Join us for a celebration of food and community, showcasing the culinary talents of Crossroads’ TPSS Community Kitchen entrepreneurs (both current and alumni) and other innovative food businesses in Crossroads’ network.
Enjoy an incredible variety of mouthwatering sweet and savory eats and drinks from 15+ local food businesses, from Latin American favorites like pupusas and empanadas to crispy dosas, rich Ethiopian and Peruvian stews, and gourmet mac-n-cheese. Indulge in decadent cookies, hand pies, cinnamon buns, and other irresistible baked goods, plus tasty Haitian sweets and handcrafted cotton candy. Quench your thirst with refreshing infused teas, nutrient-rich sea moss drinks, and locally roasted Guatemalan coffee. There’s something delicious for everyone!
About Crossroads:
Crossroads provides affordable kitchen space and free, bilingual business support to equip food entrepreneurs with the skills and resources they need to succeed. For more information, visit TPSS Community Kitchen and Microenterprise Development Program. This fair is not just about delicious food; it’s a chance to support local businesses and celebrate food justice in action.
Calling all foodies! Savor delicious hyper-local food and drinks and support local businesses!
What: The 4th Annual Crossroads Community Food Fair!
When: Sunday, May 18, 2025, 10am – 2pm
Where: Laurel Ave. @ Carroll Ave. Takoma Park MD (opposite the Takoma Streetery)
Come for the food, stay for the live music and free face painting and balloon animals. See you there!
Rain or shine!
Meet these hyper-local food and drink makers!
(More vendors added soon!)
Ethiopian Delights
Forget about the hassle of sourcing rare ingredients or spending hours in the kitchen. With Ethiopian Delights, you can enjoy the exquisite taste of Ethiopia in minutes. Each bite is a celebration of our cultural legacy and a love of flavorful meals such as spicy red lentil and mild split pea stews. As an Ethiopian American, Beza Bisrat felt disconnected from her culture when her career took her away from her home in Washington DC. She found solace in cooking. By making the recipes that her family passed down to her, she felt more in tune to her heritage. She met others who felt the same way, and was inspired to solve the problem through Ethiopian Delights. By providing convenient and authentic packaged food, Ethiopian culture could become more accessible and visible.
Little Bites Catering
Little Bites is a small catering company that offers a limited selection of Peruvian appetizers and desserts, as well as some Mexican dishes for private and corporate events in the DMV area. I take care of every detail of my products, I prepare everything by myself and strive every day to offer the best of myself in a professional way. Providing a personalized service that meets all the expectations and demands of my customers is my goal.
Flour Circus
Flour Circus is a DMV-area micro bakery crafting high-quality, small-batch baked goods to bring joy to every moment—mundane or milestone. With time-honored pastry techniques and a love for creativity, we take our craft seriously but always have fun in the process. The name Flour Circus reflects the magic of baking, and we’re thrilled to share that excitement with you, one treat at a time.
Founder Arlana Agiliga, a Prince George’s County native, grew up savoring the diverse flavors of her family’s multicultural kitchen, from jollof rice and roti to mac & cheese and funfetti cake. Her passion for food evolved from a weekend hobby to a professional pursuit, leading her to train at the Culinary Arts Institute in Hudson County, NJ, and gain industry experience before launching Flour Circus. She looks forward to sharing her love for baking with the community!
Cookie YAY!
Cookie YAY! is a Daddy and daughter all-natural, small-batch baked goods company dedicated to funding the development of young entrepreneurs. The idea was born when an 11-year-old daughter asked her father to help her create a cookie company during the height of the pandemic. Dad, wanting his daughters to develop entrepreneurial skills, went to task. His position as a clinical exercise physiologist took a back seat to the development of a legacy business. Daughter was able to solve the problem of creating delicious-tasting treats for someone with an egg allergy.
Alcoba Coffee
I am an agronomist turned urban farmer and herbalist, born in Guatemala and living in Maryland for the past 35 years. Alcoba Coffee is a family business; the coffee beans come from the Jalapa Mountain Range in Guatemala where my brother, Donaldo, farms the land made up of fertile, volcanic soil. He then ships the beans to the US where I peel and roast them. Our coffee is available in medium, dark, and mixed roasts.
