Pick of the Crop

By Jason Mandell
Lookout Staff

April 16, 2010 --“Holy guacamole!” Candy Debs shouts on a recent Wednesday afternoon near the corner of Arizona Avenue and 2nd Street. Passing shoppers smile and in many cases stop for a free sample – which convinces most of them to purchase a container of Holy Guaca-Moly’s fresh and tasty guac.

The cleverly named avocado farm, based in Fallbrook near Temecula, is one of dozens of first rate food-makers that travel from all over California to set up shop at the Downtown Santa Monica Farmers Market. The outdoor bazaar, which fills several blocks in the heart of the city every Wednesday and Saturday, is perhaps Santa Monica’s most popular regular event.

Additional local certified farmers markets are held on Virginia Street on Saturday and Main Street on Sunday. But the Downtown market near the Promenade is the main event, drawing top chefs from across LA, plenty of locals and tourists from around the world.

Vendors, shoppers and chefs agree that the market is much more than a place where transactions are made. With the confluence of so many different kinds of food-lovers, the market is more like a community.

On a recent Wednesday afternoon, Steven Brown, head chef at the Grove’s Greek restaurant Ulysses Voyage, gladly interrupts his own shopping to advise a few inquisitive shoppers how to best cook the chanterelle mushrooms (“sauté in garlic and butter on low heat, add white pepper”).

Customers say the market’s friendly ambiance is a major reason they come back week after week. “I love talking to the farmers,” says Joanne Jackson, who lives in West L.A. “And I love the fresh air and the live music.”

Lilly Marc, a Santa Monica resident who has been visiting the market for 20 years, says the one-two punch of “outdoors” and “organic” is what sets the market apart from ordinary shopping venues.

Jackson best sums up the unique appeal that has made the market a Santa Monica landmark for more than two decades. “If you have to go to the store, why not come to the farmers market and make it fun?”

Launched in 1981, when farmers markets were still relatively new, the nationally renowned venue has more than met its goal of increasing foot traffic in the Downtown shopping area. It has become a major destination.

“On a busy Thanksgiving day, they estimate 10,000 people come here,” says Charlie Samos of Tutti Frutti Farms, whose staff travels three hours from Lompoc to sell their produce at the market.

“This market, financially, is the best,” adds Samos. “A few other markets might be bigger, but this one has the most people passing through it.”

Other vendors agree that the constant flow of customers is as good as it gets. “At this market, we can sell an incredible amount of tomatoes in a few hours,” says Debbie Chamberlain of Wong Farms, which has been selling its hydroponically grown tomatoes at the market since the ‘80s. “The demand is pretty amazing,” she adds.

Indeed, the market is always bustling. People come from all over Los Angeles to pick from a tremendous selection of top notch, mostly organic produce and other goodies ranging from grass-fed bison to fresh flowers.

Vendors say the market caters to a clientele that is more discerning than the average shopper.

“It’s very health conscious here,” says Chris Schubert of Rancho La Viña, an organic walnut grower based in the Santa Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County. “We tend to lean toward foodies.”

Robin Smith, who co-owns the Santa Paula-based Mud Creek Ranch, says the market’s customers are savvy about their food-shopping. “They’re sophisticated,” explains Smith, who on a given day might be selling eight types of tangerine and five kinds of grapefruit.

“In some other markets, people will ask for something completely out of season,” Smith continues. “But not here.”

“I’ve been going to the Santa Monica Farmers Market for 20 years, since around its inception,” says Sandy Gendel, head chef and owner of Pace in Laurel Canyon. Gendel says the market’s selection of organic fruits and vegetables is unparalleled.

“You’ve got the ‘OG’ – organic farmers,” says Gendel, who singled out Flora Bella Farms owner James Birch as one of the market’s finest vendors. Birch grows his delicious produce, everything from Swiss chard to turnips to baby fennel, near the Sequoia National Park.

“He gets his water right out of the river,” gushes Gendel. “You don’t get much more organic than what he does.”

Chefs say the market provides them with pretty much everything they need to craft their dishes. “It’s just an abundance,” says Jason Kim, chef at the hotspot Forage in Silverlake. “You can find almost anything.”

Mark Peel, Campanile’s head chef, has been frequenting the market for 15 years. Peel says it’s paradise for food enthusiasts. “I just love the variety,” says Peel. “My favorite time of year is early summer, when all the stone fruits are in.”

Peel adjusts his menu according to what’s available at the market. Song does the same, adding that he rarely brings a shopping list to the market. “I just go and see what the vendors have,” he explains. “That’s why it’s such a good market.”

Peel adds that for chefs, the Wednesday market is ideal. “It’s the best day for chefs to go because you’re buying for the weekend, which is most of your business,” he says.

At a recent market, Brown from Ulysses Voyage is perusing the offerings at Tutti Frutti. He picks up a handful of chanterelle mushrooms. “These mushrooms are phenomenal!” Brown exclaims, adding that the carrots are “the best you’ve ever had.”

“We get 80 percent of our produce from here,” Brown said.

Smith of Mud Creek Ranch, whose selection of exotic citrus draws chefs each week, says she’s often asked to advise them what to purchase. “Say they want to make a marmalade,” explains Smith. “They’ll ask what would be the best fruit to buy.”

“Then they’ll buy a bit and experiment,” she continues. “If it works, they’ll come back and buy a lot of it.”

The market is a haven for any ingredient-hunter, regardless of their experience, Gendel says. “From a cooking standpoint, whether you’re doing it professionally or for yourself, if you’re in that frame of mind, ideas jump at you,” he adds.

“You don’t have to do much when you’re starting with stuff that was just pulled from the ground two days ago,” he continues. “You can keep that in your refrigerator for a week and it’s still going be fresher than what you buy at Whole Foods.”

Chefs account for a sizeable chunk of the vendors’ business. So do food distributors, who buy ingredients from the market and then sell them to restaurants throughout the LA area.

Another important customer base is travelers visiting from all over the country and the world.

“A lot of my clients are tourists, probably 20 percent,” says Pedro Gallardo, owner of Pedro’s Ranch, a 21-acre farm that contains roughly 2,100 avocado trees. Gallardo drives two hours from Fallbrook to sell his certified organic avocados, as well as dragonfruit when it’s in season, at the market.

While chefs and tourists provide a big boost to sales, the majority of his customers are loyal local residents, Gallardo says. “They come every week,” he adds.

Chamberlain of Wong Farms says many of her customers work in Downtown Santa Monica. “They come during their lunch hour,” she says.

She adds that shoppers are almost as varied as the eclectic fruits and vegetables found throughout the market. “They’re all kinds,” she observes. “Young, old, single, and a lot of big families.”

“I’ve been going to the Santa Monica Farmers Market for 20 years, since around its inception, market’s selection of organic fruits and vegetables is unparalleled.”
    Sandy Gendel,
   chef  at Pace,
   Laurel Canyon