - I think I've spelt your name wrong on a number of occasions. It is the old dog syndrome. I suspect I will spell in wrong in the future too, though I will do my best not to. My apologies.

As to the pic, blame the photographer.

[marinade]

Hey Hol'

Nice pix on your site

http://www.hollyeats.com/ElMercado.htm

The description really sums it up. We're taking a hiatus tonight and next Friday (White Dog Block Party), but we'll be back the following.

Jim

[marinade]

Some music stuff.

Those of us on the deck last Friday heard the Afro Cuban Jazz of

Elio Villafranca. I’d describe their sound as velvet percussion. It was a combination of Elio’s keyboards, with vibes that were supported by 3 additional percussion musicians and a acoustic bass. Quite sweet, a thinking person’s Latin Jazz group. It made the food go down oh so well. Two weeks from tonight (Aug 1st) is Walter Bell and the Latin Jazz Unit. Another no miss. He’ll also be appearing at Wiggins Park Sunset Jazz Series on the Camden Marina on Tues, August 12th. Bell is a Latin flutist with 8 CD’s and is local.

Mandatory Food Content: At Wiggins there’s a food tent serving a combination of Caribbean and Soul Food. We had the Curried Goat, Curried Chicken, and Southern Fried Chicken. I also noticed a couple of barrel smokers at the rear of the tent for their ribs. Let you know about them after I try them this Tuesday while listening to the Tower of Power Horns.

Jim T

[Rich Pawlak]

Six eGulleteers showed up for hispanic cuisine and jazz last Friday.  Don't remember how to say feast in Spanish, but feast we did.  There are three restaurants open, El Viejo (Puerto Rico), La Pancita (El Salvidor) and Chivas (Mexico).  Also a bakery (Pan del Dia) and a produce stand featuring fruits and vegetable from the Caribbean and wonderful, homemade sofrito.

For Fridays, El Viejo roasts a pork outdoors on the patio.  They carve it up and serve it with beans and rice, a home made biscuit and a salad.  La Pancita sells a lot more than what is on the menu on the wall.  My favorite were the pulpusas, steamed like and same consistency as a tamale, but shaped like an empanada.  Chivas' tacos didn't look all that great, but they serve excellent tortas.

The eating happens out on a large deck, in fornt of the market.  Band at one end.  Picnic tables at the other.  Can't think of a better place to spend a city summer evening.  Only the city didn't seem like Philadelphia.  It was the Frankfort El passing every few minutes.  Felt like Chicago or New York.

Kathy, Herb, Jim and Ellen.  Charlie's getting more food.

Nice to see Herb's hair is growing back.

Lab experiments are never pretty.