Harana Market: Woodstock's Asian grocery-deli offers Filipino flavors to the Catskills
WOODSTOCK, N.Y. – When a married couple came upon a former country store sitting empty in the Catskills, they got an idea for something new.
"We had moved to Phoenicia, and we were driving into Woodstock, and we saw that this place was for lease," Christina Mauricio said. "The space told us, kind of, what it wanted to be."
It became Harana Market, an Asian grocery and Filipino deli showcasing Mauricio's culinary training and Filipino heritage.
Mauricio, who uses the pronouns they/them, runs the back kitchen, while their partner Eva Tringali takes care of customers in front.
Some visitors stop in to pick up any of the Asian snacks, sauces, and sweets that line the shelves. But the biggest draw is Mauricio's cooking.
The rotating menu includes tofu sisig, a meatless take on a Filipino staple. Mauricio's version incorporates Thai chili and sautéed vegetables and is served with jasmine rice.
"It's a fan favorite of vegans, vegetarians, and meat-eaters alike," they said.
Fried chicken is a Friday special in high demand.
"It's sort of turned into this thing where people call in right as we open to secure theirs," Mauricio said.
The chicken gets marinated in fish sauce and citrus. It's thinly battered, fried, and served on a bed of garlic popcorn.
"We make a spicy honey that we drizzle on top," they said. "It's crunchy and sweet and spicy."
Mauricio stays faithful to flavors and techniques first instilled under their grandmother's tutelage.
"'Lutong bahay' is homestyle cooking, which is sort of the ethos in the kitchen," they said.
They hope familiar flavors will bring a sense of home to many visitors. At the same time, Mauricio and Tringali find satisfaction in guiding curious newcomers who have had little experience with the cuisine.
It is for this reason that they selected the name for their business, which honors a Filipino musical tradition.
"'Harana' is a Tagalog word that means 'serenade.' Really, it's a form of courtship," they said.
They find fulfillment in wooing their neighbors with a menu they take pride in.
Above all, the aim of Harana Market is to bring joy.
"Ultimately, I want people to be comforted, nourished, and to continue eating the food that makes their heart sing," Mauricio said. "That's the goal."
Harana Market
603 Wittenberg Rd
Woodstock, NY 12457
(845) 684-5835
https://www.haranamarket.com/
