Portland Farmers Market today announced its decision to permanently close the Thursday Ecotrust Market at 721 NW 9th Avenue located in the parking lot of the Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center. While Portland Farmers Markets’ four other locations experienced increased traffic and sales over the years, the Thursday Ecotrust Market did not share the same rate of growth.

The market which first opened in 2003 through a partnership with non-profit Ecotrust had been open 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursdays from June to September.

“The Ecotrust Market was located in a vibrant, densely populated neighborhood, and yet it never seemed to reach its full potential,” said Ann Forsthoefel, executive director of Portland Farmers Market, a nonprofit 501(c)6 organization operated by a small staff of four full-time and four part-time employees and numerous volunteers. “We thank Ecotrust for their partnership, Food Front Coop for their sponsorship and, of course, the dedicated shoppers that supported our local farmers and food artisans every Thursday.”

Deborah Kane, vice president Ecotrust Food & Farms, said, “We have much respect and admiration for the Portland Farmers Market. While Ecotrust staff will no longer have the option of buying some of the region’s best products right outside our door, we’ll continue to support local agriculture through initiatives such as Edible Portland and FoodHub. And of course we’ll be among the first in line at all of the other Portland Farmers Market locations.”

THE MARKETS ARE UP

The closing of this location isn’t a reflection of the state of farmers’ markets nationally. As of October 2009, there were 5,274 farmers markets registered in the USDA Farmers Market Directory and over the last decade there has been a 170% increase in farmers’ markets opening nationwide.

The staff of Portland Farmers Market is currently evaluating other possible locations for a weekly market in Northwest Portland. The organization describes the ideal site as one that offers high visibility, community engagement and support from neighborhood and business associations.

The Thursday Ecotrust Market was sponsored by Food Front Cooperative Grocery. Portland Farmers Market is generously supported by community partners West Coast Bank and Mix.

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About Portland Farmers Market
Founded in 1992, Portland Farmers Market, a nonprofit 501(c)6, brings the best of the country to the heart of the city by supporting the region’s farmers and creating vibrant urban marketplaces where growers and consumers come together. This nonprofit’s staff of four full-time and four part-time employees aims to grow, nourish and inspire the community by staging weekly markets in four different locations throughout the Portland area from March until December. In addition to managing the markets, Portland Farmers Market has been an early leader in Portland’s sustainability movement and has served as an incubator for small businesses. With more than 250 vendors from Oregon and Washington – including farms, bakeries, nurseries, meat and seafood providers, cheese makers and specialty food producers – Portland Farmers Market is a true showplace of Northwest agriculture. www.portlandfarmersmarket.org

It went down on the 26th of September….the long-awaited rematch between Wade Pack and the Stepping Stone Cafe’s world famous Mancakes. Wade Vs Mancakes, Round 2.

Wade had his game face on that day, ready to conquer the extra large pancakes, his eye on the prize of a Polaroid of himself  on their Wall of Fame.

A few moths ago, Pack stepped into the NW Portland cafe with breakfast on his mind, not a challenge. He remembered seeing Adam Richman of the Travel Channel’s “Man Vs Food” fame talking about these amazing creations and, at that point, decided to step up to the plate, quite literally. Unfortunately, the fluffy cakes defeated him that day.

The 26th was the rematch. View Part 1 and 2 of the video below to see what happens:

It’s official. Wade Pack of Vancouver, WA has, once again, thrown down the gauntlet and taken the re-match with Stepping Stone Cafe’s 13″ Mancakes.

Brought to the forefront of attention by Adam Richman of the Travel Channel’s “Man vs Food” show, the Portland restaurant has been producing and reproducing these specialty pancakes, hand over fist. Everyone knows about them now and that is what prompted Wade to take the challenge in the first place. FYI, Adam never attempted the challenge…he excused himself, claiming a time constraint. Yeah, right, Adam! ;(

Wade knew there was an empty hole in his life and that a victory over the Mancakes was the only way to fill it.

