-Photo Credit: The Babylon Mercantile

The Babylon Mercantile & Cookshop has been open in Babylon Village for over six months now, bringing an assortment of quality products and cooking classes to the village.

Since its opening, Babylon Mercantile has mostly been offering private cooking classes and emphasizing its array of products for retail. However, as pandemic restrictions lessen and more groups can attend, the Mercantile plans to open up its cooking classes to the public sometime in June.

We spoke with owner Donna Sesto about her vision for Babylon Mercantile, from what she hopes to achieve now, to where it may be going. On the topic of her inspirations for her unique business, Sesto had this to say, “I’ve always been passionate about cooking and just being in the kitchen.” 

Sesto mentioned that through her work, she was able to “Connect with people from all these different cultures. It didn’t matter if I was in China or Malta or Germany… You would see people just sort of light up talking about food or their favorite recipes.”

From this inspiration came the Babylon Mercantile. “There really wasn’t a whole lot of places where you could have that experience,” she mentioned, discussing that these food-centric markets and shared spaces in other countries were nowhere to be found on Long Island. In thinking about what to do next, and as a Babylon Village resident, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

The Babylon Mercantile’s retail pantry, which in Sesto’s words is “a little eclectic,” aims to provide for everyone from professional chefs, to home cooks, to baking enthusiasts who have specific needs. “I try to find those things that you can’t typically find anywhere else.”

When it comes to social media, Babylon Mercantile has produced some great content, including charming videos on TikTok and Instagram. A certain TikTok video of theirs garnered over 80,000 views and nearly 13,000 likes. “I give one hundred percent of the credit to my team... I’m literally blessed by this group of people,” said Sesto.

Her philosophy when it comes to social media is an emphasis on genuine content and good people. “I’m just trying to capture the guests that come in this store and capture their fun. That’s really what I’m putting out.”

Babylon Mercantile’s current goal is to make sure classes work smoothly, balancing education with fun. “First and foremost, we want this to be an educational center,” Sesto stated. The Mercantile’s private classes, which have largely been conducted through word of mouth, have allowed staff to understand group education better and will help bring further quality to public classes.

Sesto has some future plans, including a range of possibilities from chef-led dinners to getting local restaurants involved with classes, sharing genuine and authentic recipes from a variety of sources.

For now, Babylon Mercantile’s public classes take precedence, with an emphasis on those who have stuck by the Mercantile: “We’re going to be doing a direct notice out to customers who have visited us from the beginning. I think people have been really really patient… We’re going to let people who have been in the store, who have been asking for classes, to have the opportunity to take that first month of classes.”

Babylon Mercantile has also brought on a home economics teacher, who will be leading a teens and kids cooking program sometime in the future. Details are not entirely worked out, but Sesto has nothing but positivity for the youth who have interacted with the Mercantile before, “The kids who come into the store, it amazes me how much they know about food and cooking.”

Public classes will be beginning sometime in June. Until then, Babylon Mercantile has plenty to offer by way of cookware and other products. Their website contains plenty more information. You can also find them on Instagram.