Sharing the byword - June 24
Announcements:
The return of Busking:
Marchés d’Ottawa Markets shares the excitement an enthusiasm that many of our community members have in regards to busking in the ByWard Market. The practice is a tradition that animates the area and is essential to a positive market experience. We are happy to announce that we will begin welcoming buskers back to our public spaces, starting July 5th!
Our community of buskers has endured a difficult period over the past year and a half as they have been unable to practice their trade. In order to give back to the community, we are waving busking fees for all performers!
While buskers still must register before performing in our public spaces, they will be able to perform in 8 different public zones (designated by floor decals) for a period of up to 1 hour at a time. Unfortunately no amplification or circle shows will be permitted this season in order to minimize crowding and ensure the safety of all market goers.
Our floor decals feature a QR code that can be scanned with any smartphone. While buskers will still be accepting donations for their performances, the QR code will facilitate a virtual option to donate to local charities as well. Together we can help those who have been most hard hit by the pandemic, and improve the prosperity of our beloved ByWard Market.
Happy busking!
Adjusted Hours for the York Street Farmers' Market!
9am-2pm.
The York Street Farmers' Market will run every week from 9am-2pm going forward.
Happy shopping everyone!
Neighbourhood News:
Afro World Fest in Byward
Saturday, June 26th & Sunday, June 27th
10am-5pm
Marchés d'Ottawa Markets has partnered withEqual Chance to hostAfro World Fest, Ottawa-Gatineau's Largest Black Afro Festival, in the ByWard Market this weekend!
Stop by York Street, between William and Dalhousie this Saturday and Sunday from 10am and 5pm to join in on the fun.
The Afro World Festival aims to bring Canadians together to discover, share and celebrate Black and Black African cultures in Canada through Music, Arts, Fashion and Food. This initiative is part of Equal Chance's efforts to break stereotypes, fight racism and discrimination, and promote unity, love, and respect among all members of our society.
Closure of William Street:
William Street has been closed in order to make room for the people, patios, and public seating.
Marchés d'Ottawa Markets is dedicated to ensuring the highest level of safety for our community members during our market season.
Get the latest case data and updates, learn how to protect yourself and others and get advice on what to do next if you think you might have COVID-19.
Pop In At Parkdale
THE PARKDALE NIGHT MARKET IS BUMPING!
Wednesdays, June to August, 4PM - 8PM.
Residents of Wellington-West and visitors are showing support for everything local.
Want to know what the Parkdale Market is like at night? Come on down next Wednesday and experience it for yourself!
Community Spotlight:
As part of our Community Spotlight, we chatted with the Founder and owner of Mooshu Ice Cream, Elizabeth Sin Yung Mok.
Find Mooshu Ice Cream at our Parkdale Public Market on Sundays and at the Parkdale Night Market on Wednesday evenings from 4pm-8pm!
We asked Liz the following questions:
When did you start your business?
Liz began Mooshu Ice Cream in 2015 and was a regular vendor at Ottawa’s Farmers’ Markets. After about a year in business, she opened a permanent location on Bank St, which has been in operation for 5 years.
How did you learn? Who taught you?
I studied Industrial Design at Carleton, where I learnt the process of creating, testing, and implementing ideas. I’ve always been a fan of ice cream but felt there were too few options that fit my taste. So, I started watching YouTube videos and reading books to test out different recipes in my little ice cream maker. I created a few recipes that I loved and still use today as the base for our ice cream. 2 or 3 years after I started the business, I decided to go to ice cream school to learn how the “professionals do it”. In this week-long program at the University of Guelph, I learnt that I used a unique way of making ice cream when compared to other shops. We embraced our process and stuck with it.
What did you produce/cook first?
I’ve always loved tea flavoured ice cream so when we started making ice cream, matcha, oolong, and earl grey were the first flavours I tried. We also tried black sesame and even more adventurous flavours like spicy caramel fuyu (which is fermented tofu). We like exploring different flavours and change our menu often.
What do you currently specialize in making?
I grew up in Hong Kong where Hong Kong milk tea is as popular as a morning coffee, so I decided to make it into an ice cream. It has strong tea tannins and milk flavours that balance very well. It’s our best-selling ice cream.
What’s the one thing that’s surprised you the most about your industry?
When I first decided to start the business, I thought I'd be making ice cream all the time, but I quickly realized my job is very focused on administrative work, company growth, and ensuring my employees are happy and fulfilled. A nice surprise about owning a business is creating a platform where I can support movements that I believe in, something I thought I had to put aside when I became so busy with the company.
What’s been your proudest moment as a restaurateur? (This question is assuming that they are the owner)
People often walk into our store confused by our unconventional flavours asking questions like “is that going to be good”. The thing that keeps me going is having the customers understand our unique ideas and leaving happy with their choice.
For Liz, her proudest moments as a business owner involve having the customer develop new tastes.
“Letting us guide them in the process of trying something new and finding something they love”.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in the industry?
If you love to do something, consider your business model. If you love to bake you probably won’t be baking. After the first year you'll likely move from your “passion” to (hopefully a new passion) project & people management. You must be deliberate to carve out time to go back to why you started it all in the first place.
“it’s really important to stay true to what you love and your perspective.”
Liz notes that staying true to your authentic self helps prevent burnout.
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Catch Mooshu Ice Cream at our Parkdale Public and Parkdale Night Markets!
For more information, or to speak with a representative of Marchés d'Ottawa Markets, please contact:
Zackery Liberty, Communications and Events Coordinator, Ottawa Markets, zackery.liberty@ottawamarkets.ca
