Clemmons Farmers Market

The Best of the Best Our Community Has to Offer!

BY CAROLYN S PETERSON

The catchphrases in the past few years have been ‘buy local’ and ‘buy natural,’ and there is no place anywhere that you can accomplish that, other than at the Clemmons Farmers Market.

THE GO-TO DESTINATION FOR LOCAL AND NATURAL GOODS

The Clemmons Farmers Market began in 2014 as an initiative of the Clemmons Community Compass to support local producers and those consumers seeking better foods to eat and use. “The Village of Clemmons has always been committed to providing the opportunity, as well as the venue, to farmers, producers, and bakers, giving them a way to share goods directly to the community. With the availability of fresh food choices at the market, a healthy diet is achievable even in the most hectic of lives. Plus, visiting the market is a fun outing for all families,” said Shannon Ford, Village of Clemmons, Director of Marketing and Communications.

The Clemmons Farmers Market is a producer-only market, meaning farmers, growers, and bakers only sell items they make, bake, or grow themselves. However, the market hosts artisan day on the first Saturday of each month during the regular season which runs May 7- October 1, 2022. The addition of artisans was created as the customer base wanted to see crafts, while organizers wanted to hold true to the creation of the producer only market.

To get the variety and freshness of local vegetables, fruits, jams, jellies, flowers, baked goods, and more, you might think you have to drive across a few counties, but with one convenient location at the Jerry Long Family YMCA in Clemmons, consumers have access to goods from Forsyth, Surry, Stokes, Rockingham, Guilford, Davidson, Davie, and Yadkin counties. “Our shoppers start their weekend off by purchasing from an amazing selection, the best of the best, of in-season fruits, vegetables, plants, meats, canned items, and eggs, and it’s all in one place. You could spend a day driving around trying to find what we have at the Clemmons Farmers Market. Many of our vendors would have to sell by word of mouth if not for the Farmers Market, but we provide increased visibility to the public of the great produce, crafts, and items available in our area. During the offseason of the market, there are several ways to continue to buy local. Many of our vendors offer a weekly preorder system with a pick-up option at the Village Hall in Clemmons. There are also numerous Pop-Up Markets throughout the year -- including the ever popular Holiday and Easter PopUp Markets,” Shannon commented.

Clemmons Farmers Market is every Saturday, 8:30-11:30 AM at the Jerry Long Family YMCA, 1150 South Peace Haven Road, Clemmons, NC.

Vendors must apply and be approved to participate. Applications to become a vendor must be submitted by February 23, 2022 and will be notified by March 1, 2022. Apply at: clemmons.org/farmersmarket.

You can stay connected all year long and undated at www.clemmons.org/ farmersmarket, info@clemmons.org, or 336-712-4042.

Facebook: clemmonsfarmersmarket Instagram: clemmonsfarmersmarket Join the email list: tinyrul.com/ clemmonsnews For info on preorder pick-up services, visit www.clemmons.org/365

clemmons.org/farmersmarket • @clemmonsfarmersmarket Jerry Long Family YMCA • 1150 S Peace Haven Rd. • Clemmons, NC 27012

The Comforts of Home

BY MARTIE EMORY, PHOTOS BY JEJ PHOTOS

In 2021, Simply Southern Cuisine in Clemmons celebrated its 15th anniversary of giving area residents one of the finest things in life: amazing, home cooked food! No room for fast food here – the story of Simply Southern Cuisine is all about the feels of home and all the memories you’ve shared with family around a dinner table.

Comfort food at its best, their popular dishes have become a lifesaver for busy parents and a mainstay of local holiday celebrations. Owner Lisa Miller is proud of the popular family-owned business for a multitude of reasons! The original business began in 2003, and Lisa stepped in as owner in 2006. Since then, Simply Southern Cuisine has continued to grow and update, while staying true to the original recipes that customers can’t resist. Their days are spent as a family (that also includes wonderful employees), with a balance of love, laughter, and plenty of hard work, creating delicious memories for themselves and their customers!

At Simply Southern Cuisine you’ll always be dining on the freshest ingredients, whether you choose to pick up a meal that’s hot or frozen, with portion sizes and entree varieties just right to please any taste buds at your family’s weeknight dinner. Plus, your special event can be made perfect with selections from their catering menu – with a broad delivery area – that includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even appetizers. It’s no surprise that chicken pie is still the number one customer request, with Swiss chicken, baked spaghetti, and macaroni cheese also atop the list of tried-and-true favorites. When it comes to homemade desserts, your mouth-watering choices range from apple pie, pecan pie, and banana pudding to a lineup of amazing family recipe cakes and brownies. Keeping current and always growing, online orders in 2020 skyrocketed and continue to be a large part of the company’s sales. With Lisa’s own computer programming background, she’s loved bringing her small business into the 21st century technology wise and learning the finer points of a point-of-sale system. This system that not only tracks every detail of the business, but allows them freedom and flexibility to handle necessary curbside orders in the past year, and offer the best possible service to their loyal customers. Expansion is also on the horizon (“We are simply running out of room!” explains Lisa) and while remaining in the same location, there will be updates such as the addition of a walk-in freezer in the back of the building. They also hope to knock down some walls between the kitchen and the existing counter, building new walls in order to move the counter closer to the door. The family is excited about adding hundreds of square feet to the kitchen area to accommodate more food prep space as sales continue to boom!

The Simply Southern Cuisine team is authentic proof that it’s possible to love your job and love going to work every day! Lisa admits she was “kicked out of the kitchen” several years ago, and she’s perfectly happy to keep things rolling on the business side.

If you haven’t yet discovered the deliciousness of Simply Southern Cuisine, visit them at 3570-C Clemmons Road in Clemmons. Call 336-712-4636 for more information or to place an order, or order your next delicious family meal online at mysimplysouthern.com. Hours are Monday through Friday 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. and Saturday 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Simply Southern Cuisine

Voted Best Chicken Pie in the Triad!