February 10, 2015 – A new year-round farmers’ market is set to open in Carmel Valley village on March 20th. The market—to be held Friday afternoons from 2-6pm at the Carmel Valley Community Youth Center—will be run by the West Coast Farmers’ Market Association, the same group that has managed the controversial Carmel-by-the-Sea farmers’ market for the past year.
“I want to have markets with less handcuffs,” says Jerry Lami, who heads the association and manages 20 markets in the San Francisco Bay area. “I’m going to start off with all the bells and whistles we weren’t allowed to have in Carmel-by-the-Sea.”
Lami is just beginning to sign up farmers and other vendors for the Carmel Valley market, but is aiming for 20-25 stalls including produce, prepared foods, BBQ, bakery goods, body products, and arts and crafts.
Some of the vendors will include: Cipponeri Family Farms, Medina Berry Farms, OMG Vinegars, Cobblestone Bakery, Janice Holt Pottery and Sean Joseph Knife Sharpening.
“Residents of Carmel Valley wanted something closer to home and they were never happy about the constantly changing rules in Carmel-by-the-Sea,” said Lami. “We already have a lot of support in the community and I believe everyone who lives out there will be a customer.
Lami added he hopes to launch one or two more farmers’ markets in the Carmel/Monterey in the next few months.
Meanwhile city officials in Carmel-by-the-Sea have put their farmers’ market out to bid again with new criteria. While Lami has submitted a new bid, it would appear he is ready to move on.
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At Edible Monterey Bay, our mission is to celebrate the local food culture of Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties, season by season. We believe in sustainability, and we believe everyone has a right to healthful, clean and affordable food. We think knowing where our food comes from is powerful, and we hope our magazine, website and newsletters inspire readers to get to know and support our local growers, fishers, chefs, vintners and food artisans.
