For the past few weeks I’ve been involved with one of California’s best farmers markets, the Marin Farmers Market held each Sunday at the Civic Center in San Rafael. I’ve been shopping there for years, and have long been impressed with the quality, variety, and prices there. While shopping I would often gush to farmers about the latest new dishes I had made with their products, and plenty of impromtu conversations with other shoppers would arise as well. It was obvious that people loved the gorgeous displays of produce, but equally obvious that many were kind of stumped about what to do with it all, besides the classic “saute in olive oil and garlic, and finish it off with a little lemon.”
So I proposed an idea to the executive director of the market: an “ideas booth” that would help shoppers not only better understand the seasonal gems that surrounded them every week, but to give them entirely new and original ideas on how to create easy, healthful dinners with them.
So I’m now there on Sundays, talking with people and leading tours of the market. I encourage people to show me what they’ve purchased, and I then come up with breakaway dinner ideas for them. I also encourage people to stop by before they begin shopping to hear about what’s especially enticing each week.
The Marin Independent Journal got wind of it and wrote a nice story in today’s paper.
It would be great to meet some readers/contributors in person, so if anyone’s around Marin on Sunday mornings, come by and introduce yourself. And if you have any ideas on how to make this service better, I’d love to hear them.
I love the idea of an “Ideas Booth!” (What other businesses and industries would benefit from one?) I guess it’s like I do a lot of my day, give people ideas on what to cook with what we got. Since I wear a chef coat at the store, people will frequently walk in and ask “What are you cooking?” or “What’s for dinner?” to which my reply is “What’s in your fridge?” I then try and come up with ideas blending what they have and something we sell. My problem is I never have time to make the ones that I would like to eat! I have actually considered starting a food idea blog, and getting peoples interpretations, changes, comments. (The couple of times I’ve actually tried to photograph something I was making, my wife and kids start telling me to hurry up, they’re hungry! Besides, photography is a hobby of mine, but I’m no Heidi Swanson.)
Maybe I’ll steal the idea for our local FM? Can’t wait to hear what you come up with, and also your G o P experiments. ( I feel like I can use the abbreviation now that the election is over!)
That’s awesome!
Is the Marin FM open all year round?
I will definitely stop by one of these days.
Eric- this is great! I am away from the Bay Area for a while, enjoying home waters in Cyprus for 2 years. And of course, trying to come up with ways to blend the traditional Cypriot cooking with the joys of Bay Area cooking I have learned over the years.
I have been following your blogs, and this idea is one of the best I have heard in a long time. I’ll definitely let my foodie friends know about this. Wish I could also stop by one of these days.
The MFM is indeed open year round, rain or shine. Please do come visit!
Stuart — it DOES seem like a lot of businesses might benefit from an ideas booth! Not everyone can be Heidi–you should do it anyway. By all means steal the idea for your local FM. GoP entry is forthcoming — it makes an incredible crust for pork loins. But I’ll try it on tofu too, for you!
Hazim, you are too kind. Very comforting to know that Cypriots are reading! My friend Lucelle has a whole pig coming in soon, so I’m going to tell her to try Zalatina Lefkonitziatiki – Brawn (got it from http://tastecyprus.com/ , which seems to be a pretty good site for Cypriot food)
glad to hear this will be a regular thing – another reason to go to the marin market!