North Market Welcomes New Merchants and Familiar Merchants in New Places
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?!
CupcakeCampColumbus, will return to the North Market on Sunday, October 10 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Dispatch Kitchen. Organizers Carmen Owens of 
Best Use of Bacon: As far as carnivores are concerned, everything’s a bit better with bacon, and cupcakes are no exception. So bake up some cakes with bacon bits and pork parts. Haven’t you heard, bacon is the new black? Prove it!
Best Surly Girl Saloon Inspired: At Surly Girl Saloon, sassy lasses drink cleverly concocted cocktails with names like Six Shooter, Surly “Sass”parilla and Surly Temples. We think those make for some nice inspiration for cupcake recipes too. Reinvent your fave Surly libation, or show us what a pirate ship-meets-bordello cupcake looks like in your imagination.
Market to Market Ride Kicks Off Local Matters Local Foods Week
Participants have the option of starting at either market to fuel up with breakfast before embarking on the 13 mile adventure to the market at the other end of the bike trail. Each participating rider will be issued a local foods passport at the beginning of their journey. Bikers can collect stamps along the way by visiting with local vendors and organizations set up along the path including 
Market to Market will take place on Saturday, October 2. Registration is $15 in advance and $20 at the door. The cost includes breakfast, a scoop of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream (at either location), an event t-shirt and reusable shopping bags from both locations filled with up to $50 worth of savings on Ohio foods. Breakfast will be served at both locations from 8- 10 a.m. to allow for riders to eat and set out on the trail at their leisure. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams will be available at both locations upon ride completion. Registration can be made online at 
Market to Market will take place in conjunction with The Hills Market’s Ohio Market Day and the 
Come to the North Market for a Saturday of farm-tastic fun during the 19th Annual Farmers’ Festival on Saturday, August 14th. The annual event held at the prime of the Ohio growing season will highlight bushels of locally grown farm-fresh produce, a homemade jam and jelly contest, the Chef Challenge: “You say to-may-to, I say to-mah-to”, children’s activities, cooking demonstrations and live music. 
“Dating back to the early days at the Quonset Hut, our Farmers’ Market has become one of our community’s most cherished traditions,” said David Wible, Executive Director of the North Market. “Every Saturday morning North Market becomes a focal point for social gathering and it’s all drawn to the Market by a wonderful group of committed, high-quality growers. Each year, during the prime of our growing season we celebrate their hard work and tremendous fruits, vegetables and flowers at our Farmers Festival.”
•9 a.m., amateur jam and jelly contest for North Market customers
• 12:30 p.m., “You say to-may-to, I say to-mah-to”, Chef cooking contest
Two of Columbus’ premiere independent, locally-owned specialty foods markets are returning with an event that debuted with great success last October: Market to Market. The Hills Market and North Market share not only a philosophical connection: one that makes it a priority to provide and promote the best Ohio has to offer to consumers, but also a physical connection: the Olentangy River Greenway (or more commonly, the Olentangy Bike Trial). Join both markets on Saturday, May 1, as they connect to celebrate Ohio-made foodstuffs, the opening of the farmers market and bicycling season with Market to Market: a cross-city local foods-centric bike ride, for amateurs and aficionados alike.
us, Seagull Bags, Small Business Beanstalk, Sustainable Worthington and Wild Goose Creative. Participants who show completed passports at their destination market will be rewarded with a scoop of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream and a reusable bag filled with coupons and goodies from local foods purveyors. Those intrepid enough to bike back to their market of origin will receive a completely different bag of goodies, creating a total value of $50 worth of savings and samples. All participating riders will also be entered into a random drawing for a custom messenger bag created by local courier bag gurus Seagull Bags.
But wait! There’s more! Both markets will be hosting activities to provide riders a bit of entertaining “distraction” during each leg of their cycling journey. The Hills Market will leave riders with Polynesian dreams from Kahiki Day: a daylong celebration of Kahiki’s past and present. Hills will demo several of Kahiki’s frozen food products as well as a wide array of Polynesian-themed foods throughout the store from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the Olentangy River Greenway, the North Market will be celebrating the opening of its Farmers Market. Ohio Proud vendors will join the Market’s seasonal farmers in the plaza selling Ohio-made foodstuffs and abundant live entertainment by local musicians will add to the gaiety of that day.
