The year 2020 has been tough on everyone. At the Downtown Evanston Farmers Market, every vendor had to learn a new way to do business in a very short period of time, and had to adapt quickly and competently enough to create a feeling of confidence on the part of shoppers that their safety was a primary concern. In fact, as Market manager Myra Gorman told the Daily Northwestern early in the season, the pandemic threatened businesses across the board. She asked then that customers keep in mind how critical sales at this year’s market were for vendors: “Many of our vendors have been feeding the community for 45 years. This is a very difficult time, and we need to show up for them.” So, as the season closes on the 2020 Evanston Farmers Market, kudos to them all, and many thanks to the customers who kept showing up.
The 2020 Rookies
A small group of vendors dealt with an additional challenge: they were rookies in a pandemic year. With that in mind, here’s a quick introduction to the new vendors who brought their wares to the Market this year—in the season’s final weeks, you might want to expand your horizons beyond your usual stops to see what other culinary finds the Market can offer. Let the Farmers Market help you with your holiday shopping before the season ends!
B’s Gourmet Nuts
Brett Bowman’s Winnetka-based business is less than a year old, but Brett says the business is taking off, a fair characterization of a product that’s now available in 60 stores in seven states. The two available seasoning mixes were developed by him for home entertaining over ten years of experimentation, to the enthusiastic reception from guests who thought the nuts definitely purchase-worthy. In addition to general snacking, the nuts make welcome additions to charcuterie boards and come in attractive packages suitable for slipping into hostess gift bags or baskets. Brett suggests pairing the Decadent mix with sparkling wine or pinot noir, and the Insatiable variety with zinfandels and Syrahs.
The skinny
Location: west side of the market
What: Small-batch, hand-crafted 6 ounce bags of cashews in two spice mixes, one sweet and one savory, $10 per 6-ounce bag. After November 7, you can locate local purveyors of the gourmet nuts by checking the website’s homepage, and scrolling down to “Where to Find Us” by state.
Website: https://www.bsgourmetnuts.com/
Joanna’s Premium Tonic Syrups
Are you a budding mixologist or are you sheltering with someone who has developed a taste for craft cocktails or mocktails? Are you simply bored with your go-to liquid refreshment? Joanna’s offers two flavors of hand-bottled craft tonic syrups, Original and Orange Fennel, made from natural ingredients that allow you to indulge your creative bent or provide a flavor boost to your usual beverages.
A New York native living on a farm in Iowa and launching her business at Iowa farmers markets in 2018, Joanna is growing her brand beyond her home state. This year for the first time she has a presence at two farmers markets in Illinois. And while Joanna’s signage at the Evanston market reminds us that she is re-inventing the gin and tonic, her tonic syrups mix with many more kinds of spirits and non-alcoholic beverages. Joanna’s sales rep at the Market identified Original as the favorite in Evanston, while the Orange Fennel takes pride of place in Wicker Park. Some customers you might find at Joanna’s stand include pregnant women looking for a sophisticated non-alcoholic drink and dedicated hydrators with a thought to adding the syrup to a water bottle for a flavor upgrade, along with home bartenders who simply would like add something interesting to their drink menus. Joanna’s website provides helpful drink recipes for those looking for guidance on using the premium syrups, and the recipes can also serve as templates for your own craft drinks.
The skinny
Location: In the square
What: Original and Orange Fennel tonic syrups, $12 for 8 ounces. Most of the drink recipes call for one ounce of the tonic syrup, so one bottle yields about eight drinks. After November 7, you can find Joanna’s syrups locally at L&M Fine Foods on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago.
Website: https://thisisjoannas.com/ Recipes at https://thisisjoannas.com/recipes/
Newport Coffee House
Coffee lovers, this one’s for you. Newport Coffee House is the passion project of Lotta and Mikael Bengtsson, who moved to the U.S. in 2010 and purchased the established Bannockburn company of that name in 2018, choosing it for its legacy of specialty coffee roasting that goes back almost three decades. They opened the second location of the Newport Coffee House on Davis Street in Evanston, making it the company flagship. Coffee aficionados who know the coffee shop were the first to patronize the stand at the Market, looking for the same premium coffees that drew them to the Davis Street location. Newport Coffee uses only certified organic beans sourced from all over the world, prioritizes fair trade standards, roasts all its coffee in small batches to ensure freshness, and trains its baristas so that their technique is standardized to assure a uniform experience.
