Market on Meadow is located at 719 N. Meadow St. (Photo courtesy Market on Meadow)
Market on Meadow is not your traditional market. Recently opened in the former Red Cap Patisserie space at 719 N. Meadow St., the venture is a collaborative effort between Filipino food truck Auntie Ning’s, Italian catering service Polpetti and Column 15 Coffee that works to create an environment for small food businesses to flourish.
Each business utilizes the space in its own unique way. Polpetti operates as a grab-and-go venture, where customers buy their fresh sauces, pastas and sausages straight from the fridge. Auntie Ning’s utilizes the kitchen to prepare takeout and delivery orders, while Williamsburg-based Column 15 uses a hardwood counter as a cafe space.
“The idea is that the three brands don’t compete with each other, and we all have very different uses of the space,” says Georgia Riccobono, who owns Polpetti alongside her partner, Peter. “Our concept behind the market was to create an inviting, neutral area where our three brands can shine on their own.”
The market also stocks products such as Crescent Simples syrups and nutrition bars from local makers. “We know how hard people are vending at farmers markets to put their products out there," Riccobono says. “For most people, it’s a second or even third job, so it was really important for us to be able to create that environment for everybody to have another home. We call each other friend-ors."
The trio met while working as vendors at various farmers markets when Auntie Ning’s owner Frederico Enriquez approached Polpetti and Column 15 about coming together in a coworking space. Enriquez also met the owners of Red Cap Patisserie through farmers markets and worked to take over the building after the bakery closed. The new business was born in March of this year, and the lease was signed by May.
As for the well-loved bakery, Red Cap Patisserie, which shut its doors at the beginning of the pandemic, owners Martine and John Wladar say they are "rethinking, reimagining and relocating back to our home-based kitchen" and have no plans to reopen at this time.
Riccobono and her Brooklyn-native husband established Polpetti when the couple started bringing coolers with them on trips to his hometown to stock up on food. “We thought, ‘Why aren’t we [making the food] ourselves?’ ” Riccobono says. “We both have been in the food service our entire lives. That origin story is very similar for Column 15 and Auntie Ning’s in the sense that we’re all passionate about our products, and the farmers market was a really great way for us to [sell] in the food scene in a low-barrier way and to build a customer base. We were all at the point where we were looking for a brick-and-mortar. … It’s been a natural progression from there.”
The community aspect of the new venture has been apparent from the start, according to Riccobono. The three businesses worked to combine their resources while settling into the space. “We’ve all been able to reach out to other local vendors or someone that we know personally to help out. The whole experience has been really community-driven. Besides an electrician, we haven’t had to hire anybody that we didn’t personally know,” Riccobono says.
“We're really trying to create an opportunity for all the different small makers and artisans in town to showcase their items. We know how hard it can be to get out there and get started, and we've been really lucky; those relationships that you build with this group in this community of people is really important. It's really quite amazing to see it play out. We're just hoping that everybody in the space can be successful because if one of us isn't, then none of us are.”
Column 15 Coffee is open Wednesday to Monday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Auntie Ning’s is open Monday and Wednesday to Friday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Polpetti is open Monday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