Market to Market will take place on Saturday, May 1. Registration is $15 in advance and $20 at the door. The cost includes breakfast, a scoop of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream (at either location), an event t-shirt and reusable shopping bags from both locations filled with up to $50 worth of savings on Ohio foods. Breakfast will be served at both locations from 8- 10 a.m. to allow for riders to eat and set out on the trail at their leisure. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams will be available at both locations upon ride completion. Registration can be made online 
CupcakeCampColumbus, will return to the North Market on Sunday, March 14 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Dispatch Kitchen and “this time it’s frostable.” Organizers Carmen Owens of Surly Girl Saloon, Kiesha Jenkins-Duffy of the blog 52 Weeks of Baking and the North Market’s Mary Martineau are offering a festive Saint Patrick’s Day and spring-themed celebration of cupcakes.
Best North Market-Inspired: The North Market features a little of everything and so should these cupcakes. Cupcakes inspired by Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream flavors were popular in the last round. How about using one of our ethnic eateries for inspiration? With Thai, Vietnamese, Mediterranean, Belgian, Indian, Italian and even Polish cuisine on market there’s a world of inspiration here!
Best Vegan: No animal products permitted. Bring us the tastiest cupcake you can create without using milk, eggs, butter or any other animal product.
Finally, if you’re all about quantity over quality, perhaps you’d like to enter the Cupcake Crush. In this contest the first intrepid eater to finish a set amount of mini cupcakes provided by the Surly Girl Saloon will take home a special award. Registration for the Cupcake Crush will take place on the day of the event.
Spring seems so distant, but the North Market is here to help you melt away the winter blues and blahs with our 7th annual Fiery Foods Festival on Saturday, February 20th. Boasting everything from tropical entertainment to tongue-tingling foods the Fiery Foods Festival will put you in a sunny frame of mind!
preparing proficiency in our ever-popular Customer Chili Cook-off. The competition will garner the first place winner $100 and the runner up $50 in North Market gift certificates. Finally, those with iron gullets can register on the day of the event for the Hot Pepper Eating or the Wings of Fire wing eating contest. Familiarity with the term “capsaicin” should suggest that neither of these contests is for the faint of taste bud, but victors will take home a plethora of CaJohns’ products as prizes.
In its fifth year the Chef Chili Challenge pits local chefs against one another as contenders for the title “North Market Chili Champ 2010,” a special trophy and $200 in North Market gift certificates. Participating chefs (at the time of press release) include representatives of 
• 9 – 11 a.m., musical entertainment by the Andrew Hartman Trio
The North Market Fiery Foods Festival on Saturday, February 20 is a free event. Festival activities will take place from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Market hours are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. To participate in the Salsa Contest, Hot Sauce Contest, Customer Chili Cook-off or the Chef Chili Challenge, and for more information, please call (614) 463-9664 or visit www.northmarket.com. Sign up for the Hot Pepper and Hot Wing Eating Contests will take place in the Dispatch Kitchen on the day of the event. A tasting fee of $5 enables onlookers to sample all of the chilis by both professional chefs and amateur contestants while supplies last. ###
The North Market Harvest Festival is helping to kick off Local Matters Local Foods Week on Saturday, October 3. In addition to our usual extravaganza of harvest produce, baking contests, live music and kids’ activities, this year as part of their Local Foods Week celebration, Local Matters worked to pair local chefs with some of our farmers to do cooking demonstrations right out of their stalls.This festival is a fun one for the kiddies with a plethora of activities and entertainment. Mark Wood will be twisting balloon animals and executing fancy rope tricks. Rita Miller will be on hand for fanciful full face painting. There will be give-aways of cookies and apples and the Columbus Jaycees will return for their annual stint of offering harvest-inspired crafts. Not to mention, if you are looking for a new four-legged friend, the Columbus Dog Connection will be on hand with adoptable dogs.
Enterprising customers have several opportunities to take home a prize in our Harvest Festival baking contests. In the pumpkin bread contest, entrants are invited to submit their version in loaf or muffin form. Our two other contests feature the time-honored tradition of pie baking and participants can submit their favorite pumpkin or apple pies for judging. The first place winner of the bread competition will win $50 in North Market gift certificates and each pie competition winner will receive $100 in North Market gift certificates. All home-baked entries will be available for purchase with proceeds benefiting the nonprofit North Market Development Authority. To register or for more information, please call the North Market at (614) 463-9664. Participation is limited to 12 entries per contest.
Two of Columbus’ premiere independent, locally-owned specialty foods markets are partnering to celebrate the bounty that Ohio producers bestow upon our great state. The Hills Market and North Market share not only a philosophical connection: one that makes it a priority to provide and promote the best Ohio has to offer to consumers, but also a physical connection: the Olentangy River Greenway (or more commonly, the Olentangy Bike Trial). Join both markets on Saturday, October 3, as they connect to celebrate the end of a great summer season with “Market to Market”: a cross-city local foods-centric bike ride, for amateurs and aficionados alike. Market to Market will be the kick-off event for Local Matters Local Foods Week in Columbus.