VILLAGE NEWS
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LA JOLLA
Scott Appleby &
Kerry ApplebyPayne A Tradition of Success and Service
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LA JOLLA’S PREFERRED SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS
THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2010
San Diego Community Newspaper Group
DRE#01197544
www.SDNEWS.com Volume 15, Number 48
La Jolla Open Aire Farmer’s Market keeps community healthy, boosts small business
Omar Sao sells handcrafted utility baskets from Senegal at the La Jolla Open Aire Farmer’s Market. PHOTO BY PAUL HANSEN I VILLAGE NEWS
Weaving a better tomorrow
Basketful of hope BY JENNA FRAZIER | VILLAGE NEWS
Jesus Medina of Valdivia Farms sells vine-ripened heirloom tomatoes grown in Carlsbad to customers of the La Jolla Open Aire Farmer’s Market. The market is open on Sundays year-round, rain or shine. PHOTO BY PAUL HANSEN I VILLAGE NEWS
BY JENNA FRAZIER | VILLAGE NEWS ables overflow with heaps of vibrantly-hued produce, and the scents of an eclectic array of cuisine permeate the air. Locals bustle from stall to stall to sample a juicy strawberry, select a ripe bell pepper or purchase a crisp head of lettuce. Patrons stroll by with Filipino chicken adobo and lumpia, fish tacos, vegan kebabs, frankfurters, crepes and Swiss pastries. Vendors peddle products ranging from fresh seafood and
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locally-produced wine and olive oil to handmade crafts, sustainable gardening services, exercise equipment and massage therapy. It’s a typical scene at the La Jolla Open Aire Farmer’s Market, held each Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. — yearround, rain or shine — in the upper playground of La Jolla Elementary School (LJES) on the corner of Girard Avenue and Genter Street. SEE MARKET, Page 5
Each morning without fail, the women of Ngaye, a small village in Senegal, West Africa, gather under the shade of a large tree to weave damp sweet grass and recycled plastics into colorful, durable baskets of various shapes and sizes. It’s a 200-year-old tradition with a modern mission. The baskets, which girls as young as eight spend anywhere from 10 to 20 hours crafting individually, travel across the Atlantic and the continental U.S. in the hopes of catching the eye of patrons at the La Jolla Open
Aire Farmer’s Market each Sunday. Omar Sao, founder of Sao Global Trade and an Ngaye native himself, personally sells the handcrafted utility baskets for $4 to $145 each at seven local farmer’s markets each week and uses the profits to benefit projects in his village involving such things as access to clean water, electricity and functioning schools. Sao first came to the U.S. in 2002 to study English at a language school in San Francisco. SEE BASKET, Page 5
A romance with wine and La Jolla’s ambiance BY CHARLES IYOHO | VILLAGE NEWS Shira Wiseman has taken her passion for food and wine and turned it into a burgeoning business. The local entrepreneur is the owner of the trendy new company La Jolla Wine Tours — a venture that offers wine connoisseurs a chance to tour some of La Jolla’s most fascinating restaurants and wineries while tasting fine beverages and sampling savory food. The business, which is run by Wiseman and the tour’s co-director Paul Anthony Vild, conducted its first wine tour July 12. “I’ve lived here in the Village for
10 years wanting to promote the businesses here,” said Wiseman. “So I thought I’d put together my love of La Jolla, walking, food and wine.” The tour, which includes six stops and lasts about three hours, costs $55 per person, Wiseman said. Guests get to try different wine and food pairings at each location. “I’m really 100 percent behind making this beautiful experience,” said Wiseman. “All of my time is being put into that.” Wiseman was born in Belfast, Ireland, located in the country’s northern part. She received her education in the culinary arts in England. In addition to her efforts with La Jolla
Wine Tours, Wiseman works as a freelance writer for several area publications. “The goal of this business is to share our love of food and fine wine with others while promoting local restaurants and merchants in an entertaining and fabulous fashion,” she said. “I am very fond of my Village … I have a passion for wine.” La Jolla Wine Tours works with 12 different merchants, including Vigilucci’s Ristorante, one of the tour’s main stops. For those who want to explore the area’s wineries beyond La Jolla, the SEE TOUR, Page 4
Shira Wiseman, owner and co-director of La Jolla Wine Tours, stands outside Vigilucci’s Ristorante, a main stop on the charming wine circuit. PHOTO BY CHARLES IYOHO I VILLAGE NEWS