Saratoga Village Marketplace: The Weekly Wednesday Food Stop

Infused-honeys, gluten-free cookies and Italian-style biscotti are a few of the items headlining the weekly Saratoga Village Marketplace.

Held every Wednesday from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the entrance of Saratoga Village at Blaney Plaza, the market reigns in local artisan products from throughout the region. Market-goers can also sample an array of ethnic foods to sample on site, or to take home.

Because parking is not available directly at the market, it’s a way to generate more foot traffic and hence business, for the stores in the village, said Saratoga Mayor Chuck Page.

“Anything that gets people to walk through the village gets more foot traffic and visibility,” said Page.

The Marketplace, which has been a Wednesday staple for 1½ years, "has a bunch of specialties, like tomatoes grown for restaurants, that you can't find anywhere else," said Debra Cummins, president of the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce.

The market is headed by Johnna Borello, a Saratogan who hails from a family of farmers, and has many connections with the local community, said Cummins. 

While the marketplace has had a short-run, it's already developed many followers, some who come every week just for the "Strawberry Guy" or Indian food stand, she added.

Saratoga also hosts a farmers market in the parking lot of West Valley Community College every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.