City of Des Moines, Iowa City Spotlight Episodes, 12 Jun 2012

Previous Meeting Next Meeting

⏯

youtube image

►

From YouTube: City Spotlight W/ Mayor Frank Cownie

Description

Mayor Cownie talks with Des Moines Farmers Market Director Kelly Foss and a local vendor Derreck Lewis of Thelmas (master treats).

Help us caption & translate this video!

https://amara.org/v/C0tCr/

A

Welcome to this month's edition to City spotlight on Mayor Frank County, and here we are on court Avenue and we're going to talk about farmers. Market happens each year and has been, I think for 39 years, and I'm here with kelly Foss, who is the executive director of the downtown farmers market, welcome to City spotlight. Thank.

B

You thank you for having me talk.

A

To us a little bit about farmers market, how long have been going? How many vendors do you have? Where did it start? How did it start right.

B

Well, I'm sort of a background: I'd love to the downtown farmers market started in 1976, with a handful of vendors, literally five vendors coming into downtown to sell their art and craft and, of course, the produce and its grounds very gradually and very strategically, since and so fast-forward up to maybe the early 80s, the farmers market had quite a growth spurt and decided to move on into the port district and onto Court Avenue, and so by the late eighties. The market was on court Avenue and it started growing.

B

We started adding more growers from around the community and now fast forward a little bit up to maybe the early 2000 2001 ish. What the growth of the farmers market has really sprung. Since then, we kind of credit that to there's more farmers, there's more people who are asking about their food and so every Saturday 7 a.m. to noon on court Avenue. We have about 200 growers and bakers and artists selling and creating a great community event. How.

A

Much of the produce and, quite frankly the art is local, we'll just say, Iowa, produce and art and manufactured here, and how much comes from somewhere else. Yeah.

B

Well, the whole heart of the downtown farmer's market is locally grown product local locally, raised product and locally made product. So most of the product that you find at the farmers market is locally grown. We have. Eighty percent of the participant spelling at the market are selling I were raised, produce the fresh fruits and vegetables and the meat.

B

There are a few people who were here in the very early years of the farmers market that are doing a little bit of wholesale, and that means what that means is that they're bringing product that we don't raise in Iowa, or maybe it's not in season in Iowa, so they're kind of complementing what we have available in Iowa all.

A

Right now also, there's always a discussion, whether it's here or in stores talk to us about organic and can people sort those people out? How do you know who's organic and who's? Not, and what does that mean you.

B

Know with it, what organic means is that the product has grown without the chemicals that would be used traditionally, and so it actually could mean a lot of different things. There is an actual certification that is a federal certification and if a grower is certified, organic there's a process in which their land has to gradually become certified organic, so they're, not using these chemicals for several years. So we have, some of our growers are in three.

A

Or five or five.

B

Years, I think it just varies on, depending on the land that they're on and so there's this transition period and many of our growers that sell at the farmers market are in that transition period, and some of them are not really trying to become certified organic, but they're growing, chemical free, and so that's the great thing about shopping at a farmers market at our farmers market is you get to meet the farmer, who's growing, the food, and so you can ask them specifically.

B

How are you raising your product and what are you putting on your product and ask them about the chemicals are using because they're not certified organic doesn't mean that they're using chemicals, many of them choose to grow chemical free. So that's really great thing for the heater, the customer that can sue earth to be able to have that conversation with their farmer. Now.

A

You mentioned that we've talked about food there's a lot of other stuff people make and clothes people selling art and there's also performers right, I mean so it's a multi-faceted event, talk to us a little bit about that and how that evolved. Sure.

B

Well, we think that buying your food, everybody needs to eat, so people will find food, whether it's at the grocery store or they're, going to a restaurant or they're shopping at a farmers market.

B

But the unique thing about shopping at a farmers market is it really brings the community together and to really enhance the experience, we've added a little bit of art and crafts and people and baked goods and entertainers and musicians, and so our market runs from or it's it's about, nine city blocks and so throughout the farmers market you're going to find five to six different local entertainers who are playing everything from jazz to country, to maybe they're polka dancing in the middle of court Avenue.

