This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It was June 1992. Bill Clinton and Ross Perot were campaigning for President George H.W. Bush's job, television host Johnny Carson had just said goodbye to "The Tonight Show" and actor Michael Keaton was taking his turn as the Caped Crusader in "Batman Returns."
In Salt Lake City, Bob Farrington was on a different crusade — traveling Utah's rural highways trying to recruit growers for a new farmers market in Pioneer Park. "That first year we might have had four farmers," Farrington recalled. "But it was a start."
Looking back, it was a spark.
When Utah's premier farmers market opens for its 25th season Saturday, it is expected to have 250 vendors and some 10,000 weekly visitors.
But more than just providing years of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and melons, the Downtown Farmers Market has spawned dozens of businesses, inspired the creation of other produce markets and nurtured Utah's food community.
"The giant incubator of ideas, products, services and relationships," Farrington said, "that's probably the best thing that has come out of it."
Farrington was hired as the executive director of the newly formed Downtown Alliance in 1991, and one of the organization's first tasks was to introduce programs to the Pioneer Park neighborhood that would create positive activity in an area notorious for crime and drugs.
Growing up in New Orleans and living in San Antonio, Farrington had a background and passion for farmers markets and thought it would be a reasonable project for the young organization to undertake. "I saw the potential that it could change a neighborhood," he said.
After that first year, word spread. More farmers participated, and attendance doubled and tripled. While the focus on fresh produce stayed, the market evolved to keep up with customer demand. Baked and prepared foods were added. Then craft booths were allowed. Even dogs were welcomed.
Other things helped grow the market, too. Road improvements were made to 400 South, the city widened the sidewalks and made other park enhancements, and the nearby Gateway shopping center brought hotels, restaurants and other development.
Eventually, the market expanded to include a Tuesday evening event and a twice-monthly Winter Market.
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What's new • For its silver anniversary, more new things are happening, said market manager Alison Einerson. One major change: The market will no longer allow vendors to sell beverages in plastic bottles. Guests are encouraged buy a stainless steel bottle that will be available for $3.
"We're doing our part to keep plastic out of the park," she said.
Christina Rojas, owner of La Cubana, is one of several new food vendors. Born in Miami, Rojas said she started cooking with her mother when she was 6 and by 8 was able to make sweet, dark Cuban coffee. She remembers as a young girl driving with her mother to nearby factories where they would sell Cuban sandwiches and other specialties out of the trunk of their car.
"I learned early on that I loved to feed people," she said. In high school, she worked for a national pizza chain and then moved to Utah to work for Marriott Vacation Club. Feeling depressed after her mother's death last year, she said a trip to the farmers market sparked her culinary imagination.
"I really wanted to heal myself and better myself for my two boys," she said. "I saw this lemonade stand with this long line, and it looked like so much fun."
She has spent the past six months working out all the details for La Cubana, from planning the basic menu to licensing to finding a traditional Cuban cooking box for slow-roasting the seasoned pork.
The La Cubana menu will change week to week, said Rojas, but guests can expect to find traditional Cuban pork sandwiches, ropa vieja (beef cooked in onions, peppers, tomatoes, garlic and served over rice), Cuban coffee and Guarapo, a sweet juice made out of pressed sugar cane.
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Favorite farmers • While there are always new businesses, longtime favorites remain. Some of those first farmers who agreed to sell produce continue to participate, including Tagge's Famous Fruit and Borski Farms in Kaysville. (See our new "I Love" video about owner John Borski here.) Claire Nelson, owner of Chef's Secret Garden, became a vendor when the market was about 7 years old. At first she sold jams and breads with a friend; later, she became one of the first to sell heirloom tomatoes.
After 25 years, she said Salt Lake City marketgoers are "more educated about food and local growing." To stay competitive, she tries to grow produce that other farmers don't, such as artichokes, onions, Italian arugula and grapes.
"I always look forward to it," Nelson said of the market. "It's such a community."
For many Utah business owners, the seeds of success were planted at the Downtown Farmers Market. Jorge Fierro, for example, started selling pinto beans at the market, which eventually launched his popular Rico's line of tamales, burritos and tortillas.
Ron and Jeanette Drake of West Jordan remember hearing about a new farmers market starting in Pioneer Park. Jeanette thought it might be a place for the girls in her 4-H troop to sell their garden vegetables; she could sell her hand-made goat soap along with them. Not long after, Drake Family Farms became a licensed goat dairy and the Drakes began making and selling cheeses at the market.
"Downtown Salt Lake City had a more diverse population who were used to goat-milk products," said Jeanette Drake. "Giving people an opportunity to taste the different cheeses helped grow our business, too."
Chefs began buying the Drakes' popular chevre, and soon it was sold year-round at Harmons, Whole Foods, Liberty Heights Fresh and The Market at Park City.
Today, the Drakes and their 10 employees milk about 100 goats a day and make about 300 pounds of cheese per week during the busy summer season. The market is the reason for much of that success.
"It's been really good for us," Jeanette Drake said, "but it's been good for Salt Lake and the whole state."
Downtown Farmers Market
Salt Lake City's most popular summer food destination features fresh produce from Utah farms as well as artisan meats, cheeses, breads, jams and a crafts market.
When • Saturdays, from June 11 through Oct. 22, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where • Pioneer Park, 300 S. 300 West, Salt Lake City
Details • http://www.slcfarmersmarket.org