A Taste of The Night Market: Dao See of Minne Street Roll
Collider is passionate about sharing the stories of local entrepreneurs and small business owners! We recently chatted with a couple of wonderful vendors from The Night Market and are excited to share their stories!
The Night Market, now in its second year, provides an opportunity for local vendors to sell a wide variety of art, clothing, jewelry, plants, and most importantly, amazing street food. The three events in 2021 featured more than thirty unique vendors at each event as well as performances by dancers and musicians. Each event had over 6,000 attendees.
Now in its second year, The Night Market has taken place over the course of four smaller events and is to conclude with its largest event yet on September 10th with a remarkable 60 vendor market on the Mayo Civic Plaza. From its start, The Night Market has given priority to BIPOC vendors and the mission of the project is to “highlight local BIPOC businesses and bring a slice of culture to Rochester, Minnesota.”
Photo by Tiffany Alexandria
Dao See learned about the Night Market when she came across an ad while scrolling through Facebook last year. Already a passionate home cook and excited at the prospect of sharing her food with others, she applied to participate as a first time vendor in the inaugural launch of the event.
Dao is of the Lahu people, a hill tribe of Thailand, and though she has lived in Rochester for over twenty-five years, she has always been passionate about sharing her culture and food with those around her.
“I was already cooking traditional food from my culture for my family and friends. I love that people can come together around food and learn about new cultures through it.” Dao explained.
Organizer Tiffany Alexandria, quickly responded to Dao’s application and was excited to have her participate in The Night Market.
Dao has now had two successful years with The Night Market and sells egg rolls, chicken wings, turkey legs, and a spicy pepper dip through her booth, Minne Street Roll.
“People are in love with my eggrolls! Once people taste them they won’t ever want to get them anywhere else.” Dao said, laughing.
Photo by Tiffany Alexandria
Dao explained that, in her culture, using bright, fresh ingredients and cooking from scratch are the keys to making delicious food.
Though her food has been extremely popular at the markets, getting started was not without its challenges for Dao.
“There is always some risk involved in starting something new.” Dao said.
Some of her greatest challenges were getting licensing for her booth and purchasing a generator when the market changed locations and did not provide on-site electricity.
Despite these challenges, Dao is happy to be involved and sharing her food and culture with the Rochester community. She has loved meeting new people and making connections with other vendors through the market. She is also excited about the positive exposure her food has received and she hopes to find opportunities in the future to share her food with more people.
Photo by Tiffany Alexandria
Dao is grateful for the support of friends and family who pushed her to share her love of food with others.
“I love my hobbies, but my friends have to remind me that I shouldn’t do them for free.” Dao explained, as she is also a talented florist and event planner, alongside managing two hospitals as her full time job. “I wouldn’t be where I am today, doing what I’m doing without my friends.”
She concluded, “It is very important to me to care for the people around me and I love using my food and heritage to make connections and bring people together.”
Photo contributed by Dao See
Collider is a proud sponsor of The Night Market! Don’t miss the final market on Saturday, September 10th from 4pm-10pm at the Mayo Civic Plaza.
For more information on location, vendors, merchandise, and community impact, click the link below!