B

So it really live-ins it up and becomes a community event that everybody's invited to talk.

A

To us a little bit also about the logistics, so it goes now you're on court Avenue and that's sort of the center, the heart of it, but goes from where to where east to west and how far north to south our.

B

Farmers market has grown quite a bit, it's about nine city blocks and we say it goes from the courthouse to the river and then we kind of sprawl out in those side streets. So we stretch from on fourth street and third and then second kind of out maybe about a block on each side. So it's quite large but you're.

A

Not up on wall, and so it's on the side, streets you'd be like on fourth street and third street and maybe second street and then down to the river. That's right.

B

A

Then block or two south than also so.

B

A

To encompass that whole area, yep.

B

We gave encompass the whole court district focus on that no.

A

For our viewers that are coming down, they haven't experienced it. Where should they think about parking? Well,.

B

We have quite a bit of parking and.

A

They can't, when the markets on you can't park on on court Avenue. That's.

B

Right front door: parking is a little bit difficult on court Avenue, because Court Avenue is closed and that's where our vendors are selling sure.

A

B

It is a good idea to think about where you might park when you're thinking about coming down to shop at the farmers market. We have two parking ramps right in the court district and I always like to tell people those are sort of like rockstar parking, no matter what floor you park on in the parking ramp because you can get on the elevator and it takes you right into the heart of the farmers market, but we also have street parking which meter parking is free on Saturdays. So that's very convenient.

A

They parked free in the garages on Saturdays as well. Yes,.

B

Okay, parking and the parking ramps is free in the morning on saturdays during the market. That's right all.

A

Right, good, we're gonna, be right back and talk to one of the vendors. So we've got a couple of things for you to take a look at and we'll be right back, I'm Mayor, Frank County, and this is City spotlight.

C

Reducing reusing and recycling your household goods is an important contribution to our impact on our environment, so I encourage each of you to pitch in the blue bin and recycle more hey.

D

Can be recycle this that's.

E

Right on the glass, jars and bottles can go into the recycling bin. The other glass is just trash I'm, pitching in a.

F

Search can bill still recycle. This fill up your blue bin and help keep service costs down I'm, pitching in a cubby.

G

Bear I got aluminum cans, soft drinks and beverages in our recycle. These that's all recycle, especially aluminum cans, I'm pitching in.

C

Thanks for pitching in guys by recycling your household materials like plastics, paper, metals and glass, you make our community cleaner, you increase the life of our landfill and you generate cash thanks for pitching in I.

H

Was a football player in rugby player through high school I decided not to go on and play college sports I wanted to competitive edge, looked in the phone book and found the sport of judo I competed in jail for seven years and after doing judo. The competition, if left so I, had wanted a new competitive sport. So I looked in the phone book and found the sport of Muay Thai during.

I

H

Working a pretty stressful banking environment coming to the gym after hard day at the office, a really big.

I

Relief, my name is Chris and I. Geek Muay Thai.

A

Alright welcome back Frank, County again I hope you found some on the city calendar that you and your family can get out and enjoy lots of things going on in and around Des Moines with me now is Derrick Lewis Derek guy has Thelma's and it says the master treats calm right.

I

Under way, Jerry.

A

Talked to us a little bit about what you do and about your experience here at farmer's market and how long you been participating.

J

Yeah, this is our first year as a vendor, which we already excited to be involved in. We do made from scratch, but.

A

You have to wait for a while to get were you're on a waiting list.

J

There's an application process.

A

J

Know you have to show where all your ingredients come from and they you know it helps you to use more local things. Baking is kind of tough to use a lot of local things, but you use grime eggs from farmer out of Grimes and things like that. So yeah we do made from scratch cookies and then we fill them with ice cream and individually wrap them. So it's a handmade ice cream sandwich right.

A

On the spot, yeah, ok! So so, whose recipe is this? Your recipe that you use for the cookies.

J

We use my great-grandma Thelma's snickerdoodle recipe and she's 107 this year in hundred.

A

And seven years old and.

