Dear North Market Shoppers,This Market is a wonderful community of 35 diverse businesses that create a singularly unique and high quality shopping experience.

Oftentimes, it’s only a handful of businesses that get a majority of the credit and coverage, but it’s the entire community that makes us great.

Take for instance, Mozart’s North Market Bakery. Mozart’s is a true European pastry shop with a long-standing tenure in both Clintonville and the North Market. Owner, Anand Saha, is not only a great baker, but he’s a committed community and neighborhood partner. The bakery consistently garners recognition in the local media and is often a “Best of” winner in many polls. Every day, the cases at Mozart’s are full of gorgeous pastries and we’ve just learned that they have added handmade ice cream to their lineup. If you’ve never given them a try, it’s time you did.

Everyone needs a great cup of coffee and A Touch of Earth delivers on a daily basis. Whether it’s the smiling face of one of our longest tenured owners, Ann Leonard or the most capable talents of her lead barista, Shawn, A Touch of Earth delivers an honest, perfectly brewed cup of coffee every day. Located smack dab in the middle of the market house, A Touch of Earth is the real heartbeat of the Market.

Foodies need their tools and North Market has two wonderful stops to get EVERYTHING you need to prepare and serve the perfect meal. North Market Cookware can outfit your kitchen with All-Clad or Le Creuset equipment and every gadget tool or implement under the sun. To serve it up just right, The Source by Wasserstrom has a broad selection of restaurant quality servingware for any occasion.

And on the food side, there is a fast growing fan base for the barbecue at Holy Smoke BBQ. Perhaps the most delicious looking displays in the Market, present some classic smokehouse goodness. A broad selection of daily offerings makes the decision a tough, but tasty choice.

These are a few of the businesses that might not always get the full attention of our shoppers, but next time you are in, make it a point to check them out. You’ll be surprised…pleasantly…I promise.

Dave Wible

Johnny DiLoretto of Fox 28’s Good Day Columbus visited this morning with the lovely ladies of Brezel, Brittany Baum and Maria Gentile to learn the fine art of pretzel making.

Brittany shows Johnny the basics of rolling pretzels.

The ladies demonstrate perfect pretzel form for Johnny D:

Into the lye bath that creates the ideal pretzel crust.

And now a sprinkle of salt:

And some time in the oven:

And then we start all over again:

 And for today’s mustache special (4/19/11 only): come in with a mustache (naturally grown or creatively constructed) and you get a free pretzel with the purchase of the same!

On a beautiful spring morning, the 1st of May in 1991, Better Earth, Columbus’s first Ecology Store, cut its ribbon in front of a small gathering and opened its doors for business. Energized by the growing number of eco-conscious ‘soul mates’, Dareen Wearstler opened Better Earth as a store filled with Earth friendly products. Composters, water saving devices, small range solar products, compact fluorescents, organic gardening supplies, earth friendly cleaners, natural personal care, recycled paper goods and more were some of the products offered. Four months later, Better Earth expanded into the North Market selling an assortment of natural products, personal care, aromatherapy and anything else she could squeeze into a little space. Twenty years later, Better Earth has relocated, refocused, consolidated, and is still squeezing as much as possible into a little space in the North Market. 

At the new location for Better Earth, Dareen Wearstler has recreated her store into an earth friendly, community and local artisan friendly, natural products general store and gift shop in the North Market. Handcrafted pottery, soy candles, handmade soaps, beaded jewelry, and hand blown glass are some of the products and gifts made in Columbus by local artisans. Being part of the North Market, Better Earth added edible products like Jose Madrid Salsa and an assortment of foods that are gluten free and organic. Also, although not a native Buckeye herself, Dareen has added a fun filled assortment of Buckeye and Columbus souvenirs to her offerings. “I know Better Earth has changed its focus since 1991, but my Mission Statement still remains the same, community-oriented and earth friendly. I am grateful to be serving Columbus all these years” says proud propietor Dareen Wearstler.

