You know what they say, “Don’t shop when you’re hungry.”
Whoever says that obviously doesn’t shop at Boulder County farmers markets.
Our markets offer a multitude of samples, but also a full food court with complete meals from a wide variety of cuisines.
This week, we’re highlighting some of the amazing stories and meals from the restaurants that cook up delicious treats in our food court every week. Our market chefs are held to the same incredibly high standard of sustainable practices and local sourcing as our local farmers and producers. Stick with a classic breakfast sandwich or try a Vietnamese spring roll, vegan zucchini boat or chicken shawarma wrap.
So, break the “rules”. Come hungry.
New Kids on the Block: Boulder Bred
In the fall of 2021, University of Colorado Boulder students Ari Gad and Geoffrey Clark visited their local farmer’s market in downtown Boulder. They were impressed with the plethora of vendors in the market selling local produce from Boulder County and surrounding areas.
Gad and Clark thought, “How could we share our passion for the culinary arts in a way that both encourages and inspires market customers to use ingredients grown right in our backyard?”
And so Boulder Bred was born: an artisan food stand founded to bridge the gap between local producers and their community. They source their bread, vegetables, meat and cheese from our market. You definitely don’t want to miss their Cubano.
Seasoned Vets: Amaizing Corn Tamales
For over 30 years, Richard Convertito has been bringing rave-worthy tamales to our markets. We receive emails every year from tourists who visited our market eons ago and still think about the taste of the sweet, rich masa of these tamales. Don’t sleep on their breakfast burritos.
Products from Monroe Organic Farm, Honeyacre Enterprises and Cure Organic Farm are stuffed into their soft and chewy tamales. Don’t skimp on dipping sauces. We could drink bottles of their ranchero sauce and green chili, if we could. Convertito and his team are always the first to settle and often the last to leave; their work is an intense labor of love, and our stomachs are grateful.
Family affair: Pupusas Familia
Pupusa – a corn pancake stuffed with beans, meat, vegetables or cheese – is a well-known dish from El Salvador. Franklin Escobar and his family grew up on a small ranch in El Salvador where they grew beans, rice and vegetables.
Now Escobar brings those flavors and ingredients to Boulder County. Pupusas Familia has spread to our three markets, and members of Escobar’s family can often be found running the stalls as he runs between markets.
These pupusas (carnitas, chicken, kale and pinto, black beans and cheese) are delicious fresh off the griddle at the market with a side of curtido. You’ll also want to pick up a package of frozen pupusas to take home to share with your family.
Five Stars on Wheels: Ting’s Things
Lexi Novack’s passion for Italian cuisine took off when she studied abroad at the Barilla Academy in Parma, Italy. She and her partner, Chris, now offer top-notch gourmet Italian cuisine at the Longmont Farmers Market.
Their menu includes freshly made pasta, fragrant garlic bread and hot sandwiches. She uses the finest local ingredients, combined with her culinary training, to prepare a great meal, including meat from SkyPilot Farm and Buckner Family Ranch, vegetables from Rocky Mountain Fresh and Switchgears Farm, and oils from Healthy Harvest. They use local whenever possible and boy show it – or taste it.
Always Fresh: Salty Saigon
Perhaps you have seen the impressive queue at Savory Saigon’s booth on Saturday and Wednesday nights. Their loyal customers know there’s something for everyone in their extensive offering of fresh Vietnamese cuisine. Tammy Phuong Greening has created a menu that ranges from noodle bowls to savory and sweet pancakes and includes a colorful range of refreshing drinks from traditional Thai iced tea to innovative pomegranate and ginger juices.
Greening immigrated to the United States in 1988 from Vietnam and worked incredibly hard to become a small business owner in the nail industry. However, in 2006 she realized the hours and work were unrewarding and turned to cooking. She is dedicated to providing quality food and building community with her customers, farmers and other suppliers.
Join the crowd clamoring for bahn mi and basil seed watermelon juice. We promise the wait is worth it.
If you’re not already dying to try all those food court treasures the next time you visit the market, there’s also wood-fired pizza from Lenin’s Pizza, vegan dishes from Resilient Roots , Mediterranean from Charlotte’s Lil Kitchen, Asian fusion from The Orange Tente, burritos and tacos from Tacos del Norte, barbecue from Rev’s Ribs and paella from Caspian Gourmet. The only problem is trying to figure out what you want to try first.
We’ll see you from 4-8 p.m. Wednesday night in Boulder and Saturday in Boulder or Longmont. And don’t forget to eat before you come to the market.
