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Downtown Phoenix Public Market
By Sharon Salomon
Article Reprinted with permission from Phoenix Downtown Magazine

December 2007

When I moved to Phoenix some 30 years ago, small farms surrounded our West Phoenix neighborhood. We used to buy fruits and vegetables from a farmer-owned produce stand a few blocks from our house. I appreciated buying directly from the person who had grown the food. There was a certain charm to knowing that the farmer from whom I was buying had personally picked the corn I was serving for dinner that night. Unfortunately, those small farms are long gone, replaced by strip malls and houses.

You’ve probably heard that buying local is goodfor the economy because it supports local business, that it’s good for the environment because the food is usually produced in a more ecologically friendly manner and that it’s good for you because the food is fresher and contains more nutrients. Although the concept of offering locally

grown foods has caught the attention of some of the big-box stores, the produce sold there is much like the stores themselves – grown on a large, commercial (and somewhat impersonal) farm. If you want fresh food at reasonable prices sold in a friendly
atmosphere, then you’re going to love shopping at one of the many farmers markets around the Valley.

My favorite of the local markets is the Downtown Phoenix Public Market (www.foodconnect.org/phoenixmarket), a year-round farmers market in downtown Phoenix. It’s just a fun place to visit – the vendors are friendly, the produce is fresh, the prepared foods are wonderful and there’s plenty of parking. The market offers crafts and prepared foods as well as farm-fresh produce.

Cindy Gentry, executive director of Community Food Connection (www.foodconnect.org), a non-profit established to alleviate hunger and create food sufficiency for low-income households in Arizona, is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the market. Cindy is always at the market making sure the vendors have everything they need. Her daily presence ensures the market operates smoothly. Who wouldn’t want to shop where the CEO is on-site all the time?

Currently, the outdoor market is open Wednesday evenings from 4 to 8 pm and Saturdays from 8 am to 1 pm. However, the plan is for the market to expand into an adjacent 4,000-square-foot enclosed space sometime in 2008. The proposed expanded market will be much like a grocery store except it will offer locally grown foods as well as prepared foods with a community connection. The market will continue to operate in the outdoor space on Wednesday evenings and Saturdays even after the indoor space becomes active.

The shoppers at the Downtown Phoenix Market come from all over the Valley, with strong support from the nearby historic communities as well as local business people. The draw of the market is not just fresh and local, but also friendly and unique. Besides finding something to eat while you’re walking around and something to cook at home, you will be treated to music by one of the many local musicians who appear regularly at the market. While you wander the stalls, you’ll be amazed at the quality of crafts offered for sale. Many of them are uniquely “Arizona,” created by local artisans from local materials.

It’s always a good idea to bring your own recyclable bags when you shop the market, although the vendors all have bags if you’ve forgotten yours. The best way to shop the market is to enter from the parking lot and just walk around before making any purchases – you never know what you’re going to find. A great benefit to buying directly from the grower/producer is that you can sample before you purchase. The vendors are eager for you to taste their fare. Sample the olive oil from Queen Creek Olive Oil Mill and the chocolates from Wei of Chocolate; sniff some soaps from Emelmahae Soap Company and check out the sun catchers from Alley Cat Art Studio. Eat a bowl of soup from Sapna Chill Out Café (you won’t be sorry) while you check out the farm-fresh eggs, freshly made cheeses, butter and honey. Buy seedlings – propagated in our desert climate – to replant in your own garden.

I’ve got my favorites. My friends and I are all addicted to Belinda’s Pickles – the spicy ones with the whole jalapenos in the jar. We bring them as gifts to dinner parties and eat them straight out of the jar as snacks. Fresh eggs. I cannot say enough about the taste of fresh eggs. Frozen lasagna made without noodles. I don’t know how you can make lasagna without noodles, but it’s pretty tasty. I love the jams and jellies, especially the ones spiked with chili peppers. Fresh cheeses, fresh butter, fresh tortillas. You’ll taste the difference fresh makes!
Shopping at a farmers market demands a certain flexibility. If you’re looking for fresh tomatoes in January, you may very well be disappointed. Go to the market with an open mind. Be willing to taste and ask questions. Remember that the vendors are small business people subject to the vagaries of weather and personal events that may prevent them from offering their usual items for sale each and every week.

If you get tired, sit down and listen to the music for a while. People watch. Relax. It’s that kind of place. And after you’ve had your fill of the market, you can go across the street for a very tasty meal at Matt’s Big Breakfast. Most of Matt’s food is made with locally sourced ingredients, bought from some of the same framers who sell at the market.

Due to the light rail construction, the easiest way to approach the market is from the east, turning west on McKinley. Park in the gravel lot adjacent to the market, just east of Central Avenue.

Reprinted with permission from Phoenix Downtown Magazine.