Omnivore - Grant Park Farmers Market opens

Many vendors sell out in a few hours

The Grant Park Farmers Market opened Sunday for the first time. It will be held 10 a.m.-2 p.m. through Nov. 20 and if the turnout yesterday was any indication, it’s going to be a huge success. By noon, many of the vendors had sold out or seriously depleted their inventory.

Lucky for us, the market is virtually across the street from our house. We walked over, bought a few things and then strolled down to Grant Park Coffeehouse to chill. It’s like living in a real urban neighborhood!

Such markets have become phenomenally popular. I ran into the folks from Zocalo who were selling their trademark salsas and tamales at the market. They had sold out of everything, except for four containers of green salsa, in a few hours. They told me that they now go to 23 markets a week around town and even travel to several in Tampa.

“So you’re making more money this way than with the restaurant?” I asked.