We’ve got a great new market in town with an old-fashioned feel, market that the Midland School neighborhood has warmly embraced. And the rest of Rye is catching on.

By Robin Jovanovich

We’ve got a great new market in town with an old-fashioned feel, market that the Midland School neighborhood has warmly embraced. And the rest of Rye is catching on.

At Molly’s Midland Market, chef/owner Jim Richardson makes his own banana nut granola. Bring your mason jar and he’ll refill it as often as needed. Every weekday he whips up chicken salad, which is light and satisfying (the secret is the chicken is braised with sherry vinegar), macaroni salad, which contains roasted asparagus and very little salt and mayonnaise, and tuna salad (black pepper and lemon juice are his secret ingredients).

Try his sesame noodles with a tangy Ponzu sauce, which are addictive and made fresh Mondays and Wednesdays. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, his mother-in-law, Sylvana Ballantoni, shows up with trays of homemade meatballs, which sell out early. Save room for the Boardwalk fries, made with malt vinegar and just the right amount of sea salt. The Molly’s House Sandwich (roast beef with arugula, caramelized onions, and gorgonzola mayo) is as scrumptious as it sounds.

It’s not just the food that brings people back. They come in for a cup of coffee (Bonjo from a microbrewer) or tea (Novus) and stay for a chat. They try and answer the Daily Trivia Quiz question on the chalkboard behind the counter. (Can you name seven countries in Europe, aside from England and Ireland, that end in land?)

“It’s the small time stuff we have,” says Richardson in explaining the reason his market was busy from day one. “We stock a number of sundries, from milk to toilet paper to cake mix, that people need and don’t want to make a trip to a supermarket for.”  

Regulars will also point to the reclaimed wood on the walls, the Mason jar light fixtures, the fireman’s hat that belonged to his father-in-law Vinnie, and the football helmet that belonged to Mike Paganelli, RHS Class of 1986.

In the end, it’s Jim Richardson who makes a visit to the market memorable. He’ll tell you how hard family, friends, and partners Paul and Cindy Gencarelli and Joe Ballantoni worked reconstructing and reimagining the space. He’ll share stories with you about his wife Maria, who teaches at Rye Presbyterian Nursery School, and his children, Molly, after whom he named the market, her twin brother Foster, and their younger brother Tommy.

While the Richardson family orders pizza once a week, he makes sure there is healthy, high-quality food on the table and he hopes that he can bring that same food to many other families’ tables. The market is open until 7 and very soon they’ll offer delivery.

Molly’s Midland Market is at 382 Midland Avenue. They’re open every day but Sunday, starting at 6:30 a.m.

 

— Photos courtesy of Cindy Ryan