Underground Market: The March Results

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for coming out to support our foodie community at the underground market! It was a total success. We sold out of the fresh home brewed ginger beer, the hawaiian coconut mochi and about 75% of the pickled grapes and green garlic that we had made.

Photo courtesy of Jesse of beerandnosh

I handed out samples of pickled grapes to many people who were excited to try something new and I convinced quite a few people to venture out into the unfamiliar and try the Hawaiian adaptation of mochi. Some may have wiggled their noses in doubt, but, wouldn't you know, you all had such nice things to say and I'm so proud of you for having a go.

I won't lie--it was still crowded (over 1,200 people came!) and there were still lines, but people came out with smiling faces and generally seemed pretty happy and interested in trying what everyone had to offer. And, boy, was there plenty to choose from! Gluten-free items, raw food, laotian Nam Khao, granola, jams and jellies, fermented and pickled goodies, local honey, foraged mushrooms, all sorts of baked goods, sasparilla, fresh homemade salsas, dips, cheeses and charcuterie, kombucha, spices, breads and drinks...But I have to admit that it was, above all, the sense of community that made it all worthwhile. Let's face it, most of these vendors are not in it for the money as they operate on a small scale and have small profits margins of maybe $75 - $300 -- and that's only if you just consider the material costs and assume free labor and time. Instead, they do it for the love of food and for the love of sharing their work, passion and talent with you. So, thank YOU, for making it possible by supporting all of their hard work! It really means a lot.

It was my first time as a vendor and I had a great time. I even got to meet some of my readers, including the founder of Foodgawker.

I believe these markets will continue in monthly installments so look out for the next one!