Rudy Flores

Professor Encinias
CAS 115
November 18, 2023

Event 3: Gato Market

For my last community event this semester, i decided to report on the Gato Nite Market. The
Gato Nite Market is a Market where many vendors from different Latin American backgrounds
come together and sell delicious food. The Gato Nite Market is held every Thursday to Sunday
around 3pm and goes on till midnight. It’s located in Pico Union near Downtown LA by
Olympic and Union. Inside the parking lot of the Curacao Department Store. As mentioned
before, vendors from different backgrounds of Latin America come together. I've seen food from
El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, I’ve also seen Colombia and other countries which is amazing
because it’s authentic food. It’s not being made by people who looked up a recipe but actually
people who grew up eating the food. It does get busy at night and people from different cultures
aside from Latin America come and enjoy it. I went with my friend who is from Bangladesh and
absolutely loved it. Why? I think to bring in the community and give these vendors a space to
sell and have people enjoy their cuisine. Before this, vendors would sell on street corners and
suffered the risk of being ticketed by cops and/or having their stuff confiscated, but now it gives
them a safer space. I think I definitely learned and appreciated how positively the community
and people outside the community came and supported as well as just having a good time,
definitely perfect for the whole family, ice cream and crepes are also sold, music is played it’s
just a fun enjoyable environment. One thing is for sure try to bring cash, although some vendors
do accept Zelle or Venmo but bring cash. Also ask for the prices before ordering as some posts
are a bit pricey. The Gato Night Market also has some Asian food such as Sushi and Noodles. It’s
a good place to just hang out and have a good time.