Hallelujah! Our Farmers Market is open for the season. A jaunt to the outdoor
market is one of our favorite summer pastimes. It’s so much more than just a
place for farmers to peddle their produce; at the very least, it is a community
network of support and exchange, and at most, it’s simply heaven. The farmers
market has evolved far beyond a gathering of rickety card tables stacked with
lettuce. Now it embraces musicians, homemade soap, jewelry, wind chimes and
awesome prepared food. Farmers markets are an indispensible part of our current
social and cultural fabric as new state legislation seeks to streamline health
rules and regulate food sampling. After all, no one dashes to the farmers market
to grab a pint of milk and a stick of butter—a trip to the market is a gustatory
meander during which it is possible to nosh your way to an entire meal.
Sampling, as intended, leads to buying, and that’s why we’re there: to patronize
local food vendors.
The array of on-site edibles is dizzying. There is coffee, iced tea and
smoothies at the Daily Dose and honey-sweet baklava at Sito’s Lebanese Cuisine.
A fat Bavarian pretzel from Aki’s Backstube makes killer stroll-and-munch fare.
Not surprisingly, one of the most popular food vendors is Red Rover Pizza, a
mobile wood-fired brick pizza oven owned and operated by Terry Savoie. Just
imagine chomping down a fresh, hot slice in the open air: Yup, it’s amazing.
Savoie started his DIY pizza kick with a rugged cinderblock contraption in
his backyard. He and his family loved the ritual of firing up the oven, tossing
the dough, creating the pizza, watching it bake and chowing it down. Soon the
Savoies noticed that their yard was quite popular around dinnertime; Terry
Savoie got the message, made a portable oven and started a catering business.
Now the good pizza Samaritan can bring his wood-fired bliss to the public at
large. Let us state the obvious: Pizza from a wood-fired oven is divine, with a
thin, lightly blistered crust and piping hot toppings.
A Maple Grove Farmers Market vendor for two years, Savoie’s offerings are
simple: pizza, pop and water. The pizza, typically $8–$9 at the market, is
simple too. “Pizza in the States has been Americanized to the point that a
thicker crust has lots of toppings, like the ‘supreme’, which has ten different
things,” he says. “You can get at least as much if not more flavor by minimizing
the toppings. I try to keep it to four or five.” The secret to great crust is
time. It needs to rest at least overnight before using. “The best thing you can
do for your homemade pizza is start it the day before you actually want to eat
it,” Savoie says.
You can find Red Rover Pizza in the southeast corner of the market next to
the live musicians. “I love meeting and talking with people,” he says. “As a
vendor, you naturally end up helping each other and getting to know [the other
vendors]—even more so than your customers.” One of Savoie’s market neighbors is
Natasha’s Pierogi. She stocks precious handmade pierogies, dumplings and
piroshky; it’s not uncommon to see folks hovering between the pizza and pierogi,
weighing a difficult choice (get both!). The pierogis are $6 for a pack of six,
2 packs for $10.
Savoie doesn’t have time to wander the market himself. “Vendors spend so much
time setting up and tearing down, and you don’t want to leave your booth empty,”
he says. Including loading and unloading, prep and cleanup time, Savoie
dedicates at least seven hours to market day. “I don’t think people realize how
much effort goes into it from the vendor standpoint,” he says.
We may not realize it, but we sure do appreciate it.
&
Open Thursdays, June to October 23, 3 p.m.
Check out the Maple Grove Farmers Market
You can also follow Farmers Market updates on Facebook and Twitter.
Check vendors’ websites for the latest market prices on other items listed in
this story.
Editor's Note: Long time farmers market vendor Terry Savoie of Red Rover Pizza was unable to be a part of the 2014 market.
