IF THE Salcedo Village has a Saturday market of their own, then so does Boracay Island.
If you’re making your way to the island paradise for #LaBoracay, check out the market first before you party all throughout the weekend.
Boracay’s Saturday Community Market is the brainchild of Binggoy Remedios and Niña Bustamante, who also owns and runs the famed Spanish resto, Dos Mestizos, and the delicatessen and bekery, Gusto y Gustos, both the gourmand’s destinations are located along Calle Remedios in Station 3.
They created a third destination—the Saturday Community Market, right beside the two restaurants, in a space that was once a bodega-of-sorts.
Boracay’s land has a premium cost. The cost of one square meter of space has sky-rocketed when everybody wants to be in the island and wants a piece of the island.
“Rather than keep the space idle and storage for junk, we decided to put it into good use,” Binggoy said of the area.
The Saturday Community Market is what the name represents, a space for the members of the Boracay community, the locals as they are called, to display and sell what they have created or produced from food, accessories, home decors, etc.
Most of the participants sell food, either pre-cooked or cooked on the spot. The offerings range from viands and desserts, breads and sandwiches, pies and pasta, homemade jams, fresh fruits and juices, vegetables and even fresh seafood.
Promotions are by word of mouth and on the social media sites. Through these, the place is getting popular these days. Sellers have become regulars and designated a spot for themselves, while a few come and go, but all spaces are always occupied.
As for the guests, they are either island tourists who managed to pass by and were lured in by the crowd, the scent of cooking food or the tunes played by the guest musicians, or the locals, who have become regulars of the “available only once a week” specialties of the purveyors.
Like they say, where the good food is, people are there. This spot in the island is slowly, but surely, packing it in.
In fact, the market has become an avenue to launch a dish, which can be their potential bestseller.
For a couple of regular purveyors, they show up weekly with two sets of loads— one to serve pre-orders and the other for selling. Amy’s empanadas and samosas, and Pebble’s desserts sell like hotcakes.
Chili Bomb is earning praises. Spot the longest line or the table with the terracotta cazuelas and that would be the tent.
Like the name suggests, the dishes here are spicy. Of the selections, my favorite is the Tuna Laing. The spicy fish and vegetable dish cooked in coconut oil is indeed a winner.
Indian food is also part of the selection. There’s an Indian lady who always join the market every other Saturday. Her food has become popular among the locals.
The Saturday Community Market may be small but it has the potential to expand. I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes a more preferred destination in Boracay.
As of its birth and growth, this is a successful case of “if you build it, they will come.”
Congratulations Binggoy and Niña. Keep up the great job!
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Email me at jinggoysalvador@yahoo.com. For more lifestyle & travel stories, visit http://apples-and-lemons.blogspot.com and http://jeepneyjinggoy.blogspot.com.