USPS Publication Number 16300
T h i s C om mu n it y Ne w s p a p e r i s a p u bl i c a t ion of E s c a m b i a-S a nt a Ro s a B a r A s s o c i a t ion
Se r v i ng t he Fi r st Jud icia l Ci rcu it Section A, Page 1
Vol. 22, No. 3
V isit T he S ummation W eekly O nline : SummationWeekly.com
Janurary 19, 2022
1 Section, 10 Pages
THE FARM PRODUCE MARK ET BUILDING COMMUNIT Y THROUGH FRESH F O OD
by Kelly Oden Photos by Ty and Cat Photography
C
reating a business model centered on community and f resh produce came naturally to the owners of The Farm Produce Market on Mobile Highway. In 2012, Sandy Veilleux, a former pastry chef and local good food advocate, teamed up with former produce company owners Barbara and Barrie Williams to take over the beloved west side market. Originally established in 1987 by the D’amico family, the trio came together to carry on the tradition after the D’amico family retired.
They set out to create a space that not only supported local farmers and cottage food industries, but also served as a gathering space for the neighborhood—a place to socialize, learn about healthy food and maybe even meet a farmer or two. “I remember putting the keys in the door with Barbara and Barrie. I was just blown away and they completely lit up,’ Veilleux recalled. “I feel like, after that, it’s a blur. Now, all of a sudden it’s been 10 years. We’ve sold retail out of here. We’ve had more than 200 chefs buy wholesale out of here. We’ve helped open restaurants. We’ve worked with local farmers. I just know that we keep building on the idea of being in this
crazy building and honoring a family relationship with produce, whether it’s with our farmers or with our community.” Since 2012, the Farm has expanded rapidly. Perhaps a little too rapidly. Last year, The Farm handed over its wholesale operations to their friends at City Produce. “We just got too big, too fast,” Veilleux said. “We had a waiting list of chefs. I wasn’t popular going out to dinner, let me tell you. So we scaled back and it’s our first full year just being the farmers market.” One of the reasons for the scaling back was the desire to become more involved at the community level. Along with Manna Food Pantries,
The Farm is working with Markets up to $40—essenThe American Heart Asso- tially doubling SNAP spendciation on their Produce RX ing power. Specially curated project. Produce RX boxes Community Supported Agriare filled with heart-healthy culture (CSA) boxes are also produce and recipes that are available in a variety of sizes distributed to chronically ill and at special savings. Each and food insecure commu- Sunday, The Farm hosts nity members. Sunday Bucket Day where “To be on the ground floor shoppers can fill a large of this is incredible,” Veil- green bucket with up to four leux said. “We started with pounds of produce for just $5. 50 boxes, which was pretty “Bucket Day is the coolest cool. And then overnight, project ever,” Veilleux said. we moved up to 100 boxes. “They’ve become quite the We completely reconf ig- event and we feel like our ured everything in here. We whole week is in training for do it on Tuesdays, which is Sunday. It’s like a homecomnormally our setup day. So ing. Everybody comes to see we just created an assembly us. I love it—every walk of line. It’s a fabulous adventure. life, every age group comes It really is. We’ve created a to us. It’s a workout. It’s a little Ziploc bag where we marathon from 10 am to 5 put recipe cards and stick- pm. We open the doors and ers or anything else some- they’re waiting for us. Hailea one wants to donate to us. does this cool thing where It’s definitely a little pouch she invites the food trucks to of love. We’re hoping to get come and join us. We even more community involve- have Wyatt with 3 Sprouts ment in that. I’m trying to Farm doing pop-ups with talk to my coffee people to microgreens. It’s a lot of fun.” get some coffee in there. We The Farm has also grown were so lucky to score some into a bit of a business incuMeyer lemons from one of bator as well. Under the our farmers, so we snuck umbrella of Black Garlic those into the boxes. We try Market, the first product, to put something close to our Black Garlic, has become a hearts in every box.” huge success both locally and Helping members of our worldwide. The fermented community to have access garlic is the brainchild of to fresh affordable produce Veilleux and The Farm’s is a priority for The Farm. in-house chef, Matthew They accept Supplemen- Brown. Veilleux said she tal Nutrition and Assis- remembers the excitement tance Program (SNAP) and when they finally got the Women, Infants and Children recipe right. (WIC) benefits and are also “I remember Matthew a part of the Fresh Access coming over and sitting Program, which matches down on the front steps of SNAP dollars at Farmer’s my house and saying, ‘Taste
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this.’ I’m sitting there thinking, ‘that’s mind-bending.’ It was a ‘I’ve never tasted anything like this’ kind of moment, she recalled. “The next phone call I make is to chef Blake and chef Amy at Union Public House. I’m like, where are you? Where are your taste buds? So, we are sitting at the restaurant and they are tasting it—and, you know, the entire time you’re like a little kid. You’re seeing the exact same reaction in somebody else that you just had. They went, ‘Wow. If you don’t do something with this, I’ll never talk to you again,’ which is something we always say to each other. Black Garlic was born out of the idea of creating a flavor that we wanted everybody to try and it hasn’t stopped.” Depending on the bulb size, the garlic is fermented for about 196 hours using a proprietary method. The result is a shelf-stable, smearable paste with a distinct umami flavor reminiscent of balsamic. The paste can be used straight or as a flavor enhancer in any recipe. Black garlic is now on the menu in many local restaurants and it is shipped worldwide. Located at 6404 Mobile Highway in Pensacola, the Farm Produce Market is open Wednesday through Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. Check them out on Instagram @thefarmpcola or visit thefarmofpensacola.com for specials and new arrivals.
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