SACRAMENTO, Calif. — An annual multicultural celebration will be held in Sacramento next Friday (May 19) in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
The AAPI Night Market is returning for a second year at Capitol Mall on May 19 from 6-10 p.m. You can find tickets HERE.
It will be a space for dozens of local AAPI-owned businesses and organizations to showcase their cultures to the community through food, art, merchandise and more.
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Sun Kissed and Co.
One vendor expected to be at the event is Sun Kissed and Co. a small fragrance and candle brand owned by Sacramento local Kimberly Lim, who is Chinese-American.
"A lot of the products in our household we could no longer use due to how strong the scents were," said Lim. "Because I'm such a DIY girl, I did a lot of research. I did a lot of formulating and every single product here that I have in my collection is inspired by a need of my family member."
Lim plans to have a display of candles, scented roll-on oils and more available for sale at the upcoming market.
Oto's Marketplace
Another local business representing Japanese culture will have an "activation" inspired by ramen noodles.
Russell Oto, president and general manager of Oto's Marketplace in East Sacramento, plans to showcase the different types of Asian ingredients shoppers can find in their market with a "build-your-own ramen" activity.
"One of our biggest sellers are noodles, so we're gonna do a little activation with cup-of-noodles," said Oto. "They can choose from like three or four different cups of noodles, and then we're gonna have all the ingredients out there where they can just put little scoops of everything into the little cup."
Oto's has been a popular place to explore Japanese culture through foods for decades.
Native Sol
Another business looking forward to participating in the event is Native Sol, a Filipina-owned clothing and jewelry shop located in the historic Oak Park district.
Business owner May Salem plans to display some unique Philippines-inspired items representing her culture.
"I kind of draw more inspiration from my personal culture," said Salem. "So I use a lot of textiles, kind of like this batik-style fabric that's used in our traditional homeware."
Namaste Foods
Another option for food at the night market represents Indian culture through both traditional and creative dishes.
Sacramento-based food truck Namaste Foods is bringing its unique Indian fusion. Expect to see twists on samosas, loaded fries and burritos.
"We brought in a lot of fusion items with the classic Indian taste, but at the same time we make it so that people that aren't familiar with Indian food don't get too scared. For example, butter chicken burritos," said co-owner Sunjay Rishi.
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