Eat Your Way Around the World at Nibble Kitchen This Summer

The City of Somerville’s Nibble Kitchen is serving up a rotating lineup of Peruvian, Guatemalan, and Ethiopian cuisine this summer at Bow Market in Union Square. The tiny space offers big rewards for diners – and chefs. 

In this micro-restaurant not much larger than an apartment dining room, visitors order from a walk-up counter where they can watch the chef of the day prepare their meal and then dine at a small counter or outside under the trees in Bow Market’s cozy courtyard. From this season’s sweet potato empanadas to fresh-pressed mango juice and savory Ethiopian stews with tangy injera bread, most dishes hail from each cook’s traditional cuisine. But there’s more going on here than dining. 

Nibble Kitchen is the restaurant and business incubator of the Nibble Culinary Entrepreneurship Program run by the City’s Arts & Culture Division (formerly Arts Council). The program offers an opportunity for immigrant and women entrepreneurs to turn their culinary skills and traditions into growing food businesses. Participating chefs get professional kitchen access, business education, mentorship, vending opportunities, and ongoing technical assistance – and a chance to show off their best dishes at the Nibble Kitchen.

“My favorite thing about Nibble Kitchen is stepping into the restaurant, taking in the tantalizing aromas of delicious foods, and knowing the cuisines may come from across the globe but the spirit of the place is pure Somerville,” said Mayor Jake Wilson. “In Somerville, investing in arts and culture includes the culinary arts and giving cooking talents in our community the tools they need to share their traditions and build something of their own. Everyone should check this amazing place out. How often do you get to support a neighbor’s aspirations by treating yourself to an excellent meal?” 

Each season a changing roster of chefs serves up new foods on different days of the week at the restaurant. The small-scale pop-up restaurant approach allows for menus and treats from cuisines not always easy to find. Past offerings have ranged from spicy Bangladeshi kati rolls to seaweed-wrapped Japanese onigiri rice snacks and crispy Bolivian quinoa fritters. Chefs also offer catering and cooking workshops during their tenure. Some cooks have spun off from Nibble into local favorite businesses like Carolicious, which now serves their popular Venezuelan arepas and more at three locations in Somerville and Cambridge.

“I'm using Nibble Kitchen as a test kitchen and an opportunity to explore what's next,” said Nibble vendor Krysi Villón, who is offering Peruvian specialties this season. “I want to see how people respond to different dishes and concepts—as I continue building Chiqui's Kitchen. I'm trying to figure out how to live in my art, and this—food—is my art.”

Summer 2026 at Nibble Kitchen Schedule

Chiqui’s Kitchen 

• Hours: Wednesdays and Thursdays, 12 to 8 p.m.
• About: New Nibble Kitchen vendor Krysia Villón is serving Peruvian favorites, including pan con chicharrón with yuca frita and a variety of empanadas. Vegetarian options are always available, including roasted sweet potato empanadas and Chef Krysia’s creation, Jalea de Champiñones, a tangy, succulent mushroom dish inspired by a Peruvian seafood classic.

La Todosantera Guatemalan & Mayan Cuisine

• Hours: Fridays and Saturdays, 12 to 9 p.m.
• About: Chef Benita Ramirez serves handmade tortillas alongside traditional dishes, including tamales, roasted chicken tacos, and huevos rancheros. Drinks include jugo de mango and limonada. Her naturally gluten-free menu is built almost entirely around ingredients indigenous to her hometown in Guatemala.

Zufan’s Kitchen

• Hours: Sundays through August 16, 12pm-8pm or until sold out.
• About: Nibble Kitchen is welcoming Ethiopian chef Zufan Dirisa for a special Sunday pop-up series. The menu includes spiced lentil and beef sambusas, keye siga wot, misir wot, freshly made injera, and homemade baklava.

Helping Local Chefs Build Sustainable Businesses

The Nibble Program’s annual eight-week Culinary Entrepreneurship Workshop Series gives aspiring food entrepreneurs practical tools to turn recipes, skills, and culinary traditions into sustainable businesses.

Graduates continue to receive support through Nibble Kitchen, local festivals and markets, catering opportunities, and one-on-one business development assistance.

Following this year’s workshop series, the Nibble Program has supported:

• Eight new food businesses led by immigrant and women entrepreneurs
• A new chef-in-residence at Nibble Kitchen
• The opening of two brick-and-mortar restaurants by Nibble alumni: Nagomi Bento by Chef Nagisa Ikemura and Dos Manos Kitchen by Chef Edwin Orellana
• Continued growth for more than a dozen local catering, festival, market, and specialty food businesses
• More than 10 hands-on cultural cooking classes, including the return of Nibble’s popular free Micro-Cooking Classes at ArtBeat

“The Nibble Culinary Entrepreneurship Program is all about creating access to opportunity and lowering the barriers to entry for aspiring food business owners and culinary storytellers,” said Nibble Kitchen Manager Tony Baum. “Many of the chefs in the Nibble Program have cooked professionally for years but have never had the opportunity to cook their own food and tell their own stories. For us at Nibble, it is our mission to help our chef-partners become centers for their communities, both culturally and economically, and show that investment in culture and community is inextricably entwined with sustainable economic development.”

Learn more about Nibble at nibblesomerville.com. 

Persons with disabilities can request accommodations to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville by contacting the ADA Coordinator at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or ADA@somervillema.gov in advance of the event.

If you need assistance understanding this information, please contact us at languageaccess@somervillema.gov or call 311 (617-666-3311). The City of Somerville can provide you with an interpreter for free.