The most popular coffees at the Evanston Farmers Market this season are Espresso and Honduras, while the most sought-after single drink at the stand is the cold brew with oat and maple, which the Newport sales rep, on loan from the coffee shop, assured us is “addictive.”
The skinny
Location: Next to the parking garage
What: Organic coffee roasted in small batches. Single drinks available. Sample prices: Espresso Blend, $16.95 for 12 ounces; Honduras, $15.95 for 12 ounces; Cold Brew with Oat and Maple, $4.95
Website: https://www.newport-coffee.com/
Pasta Pappone
Founded in 2012 by Jon and Mary Beth Mulholland, a husband/wife team of former urbanites now living in Naperville, Pasta Pappone sells pasta handmade from durum semolina wheat flour and all-natural ingredients (but no egg—vegans take note!—or additives or preservatives), and finished using a simple hang-drying process. Gluten-free options are available in many flavors. The pasta is produced now only in long-cut form, but Mary Beth ventured a future possibility of having shorter-cuts on offer too.
Of the many flavor options, Mary Beth pointed to the tomato basil and lemon pepper as the briskest sellers at the Evanston Farmers Market, a location which, even though 2020 is the company’s first year there, is the farmers market with the highest sales for the small company. Mary Beth has also been encouraged by the friendly and loyal customers who have made Pasta Pappone’s debut in Evanston a success. And while we’re not quite at holiday time, Pasta Pappone has already received corporate gift orders, suggesting that this year, as last, its pasta will also be very popular for friends and family gifts.
The skinny
Location: Along University Avenue
What: Artisanal vegan pasta in 12 ounce packages, variety of flavors, $7.00 each, 3/$18; some gluten-free flavors available + $1 per package. Visit the website (home/where-to-buy) to learn where the pasta is available locally after the Market’s close.
Website: http://pastapappone.com/
Recipes at http://pastapappone.com/recipes/
Recipe videos featuring Mary Beth at https://www.facebook.com/pastapappone/videos
Soul and Smoke
Soul & Smoke is the barbecue division of the Evanston-based catering group Feast & Imbibe. At the Soul & Smoke stand, you can find slow-roasted, braised and marinated meats from a kitchen overseen by Executive Chef D’Andre Carter, who, as the company’s website says, first learned his craft in his grandmother’s kitchen on the south side of Chicago and who perfected it in Chicago’s fine-dining restaurants. As owner Heather Bublick related to the Daily Northwestern, the company had been preparing its Market debut well in advance of opening day, but the pandemic up-ended its plans. Since the initial Market protocols put offering hot food at the market off-limits, Soul & Smoke began the season offering all order-ahead items instead of cooking on the market premises; while now-revised guidelines allow food to be prepared on site, customers can still order dishes and pay online up until 5:00 p.m. the night before the market. Given the popularity of many of the selections, the safest bet to assure your choice is available is to order ahead of time from the online menu and pick up at the Market on Saturday—pre-ordered meat and sides are chilled and nicely packed with heating instructions included. There are individual Soul & Smoke specialty items available for purchase at the market, with the most in demand the smoked brisket hash. Smells and longing looks are free.
The skinny
Location: Next to the parking garage
What: Slow roasted marinated meats and comfort food sides. Some individual dishes available. Sample prices: Market menu item smoked brisket hash, $14; Smoked Baby Back Ribs-Full Slab, $24; Smoked Brisket by the pound, $28; Smoked Pulled Pork by the pound, $18.
Website: https://soulandsmoke.com/
Menu for pre-orders: https://www.exploretock.com/soulandsmoke/experience/173618/menu/evanston-farmers-market
There’s more to the Soul and Smoke story this year, as they recrafted their business, not just to survive but also to help people in need. Read about their efforts in our next article, by clicking right here
by Barbara Richards