You can still find Better Earth and Dareen in the North Market on the east aisle next to Market Blooms and across from Pure Imagination Chocolatier. On May 1st, stop by to say hi and enjoy a little sampling of Better Earth’s hospitality.

A Note From Dave

Dear North Market Shopper,

In this day and age we’re all trying to do a better job of understanding our food. Where does it come from? How was it produced? Is it safe? And sustainable?

When you shop at North Market, you get the opportunity to understand your food and it comes free of charge. We call it expertise.

It comes in the form of Bluescreek Farm Meats where David and Cheryl Smith  not only butcher their meat, they raise it as well on their farm in Marysville.

Doug, Angelo and Shawn at The Fish Guys know about almost every fish they sell. Where it’s from, how it’s caught, how it’s best prepared. There’s a reason they have the best fresh seafood business in town.

Mike Kast at Curds and Whey is known as, “Cheese Mike” for one reason and one reason, only. He’s our city’s foremost expert on cheese and his selection is hard to beat.

Gary Robinette had a national reputation for his pizza BEFORE he even opened his Clever Crow stand at the North Market. It’s remarkable.

Columbus Monthly calls Jeni Britton-Bauer, Amy Lozier, Hubert Wilamoski, Jerry Bullock and Annemarie Wong (and Mike Kast!) “world class.”

Michael Jones isn’t just running a produce stand, he’s leading a local revolution promoting healthy food access and local economies.

In just a few weeks our great community of growers begins another season with us. More than 30 farmers bringing you fruits and vegetables, that they grew on their farm. Nothing is more local and nothing tastes better or is more nutritious.

Our expertise runs deep because at North Market your relationship with your food goes deeper than most traditional grocery stores. A trip to the Market earns you the opportunity to meet those individuals whose passion for food makes this one of our country’s finest public markets.

Know your food, know your merchant, know your Market.

Thanks for your continued patronage.

Dave Wible
Executive Director
 

Artisan Sundays Application Deadline March 25

Artisan Sundays will resume on the first and third Sundays from May through October beginning Sunday, May 1. The deadline to apply for Artisan Sundays is Friday, March 25. To receive an application please email mmartineau@northmarket.com.

Jeni’s Ice Creams featured on Time.com

Writer Josh Ozersky visited Columbus last weekend for the Central Ohio Home and Garden Show where he presented “Secrets for cooking up the best burgers” to promote his new book, The Hamburger: A History. He also dropped by local favorite, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams prompting an article for Time.com titled “Can the Best Ice Cream in America be the Biggest?” (The photo at right accompanied the article. Copyright George Lange Photography).

A Note From Dave

Dear North Market Shopper,

As we look to 2011, I believe that the Market is in the best shape ever.

The growing awareness to support local businesses and local economies coupled with the movement to eat locally puts North Market in the “sweet spot” of emerging trends.

In late 2010, we added two exciting new businesses and as we open 2011 we have two more that are equally great.

North Market Spices and their broad selection of unique spices and spice blends has been an instant hit. With a knowledgeable staff, they are the perfect complement to the terrific selection of fresh ingredients the Market has to offer.

Read the rest of Dave’s note here⇒ 

Fiery Foods Weekend

The North Market has been bringing the heat to dreary Ohio winters for the past seven years with our annual Fiery Foods Festival. Folks just can’t get enough of the fire when it’s February in Central Ohio, so this year we’re hosting a whole Fiery Foods Weekend! Melt away the mid-winter monotony at the North Market Fiery Foods Weekend on February 19th and 20th. From special vendors to fiery foods cooking and eating contests, plus kids activities and live music, there’s mild to wild fun to be had at the North Market Fiery Foods Weekend!  

Special fiery foods vendors for the weekend include: Aimee’s Blue Ribbon Spices, Black Swamp Gourmet, CaJohns Flavor & Fire, Chuck Evans’ Montezuma Brand, Crazy Uncle Jester’s Inferno World, Dragonfire Foods, Happy Trails! Chili Company, Heartbreaking Dawns, Mudflats Brands, Ole Ray’s Sauces, Race City Sauceworks and Urban Chefs. 

