Inspiration at the Farmers Market

Every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., hordes of residents from the U-District and beyond go grocery shopping, but they do not head to the supermarket's plastic-lined and fluorescent-lit aisles. Instead, they enter the produce-laden terrain of the University Heights Center's playfield, where rows of Washington state farmers sell their wares directly to the public.

The farmers' booths provide enough produce for any able cook to concoct the perfect meal. Leaders of the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance (NFMA), the group behind local farmers markets, have made an immense effort to secure cooking performances from Seattle's elite chefs for all to observe during the Saturday markets.

"Shoppers love having a chef right there in the market, giving them inspiration and creative ideas for dinner that night," said Chris Curtis, director of the NFMA. "One of the things that are really fun about the cooking demos is the challenge for the chefs."

Donning white jackets and wielding blenders, prestigious Seattle chefs Jordi Viladus (of Cafe Lago), Jerry Traunfeld (The Herbfarm Restaurant) and Amy McCray (Eva Restaurant and Wine Bar) have already demonstrated their cooking expertise in front of crowds of eager, coffee-toting, flower-buying faces at the U-District Farmers Market. Lucky audience members, such as UW pre-major Neils Clark, were randomly chosen to judge some of the chefs' preparations.

"I consider myself an accomplished dorm chef. However, if I could learn 1 percent of what these chefs know, then I'd be one hell of a cook," said Clark.

"This is the time of year to be at the market: August and September," said Viladus, who was impressed with the produce he used to create his on-the-spot cheese ravioli with fresh tomato sauce earlier this month.

The chefs' ingredient lists showcase the extraordinary variety of produce available for purchase. Exotic victuals such as umboshi (pickled apricots), chaventais melons, black prince tomatoes, Thai basil, kohlrabi, tatsoi and mizuna (two forms of Asian greens), and tarragon goat cheese are sold next to more common produce such as potatoes, cucumbers, carrots, fresh pasta, giant sunflowers, jars of honey, raspberries and loaves of bread. Spectators are free to simply ramble through the rows of vendors, absorbing the sights, textures and smells of the market while listening to a fiddler's melody.

Karen Kinney, associate director of the NFMA, expounded on the philosophy behind this public market.

"The purpose of the farmer's market is to bring Washington state farmers into Seattle neighborhoods to direct sale to customers. It is very difficult to make money in farming [when the farmers] can't get a wholesale price for food that actually covers what they are selling."

Every year the NFMA surveys its customers. The last round of surveys revealed that only 17 percent to 18 percent of the total customer base of the market is UW staff and students. Perhaps this figure isn't so low when considering students' sleeping habits, attested to by Clark.

"My girlfriend was somehow able to drag me out of bed, stuff me with Jack in the Box, take me to the Farmers Market, and make it enjoyable," he said.

Clark's fast-food fiesta seemingly verified Curtis' statement that many students are "thinking more on the lines of grazing," not on preparation.

Curtis said that a big part of the Alliance's mission is to educate the consumers about produce from the farmers market and to make people more aware about what food means in their lives, said Curtis.

The U-District Farmers Market is open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the University Heights Center's playfield. Cooking demonstrations featuring local chefs begin at 10 a.m. Walter Pisano of Tulio's is scheduled to demonstrate at the market Aug. 24 at around 10 a.m.