Smorgasburg, an outdoor food market billing itself as the world’s largest, opens in D.C.’s Navy Yard on Saturday, offering a weekly platform to a swath of food entrepreneurs.

More than 30 food entrepreneurs have signed on to prepare their meals in booths onsite at the free, family friendly Smorgasburg DC running every Saturday at least through October. Half of the vendors are women and 25 of the roughly 35 vendors are people of color, shining a light on the city and its diverse food scene.

“Smorgasburg represents this middle path where they can be in control of their own destiny with very little investment upfront ….and then there’s an immediate payoff,” says Eric Demby, one of Smorgasburg’s two co-founders. “If we’re doing our job, thousands of people will come.”

Nobu Yamazaki, the chef behind the Michelin-starred Sushi Taro, will debut Skew’d, his new yakitori eatery at Smorgasburg. And Himitsu co-owner Kevin Tien, a 2019 James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic, will serve hot chicken from his Hot Lola’s booth at the outdoor food market. (See a full list of confirmed vendors below.)

Expect periodic pop-ups from Otabe, a Kobe-style eatery and Z&Z Za’atar, which makes Middle Eastern street food. A bar for beer and wine will also be available.

“Our goal is for Smorgasburg to be a showcase for the people who live in that city to celebrate what they love about that city,” Demby says. “And then for a visitor, it’s a cross section of where you can experience the ‘real Brooklyn,’ the ‘real L.A.’ or the ‘real D.C.’ These are not celebrities, these are real people like you or me.”

The name “Smorgasburg,” is a mashup of smorgasbord and Williamsburg, the site of the company’s original outdoor food market. Demby and co-founder Jonathan Butler launched it in 2011, spinning it off from Brooklyn Flea. Smorgasburg outposts followed: There are now three additional markets in New York, plus others in Los Angeles and Japan. (The team also launched the short-lived District Flea in Shaw in 2013.) The Williamsburg location has around 100 vendors, and draws roughly 20,000 visitors every Saturday from May through November, Demby says.

For D.C.’s market, Demby and Butler hired Sophia Florendo-Stevens, an alum of Daikaya, Maketto, A Rake’s Progress, and more, as market manager, to reach out to and secure vendors.

The District is ripe for Smorgasburg now because of its burgeoning, “matured” food scene, Demby says.

“There has been such a huge explosion in the dining scene there and I think that’s usually a great moment for the Smorgasburg to start because we create this balance in the dining environment,” Demby says. “When the market comes together as quickly as it has and at such high quality, it sort of affirms our suspicions that this is really the right time.”

Smorgasburg D.C. runs every Saturday through October from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at Tingey Plaza, 200 Tingey St. SE at New Jersey Ave.

 Smorgasburg D.C. vendors:

• Arepa Zone
• Balo Kitchen and Pho Wheels
• Bay Pearl
• Bun’d Up
• Chaia
• Cracked Eggery
• Criosho
• Eat 170
• Ekiben
• Gwenie’s Pastries
• Hilana Falafel
• Kuya Ja’s Lechon
• Lei Musubi
• Lost Sock Roasters
• Mastiha
• Milk Cult
• New Standard Sandwich
• Pinch Dumplings
• Rebel Taco
• Roy Boys
• Ruby Scoops
• Seylou
• Sloppy Mama’s BBQ
• SnoCream Company
• Spot of Tea
• Sweet Crimes
• Swizzler
• The Berliner
• Timber Pizza
• Uzu 9