<p>BHM Panel Discussion Tomorrow &amp; Recap on our Month</p> | February 26th, 2024

Fresh & Local:

BHM Panel Discussion Tomorrow & Recap on our Month

Don’t forget! Tomorrow, Tuesday February 27th, Market Umbrella is hosting our final event for Black History Month: a captivating panel discussion on local foodways. This engaging conversation will explore the rich history and impact of local foodways within the context of Black History Month. We are proud to bring together experts who will share their insights and experiences in the world of food, farming, and culinary arts.

Moderated by:

Marcus Coleman, Professor at Tulane University

Featuring:

Zella Palmer, Food Historian, Chair and Director of the Ray Charles Program in African American Material Culture at Dillard University

Ben Burkett, Farmer & Organizer

Serigne Mbaye, Chef & Restaurant Owner of DAKAR NOLA, James Beard Award 2022, 2023 Semifinalist

Registration is open to the public, and we encourage you to secure your spot soon as capacity is limited. This event is completely free of charge, reflecting our commitment to fostering community engagement and celebrating the cultural contributions of the Black community.

Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable perspectives and connect with like-minded individuals passionate about local foodways. Feel free to share this information with your network, and we look forward to seeing you there!

Look back at BHM

Here at Market Umbrella, we took the month of February to celebrate the contribution, skill, and passion of Black vendors, chefs, and community members. We hope you were able to engage with our Black History Month programming and felt inspired to learn more about what makes our community special. 

Some highlights include:

Tasting and recipe giveaway featuring a recipe from the African diaspora made with fresh ingredients available at market.

Quick pickled carrot demonstration with Jeremy from Pickled NOLA.

Tea tasting ceremony hosted by Portia Cooper of NOLA Botanical Tea.

Natural dye-making class and teaching on its relationship to history and place with Kristian from River Queen Greens.

Cooking demonstration by Chef Shonda. 

Meet and learn, and performance, with the Black Masking Indians of the Original Wild Tchoupitoulas, with Jeremy of Pickled NOLA as the Trail chief.

Mindfulness in the market with Valencia of Wellness Honie.

The Crescent City Farmers Market is a proud and intentional incubator of Black-owned and small businesses. This month, and every month, we aim to uplift and highlight the importance and excellence of Black vendors, farmers, and chefs to our cultures, communities, and markets.

Picks of the Week:

Black History Month Chef Highlights!

Chef Serigne Mbaye of Dakar NOLA

Congratulations to Chef Serigne of Dakar NOLA for being named a semifinalist in the 2024 James Beard awards for best new restaurant! As a weekly and 7-year-customer of CCFM, Chef Serigne has made a point to adapt his menu to what’s in season and what's available from local producers. Indian Springs Farmers Association, Poche Family Farm, Veggi Farmers' Cooperative, Know Dat Grow Dat, Mizell’s Farm, and Gingerbooch are a few of the many vendors Chef Serigne directly sources from each week. In talking with him about his connection to the market, he shares how important it is for chefs to be connected to and in relation with local producers so that they may adjust their menu to use what is seasonally available. By coming out to market and conversing directly with producers each week, he is able to craft his menu with the freshest ingredients produced from those he's in community with. From the flowers out front his restaurant to the fresh ingredients in each hand-crafted dish and beverage, his connection to local vendors is at the heart of his work. In sum, Chef Serigne shares, “everything we do at Dakar NOLA is community”. Due to continuous high demand, Dakar NOLA will be open for additional hours and days in March and April - read more about them here and make a reservation!

Chef Kaitlin Guerlin of Lagniappe Bakehouse
You may recognize pastry chef Kaitlin Guerlin as the owner and baker behind Lagniappe Bakehouse or as a frequent shopper of the Thursday Mid-City market, often found at the tables of Johndales Farm and Indian Springs Farmers Association. Kaitlin's connection to baking first began with an affinity for art & science and an interest in pursuing a different art form outside of her professional dance career. During her time living in the Bay Area, Kaitlin fell in love with fresh, local food and the act of knowing your farmers. Since returning to New Orleans, her passion for highlighting local bounty and appreciation for local food has only grown, often exclaiming to others that the strawberries found at our CCFM market are the best strawberries in the country! Following her return to New Orleans in 2020, Lagniappe Bakehouse began by selling assorted pastry boxes and has since then grown into a flourishing pop-up. Flash forward to this year, Lagniappe Bakehouse now has plans to open up a brick-and-mortar in Central City this spring! Make sure you stay in the loop by following Lagniappe Bakehouse on social media or signing up for their newsletter through their website.

