77: Concord and Pleasant Hill Night Markets With Sunny
On this episode of Be Curious Contra Costa, a sit down with Sunny Pannu, operator of the Concord Night Market and Pleasant Hill Night Market, to talk food, culture, community—and how a simple idea turned into two successful local events. The Night Market concept began in Pleasant Hill after City Councilmember Belle La pushed an idea to bring more culture, food and community activity to the city while making better use of Chilpancingo Park. The response was strong, and that success eventually helped lead to an expansion into Concord with the launch of the Concord Night Market. Sunny shares what it took to get the markets off the ground, what he's learned along the way, and where he hopes to take them next. We also get into Sunny's own journey in the food industry, including operating his food truck, Curry & Gumbo, and how that experience gives him a different perspective when working with vendors. Sunny explains how vendors are selected, what he looks for when building the right mix of food and businesses, some of the challenges that come with operating a Night Market, and why creating opportunities for small businesses is one of his favorite parts of the job. Plus, we talk about future plans, potential expansion and what's next for the Night Markets. It's a conversation about food, entrepreneurship, culture and building community—one Night Market at a time.