Meet the Makers at Seasonal Eat Boutique Marketplace
A real-life Pinterest board is taking shape in Allston: Local food gift resource Eat Boutique will debut an ephemeral marketplace on Western Ave. this Friday. The smorgasbord will be open Wednesday-Sunday through December 20, featuring vendors including Third Cliff Bakery, the coastal New England Salt Cellar, the Galley Ice Cream, Lyndingo Spice, Seattle’s Mustard and Co., fermentors Hosta Hill, and dozens more.
Eat Boutique, an online store and recipe site, is a five-year-old project by Maggie Battista, curated “with intention: We purposely choose food made from love, passion and small business vision.” The small-batch products are selected for sustainability, innovation—or tradition, and with beauty in mind, according to the founder. The December market showcases about 70 different makers from Boston and beyond.
“What makes the Eat Boutique Holiday Market unlike any other food event in Boston and beyond is that we’ve tested and approved all the food gifts, which were chosen for their aesthetic packaging and unforgettable flavors,” Battista said via a press release. “All the gifts can be wrapped on the spot, providing food gifters opportunities to complete all their holiday shopping at one location.”
Food trucks, including Mei Mei Street Kitchen and Sheherazad, will swing by throughout the month, and cookbook authors, local chefs, beverage experts, and others will lead a variety of events. This Saturday begins with a doughnut hole tasting with Joy the Baker, Union Square Donuts, and Black Magic Coffee; and ends with a cocktail party hosted by Le Parfait Jars, featuring East Coast revival bar snacks from Loyal Nine.
Other highlights include a s’mores-making event with honey-sweetened candymakers Apotheker’s on Sunday, Dec. 6; book signings with Flour chef Joanne Chang on Saturday, Dec. 19; a collaboration between Mei Mei and chef Brendan Pelley’s soon-to-open Pelekasis on Saturday, Dec. 12; and a sneak peek of Haley.Henry Wine Bar, a new concept from Haley Fortier of Sportello with chef Sebastian Martinez, formerly of Select Oyster Bar, Koy, and Volle Nolle. At the Friday, Dec. 11 preview—and the Downtown Crossing restaurant, slated for a spring 2016 opening—expect items like smoked fish sliders on homemade parker rolls, fresh white fish ceviche, and smoked and barbecued oysters.
Sound like a lot to take in? Battista and many of the vendors themselves will be at the marketplace daily to guide visitors and help personalize the holiday gift-buying experience. The market will be open Wednesdays-Fridays from 2-8 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m.-8 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Eat Boutique Holiday Market, Friday, December 4-Sunday, December 20, 267 Western Ave., Boston; eatboutique.com.