It’s been an ongoing gripe of Bendites who enjoy the flavors of Asia: no Asian market in Bend or elsewhere in Central Oregon. Even those restaurants that serve Asian food have to source their ingredients through a combo of creative shipping and drives to Eugene or Portland. But that could soon change, if Bend local Jesi Scott sees her dream to fruition.
Scott launched the brand “Tomi Mart” this month, in prep for her first pop-up market at the Moonlight Market at Open Space Event Studios Oct. 21. That pop-up market will largely consist of snacks and other sundries that locals are clamoring for, Scott said—but provided the right location comes around, Scott hopes to open a brick-and-mortar Asian food mart in Bend in the spring of 2023.
Tomi Mart is named after Scott’s daughter, Tomiko, who was named after the child’s paternal Japanese great-great-grandmother, named Tomi. Scott, who grew up in Bend, has lived in both China and Japan and looks forward to bringing more of the ingredients she herself likes to cook with.
“Obviously there’s a huge void to be filled in Central Oregon with just getting Asian products in town, so I want to try to fill that void as best as I can,” Scott told the Source Weekly. “I think people are definitely going to have some high expectations, especially those coming from some bigger cities.”
Look for announcements about Tomi Mart on Instagram @tomimartbend or at tomimartbend.com.
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This article appears in Source Weekly October 20, 2022.
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