As you may or may not know, his first attempt was a failure…the Mancakes beat him to a bloody pulp. Wade has assured me that things WILL be much different this time. His strategy is top secret, so I need to respect that.

The time and date for “Wade vs Mancakes – Round 2″ has yet to be determined, but, rest assured, it is going to happen. I’m headed over to Wade’s private gym today to talk with him about his re-match with the Mancakes. I have a load of questions for him and I’ll have that for you soon, as well as the date and time, if you care to attend this Portland event.

Will this time around turn out to be a Mike Tyson knock-out blow for Wade or will the sheer intimidation factor of this hill he must climb eat him alive? Regardless of the outcome, this will surely be the match of the century. Can you tell we’re having a lot of fun with this?

In the meantime, here is Wade Pack’s first go at the awesome Mancakes and a promo for the next. Enjoy and we’ll talk soon.

Portland Farmers Market welcomes food activist, eco chef and cookbook author Bryant Terry to host “Local Lunch Box,” an educational event to enable local kids to experience nutritious food.

School-aged participants can: take part in a market scavenger hunt to learn more about good versus bad food choices, learn about a day in the life of a farmer, and experience fresh and/or new fruits and veggies. Other planned activities include an opportunity for children to cook simple recipes similar to Portland Farmers Market Kids Cook classes, nutrition bingo, make-your-own lunch box, and a blind box produce game where children can identify fruits and veggies based on touch and smell.

Visuals

* Bryant Terry speaking, interacting with local children
* Teams of children racing around the market for a scavenger hunt
* Kids cooking, making lunch boxes, trying foods
* Market-goers playing nutrition bingo

WHO

* Bryant Terry is known for his cookbooks Grub and just released Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine. Terry has spent the last nine years working to build a more just and sustainable food system and uses cooking as a tool to illuminate the intersections between poverty, structural racism, and food insecurity. In 2002 he founded b-healthy! (Build Healthy Eating and Lifestyles to Help Youth), a multi-year initiative designed to empower youth to be active in creating a more just and sustainable food system.
* Ann Forsthoefel, executive director of Portland Farmers Market
* Anna Curtin, education and events manager for Portland Farmers Market
* Local children from the North/Northeast neighborhoods surrounding market

WHEN
10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Sunday, August 30

WHERE
New Sunday King Market
The Sunday King Market, which opened in May, is located at NE 7th and Wygant Streets between NE Alberta and Prescott. Due to the success of this new location, Portland Farmers Market will extend the length of the market season at the Sunday King Market until Sunday, October 25, 2009.

HOW
Portland Farmers Market is asking parents/children who are interested to RSVP to the event by calling (503) 241-0032 or emailing contact@portlandfarmersmarket.org.

CONTACT
Deborah Pleva, deb@leeweinstein.biz, (503) 250-4750

SPONSORS
The King Sunday Market is sponsored by New Seasons Market. Portland Farmers Market is generously supported by community partners West Coast Bank and Mix.

Portland Farmers Market has announced that the Sunday King Market, the newest of Portland Farmers Market’s five weekly markets, will stay open until Sunday, October 25, 2009. Shoppers, farmers and other food artisans requested the neighborhood market located in North/Northeast Portland remain open an extra month.

This location first opened May 3, 2009, through a partnership with Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods (NECN), an umbrella organization for 12 neighborhood associations and more than 30,000 households located in inner North/Northeast Portland. The market is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays, near the intersection of NE 7th Avenue and Wygant Street. It was originally slated to close its inaugural season at the end of September.

“The Sunday King Market has exceeded our expectations to date and we expect it will keep growing in both sales and attendance,” said Ann Forsthoefel, executive director of Portland Farmers Market. “It has become a wonderful weekly gathering place for neighborhood residents.”

