By BRIAN DONOHUE
Chris Viola, founder of Anderson Market. (photos by Brian Donohue)
The opening breathes new life into a space left largely empty after the February 2024 collapse of Sickles Market, a family-owned Little Silver food seller that had opened a grab-and-go market in the space four years earlier.
It also brings a new approach: rather than bring in one business to fill the entire space, market founder Chris Viola decided to sub lease stalls to different vendors who each bring a different expertise and food experience.
“The idea for me is to get the best in class in here, so the ones that excel at what they do, like Mollyboards charcuterie —she’s way better than anybody else that I’m going to bring in,” said Viola, who also founded the company Culture Collective, which runs several restaurants. “So let them be great at doing cheese.”
He continued: “Or our butcher..instead of bringing in a butcher to do it, I’d rather have them own it. So for me, it comes down to bringing in the right people with the right energy and the right vibe to bring unique products to the area.”
Besides the seven stalls operated by outside vendors, Anderson Market operates its own salad stand, a noodle eatery and a small grocery selling staples like eggs, butter and produce.
Small seating areas are scattered throughout the market. And the coffee shop, Booskerdoo, which has endured through the Sickles disaster, remains in its sunny spot in the front of the building.
Redbankgreen crashed the opening party for friends and family of the vendors and operators Sunday night.
As a DJ spun records near the fresh fruit aisle, we snapped photos and took in the sights, sounds and tastes in each stall. Keep scrolling for a sample.
Fleur de Mer, an Ocean Township Flower Bar and Gift Shop takes over the stall just inside the western entrance.
Nick Brophy, owner of Nick & Sons Bakery shows off a loaf of bread that’s among the offerings at the Anderson Market, the bakery’s third location. The first two locations are in Brooklyn and Spring Lake.
It’s halal. It’s Nashville. Its Pakistan. It’s waffles! It’s the only thing we ate on our tour and it definitely won’t be the last time we eat it.
The hot chicken waffle sandwich takes the foreground while Namkeen owners Usman and Amena Choudhri (on the far left) pose with their other family members at their new location inside Anderson Market. The other Namkeen locations are in Brooklyn, Chatham, Metuchen and Lake Hiawatha.
Amena Choudhri tells redbankgreen the stall had a soft opening Monday and may not be operating on a full schedule for another two weeks while they continue to staff up.
It will likely be worth the wait. A woman named Janice (who declined to give her last name) put it this way after sampling the food at Namkeen: “Oh my God. This is my dream.”
Mollyboards is a Point Pleasant charcuterie shop that is adding grilled cheese to its offerings in the new location inside the Anderson Market. In a delicious symmetry, the sandwiches are made with bread from Nick & Sons, which also operates inside the market.
The Butcher & The Bull, which opened its second location in the new market, describes itself as a “trusted source for wild, natural, and sustainable meat.’
“We are a family-owned “butchery boutique” passionately dedicated to offering the highest quality meat that is free of antibiotics, steroids, and hormones,” their web site reads. Owners Melissa and Chad Smith operate a market location in Point Pleasant Beach.
Local 130 Seafood has operated a market in Asbury Park for several years, working largely with the local east coast fishing fleet to sell sustainable local seafood to restaurants and consumers. Their new stall at the Anderson Market offers New Jersey clams caught by people who live right up the road.
redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331 or yelling his name loudly as he walks by. Do you value the news coverage provided by redbankgreen? Please become a financial supporter if you haven’t already. Click here to set your own level of monthly or annual contribution.
