Since 2015, the Queens Night Market has fed over a million curious visitors affordable street foods from over 90 countries in a fun, open-air, family-friendly setting can’t help seem to but foster spontaneous cross-cultural friendships among its diverse clientele. The vendors themselves are usually too busy to converse much while the market is up and running.
The Queens Night Market Vendor Stories Oral History Project offers a chance to hear from some of them, as new Americans, as entrepreneurs, as community members, and of course as serious food lovers.
(click on the captions to hear short audio clips from the vendors’ interviews)
“I felt my color for the first time”
Christine Jeanjaquet of The August Tree
(born and raised in The Philippines)
13 hour shifts at 16 years old
Peter Youssef of American Pharaohz
(from Egypt, moved to NYC as a 16 year old)
“When You Lose Everything”
Valentin Rasneanski of Wembie
(born and raised in Moldova, former USSR)
Wanda’s Wedding
Wanda Chiu of Hong Kong Street Food
(from Hong Kong, moved to NYC as a teenager)
The Queens Night Market Vendor Stories Oral History Project 