Lou’s Buns
Lou’s Buns was unintentionally started in 2017 while our CEO, Alexandria Diggs, was in college. She made cinnamon buns for a friend’s birthday and discovered a passion for baking them—not to mention that everyone loved them. Years later, as a second-grade virtual teacher during Covid-19, Alexandria planned to get a part-time job for the holiday season. When she mentioned this to her father, he quickly asked why she wanted to continue trading time for money—one job was enough, so why not start a business instead? From that moment, with the support of her family and friends, Alexandria made it her mission to ensure the world tasted “the best buns you’ve ever had.”
Spun Cotton Candy Art
At Spun Cotton Candy Art, we have vivid childhood memories of sugary pink clouds floating on white paper cones. Whether at Coney Island or the “Happiest Place on Earth,” cotton candy was the greatest treat of all — a rare confection, magical and oh-so-sweet smelling! Our team of talented Cotton Candy Artists has reimagined those beautiful “clouds.” Today, they bring joy to events throughout the country by delighting guests and spinning our signature jumbo cones, animals, and other fun shapes in cotton candy form.
PowerUp
PowerUp herbal infusions was born out of a desire to help people live longer, healthier lives. With over 40 years of combined healthcare experience, owners James and Dorothy saw first-hand the cost and burden that chronic illness had on people and the healthcare system. Their infusions are bold in flavor and formulated to enhance overall health and wellness using organic ingredients. Their infused teas provide support for heart health, promote healthy blood pressure levels, increase energy, boost the immune system, and have powerful anti-oxidative capabilities. Invest in your health today as prevention is better and cheaper than cure!
Odessa’s Home Cooking
Odessa Davis, the owner of Odessa’s Home Cooking, brings years of experience and a deep passion for food to her catering business, which offers a variety of culinary services. Before launching her own venture, she gained hands-on experience working in diverse food establishments, from fast food to fine dining. A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Miami with an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts, she further honed her expertise by earning an Associate Degree in Business Management from Montgomery College. Odessa’s love for cooking, first shared with friends and family, now extends to the wider community through her business.
Jiga Sweets
Vanessa Roy, a chemical and food processing engineer with over 25 years of industry experience, discovered her true passion: creating artisanal sweets. This love for confections led her to establish Les Bonbons JIGA Haiti, a gourmet confectionery brand that served local retail stores in her native Haiti. After relocating from Haiti to DC, she founded Jiga Sweets in Maryland. Her company produces a diverse range of jams, jellies, candies, and other sweets, all crafted with high-quality ingredients that showcase vibrant Caribbean flavors.
Magic Millet Bites
Magic Millet Bites is on a mission to bring the wholesome goodness of millet to every plate! Specializing in delicious, nutrient-packed dosas, this innovative food business reinvents South Indian classics with the powerhouse grain millet—offering a lighter, more nutritious take on the beloved crispy, savory pancakes.
Beyond dosas, chef Khushboo Shimran serves up flavorful biryanis, flaky parathas, and hearty power bowls, all crafted with a focus on taste, tradition, and health. By spotlighting millet, an ancient superfood rich in fiber and protein, she offers a menu that’s as nourishing as it is delicious. Whether you’re craving a comforting meal or a wholesome grab-and-go option, Magic Millet Bites delivers bold flavors and better nutrition in every bite!
ButterQueen Bakery
ButterQueen Bakery is a mobile black-owned bakery specializing in Southern homestyle pound cakes and treats, including gluten-free and vegan pound cakes. Owner Shai Sumpter is a self-taught baker from Southern Virginia with more than 21 years of experience making her loved cakes and treats. She had no idea her childhood moments baking with her grandma would one day turn into a successful business.
Shai started out using the recipes grandma taught her, then she began creating her own flavor profiles and bringing the pound cakes to work events and celebrations with friends. ButterQueen Bakery can be found at various pop-ups and farmers markets throughout the DMV, including Crossroads Farmers Market.
El Sol
Originally from Guatemala, I have been making food from home in this country for many years. My restaurant, El Sol, used to be in Silver Spring, and now I run the same operation out of a food truck. I have also sold my pupusas and other dishes and fresh fruit drinks for more than a decade at Crossroads Farmers Market.
Zion Roar
Thomas Thyme
Thomas Squire has been cooking since an early age. After completing his undergraduate degree, he began cooking and experimenting with new recipes and decided to create a catering business, Thomas Thyme. Thomas creates aromatic flavor profiles and puts a fresh spin on classic dishes like shrimp and grits, peach cobbler, and his popular crab mac and cheese. Thomas is frequently featured on ABC’s Good Morning Washington and Fox 5’s Good Day DC doing cooking demos and recipe testing.