Market March Madness

You may already know about March Madness, but have you heard about Market March Madness?! At every Thursday market this March, we will be partnering with Friends of Lafitte Greenway to host Market March Madness! In addition to Friends of Lafitte Greenway's walking group program, Market March, each market will be chock full of live music, an art market, kids activities, a fitness class, basketball programming and more, all alongside your favorite weekly Thursday market CCFM vendors. We can't wait to march thru March with y'all!

Marketeers Meet Up!

Calling all marketeers! 

Meet us at the market on Sunday the 3rd to play a fun and interactive “Guess This Veggie!” game to win prizes! Visit our Marketeers table to guess various types of vegetables and fruits, available at the market, using all of your sensory skills besides sight. Marketeers is a free club for kids 12 and under that meet on the first Sunday of each month, at the market, for a creative and educational activity. Additionally, members can get a $5 voucher, on their birthday, to spend at the market. We hope to see you there!

Vendor of the Week:

Black Agricultural Vendors

Indian Springs Farmers Association (ISFA) - Indian Springs Farmers Association (ISFA) is a joint venture of 30+ small Black-owned farms from Mississippi that collaborate in growing and distributing their produce. First formed in 1976 to help African American farmers sell vegetables to a wider market, ISFA has become a long-time vendor with CCFM, bringing a rich array of in-season veggies to market each week. This time of year you’ll see a lot of greens and sweet potatoes at their table! Additionally, ISFA is often featured in the CCFM home delivery box during this time of year. Learn more about the cooperative’s organizer and revered Mississippi farmer, Ben Burkett, along with the history of the ISFA cooperative in this video.

Know Dat Grow Dat - Mike Beauchamp of Know Dat Grow Dat is a firm believer that we are what we eat! After 44 years in the pharmaceutical industry, Mike shifted his focus towards growing microgreens to educate and encourage people to take more control over their own nutrition. While gardening at Hollygrove Market and Farm, Mr. Michael Beauchamp and Mr. Nelson Richardson connected and became business partners. Out of this, Know Dat Grow Dat was born!

Know Dat Grow Dat is an urban garden that produces flowers and microgreens using sustainable growing techniques. Filled with flavor and vitamins, microgreens enhance any meal! Mr. Mike is also a member of Delgado's Big Band, where he hones his saxophone skills on alto and baritone saxes, and the Farm Service Agency County Committee for Urban Agriculture, where he serves as an elected official. Find Know Dat Grow Dat on Instagram and at the Tuesday Uptown and Thursday Mid-City markets.

Petit Jardin - Meet Erica Sage of Petit Jardin. Erica offers a selection of naturally grown vegetables and fruits harvested from a small sustainable plot of land in Central City that first began as a space for her to grow food for her growing family. Honoring quality over quantity, Petit Jardin additionally produces small-batch, hand-curated goods such as spicy pickled vegetables, moringa powder, soaps, dried herbs, dehydrated citrus, and edible flowers. Petit Jardin is black-owned, woman-owned, mom-owned, and operates on the belief that small impactful shifts in what we put on and in our bodies will imbue positive effects physically, mentally, and spiritually both individually and as a collective.

Recipe of the Week:

Apple Pecan Arugula Salad

Ingredients

Salad

• 0.25 cup raw pecans
• 3.5 ounces arugula
• 1 small apple (1 tart, 1 sweet both peeled, quartered, cored and thinly sliced lengthwise)
• 0.13 red onion (thinly sliced)
• 1 tbsp. dried cranberries (optional)

Dressing

• 0.5 large lemon, juiced (~3 Tbsp)
• 0.5 tbsp. maple syrup
• 0.5 pinch ea. sea salt + black pepper
• 1.5 tbsp. olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and arrange pecans on a bare baking sheet.
2. Bake pecans for 8-10 minutes or until fragrant and deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.
3. While pecans toast, prep remaining salad ingredients and add them to a large mixing bowl.
4. Prepare dressing in a mixing bowl. Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl to prepare the dressing. Whisk or shake vigorously to combine. Taste and adjust flavor as needed.
5. Add pecans to the salad. Top with dressing. Toss to combine and serve.