J

Still still cooks yeah, she lives in Newton. She lived her whole life in Monroe on our century farm, and so we really kind of built a brand to commemorate life and all the memories that we have with her. And so we use her snickle through your recipe and then we have our own chocolate chip and then we have a spicy chocolate chip recipe. That's kind of fun too. So.

A

What gave you the idea to put this together as ice cream? Do you just sell the cookies as well? So can person come down to farmers market by Elmas cookie, but also I'd rather have the Ice Cream Sandwich? You can do that or under.

J

An option: no at the market: we just do the ice cream sandwiches, so we have a little ice cream car with an umbrella and it's very kind of standard street. Vendor style. Oh come during the week, you can get warm thumbless cookies, delivered in our little oven box, but the ice cream sandwiches are only available at the market. So all.

A

Right wary: where are you located to the farmers market? Are you.

D

A

Place every week or do you move around well.

J

As a new vendor, they can move us around a little bit. Oh here's, our cool box, well.

A

Looks like it up and you get the burners on the top and a little yeah knobs.

J

Or everything Saturday Manufacturing's, a local marketing firm here in town and they developed the whole brand for us and really try to keep it as a retro feel and.

E

All that stuff sure.

J

But yeah it opened just like an oven and they slide out. So they can. They come piping, hot, so Wow anyway. So we're usually we've been at the south end of fourth okay for the first couple weekends and then we'll just wherever they put us would be great. So it's always a different experience and different people and some people find you. Some people don't and it kind of keeps it exciting. What.

A

Made you think that this would be a good place for you guys to be, and in so your product um head, you'd experience, farmers market portage come down, you kind of look at it and say you know we are be here. Yeah.

J

We've I've come as a customer sure walked around and try different things. I think the biggest thing about farmers market, as opposed to any other venue or festival, or anything like that is action with customers. Sure that this is where things start and things happen, and businesses can kind of get their feet wet and and get a real interaction with the customer.

A

Two weeks experience now and moving into the rest of the summer. How was it the first couple of weeks it.

J

Was great, we had a great turnout and a lot of people say: oh I knew your grandma Thelma or you know good stories like that and people say: oh I have a grandma film I want one of your t-shirts or something like that. So it's stuff that we didn't really predict and it's just the thing we need for ice cream. Sandwiches is heat, so it's the cold morning. Nobody buys ice cream. Sandwiches sure we know. Is it.

A

J

And august will have.

A

Guaranteed you'll get yo goody, yeah.

J

We're not too worried and.

A

You know thumb was an interesting name because those are sort of those those retro names, Thelma's, a name that somebody's grandmother a great-grandmother was called. My mother, who was would be a hundred and seven right now was I videl and boy. There's another. You know flashback name, you know because you hardly you never hear anybody named that these at least I've Adele and very few fellows. So we.

J

Did some research on the name and it was pop? There was a novel written that used the name Thelma in 1890 or something and then from them to 1920. It was really popular a.

A

Lot of jealous yeah, then.

J

It just know, uh so that's why we think the name kind of associates with grandma was a lot and that's what we want people to think of as their grandma's cookies and their experience with grandma's. So where.

A

Do you think you're gonna take the whole film a--'s idea and label from here.

J

Just more markets, we sell them at the gateway market, and couple of you know, restaurants and kind of hittin. This here it'd be great to have ice cream sandwiches available in more places sure and the delivery business is fun. We just like interacting with customers, so just delivering more warm cookies it throughout the city. So.

A

Do you do this 12 months years, this your full-time job, or do you do something else as well? Yeah.

J

My mom and I do it, so she don't you she bakes and I, deliver most days during the week, and then we make ice cream sandwiches in between those times but in the colder seasons. The warm cookies or take up way more of our time than the hot time of the year. That.

A

Make sure more.

J

Than ice cream sandwiches, so all.

A

Right all right, so farmers market is gonna, be an opportunity and, let's hope, during this summer you've got a. What is your your little booth look like well.

J

We knew when the farmers market gets busy, the streets fill up and you can't really see the cards. So we built a giant red oven. Mitt Wow go on top of our umbrella. So if you look all the way down the farmers market, you can see that and then that's already know to go to get ice cream. Sandwiches all.