The market hosts eight produce vendors, including Groundwork Organics, Wintergreen Farms and Natures Fountain Farm. Other food artisans include Jacob’s Creamery, Ancient Heritage Dairy and Linda Brand Crab. The market has featured bands like James Clem, Shorty & the Mustangs and Sour Mash Hug Band. Every week, rows and racks of bicycles line areas around the market and the adjoining playground is often filled with families with children.

Foodshare Fund Northeast
In early July 2009, NECN with the support of the Portland Farmers Market launched the Foodshare Fund Northeast (FFNE), an incentive program to improve the access of low-income residents of North and Northeast Portland to the Sunday King Market. FFNE supplements food stamps with a dollar-for-dollar match, providing up to $5 per person per week in matching funds.

The success of the program has contributed to the overall success of the market location. Since the program was launched, the average number of food stamp customers at the market has more than doubled, from 25 to 52 per week and the average amount of food stamp tokens purchased has nearly doubled, from $420 to $780 per week. Because the Foodshare Fund tokens are unique, vendors can readily see the increase in sales due to FFNE and several have expressed their appreciation for the program.

David Sweet, co-chair of the King Farmers Market Community Advisory Council, said, “Community members have told us that they came to the market for the first time because they heard about the matching program. We are delighted by the response to this program and grateful for the generous support of the Northeast community that makes it possible. This is a part of our continuing effort to make the Sunday King Market welcoming to everyone in our community.”

The Sunday King Market is sponsored by New Seasons Market. Portland Farmers Market is generously supported by community partners West Coast Bank and Mix.

Today (Friday, August 7) kicks off the Bite of Oregon. This popular annual event held at Waterfront Park in Portland brings together the best food, entertainment and fun that the city has to offer, all in a single weekend.

This first day of the event you can get in for only $5 before 5pm. You can also grab yourself a Bite of Oregon Super Saver Pass which gets you in for all 3 days and runs just $14.

These are some nice discounts to take advantage of. The Super Saver Passes are in limited quantities, so I suggest you get down there early to get them.

I’ll be headed down to The Bite on Saturday myself to shoot some video, take photos and put together an all new page at http://uniquely-portland-oregon.com to replace my present page, http://www.uniquely-portland-oregon.com/bite-of-oregon.html

Maybe I’ll see you there? Tweet me at http://twitter.com/ThePDXGuy

Regards,

Tony

It’s that wonderful time of summer again when the city of Portland hosts the annual Bite of Oregon in Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

This year’s festivities kick off on August 7th and run through the 9th. Food, events and live music is the name of this game. Restaurants from all over the area will roll out the best they have to offer, the wine will run like water and the live sounds of music, from folk to rock, will ring out all 3 days of the Portland event.

This year, the 2009 winner of “Hell’s Kitchen,” Executive Chef Rahman “Rock” Harper, will be there on the Chef Stage to show why he is one of the best at what he does.

Mark your calendar’s for this fabulous culinary event. I’ll be there myself, shooting video throughout the time, so subscribe to my YouTube channel…I’ll keep you informed and hope to see you there.

Find out more about the Bite of Oregon.

I while back, Adam Richman from the Travel Channel’s “Man Vs Food”, hit up Portland and the Stepping Stone Cafe.

If you’re not familiar with the place, they have some really great food, but aside from that, are known around the country for their famous 13″ Mancakes. The typical stack of three is absolutely huge, to the point of hanging over the edges of the large plate they transport them to your table on.

Anyway, my friend, Wade Pack, and I took a trip over to the Stepping Stone Cafe at 2390 NW Quimby Street in Portland to see what all the fuss was about for ourselves.

I chose their freshly-made Banana Nut French Toast (it was very good!) and Wade, being the many-man he is, decided to go for the challenge. As daunting as the Wall of Fame behind him was, he sucked it up and ordered the full stack of 13″ Mancakes.

Here is the results (BTW, he’s going for Round 2 soon!):

Posted via web from Around Portland w/ PDX Guy