Farmers Market Announcement Coming Next Week, County Official Says

A month since the last announcement about progress on the proposed farmers market at , there is still no agreement yet signed between the county and its selected vendor.

Al Evans, of the County Park and Recreations Department, who told Patch last month he hoped to have an official announcement for Tuesday's Town Council meeting, said he is now hoping to be able to announce the start date of the market some time next week.

Joseph Shuldiner--the director of the Los Angeles-based Institute of Domestic Technology, who also had involvement in the Altadena Urban Farmers Market--was identified over the summer as the vendor who would run the market.  Shuldiner and Evans had hoped to have the market going in October, but have not yet signed an official contract finalizing the arrangement.

Both Shuldiner and Evans have attributed the delays to permit issues and smaller issues that need to be worked out.

The new market is planned for Wednesday afternoons, and Shuldiner has previously announced tentative commitments from the following vendors:

• The Garden of….." produce/flowers (Los Olivos)
• Mother Moo Creamery, natural/artisanal ice cream (Sierra Madre)
• Drake Family Farms, goat cheese, 
• Kenter Canyon Farms, produce
• Los Angeles Bread Bakers, a local bread collective who will be milling fresh heirloom organic Sonora wheat flour onsite."

The county has been pushing for a market at Loma Alta since last January when the Town Council voted to request the consideration of a market at that site.  The original timetable was for it to start in April, but the vendor picked to run the market pulled out of consideration to run it.  Prior to that, there had been months of discussion about a market in .