For a full schedule of Fiery Foods Weekend activities click here⇒ 

Speaking of Fiery Foods…North Market Vendors Excel at ZestFest!

John Hard (aka, CaJohn of CaJohn’s Flavor & Fire) attended the 7th annual ZestFest* in San Antonio last month and brought home FOURTEEN Golden Chile awards (1st place), as well as eight 2nd place and six 3rd place trophies. Pam’s Market Popcorn also scored a Golden Chile in the Salty Snacks category with her Southwest Shazam Popcorn. Congratulations to John and Pam for their exceptional spicy foods!

For the full list of CaJohn’s winnings click here⇒. And by all means come try the winning products in person during our Fiery Foods Weekend!

North Market open until 7PM on Valentine’s Day, Monday, February 14

Here ye, here ye all Valentine’s Day procrastinators! The North Market will be open until 7PM this coming Monday, February 14, which is, of course, Valentine’s Day. You have all day and into the early evening to drop in and pick up flowers, chocolate, wine, a card and/or the makings for your homemade Valentine’s dinner to woo your love. Most, but not all of our merchants will be here, but those you need to fulfill your Valentine’s presents will!

Valentine’s Dinner prepared by Chef Rocco G. Valentino of Pastaria

Impress your loved one with a five-course mealed prepared specially for you by Chef Rocco Valentino to pick up and enjoy in the comfort of your home. If you hide the boxes you can even pretend that you did all of the hard work yourself!

First course: Sauteed Feta Cheese with honey, pine nuts, raisins and basil.

Second course: Lentil and Vegetable Puree with tomato chutney crostini.

Third course: Classic Caesar Salad served in a parmesan basket.

Fourth course: Grilled Asparagus Lasagna with vodka sauce (vegetarian option); Potato-crusted Pacific Cod with champagne vinaigrette and melted leek compote (fish option); Seared Filet of Beer with Valentino sauce, gorgonzola cheese, French fingerling potatoes and spinach souffle (beef option).

Dessert: Creme Puff Couple, one filled with vanilla and one filled with chocolate.

This dinner for two is available for $65 from Pastaria. To include a bottle of wine from The Barrel and Bottle the cost is $85 and includes a choice of either the Piacere Pinot Grigio or a Fattoria Montellori Chianti.

Please place your order by noon on Saturday, February 12 by calling Pastaria at (614) 228-2850. Pick up is available from 11:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. on Monday, February 14.

John Hard (aka, CaJohn) attended the 7th annual ZestFest* in San Antonio last month and brought home FOURTEEN Golden Chile awards (1st place), as well as eight 2nd place and six 3rd place trophies. Pam’s Market Popcorn also scored a Golden Chile in the Salty Snacks category with her Southwest Shazam Popcorn. Congratulations to John and Pam for their exceptional spicy foods!

CaJohn’s Fiery Foods Awards:

BBQ Sauce
1st Place-Alcohol Infused-CaJohns Select Grillin’-Spicy Bourbon
1st Place-Chipotle Base-CaJohns Select Grillin’-Smoky Bourbon
1st Place-Smoked-Jolokia BBQ Sauce 10
1st Place-XXX Hot-Jolokia BBQ Sauce 10

Condiment
1st Place-Mustard-Jolokia Mustard 10

Hot sauce
1st Place-Mild-CBC Restaurant Smoke
1st Place-Chipotle-CaJohns Bourbon Barrel Aged Chipotle
1st Place-International-Oaxacan (awarded 1st, 2nd, 3rd with CaJohns Sauces)

Salsa
1st Place-Fruit-CaJohns Select Salsa Jalapina
1st Place-Habanero-Holy Jolokia Salsa
1st Place-Hot CaJohns Select Salsa Manganero

Merchandise
1st Place-Apparrel- Holy Jolokia Camp Shirt
1st Place-Specialty-Texas Commemorative (1,2,3here too)

Best New Product Non-Food - CaJohns Ace Camp Shirt

Pam’s Market Popcorn Award

Salty Snacks - Southwest Shazam Popcorn

*ZestFest is hosted by Chile Pepper Magazine. Editor in Chief,  Rick McMillen will be in Columbus to experience the 8th annual Fiery Foods Festival as it expands to an entire weekend of events!

