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Living In Valley Stream
www.liherald.com
Bringing farm-fresh food to Valley Stream By Juan Lasso
O
n a quiet early Thursday morning, a handful of vans and trucks wheeled into one end of the Valley Stream pool parking lot. In minutes, tents began to sprout in a section normally reserved for resident pool-goers’ cars. And from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., it became the domain of farmers, artisans and vendors as they worked quickly to haul and unload their crates, baskets and bundles of homegrown, handpicked and handcrafted food and goods. Now in its third year of operations at Hendrickson Park, the Valley Stream Farmers Market has become a place where visitors can find fresh, locally sourced foods — everything from homemade brittle to empanadas, vegetables, honey, wines, baked goods and deserts. Unlike some overcrowded venues where people jostle with one another trying to snag the best-quality produce, customers can expect to find a relaxed atmosphere in an unassuming spot in the village. The hope, however, as expressed by Joe Conneeli, who has worked for the event’s sponsor, the Long Island Growers Market, for seven years, is that the market will soon include more vendors and attract more people. He said he hopes the faithful patrons will attract droves of new ones to come and see the goods on display. “People are coming out of hibernation,” Conneeli said, noting that everything the LIGM does circles back to the customer. And yet, in its short period of operation, the market has already become a staple morningrush quick stop for residents on their way to work. “The market is refreshing. It’s my sanctuary, and I’m supporting local businesses,” said Lynette Battle, a Valley Stream resident who
stops by every week en route to her job in Brooklyn to get some tasty, low-sugar, non-processed desserts for her co-workers at the Bevos Kitchen stand. “I spoil them,” she added. “Our motto is, ‘Because you are what you eat,’” said Gracia Clery-Leonce, founder of the Bevos Kitchen. She combines her knowledge of biology and laboratory science with her childhood passion for preparing food others enjoy, crafting Caribbean-inspired delicacies that are “as close to natural as possible.” Vincent James, 71, is an avid walker who likes to take a light jog around Hendrickson Park. He finishes his routine every time by getting his daily dose of coffee at Cano, a third-generation Colombian coffee-growing business. Miguel Angel Luis Cano and his cousin sell and package the coffee beans and make drinks from the beans grown and imported from their farms in Huela and Tolema. The mainstay of the market is the vegetables cultivated by the Long Island Growers Market at its Orient Point farm on the North Fork. “It’s a labor of love,” said Sarah Terry, a vendor and a member of the family-owned farm, who helps to grow 50-odd varieties of vegetables that are always handpicked the day before they’re sent to the market. “We love the interactions we have with the customers,” Terry said, adding that there is pride and excitement when she answers customers’ questions about the produce that she and a few other friendly, earth-worn hands manage from the farm to the stand. The farmers market will be open every Thursday until Nov. 18. Juan Lasso/Herald
Above photo: Miguel Angel Luis Cano at his coffee stand.
