Join us on Sunday, May 21, 2023, for a day of delicious hyper-local food and community fun as the talented foodpreneurs of the TPSS Community Kitchen pop up along Laurel Avenue.
Enjoy an incredible variety of sweet and savory eats and drinks from 15+ food businesses based in Takoma Park, including empanadas, Detroit-style pizza, burritos, tacos, pupusas, Vietnamese noodles and bánh mì, mac-n-cheese, nut butters and healthy nut snacks, mushroom jerky and soufflés, herb-infused teas, locally roasted Guatemalan coffee, sea-moss infused waters, baked goods and vegan treats, artisanal chocolate and cotton candy, and ice cream sammies.
About Crossroads’ TPSS Community Kitchen:
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.
Come taste the world at the 2nd Annual Crossroads Community Food Fair!
What: The 2nd Annual Crossroads Community Food Fair!
When: Sunday, May 21, 2023, 10am-3pm
Where: Laurel Ave. @ Carroll Ave.
Takoma Park MD 20912
(opposite the Takoma Streetery)
Rain or shine!
Meet these hyper-local food and drink makers!
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.
Muối Tiêu
Zion Roar
Zion Roar’s customers have driven all the way from Virginia Beach, VA, to get their hands on these amazing beverages. Local folks can find them at the TPSS Co-op in Takoma Park. Zion Roar is more than a beverage company, it exists to be a sound to help wake people up to take their temples (bodies) seriously.
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.
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.
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, we saw first-hand the cost and burden that chronic illness had on people and the healthcare system. Our infusions are rich and bold in flavor and formulated to enhance overall health and wellness using natural and organic ingredients. Our products provide support for heart and vascular health, promote healthy blood pressure levels, increase energy production, boost the immune system, and have powerful anti-oxidative capabilities. Invest in your health today as prevention is better and cheaper than cure!
A-Butter
A-Butter is an almond butter business that started in Boston in December 2019. The company’s mission is to create uniquely flavored almond butters without palm oil. There are four main flavors (Original, Maple, Honey, and Apple Cinnamon), along with seasonal favorites like pumpkin spice and gingerbread.
Owner Aaron Spencer now lives in Silver Spring, and has an unyielding passion for food access for all communities. His diet has been been plant-based since 2018, and enjoys how it has positively impacted his life.
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.
Bèl Botanica
A native Washingtonian, I am a local chocolatier with a passion for cacao, creativity, beauty, health, mindfulness, food security, and community. My passion for culinary arts grew from watching my parents cook foods from around the world. That passion was fostered during culinary arts school in Hawaii, and then my imagination was ignited with visions of growing cacao, owning a chocolate shop, and crafting artistic pieces from cacao.
Bèl Botanica was formed out of my own unique relationship to food and sugar and my love of cacao. My motivation comes from my desire to learn, reach goals, realize my vision, and learn more about my Ghanaian heritage through the magic of cacao.
Believe N Bread
We started with a dream, savings, and trust with our first tasting at Georgetown University in 2017. We specialize in organic and vegan savory/sweet quick breads, cookie bites, and pies. You can find our quick bread slices and cookie bites at the TPSS Co-op, Crossroads Farmers Market, NOMA Farmers Market, and Farmers Market SW. You can also order through our website and specify the type of sugar, nuts, and flour you prefer.
Being an entrepreneur has been extremely rewarding, with lessons always to be learned. We have met some fantastic people along the way and look forward to the future!
O’Boy Pizza & Ice Cream
We are a husband and wife team who share a love of Neopolitan-style pizza and ice cream “sammies” and want to share our creations with everyone. After working in the restaurant industry for over 15 years, our passion for pizza and ice cream led us to start testing out recipes at home for friends and family members. In 2019, we launched O’Boy Pizza & Ice Cream, a mobile food stand.
Come see us at our next event! You can usually find us at outdoor venues during spring, summer, and fall at venues like Windridge Vineyards, 7 Locks Brewing, Saints Row Brewing, True Respite Brewing, and Doc Waters Cidery. Follow us on Instagram to see where we’ll pop up next!
Cheryl’s Kitchen
Welcome to Cheryl’s Kitchen where “there’s always something cooking.” I started over 20 years ago when it seemed more fun being in my kitchen preparing holiday gifts than being in crowded stores in long lines of anxious folks waiting to make purchases. My holiday purchases consisted of one stop-shopping for 20 pounds of flour, 20 pounds of sugar, 10 pounds of butter, and bunches of nuts and eggs. Baked cookies, cakes, and nuts were packaged and shipped off to my family and friends
Year after year, my family, friends, and, neighbors encouraged me to think about selling my delicious nuts. And my answer was always — sure, right! Finally, all that inspiration paid off and I started Cheryl’s Kitchen, LLC. So treat yourself or someone else to some delicious and tasty maple frosted English walnuts, pecans, cashews, and a trail mix without frosting!
ThomasThyme
Thomas Squire was born and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland. From an early age, he’s had a love for serving people. He attended Coastal Carolina University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Communication with a minor in Journalism, and more recently he obtained his master’s degree in Special Education from Howard University. Thomas has been cooking since an early age and after completing his undergraduate degree he began cooking and experimenting with new recipes to the point that he decided to pursue it as a business creating ThomasThyme. Thomas is frequently featured on ABC’s Good Morning Washington and Fox 5’s Good Day DC doing cooking demos and recipe testing. Most recently he was featured catering for the Bravo’s “Married to Medicine” while they were in Washington, DC for the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington.
Jalapeño Mexican Grill
We are a classic mom-and-pop operation, and we make authentic Mexican food as you might see on the street or in a white-tablecloth restaurant in Puebla or Veracruz. We source fresh ingredients in season from local farmers, and most spices and seasonings come from Mexico.
Our inspiration is our passion for this craft and we enjoy seeing our customers enjoy our food. Our goal in the near future is to have our own restaurant and expand the possibilities for growth. Our food is unique because we add the secret ingredient — love! — to what we do regardless of the effort or time it requires.
Sweet Pea Farm
Sweet Pea Farm is a small, naturally grown operation based in Upper Marlboro, MD, focusing on the production of gourmet mushrooms, heirloom vegetables, and delicious treats made from them. Our goals are to further access to nutritious food, increase sustainable practices, and stimulate innovative urban agriculture.
Sweet Pea Farm grows primarily Grey Oyster, King Oyster, Shiitake, and Lion’s Mane mushrooms, as well as a variety of greens, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, onions, and squash. You can find them at several farmer’s markets throughout DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia, and they have a few wholesale partners that they deliver to as well.