The North Market has officially reached capacity with the signing of a lease by brezel owners Brittany Baum and Maria Gentile. brezel specializes in hand-rolled gourmet Bavarian-style pretzels in an array of unique flavors. Brittany and Maria will begin the build-out process shortly and hope to be open sometime in December.

Brittany and Maria have been making pretzels for two years. Both women are avid bakers and enjoyed the idea and challenge of bringing their unique version of the beloved German treat to Columbus. They experimented with a few recipes that were combined and tweaked to their liking and then enlisted the help of family and friends, including some native Bavarians, to taste test their creations. The final product was so popular that they started selling them at farmers’ markets where they garnered an even greater fan base. Early into their first farmers’ market season, a plan for a bigger business venture was born. 

With roots in local farmers’ markets, the brezel ladies have amassed a faithful following of pretzel aficionados which has led to event catering and online sales during the past year as they sought a more permanent home. Supporting other local businesses is very important to both women, so the duo patronizes local farms for as many seasonal ingredients as possible. Their menu consists of about eight to nine flavors at any given time — all pulled from their arsenal of more than a dozen flavor combinations which change seasonally. Maria and Brittany are constantly working on new recipes and ideas to add to their menu. Regular offerings will comprise both savory and sweet options including: original; everything; artichoke, garlic and Kalamata olive; habanero; jalapeno; onion; rosemary, olive oil and garlic; slow-roasted tomato basil; apple cinnamon; and cinnamon sugar. Currently, brezel’s seasonal offering is pumpkin spice and they even have a stuffed pretzel called “S’mores Stuffie”. Unique flavor combinations aren’t the only twist brezel takes on pretzels - the company offers variations on the traditional shape: pretzel twists; nuggets; hot dog buns and burger buns, as well as a thinner bun that resembles an English muffin are available.

While Brittany and Maria have baked thousands of pretzels since beginning their enterprise (they baked 5,000 pretzel nuggets for the Columbus Marathon alone), both look forward to moving the brezel operation out of their home kitchens and into the North Market. Aside from the return of their personal kitchen space, the move will enable them to increase their productivity as well as expand their menu. For their farmers’ market operations, brezel has held a “cottage food license”. Integral to that classification were limitations upon perishable ingredients. The ladies are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to include cheese and other previously restricted elements in their pretzels. They are also excited to roll out a menu of dips and sauces for more flavorful pretzel dunking.

“There could not be two more delightful, enthusiastic and energetic individuals than our two new owners of brezel’s artisan pretzels,” said David Wible, Executive Director of the North Market. “Brittany Baum and Maria Battaglia Gentile have literally started this business in their own kitchens and in short time built a fabulous reputation for their wonderful pretzels. This is an exciting new opportunity for our shoppers and for North Market.”

In operation since 1876, the North Market is Columbus’ only true public market. More than 30 merchants offer a wide variety of fresh produce, meat, poultry, seafood, flowers and other specialty food items. The Market also provides an international selection of freshly prepared foods, distinctive gifts and personable service from owner/operators. The North Market is open daily and located steps away from the Columbus Convention Center and Nationwide Arena.

Participating Farms:

Anderson Orchard  I will have free range antibiotic-free brats, sausage, bacon and smoked tenderloin.

Elizabeth Telling Farm CSA pickup only.

Persinger Farm  I will be bringing broccoli, sweet potatoes, red onions, red skin potatoes, pumpkins, squash and zucchini.

 

Rhoads Farm Market  We will have Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, Christmas trees and wreaths. A greater variety of wreaths and trees will be available in season. For more information about our Christmas trees please visit www.rhoadsfarmmarket.com.