A

Right, everybody look for Thelma's, we're gonna, be right, back I'm gonna, take a break and then we'll bring Kelly back and talk a little bit more.

C

Reducing reusing and recycling your household goods is an important contribution to our impact on our environment, so I encourage each of you to pitch in the blue bin and recycle more hey.

D

Can be recycled is that's.

E

Right all the glass, jars and bottles can go into the recycling bin. The other glass is just trash I'm, pitching in hey.

F

Serge can bill still recycle this fill up your blue bin and help keep service costs down I'm pitching in a cubby.

G

Bear I got aluminum cans, soft drinks and beverages. Can I recycle these? That's all recycle, especially aluminum cans, I'm pitching in.

C

Thanks for pitching in guys by recycling your household materials like plastics, paper, metals and glass, we make our community cleaner. You increase the life of our landfill and you generate cash thanks for pitching in I.

H

Was a football player in rugby player through high school I decided not to go on and play college sports I wanted a competitive edge lifting the phone book and found this board of Judo I competed in geo for seven years and after doing judo, the competition is left so I'd wanted a new competitive sport. So I looked in the phone book and found the sport of Muay Thai.

E

H

The day I work in a pretty stressful banking environment coming to the gym after a hard day at the office, a really big.

I

Relief, my name is Chris and I. Geek Muay Thai.

A

Welcome back here we are still on court Avenue and Kelly's back Kelly. Let's talk about the future of farmers market and also, if people need information, maybe you could tell people in our viewers. How do they contact you? How do they get information? You have a website. You have a phone number. How do they get a hold of kelly? Okay,.

B

Great um well, the future of farmers market. We see we're really focusing on quality, not so much quantity. We don't feel like. We need to grow a lot bigger, but we really want to focus on quality products, so I think helping people know how to connect with us if they feel they have a quality product or they're growing, fresh food locally. We're looking for those people and how they can get ahold of us is all of our vendor.

B

Applications can be found on our website and we do those early in the year, so January in February would be a good time to connect with us. If you're interested in selling at the farmers market, we go to Des Moines farmers market com. We also have a call our phone number at five hundred five, two, eight six, four 911 and we'd love to give you some information on how to become a vendor and sell your great local product at the farmers market. All.

A

Right now um we were talking about Thelma's a minute ago, when you said you know, he's sort of his first year occasional vendor. Now some of them are in the same place every week year after year, but others move around a little bit. How do you decide who's going to do that and if I had a product that fit into your categories, can I still get in to the farmers market on an occasional basis? Yes,.

B

Yes, exactly so we're a farmers market, so we focus on the farmer, so our farmers always have an opportunity to apply and if they have a product that we're seeking farmers will be accepted into the farmers market and have the ability become a full-season farmers market excuse me have become a full-season vendor our other vendors like Thelma's, and people who sell arts and crafts and different different types of products like to kind of sprinkle those in to enhance the experience of the farmers market for one, but also to allow many of our entrepreneurs in our city to have an opportunity to sell directly to customers at the market.

B

So an occasional vendor who sells something like ice cream sandwiches would not be at the would most likely not be accepted to sell at the market every single Saturday, but might get a chance to sell, maybe 12 or 15 times during the season is sort of tested out. Okay,.

A

Well, Derek we've talked about your product. Might you brought a a sample.

J

Of it just happened to bring something all right. The best way to sell ice cream sandwiches is to give someone an ice cream sandwich. It's.

A

Exactly right so.

J

I have chocolate chip or snickerdoodle I'll.

B

Trade, the snickerdoodle okay,.

A

I'll go with chocolate chip that oh.

B

And this is grandma Thelma's recipe right, yeah, okay, well, I'm,.

I

G

I

B

Can see what all the fuss is about.

B

A

Are fabulous so for all of our viewers come down and look for Thelma's and all the other vendors at farmer's market and until next time, I'm still Mayor Frank County, and this is City, spotlight and hope to see at the market. You.