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Devon Peña, professor of Anthropology at the University of Washington, Seattle, speaks about the importance of minority-owned businesses from Mendoza’s Mexican Mercado.
Meet Sonia and Carlos, owners of Mendoza’s Mexican Mercado – they have the entrepreneurial drive that combines the old and the new to bring new flavors to cities
In the face of daunting competition, an economic recession, and the unrelenting pressure by Walmart and other big box stores, small businesses continue to open and to flourish. Meet Sonia and Carlos, owners of Mendoza’s Mexican Mercado – they have the entrepreneurial drive that combines the old and the new to bring new flavors to cities like Seattle while at the same time providing familiar “food from home” for those relocated here from countries like Mexico. These family businesses are the “American Dream” – business ownership and community support. 
Whole Foods Market® is opening a new Seattle-area market in Lynnwood on March 15, and we got a peek behind the curtain at the controlled chaos going on before the grand opening. We arrived early for a tour of the new facility and dodged between trucks belonging to landscapers, electricians, and vendors. Inside we saw what looked like a laptop-armed battalion frantically tapping away at their keyboards and small groups of trainees in the check out lanes listening closely to their instructors. 
Knowing where your food comes from – and getting to know your farmer – is a critical step in knowing what’s IN your food. Once you’ve decided to take the plunge and sign up for a CSA, how do you know who’s real? Success breeds competition and sometimes that competition is fudging it. Some of those CSAs you’re looking at are not REAL CSAs. 
Still have a few folks on your shopping list? No worries! Just head out to your local natural food co-op where you can find all sorts of goodies for last minute gifts. 
We attended one of Whole Foods Market™ Speaker Series events; this one titled “Consumer’s Conflict: The Cost of Fresh Picked Produce in the 21st Century.” The guest speaker was Barry Estabrook, author of Tomatoland – How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit. In the end, there was too much Whole Foods and too little discussion of the real cost of fresh produce and what to do about it. And we paid $40 to hear it… 
“Taste our meats?” was an invitation I gladly accepted. I was at the Milwaukie Farmers Market, being offered locally made sausages. Sous chef Colin Stafford of Olympic Provisions was staffing the booth and as I tasted the sausages I was hooked. 
Modern supermarkets are as sterile as hospitals, the produce is mostly hard as tennis balls and practically odorless and tasteless, and the staff is less than helpful when you have a question. They have very little connection to the food they put on the shelves. In contrast, the farmers you meet at your local farmers market are directly connected to the food they raise and the land on which it is grown. 
Kelly Wiseman, general manager, Bozeman (MT) Community Food Co-op, talks about labeling and certification to support local, organic, and sustainable farmers. 
Granville Island Public Market is just a short water taxi ride from the sparkling, jewel-like towers of downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, and a comfortable stroll from neighborhoods of stately Victorian homes. The city is a beautiful contradiction and Granville Island – and the Public Market – was built to honor both the new and the old. |
 Video: Gene Yale grows 170+ apple trees in a city lot. By growing tiny little trees – grafted and managed like Bonsai – Gene has 3-foot apple treas that bear full size fruit.
Pig Mania
Crown S Ranch, Winthrop WA
(Click the image for a larger version.) |
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