 

Thomas Family Orchard We will have 14 varieties of apples this week as well as apple cider.

 

Toad Hill Farm  

 

The Wayward Seed Farm  We will have greens, turnips and winter radishes.

---

Coming soon to the North Market

The North Market is pleased to welcome a trio of new businesses that round out our merchant mix and put our occupancy at capacity:

The Barrel and Bottle  Jen Burton and Collin Castore will soon open a new beer and wine shop in the North Market. They will feature more than 300 imported and domestic wines, international and craft beers and a tap station for filling growlers of craft beer from kegs. Take a peek into the shop to check out the ongoing renovation!

Clever Crow Pizza  Gary Robinette and wife Brooke Howell-Robinette will be turning out their hearty cornmeal crust pizzas that were featured in the Travel Channel show, No Reservations. The couple also smokes and cures their own meats and pickles and cures local vegetables for toppings on the pizzas which will be available for dine-in, carryout or take-and-bake one day soon!

Brêzel   Maria Gentile and Brittany Baum have been selling their scrumptious Bavarian-style pretzels at farmers markets and events for the past year while they sought a permanent home…and now they have one on the south aisle of the North Market between Omega Artisan Baking and Clever Crow Pizza! Look for the ladies to open with their hand-rolled pretzels in mid to late December.

The North Market is an ever-evolving marketplace which has witnessed an array of businesses that come and go, move and expand, and mature and develop over the decades. As we prepare to welcome a new year we are pleased to announce some exciting new additions, changes in ownership and movement in stall space at the North Market. For starters, North Market welcomes The Barrel and Bottle and Clever Crow Pizza as brand new entries to our merchant mix. Meanwhile, Lac Viet Market has subtly morphed into Lan Viet Market with a new pair of owners. To top it off, Better Earth and Pam’s Market Popcorn are settled into new locations. Stop by the North Market to welcome our new merchants and greet your familiar favorites in their new digs!

Collin Castore and Jen Burton are co-proprietors of The Barrel and Bottle, a new wine and beer store in the North Market. The pair have been friends since junior high school and excited to embark on this new adventure. Jen is a familiar face around the North Market as she worked for Market Blooms for a number of years and most recently has been employed at Spagio Cellars. Collin has ample beer and wine knowledge as co-owner of Bodega in the Short North. The duo is in the process of completely overhauling the space, installing warm wood paneling in a herringbone pattern and ordering new fixtures. Once open they will stock 300 varieties of artisanal imported and domestically produced wines, domestic craft beer, select imported beer and accessories.

One of the interesting services that The Barrel and Bottle will offer is a “green jug” program. One tap cooler will host a rotation of three seasonal kegs which will be available to fill reusable 64 oz. growlers enabling customers to try a wide array of unique craft beer. They will also install a small tasting bar to offer samples of rotating daily draft beer and wine selections. Please join us in welcoming Jen and Collin of The Barrel and Bottle to the North Market.

Gary Robinette and his wife Brooke Howell-Robinette of Clever Crow Pizza have recently signed a lease to offer their handmade cornbread crust pizzas as the newest North Market specialty. These distinctive pizzas begin with a base crust of cornmeal that is made from 100% organic Ohio sweet corn milled on location by Carl Stutzman of Stutzman Farms. The hearty, crispy crust supports the amazing and abundant toppings that are available including roasted vegetables, house-made sausages, cured meats and local artisan cheeses. The pizzas are inspired by the bounty of the local farmers markets and Clever Crow Pizza seeks to use predominantly local, seasonal and handcrafted ingredients. Gary and Brooke pickle and can the fresh local vegetables used and they smoke and cure their own charcuterie meats as well.

Pizza will be available for dine in service, carry out and take and bake. In addition to 25 weekly changing specialty pizzas the Clever Crow Pizza will offer salads and seasonal tarts. Ultimately Gary and Brooke intend to offer hand packed and canned versions of their house made pickled vegetables and deli wrapped portions of their house cured meats as well. The Clever Crow Pizza was featured on an episode of the Travel Channel’s No Reservations this spring. North Market recognizes a great locally made product just as Anthony Bourdain did on his visit to Columbus and welcomes Clever Crow Pizza to the merchant family.

