Sample the Best Fresh Food from Sarasota at Our Market Lunch

Join Our Small Groups as We Explore the Downtown Farmer’s Market and Enjoy the Freshly Prepared Lunch that Follows

I have always been an avid fan of our Downtown Farmer’s Market, as I feel that it displays the hard work of our local growers to the public in a way that is very appealing and, well….fun.

Many people migrate to Sarasota only for the winter months to escape the hostile cold weather of the north to experience our fantastic beaches and soak in the South Florida sunshine. What most of these people do not realize is that Sarasota is actually a very active agricultural area. Actually, you might be surprised to hear that Florida ranks in the top ten in the United States with regards to agriculture and that farming is the second biggest industry in the state (behind, of course, tourism).

Of course, when people think of Florida agriculture, invariably they think about citrus. The state of Florida accounts for 40% of the world’s orange juice supply – a staggering figure when you consider all of the places in the world where citrus grows. But we in the state of Florida have a lot more to offer than oranges. Once a month, during the growing season, I take a group of 10-20 guests down to the market and we forage for what will be our lunch.

I try to acquaint them with what to look for, what to buy, etc. However, my real goal has always been to get people comfortable with the idea of going to a market, instead of a commercial grocery store, to buy food for the meals that they prepare at home. Believe it or not, the zucchini that you buy at the market (if it is in fact local, and not shipped in) is different than the zucchini that you buy at most commercial supermarkets (the reason for this is another blog altogether).

In our market lunch we secure our foods for the lunch, and then bring them back to the restaurant to prepare them in real time. Most of the meals that we prepare are very simple (this past class we made caramelized onion soup from the organic sweet onions of Worden Farms), using very fresh ingredients. The goal is to create dishes that highlight the fresh flavors of the foods, instead of masking them with complicated and heavy sauces or accompaniments.

Click here for information on our next Market Lunch and Cooking Class. We look forward to having you join us.