Mississauga women bringing Night Market to Ajax and Oakville GO Stations

Night Market Toronto, a Halal food tour centred around inclusion and community, is spreading out to nine towns in southern Ontario, including GO Stations in Ajax, Oakville and Guildwood.

Market founders Rafaa Chapti and Zaina Moussa and director of brand partnerships Amanee Nassereddine told Metrolinx the inspiration behind the food tour was the difficulty for people with dietary restrictions – particularly Muslims – to find accessible food options.

There’s no pork or alcohol at any of Night Market stops, making it a 100 per cent Halal event – supporting the team’s vision of a more inclusive set of food options in the GTA.

The event is also a celebration of cultures, featuring music and festivities.

Chapti, Moussa and Nassereddine are all Muslim women, born and raised in Mississauga. It’s that upbringing that started them down the path of diversifying the local food scene.

“Growing up, my family strictly ate Halal food. Whenever I went to food festivals, I’d always have to be more wary of where I’m eating, not just because they don’t serve Halal food, but also because of cross-contamination with items like pork and alcohol,” said Chapti. “So, it’s long overdue to have a festival and a food tour representing this community.”

The organizers say the tour has already helped Muslim people in the GTA feel more comfortable and be heard.

“We’ve added this sense of peace of mind to the Muslim community,” said Nassereddine. “We’ve eliminated that barrier for them to feel uncomfortable about asking questions or feel hesitant.”

It’s also a great opportunity for vendors to make their options more accessible. In fact, multiple vendors at Night Market Toronto have become Halal-friendly specifically for this event.

“This is a whole demographic they couldn’t cater toward because they weren’t Halal – and now they are,” said Moussa. “Our events are a representation of the community – so it’s really important that whoever we’re working with aligns with our mission and values.”

Four out of the nine events on the Halal food tour will take place at GO stations and Moussa said the team couldn’t be happier with the support from Metrolinx.

“The GO stations are community hubs, so it really aligns with our event.”

“Metrolinx is in the business of connecting all the cities, and we’re on a tour – it only made sense,” added Chapti. “Being at the GO station makes the event more accessible, and we’re all for that.”

With innovation comes challenges, however, and Chapti said there were some gender barriers to go through to get the project rolling.

“Breaking through the food industry was the toughest challenge, for sure,” she said. “We are a team of three women, and the food industry here is male dominated – it was quite tough trying to break through those ceilings.”

At the end of the day, Chapti added, it’s all about supporting and celebrating the many cultures that exist in the GTA.

“Our events are a representation of the people that our city is made up of – and we want to be able to connect with every community.”

Night Market Toronto will be at the Oakville GO Station on Friday, June 3 from 3 p.m. to midnight; Saturday June 4 from two p.m. to midnight; and Sunday June 5 from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The market moves to Guildwood Station the next weekend (same hours) and arrives at the Ajax GO Station June 17-19.

With files from Abby Zinman, Metrolinx editorial co-op student