Renton kicks off summer with the beginning of two farmers markets next week.
Downtown Renton and Valley Medical Center will host two markets with a variety of flowers, fruits, vegetables and other food vendors.
Renton Mayor Denis Law will officially ring the opening bell at the Renton Farmers Market at the Piazza at 2:45 p.m., Tuesday, June 7, to mark the start of the season. A member of the Renton City Council will help kick off the inaugural year of Farmers Market at Valley Medical Center at 11:45 a.m., Sunday, June 12.
This is downtown Renton’s 10th year hosting a farmers market.
Renton Farmers Market vendors’ gross sales average $19,000 each week, according to a release by the city. Also, according to a survey conducted in 2008 and 2009, approximately 60 percent of the visitors to the Renton Farmers Market visit other downtown Renton businesses before or after their trips to the market.
“We’re really excited about the opportunities available for customers to get the ‘total market experience,’ from healthy food choices to family entertainment at the downtown market and wellness information at the Valley Medical Center market,” said Valria Lopez, the city’s new Farmers Market coordinator.
One vendor hoping to share his experience in Caribbean cooking is Michael Cunningham, chef and owner of Caribreoso Catering and Culinary Services.
For the first time, Cunningham will be selling his Jamaican patties at the Renton Farmers Market this summer.
Cunningham is originally from the South and decided to focus on Caribbean, Creole and Southern food after going to culinary school, learning about all the worldly influences on different types of food and also through his influences from friends from the Caribbean.
He has been in business for a year and has lived in the Renton area since 2008. His full-service catering and lunch delivery service goes throughout Renton and beyond, serving the Microsoft lunch crowd in Redmond.
“The Farmers Market gives you a really good way to connect with customers,” Cunningham said.
As a visitor to previous markets in Renton, he liked what he saw.
Cunningham is one of 55 vendors selling products at this year’s Farmers Market at the Piazza. Products include grass-fed beef and pork, cheese, eggs and honey, in addition to fresh cut flowers, baked goods, herbs and a bounty of farm fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables.
Visitors can even buy “take and bake” pizzas with local ingredients.
The Renton Farmers Market will feature chef demonstrations, kids’ activities, live entertainment, tips from master gardeners, free parking (for up to two hours at the parking garage) and a pedestrian-friendly environment.
The attendance to the downtown market has often surpassed 3,500 attendees.
“The Renton Farmers Market is the place where you can buy locally grown goods, promote healthy living and the environment and support local farmers, while also helping to energize our downtown,” said Linda Middlebrooks, president of Piazza Renton, whose volunteers help staff the market.
The Farmers Market at Valley Medical Center features more than two dozen vendors selling an array of fresh fruits, vegetables and other great deals. Each week there will be a different focus at the Valley Medical Center Wellness Booth.
Downtown Farmers Market
WHEN: 3 -7 p.m., Tuesdays, June 7 through Sept. 27
WHERE: South Third Street and Burnett Avenue South, adjacent to the Renton Transit Center
Farmers Market at Valley Medical Center
WHEN: Noon – 4 p.m., Sundays, June 12 through Sept. 18
WHERE: In the parking lot adjacent to the Talbot Professional Center at 4011 Talbot Road S.
