Joyce Cole and Alyssa Roman made Wednesday’s Sierra Chef Farmers Market a family affair. This week saw the opening of both the Minden and Heritage Park farmers markets.
Haley Estabrook
The market will be from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Wednesday until Sept.14 at Heritage Park located at 1447 Courthouse Alley.
The market is expanding to not only have food this year but to bring in crafters, new vendors and local businesses.
“As you see we have our lovely crystal lady. We have a new vendor, our mushroom vendor. They make their own balsamic vinegars. We have all our regular vendors. We also are introducing some shops who are local businesses. We have Just a Drop and Sage. It is nice to be able to focus on local businesses here as well,” said Cynthia Ferris-Bennett, the founder and owner of Sierra Chef.
The market includes a big bag giveaway located at the Sierra Chef Booth. Vendors from the market generously donate items for one lucky winner each week. Wednesday’s giveaways included fresh fruits, vegetables, a gift voucher and more.
Families enjoyed getting out and about at the market.
“We loved it being in the grass area in the shade and we enjoyed the fresh blueberries,” said Joyce Cole, 36, of Minden.
Sierra Chef is offering fresh food at the market for the first time in the last couple of years. They are offering lunch to make it easy for those who work to come out on their lunch break and grab some food while getting a chance to shop locally.
The Esmeralda Farmers Market also started on Tuesday night, bringing live music, craft vendors and fresh food to the valley. The Esmeralda Farmers Market is located on Esmeralda Avenue in Minden. This farmers market is from 4-8 p.m. Tuesday nights.
“I’m super excited to see so many people out already. I think people are just dying to get out and do something fun,” said Ferris-Bennett.