Lan T. Pham and husband Thanh T. Le have purchased Lac Viet Market from Thang Nguyen. Thang will still be in the food business but his focus will be on his Bethel Road restaurant. While the restaurant has undergone a subtle name shift to Lan Viet Market, the overall concept will remain the same. Lan Viet Market will continue to serve high quality, affordable, healthy and authentic Vietnamese food and provide friendly, family business-oriented service. It is a formula that has served the business well for more than six years and we wish Lan and Thanh continued success and many satisfied new and returning customers!

While the Market was disappointed by the loss of Barry’s New York Deli, the vacated space offered an opportunity to Dareen Wearstler to combine both of her North Market businesses, Better Earth General Store and Better Earth’s Beyond Beads into one dynamic location. You can now find all of your environmentally conscious cleaning supplies, earth-friendly bath and body products, locally handcrafted art, jewelry, gift items and a little bit of everything on the east aisle across from North Market Cookware. The former Better Earth space gave Pam’s Market Popcorn a little more room for her popcorn empire and you can now find Pam Tylka happily popping up her favorite flavors on the west aisle between Taste of Belgium and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. The Clever Crow Pizza will ultimately occupy the space on the southeast aisle where Pam’s Market Popcorn used to be. Did you follow all of those chess moves? Why not stop by the market and reorient yourself and give our new tenants a warm welcome?!

North Market is proud to add another family-owned and operated venture to our portfolio of independent food and food-related businesses. We are proud to welcome North Market Spices, an undertaking by Ben Walters with the support of his parents Randy and Cindy.

The Walters family has always been fans of the North Market and as self-proclaimed foodies they love the selections the North Market has to offer. One Saturday afternoon while Ben and Randy were having lunch at the Market they noticed a vacant booth and proceed to discuss what type of business they hoped would fill the spot. As avid cooks, they frequently purchased raw ingredients from North Market merchants, but had to stop elsewhere for their spices. With that in mind Ben declared, “I hope they put a spice store in there!” Randy agreed that it was such a good idea that they should pursue it themselves and the two picked up an application. We agreed that a spice shop would be a great addition and North Market Spices will open in the northwest corner of the Market this August.

The mother and son team behind North Market spices brings their own experience and experiments with cooking and seasoning dishes to the table. When asked what favorite things the two like to cook Ben explains, “It depends on the season. In the summer it’s a lot of chicken and ribs using our own specially blended barbeque rub. We also enjoy making seafood paella. In the fall we like to smoke turkeys using different rubs. In the winter we enjoy traditional roasts and savory stews. In the spring our go-to dish tends to be lamb - we never make it the same way twice! You’ll always find us in the kitchen or by the grill trying a new dish. It’s amazing how trying a different spice or two can completely change the flavor of a dish.” There is no doubt that the Walters will have plenty of advice to offer about seasonings to complement dishes to be prepared by North Market shoppers.

North Market Spices will carry more than eighty varieties of top quality spices, herbs, blends and rubs from around the world with an ever-expanding line of products and discoveries. These will be offered in a space designed to represent a contemporary international market. The rich wood paneling and distressed wood is intended to be reminiscent of the crates that spices would have been shipped in by the East India Trading Company. With its broad range of aromatic offerings, North Market Spices will appeal to everyone from the casual cook to the chef extraordinaire. As ardent supporters of local businesses, they also hope to form partnerships and offer benefit to local restaurants with bulk purchasing options on spices.

The North Market looks forward to the opening of North Market Spices to round out its offerings. According to Executive Director, David Wible, “North Market Spices will fill an important niche for our shoppers. Now, in addition to the widest selection of the highest quality foods, Market visitors will have the opportunity to select from a wide variety of great spices, rubs, salts, seasonings and herbs.”