Last Thursday, hundreds of people braved the rain to gather at Performance Works on Granville Island in support of the Vancouver Farmers Markets’ first annual RIPE event. Drawing a diverse crowd of locavores, foodies and farmers alike, they were all warmly greeted by the always affable MC Jamie Maw, food writer and restaurant critic, and the Farmers Market Society Board Chair, Amy Robertson. The well-appointed room showcased BC wines, local craft beer, fresh bites and an impressive gourmet-focused silent auction.
“Tonight we are creating a future for local food in Vancouver,” said event organizer, Jackie Connelly. With the continued and growing support of the community, a local and sustainable food future is possible and the proposed New City Market at Main and Terminal could be opening its doors within the next four years.
Funds raised at the RIPE event will also help finance the Farmers Nest Egg Fund, which supports local vendor farmers in times of financial need and will also help nurture and expand the network of local farmers.
Chef Robert Clark of C Restaurant, alongside students from the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts, whipped up regional canapé creations, an impressive menu that featured only ingredients that could be found at Vancouver Farmers Markets: compressed watermelon with sweet chili gel, tomato cucumber salsa with side-striped shrimp, pickled golden beets with melted Alpindon cheese, sirloin beef with radish and daikon dressing, sablefish with basil emulsion and salmon pepper, and sweet cornbread and crème fraiche with pickled relish, to name a few.
Over 10,000 lbs. of food is currently distributed to over 10,000 customers each week at various Vancouver Farmers Market locations, which indicates a clear need for a convenient one-stop-shop building that could supply consumers with locally grown food right in the heart of the city.
The Vancouver Farmers Markets are open throughout the month of October on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
For more information on locations, visit: www.eatlocal.org.
~ Katherine van der Gracht
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Sounds like it was a wonderful event! A conveniently located farmers market in Vancouver’s core would be great.